WorldWideScience

Sample records for diseases 9th revision

  1. Quality improvement of International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, diagnosis coding in radiation oncology: single-institution prospective study at University of California, San Francisco.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chien P; Braunstein, Steve; Mourad, Michelle; Hsu, I-Chow J; Haas-Kogan, Daphne; Roach, Mack; Fogh, Shannon E

    2015-01-01

    Accurate International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnosis coding is critical for patient care, billing purposes, and research endeavors. In this single-institution study, we evaluated our baseline ICD-9 (9th revision) diagnosis coding accuracy, identified the most common errors contributing to inaccurate coding, and implemented a multimodality strategy to improve radiation oncology coding. We prospectively studied ICD-9 coding accuracy in our radiation therapy--specific electronic medical record system. Baseline ICD-9 coding accuracy was obtained from chart review targeting ICD-9 coding accuracy of all patients treated at our institution between March and June of 2010. To improve performance an educational session highlighted common coding errors, and a user-friendly software tool, RadOnc ICD Search, version 1.0, for coding radiation oncology specific diagnoses was implemented. We then prospectively analyzed ICD-9 coding accuracy for all patients treated from July 2010 to June 2011, with the goal of maintaining 80% or higher coding accuracy. Data on coding accuracy were analyzed and fed back monthly to individual providers. Baseline coding accuracy for physicians was 463 of 661 (70%) cases. Only 46% of physicians had coding accuracy above 80%. The most common errors involved metastatic cases, whereby primary or secondary site ICD-9 codes were either incorrect or missing, and special procedures such as stereotactic radiosurgery cases. After implementing our project, overall coding accuracy rose to 92% (range, 86%-96%). The median accuracy for all physicians was 93% (range, 77%-100%) with only 1 attending having accuracy below 80%. Incorrect primary and secondary ICD-9 codes in metastatic cases showed the most significant improvement (10% vs 2% after intervention). Identifying common coding errors and implementing both education and systems changes led to significantly improved coding accuracy. This quality assurance project highlights the potential problem

  2. Galectin-9 ameliorates anti-GBM glomerulonephritis by inhibiting Th1 and Th17 immune responses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qian; Luan, Hong; Wang, Le; He, Fan; Zhou, Huan; Xu, Xiaoli; Li, Xingai; Xu, Qing; Niki, Toshiro; Hirashima, Mitsuomi; Xu, Gang; Lv, Yongman; Yuan, Jin

    2014-04-15

    Antiglomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN) is a Th1- and Th17-predominant autoimmune disease. Galectin-9 (Gal-9), identified as the ligand of Tim-3, functions in diverse biological processes and leads to the apoptosis of CD4(+)Tim-3(+) T cells. It is still unclear how Gal-9 regulates the functions of Th1 and Th17 cells and prevents renal injury in anti-GBM GN. In this study, Gal-9 was administered to anti-GBM GN mice for 7 days. We found that Gal-9 retarded the increase of Scr, ameliorated renal tubular injury, and reduced the formation of crescents. The infiltration of Th1 and Th17 cells into the spleen and kidneys significantly decreased in Gal-9-treated nephritic mice. The reduced infiltration of Th1 and Th17 cells might be associated with the downregulation of CCL-20, CXCL-9, and CXCL-10 mRNAs in the kidney. In parallel, the blood levels of IFN-γ and IL-17A declined in Gal-9-treated nephritic mice at days 21 and 28. In addition, an enhanced Th2 cell-mediated immune response was observed in the kidneys of nephritic mice after a 7-day injection of Gal-9. In conclusion, the protective role of Gal-9 in anti-GBM GN is associated with the inhibition of Th1 and Th17 cell-mediated immune responses and enhanced Th2 immunity in the kidney.

  3. 9th International Conference on Knowledge, Information and Creativity Support Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Papadopoulos, George; Skulimowski, Andrzej; Kacprzyk  , Janusz

    2016-01-01

    This volume consists of a number of selected papers that were presented at the 9th International Conference on Knowledge, Information and Creativity Support Systems (KICSS 2014) in Limassol, Cyprus, after they were substantially revised and extended. The 27 regular papers and 19 short papers included in this proceedings cover all aspects of knowledge management, knowledge engineering, intelligent information systems, and creativity in an information technology context, including computational creativity and its cognitive and collaborative aspects. .

  4. Correlation Between Th1, Th2 Cells and Levels of Serum MMP-2, MMP-9 in Children with Asthma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan WANG

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To explore the correlation between Th1 and Th2 cells and the levels of serum matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2 and MMP-9 in children with asthma. Methods: A total of 89 children with asthma were divided into acute group (n=48 and chronic group (n=41 according to the course of disease, and 40 healthy children at the same term were collected as control group. The ratios of Th1 and Th2 cells as well as levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were compared in three groups, and the correlation between Th1 and Th2 cells and levels of MMP-2, MMP-9 was analyzed in acute group and chronic group. Results: When compared with control group, the ratios of Th1 and Th2 cells went down in both acute group and chronic group (P<0.01, while the levels of serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 up (P<0.01. The levels of serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 in acute group were dramatically higher than those in chronic group, and there was statistical significance (P<0.01. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between Th1 and Th2 cells and MMP-2 level (r=0.148, P=0.314, r=0.299, P=0.058; r=0.183, P=0.214, r=0.289, P=0.067, whereas both Th1 and Th2 cells were negatively correlated with MMP-9 level in acute group and chronic group (r=-0.489, P=0.000, r=-0.324, P=0.039; r=-0.352, P=0.014, r=-0.357, P=0.022. Conclusion: Aberrant secretion of Th cells can not only damage the immune function of children with asthma, but also decrease the level of serum MMP-9, consequently affecting the collagen degradation and airway remodeling.

  5. Software Technologies - 8th International Joint Conference, ICSOFT 2013 : Revised Selected Papers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cordeiro, José; van Sinderen, Marten J.

    2014-01-01

    The present book includes extended and revised versions of a set of selected papers from the 8th International Joint Conference on Software Technologies (ICSOFT 2013), which was co-organized by the Reykjavik University (RU) and sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information,

  6. Review on 18th Revision of 'Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeon, Jihye; Lee, Chansuh

    2014-01-01

    Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has established a guideline and continued to revise it in accordance with ever-changing international situation and developing technology. The Part 1 of guideline, 'Guidelines of Nuclear Transfers' covers the Trigger List items which triggers safeguards as a condition of supply. Currently NSG has published the 12 th revised guideline (INFCIRC/254/Rev.12/Part1) in November 2013. Korean government fully reflected the guideline to its national legislation to implement in accordance with internationally agreed standard. The export control of nuclear strategic items in Korea is responsibility of Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), which entrusted the technical review of the work to Korea Institute of Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC). The specific guidelines for the technical review are stipulated in Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items with other strategic items usable to other Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy approved the 18 th revision of Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items on 31 January 2014 as Notice no. 2014-15, which strictly follows the NSG guideline. The 18 th revision of the notice reflects the final proposals agreed from the last Dedicated Meeting of Technical Experts (DMTE) of NSG's Consultative Group (CG) in April 2013. The 3-year-DMTE offered the 'fundamental, holistic approach to the technical review' within the international framework of NSG, rather than sporadic endeavors by individual states in the past. The 18 th version itself has meaning in that the final products of the international technical review were reflected in the Korean national legislation of nuclear export control. It addressed various changes in control text in technical, contextual, and editorial aspects. The revision is analyzed herein concentrating only on technical and semantic changes in control text

  7. Trends in Coronary Revascularization and Ischemic Heart Disease?Related Mortality in Israel

    OpenAIRE

    Blumenfeld, Orit; Na'amnih, Wasef; Shapira?Daniels, Ayelet; Lotan, Chaim; Shohat, Tamy; Shapira, Oz M.

    2017-01-01

    Background We investigated national trends in volume and outcomes of percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and ischemic heart disease?related mortality in Israel. Methods and Results Using International Classification of Diseases 9th and 10th revision codes, we linked 5 Israeli national databases, including the Israel Center for Disease Control National PCI and CABG Registries, the Ministry of Health Hospitalization Report, the Center of Bureau of St...

  8. Th9 cytokines response and its possible implications in the immunopathogenesis of leprosy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Sousa, Jorge Rodrigues; Pagliari, Carla; de Almeida, Dandara Simone Maia; Barros, Luiz Fernando Lima; Carneiro, Francisca Regina Oliveira; Dias, Leonidas Braga; de Souza Aarão, Tinara Leila; Quaresma, Juarez Antonio Simões

    2017-06-01

    Leprosy is an infectious-contagious disease whose clinical evolution depends on the interaction of the infectious agent with the immune response of the host, leading to a clinical spectrum that ranges from lepromatous leprosy (susceptibility, LL) to tuberculoid leprosy (resistance, TT). The immune response profile will depend on the pattern of cytokine production and on the activity of macrophages during infection. Classically, the clinical evolution of leprosy has been associated with Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles, but the role of new cytokine profiles such as T helper 9 (Th9) remains to be elucidated. To evaluate the tissue expression profile of these cytokines, a cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 30 leprosy skin lesion biopsies obtained from patients with leprosy, 16 TT and 14 lepromatous LL. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a significant difference in interleukin (IL)-9, IL-4 transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and IL-10 levels between the two groups. IL-9 was more expressed in TT lesions compared with LL lesions. Higher expression of IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β was observed in LL compared with TT. IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β tended to be negatively correlated with the expression of IL-9, indicating a possible antagonistic activity in tissue. The results suggest that Th9 lymphocytes may be involved in the response to Mycobacterium leprae , positively or negatively regulating microbicidal activity of the local immune system in the disease. 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/.

  9. Clinical aspects of neurodegenerative diseases - 15th HUPO BPP Workshop April 8-9, 2011, Bochum, Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gröttrup, Bernd; Böckmann, Miriam; Marcus, Katrin; Wiltfang, Jens; Grinberg, Lea T; Meyer, Helmut E; Park, Young M

    2011-11-01

    The HUPO Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) held its 15th workshop in Bochum, Germany, from April 8th to 9th, 2011 directly after the Proteomic Forum 2011 in Berlin. Like on every spring workshop, the focus was more on clinical aspects, so that especially clinicians participated in this workshop. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. 9th International Robotic Sailing Conference

    CERN Document Server

    Cruz, Nuno

    2017-01-01

    This book contains selected papers that address a variety of topics related to the design, development and operation of unmanned and fully autonomous sailing boats. These papers were presented in the 9th International Robotic Sailing Conference, in association with the 9th World Robotic Sailing Championship that took place in Viana do Castelo, Portugal from the 5th to 10th of September 2016. The book is divided in three parts, each focusing on key aspects of robotic sailing. The first part addresses the design, construction and validation of autonomous sailboat platforms, including their rigs, appendages and control mechanisms. The second part is devoted to the development of sensors and algorithms to enhance the performance of robotic sailing boats, in terms of their speed, course control and manoeuvring ability. Finally, the papers in the last part are dedicated to the improvement of behaviours required for the accomplishment of complex autonomous missions. Robotic sailing is a relatively new multidisciplin...

  11. Th1-Th17 Ratio as a New Insight in Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bazzazi, Hadi; Aghaei, Mehrdad; Memarian, Ali; Asgarian-Omran, Hossein; Behnampour, Nasser; Yazdani, Yaghoub

    2018-02-01

    The Th17, Th1 and dual Th17/Th1 cells are important players in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease. To assess their roles, the frequency and impact of these cells were investigated in patients with different disease activity. In 14 new cases and 41 established RA patients in comparison with 22 healthy controls, the percentages of Th17, Th1 and dual Th17/Th1 cells were determined by flow-cytometry and their correlations were investigated with disease activity score (DAS28). Moreover, serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 as inducer and functional cytokines for Th17 were investigated. Finally, serum levels of anti citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were assessed. Percentage of Th17 cells in RA patients were increased in comparison with healthy controls (pTh1 cells in RA patients were less than healthy group (pTh17/Th1 cell only in new cases of RA were more than healthy control groups (pTh1/Th17 ratio in RA patients is statistically different with healthy control group (pTh1/Th17 ratio in RA patient suggested a new paradigm in the field of autoimmune disease and indicated that imbalance or plasticity between these subsets can be important in progress, diagnosis and therapy of RA disease.

  12. Review on 18{sup th} Revision of 'Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items'

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeon, Jihye; Lee, Chansuh [Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has established a guideline and continued to revise it in accordance with ever-changing international situation and developing technology. The Part 1 of guideline, 'Guidelines of Nuclear Transfers' covers the Trigger List items which triggers safeguards as a condition of supply. Currently NSG has published the 12{sup th} revised guideline (INFCIRC/254/Rev.12/Part1) in November 2013. Korean government fully reflected the guideline to its national legislation to implement in accordance with internationally agreed standard. The export control of nuclear strategic items in Korea is responsibility of Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), which entrusted the technical review of the work to Korea Institute of Nonproliferation and Control (KINAC). The specific guidelines for the technical review are stipulated in Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items with other strategic items usable to other Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy approved the 18{sup th} revision of Notice on Export and Import of Strategic Items on 31 January 2014 as Notice no. 2014-15, which strictly follows the NSG guideline. The 18{sup th} revision of the notice reflects the final proposals agreed from the last Dedicated Meeting of Technical Experts (DMTE) of NSG's Consultative Group (CG) in April 2013. The 3-year-DMTE offered the 'fundamental, holistic approach to the technical review' within the international framework of NSG, rather than sporadic endeavors by individual states in the past. The 18{sup th} version itself has meaning in that the final products of the international technical review were reflected in the Korean national legislation of nuclear export control. It addressed various changes in control text in technical, contextual, and editorial aspects. The revision is analyzed herein concentrating only on technical and semantic changes in control text.

  13. 9 CFR 108.6 - Revision of plot plans, blueprints, and legends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Revision of plot plans, blueprints... FACILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSED ESTABLISHMENTS § 108.6 Revision of plot plans, blueprints, and legends... changes affecting the workflow are to be made. The licensee shall: (a) Prepare revised plot plans...

  14. Impaired Gal-9 Dysregulates the PBMC-Induced Th1/Th2 Imbalance in Abortion-Prone Matings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mengzhou He

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Recurrent miscarriage is defined as the loss of 3 or more consecutive pregnancies; however, the underlying immunologic mechanisms that trigger pregnancy loss remain largely unelucidated. Galectin-9 (Gal-9 may modulate a variety of biologic functions and play an important role in Th1/Th2 immune deviation. To analyze the mechanism of Gal-9 in abortion, we used the classical abortion-prone mouse model (DBA/2-mated CBA/J mice to detect the expression of Gal-9 at the maternal-fetal interface. We also mimicked the immune environment of pregnancy by culturing trophoblast cells with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs to explore how Gal-9 might be involved in the pathogenesis of abortion. We found that the expression levels of Gal-9 in abortion-prone matings were lower than that for controls. Using a coculture system, we detected a Th1 preponderance in the coculture from abortion-prone matings. Furthermore, Gal-9 blockade augmented the imbalance of Th1/Th2 immunity in abortion-prone matings by promoting the secretion of Th1-derived cytokines in coculture, while there was a Th2 preponderance when we administered recombinant Gal-9. In conclusion, our results suggest that the Gal-9 signal is important for the regulation of PBMC function toward a Th2 bias at the maternal-fetal interface, which is beneficial for the maintenance of a normal pregnancy.

  15. Th9/IL-9 Profile in Human Echinococcosis: Their Involvement in Immune Response during Infection by Echinococcus granulosus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nannan Pang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Th9 cells have been reported to contribute to immune responses; however, the role of Th9 cells in Echinococcus granulosus infection is unknown. This study is to determine whether Th9 cells and IL-9 are involved in human Echinococcus granulosus infection. Compared with healthy controls (HC group, the mRNA levels of PU.1, IL-9, and GATA-3 were significantly increased in patients before therapy (CE group, as revealed by qRT-PCR. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the percentages of Th9 and Th2 cells in CE group were significantly higher. The levels of IL-9, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β in CE group were also significantly increased, as detected by CBA assay. The percentages of Th9 and Th2 cells in CE group were positively correlated. After treatments of surgery in combination with albendazole, the PU.1 and GATA-3 mRNA levels were significantly decreased in patients after therapy (PCE group compared with CE group. The numbers of Th9 and Th2 cells and levels of IL-9, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β were also significantly decreased in PCE group. In conclusion, the ratios of Th9 cells and IL-9 levels were significantly decreased after treatment, suggesting that Th9/IL-9 may be involved in immune response induced by Echinococcus granulosus infection.

  16. Gluten-free diet does not influence the occurrence and the Th1/Th17-Th2 nature of immune-mediated diseases in patients with coeliac disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imperatore, Nicola; Rispo, Antonio; Capone, Pietro; Donetto, Sara; De Palma, Giovanni Domenico; Gerbino, Nicolò; Rea, Matilde; Caporaso, Nicola; Tortora, Raffaella

    2016-07-01

    Coeliac disease (CD) is the most common Th1-mediated enteropathy, frequently associated with other immune-mediated disorders (IMD). To evaluate: (1) the prevalence of IMD at the time of and after CD diagnosis; (2) a possible change in immune response to gluten free diet (GFD); (3) the potential role of GFD in reducing and/or preventing IMD in CD. Prospective study including all consecutive adult CD patients who underwent investigations for Th1-Th17/Th2-IMD at the time of CD diagnosis and after a 5-year follow-up period. 1255 CD were enrolled. Of these, 257 patients (20.5%) showed IMD at the time of CD diagnosis, with 58.4% presenting a Th1/Th17-IMD. After a 5-year follow-up period, 682 patients (54.3%) showed new IMD despite GFD. Of these, 57.3% presented a Th1/Th17-IMD and 42.7% a Th2-IMD (p=0.8). When compared the prevalence of each type of IMD before and after CD diagnosis, we did not identify any significant "switch" from Th1/Th17- to Th2-IMD or vice versa. The number of patients with Th1/Th17- and/or Th2-IMD increased during the GFD period (20.5% vs 54.3%; p<0.01; OR 1.9). The prevalence of IMD at the time of CD diagnosis is high and it seems to increase in the follow-up period despite GFD. Copyright © 2016 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Th17 Response and Inflammatory Autoimmune Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janelle C. Waite

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The proinflammatory activity of T helper 17 (Th17 cells can be beneficial to the host during infection. However, uncontrolled or inappropriate Th17 activation has been linked to several autoimmune and autoinflammatory pathologies. Indeed, preclinical and clinical data show that Th17 cells are associated with several autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, and lupus. Furthermore, targeting the interleukin-17 (IL-17 pathway has attenuated disease severity in preclinical models of autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, a recent report brings to light a potential role for Th17 cells in the autoinflammatory disorder adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD. Whether Th17 cells are the cause or are directly involved in AOSD remains to be shown. In this paper, we discuss the biology of Th17 cells, their role in autoimmune disease development, and in AOSD in particular, as well as the growing interest of the pharmaceutical industry in their use as therapeutic targets.

  18. 40{sup th} Annual meeting of the European Society of Neuroradiology. Diagnostic and interventional. 24{sup th} Advanced course in diagnostic neuroradiology and 9{sup th} Advanced course in interventional neuroradiology. ESNR 2017

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2017-09-15

    The volume covers the issues of the 40{sup th} Annual meeting of the European Society of Neuroradiology, the 24{sup th} advanced course in diagnostic neuroradiology and the 9{sup th} advanced course in interventional neuroradiology (ESNR 2017). The main issues of the sessions were the neuroradiological impact in diagnosis and treatment, neurodegenerative diseases, acute stroke - new horizons in diagnosis and treatment, case presentations concerning brain tumors, epilepsy, dementia, trauma.

  19. Issues in Developing a Surveillance Case Definition for Nonfatal Suicide Attempt and Intentional Self-harm Using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) Coded Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hedegaard, Holly; Schoenbaum, Michael; Claassen, Cynthia; Crosby, Alex; Holland, Kristin; Proescholdbell, Scott

    2018-02-01

    Suicide and intentional self-harm are among the leading causes of death in the United States. To study this public health issue, epidemiologists and researchers often analyze data coded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Prior to October 1, 2015, health care organizations and providers used the clinical modification of the Ninth Revision of ICD (ICD-9-CM) to report medical information in electronic claims data. The transition in October 2015 to use of the clinical modification of the Tenth Revision of ICD (ICD-10-CM) resulted in the need to update methods and selection criteria previously developed for ICD-9-CM coded data. This report provides guidance on the use of ICD-10-CM codes to identify cases of nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-harm in ICD-10-CM coded data sets. ICD-10-CM codes for nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-harm include: X71-X83, intentional self-harm due to drowning and submersion, firearms, explosive or thermal material, sharp or blunt objects, jumping from a high place, jumping or lying in front of a moving object, crashing of motor vehicle, and other specified means; T36-T50 with a 6th character of 2 (except for T36.9, T37.9, T39.9, T41.4, T42.7, T43.9, T45.9, T47.9, and T49.9, which are included if the 5th character is 2), intentional self-harm due to drug poisoning (overdose); T51-T65 with a 6th character of 2 (except for T51.9, T52.9, T53.9, T54.9, T56.9, T57.9, T58.0, T58.1, T58.9, T59.9, T60.9, T61.0, T61.1, T61.9, T62.9, T63.9, T64.0, T64.8, and T65.9, which are included if the 5th character is 2), intentional self-harm due to toxic effects of nonmedicinal substances; T71 with a 6th character of 2, intentional self-harm due to asphyxiation, suffocation, strangulation; and T14.91, Suicide attempt. Issues to consider when selecting records for nonfatal suicide attempts and intentional self-harm from ICD-10-CM coded administrative data sets are also discussed. All material appearing in this

  20. 9th ISAAC Congress

    CERN Document Server

    Ruzhansky, Michael; Analytic Methods in Interdisciplinary Applications

    2015-01-01

    The book includes lectures given by the plenary and key speakers at the 9th International ISAAC Congress held 2013 in Krakow, Poland. The contributions treat recent developments in analysis and surrounding areas, concerning topics from the theory of partial differential equations, function spaces, scattering, probability theory, and others, as well as applications to biomathematics, queueing models, fractured porous media and geomechanics.

  1. EFSA Panel on F ood Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) ; Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 63, Revision 2 (FGE.63Rev2): Consideration of aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters evaluated by JECFA (59 th and 6 9 th meeting s

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beltoft, Vibe Meister; Binderup, Mona-Lise; Frandsen, Henrik Lauritz

    evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of 20 aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters evaluated by the JECFA at the 59th and 69th meetings in 2002 and 2008. This revision is made due to inclusion of one...

  2. Identifying clinically disruptive International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision Clinical Modification conversions to mitigate financial costs using an online tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venepalli, Neeta K; Qamruzzaman, Yusuf; Li, Jianrong John; Lussier, Yves A; Boyd, Andrew D

    2014-03-01

    To quantify coding ambiguity in International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision Clinical Modification conversions (ICD-9-CM) to ICD-10-CM mappings for hematology-oncology diagnoses within an Illinois Medicaid database and an academic cancer center database (University of Illinois Cancer Center [UICC]) with the goal of anticipating challenges during ICD-10-CM transition. One data set of ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes came from the 2010 Illinois Department of Medicaid, filtered for diagnoses generated by hematology-oncology providers. The other data set of ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes came from UICC. Using a translational methodology via the Motif Web portal ICD-9-CM conversion tool, ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM code conversions were graphically mapped and evaluated for clinical loss of information. The transition to ICD-10-CM led to significant information loss, affecting 8% of total Medicaid codes and 1% of UICC codes; 39 ICD-9-CM codes with information loss accounted for 2.9% of total Medicaid reimbursements and 5.3% of UICC billing charges. Prior work stated hematology-oncology would be the least affected medical specialty. However, information loss affecting 5% of billing costs could evaporate the operating margin of a practice. By identifying codes at risk for complex transitions, the analytic tools described can be replicated for oncology practices to forecast areas requiring additional training and resource allocation. In summary, complex transitions and diagnosis codes associated with information loss within clinical oncology require additional attention during the transition to ICD-10-CM.

  3. 9th and 10th Asian Symposium on Computer Mathematics

    CERN Document Server

    Lee, Wen-shin; Sato, Yosuke

    2014-01-01

    This book covers original research and the latest advances in symbolic, algebraic and geometric computation; computational methods for differential and difference equations, symbolic-numerical computation; mathematics software design and implementation; and scientific and engineering applications based on features, invited talks, special sessions and contributed papers presented at the 9th (in Fukuoka, Japan in 2009) and 10th (in Beijing China in 2012) Asian Symposium on Computer Mathematics (ASCM). Thirty selected and refereed articles in the book present the conference participants’ ideas and views on researching mathematics using computers.

  4. Positive Predictive Values of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision Coding Algorithms to Identify Patients With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinusha Kalatharan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes (ICD-10 for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD is used within several administrative health care databases. It is unknown whether these codes identify patients who meet strict clinical criteria for ADPKD. Objective: The objective of this study is (1 to determine whether different ICD-10 coding algorithms identify adult patients who meet strict clinical criteria for ADPKD as assessed through medical chart review and (2 to assess the number of patients identified with different ADPKD coding algorithms in Ontario. Design: Validation study of health care database codes, and prevalence. Setting: Ontario, Canada. Patients: For the chart review, 201 adult patients with hospital encounters between April 1, 2002, and March 31, 2014, assigned either ICD-10 codes Q61.2 or Q61.3. Measurements: This study measured positive predictive value of the ICD-10 coding algorithms and the number of Ontarians identified with different coding algorithms. Methods: We manually reviewed a random sample of medical charts in London, Ontario, Canada, and determined whether or not ADPKD was present according to strict clinical criteria. Results: The presence of either ICD-10 code Q61.2 or Q61.3 in a hospital encounter had a positive predictive value of 85% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79%-89% and identified 2981 Ontarians (0.02% of the Ontario adult population. The presence of ICD-10 code Q61.2 in a hospital encounter had a positive predictive value of 97% (95% CI, 86%-100% and identified 394 adults in Ontario (0.003% of the Ontario adult population. Limitations: (1 We could not calculate other measures of validity; (2 the coding algorithms do not identify patients without hospital encounters; and (3 coding practices may differ between hospitals. Conclusions: Most patients with ICD-10 code Q61.2 or Q61.3 assigned during their hospital encounters have ADPKD according to the clinical

  5. Role of Th1 and Th2 cells in autoimmune demyelinating disease

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nagelkerken, L.

    1998-01-01

    Evidence is accumulating that Th1 cells play an important role in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), whereas Th2 cells contribute to recovery from disease. A maj or determinant in the development of Th1 and Th2 cells is the type of

  6. Multidisciplinary molecular diagnostics: the 9th European meeting on molecular diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loonen, Anne J M; Schuurman, Rob; van den Brule, Adriaan J C

    2016-01-01

    This report presents a summary of the 9th European Meeting on Molecular Diagnostics held in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 14-16 October 2015. This 3-day conference covered many relevant topics in the field of molecular diagnostics in humans, including infectious disease, oncology, outbreak management, population-based cancer screening, standardization and quality control, chronic diseases and pharmacogenetics. Beyond these different areas, shared values are new technologies and novel technical and clinical applications. Approximately 450 participants, the majority coming from European countries, attended the meeting. Besides high quality scientific presentations, more than 35 diagnostic companies presented their latest innovations, altogether in an informal and inspiring scientific ambience.

  7. Applicability of the 2001 revised diagnostic criteria in Brazilian Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Isabel Habeyche; Zajdenweber, Moysés Eduardo; Muccioli, Cristina; Fimamor, Luciana Peixoto; Belfort, Rubens

    2008-01-01

    To determine the applicability of the international revised diagnostic criteria for Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. Retrospective study. Medical charts of 140 patients with the diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, from the Uveitis Sector of the Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), were revised and classified following the revised diagnostic criteria. Of the 140 patients, 12.85% fulfilled the criteria for complete disease, 29.28% incomplete disease, 28.57% "probable" Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and 28.27% were considered not Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease. The authors consider that the international revised diagnostic criteria have good applicability and are very useful to help in the diagnosis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

  8. Proposals for Paraphilic Disorders in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11)

    OpenAIRE

    Krueger, Richard B.; Reed, Geoffrey M.; First, Michael B.; Marais, Adele; Kismodi, Eszter; Briken, Peer

    2017-01-01

    The World Health Organization is currently developing the 11th revision of the International Classifications of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), with approval of the ICD-11 by the World Health Assembly anticipated in 2018. The Working Group on the Classification of Sexual Disorders and Sexual Health (WGSDSH) was created and charged with reviewing and making recommendations for categories related to sexuality that are contained in the chapter of Mental and Behavioural Disorders i...

  9. Low revision rate after total hip arthroplasty in patients with pediatric hip diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engesæter, Lars B; Engesæter, Ingvild Ø; Fenstad, Anne Marie

    2012-01-01

    Background The results of primary total hip arthroplasties (THAs) after pediatric hip diseases such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), or Perthes' disease have been reported to be inferior to the results after primary osteoarthritis of the hip (OA.......9%) were operated due to pediatric hip diseases (3.1% for Denmark, 8.8% for Norway, and 1.9% for Sweden) and 288,435 THAs (77.8%) were operated due to OA. Unadjusted 10-year Kaplan-Meier survival of THAs after pediatric hip diseases (94.7% survival) was inferior to that after OA (96.6% survival......). Consequently, an increased risk of revision for hips with a previous pediatric hip disease was seen (risk ratio (RR) 1.4, 95% CI: 1.3-1.5). However, after adjustment for differences in sex and age of the patients, and in fixation of the prostheses, no difference in survival was found (93.6% after pediatric hip...

  10. Conference report on Media and Learning Conference, Brussels, March 9th & 10th, 2016

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zac Woolfitt

    2016-01-01

    On March 9th and 10th Zac Woolfitt attended the Media and Learning Conference in Brussels. The programme of this annual conference examines ‘developments, services and uses of media in education and training to […] identify policies and initiatives that promote digital and media competence at all

  11. Advances in multimedia modeling: 14th International Multimedia Modeling Conference, MMM 2008, Kyoto, Japan, January 9-11, 2008: Proceedings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Satoh, S.; Nack, F.; Etoh, M.

    2008-01-01

    This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Multimedia Modeling Conference, MMM 2007, held in Kyoto, Japan, in January 2007. The 23 revised full papers and 24 revised poster papers were carefully reviewed and selected from more than 130 submissions. The papers are

  12. The Queens' estates: fiscal properties and royal policy ( 9th -10th centuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiziana Lazzari (a cura di

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The special condition of the queens of italic Kingdom during the 9th and 10th centuries is exemplified by the title of consors regni and by the exceptionally copious dowers bestowed to them when compared to those entrusted to other European queens. Through the accurate reconstruction of these dowries, composed of royal fiscal assets, this anomaly is explained within the context of specific royal governmental strategies.

  13. Sunspots sketches during the solar eclipses of 9th January and 29th December of 1777 in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domínguez-Castro, Fernando; Gallego, María Cruz; Vaquero, José Manuel

    2017-06-01

    Two sunspot observations recorded by the Mexican Felipe de Zúñiga y Ontiveros have been revealed from a manuscript. One sunspot group was recorded on 9th January 1777 and four sunspot groups on 29th December 1777. Both records were taken during the observation of solar eclipses from Mexico City and their description also included sketches of the solar disk with sunspots. The sunspot group corresponding to 9th January was also observed by Erasmus Lievog. The observation on 29th December 1777 is the only record corresponding to this date.

  14. 78 FR 3453 - Public Comment and Public Meeting on Draft Revisions to the Visitors Element of the Comprehensive...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-16

    ... draft revisions to Comprehensive Plan Public Comment, National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street NW., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20004. The public meeting will be held at 401 9th Street NW., North.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic Access and Filing Addresses You may submit comments electronically at the...

  15. Murine Th9 cells promote the survival of myeloid dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jungsun; Li, Haiyan; Zhang, Mingjun; Lu, Yong; Hong, Bangxing; Zheng, Yuhuan; He, Jin; Yang, Jing; Qian, Jianfei; Yi, Qing

    2014-08-01

    Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells to initiate immune responses, and DC survival time is important for affecting the strength of T-cell responses. Interleukin (IL)-9-producing T-helper (Th)-9 cells play an important role in anti-tumor immunity. However, it is unclear how Th9 cells communicate with DCs. In this study, we investigated whether murine Th9 cells affected the survival of myeloid DCs. DCs derived from bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice were cocultured with Th9 cells from OT-II mice using transwell, and the survival of DCs was examined. DCs cocultured with Th9 cells had longer survival and fewer apoptotic cells than DCs cultured alone in vitro. In melanoma B16-OVA tumor-bearing mice, DCs conditioned by Th9 cells lived longer and induced stronger anti-tumor response than control DCs did in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that IL-3 but not IL-9 secreted by Th9 cells was responsible for the prolonged survival of DCs. IL-3 upregulated the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-xL and activated p38, ERK and STAT5 signaling pathways in DCs. Taken together, our data provide the first evidence that Th9 cells can promote the survival of DCs through IL-3, and will be helpful for designing Th9 cell immunotherapy and more effective DC vaccine for human cancers.

  16. The 9th international conference on computing and information technology

    CERN Document Server

    Unger, Herwig; Boonkrong, Sirapat; IC2IT2013

    2013-01-01

    This volume contains the papers of the 9th International Conference on Computing and Information Technology (IC2IT 2013) held at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB), Bangkok, Thailand, on May 9th-10th, 2013. Traditionally, the conference is organized in conjunction with the National Conference on Computing and Information Technology, one of the leading Thai national events in the area of Computer Science and Engineering. The conference as well as this volume is structured into 3 main tracks on Data Networks/Communication, Data Mining/Machine Learning, and Human Interfaces/Image processing.  

  17. 9th International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuipers, Oscar P.; Poolman, Berend; Hugenholtz, Jeroen

    What’s new in the field of lactic acid bacteria? The 9th International Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB9) will take place 31 August to 4 September 2008 in Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands. Traditionally, the triannual LAB symposium focuses on the themes of genetics, physiology, and applications

  18. STUDY OF GEOGRAPHY TEXTBOOKS FOR 9th, 10th, 11th AND 12th GRADES. CASE STUDY: MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MARIANA-DOINA CÎINEANU

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The introduction conveys some data on learning in India and on designing Geography textbooks in this country. The present paper is reliant on four Geography textbooks, ranging from the 9th to the 12th grade. As regards each textbook, the study considers their learning units, then analyses their structure, the unitary way of designing them, the components of the panels of authors, the texts, illustrative materials, drills, learning activities, language, the wealth of Geography lexis, and the glossary.

  19. 9th Ambient Assisted Living Congress

    CERN Document Server

    Mand, Beate

    2017-01-01

    In this book, leading authors in the field discuss the habitats of tomorrow. These habitats will be connected through autonomous and assistive systems, turning habitats into health resorts. This book discusses how assistance technologies enable a smooth transition from comfortable health support to medical or nursing care. The contributions have been chosen and invited at the 9th AAL congress, Frankfurt. .

  20. Preferential susceptibility of Th9 and Th2 CD4+ T cells to X4-tropic HIV-1 infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orlova-Fink, Nina; Chowdhury, Fatema Z; Sun, Xiaoming; Harrington, Sean; Rosenberg, Eric S; Yu, Xu G; Lichterfeld, Mathias

    2017-10-23

    The functional polarization of CD4 T cells determines their antimicrobial effector profile, but may also impact the susceptibility to infection with HIV-1. Here, we analyzed the susceptibility of CD4 T cells with different functional polarization to infection with X4 and R5-tropic HIV-1. CD4 T cells with a Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th9 polarization were subjected to in-vitro infection assays with X4, R5, or vesicular stomatitis virus-G protein-pseudotyped HIV-1. In addition, we sorted differentially polarized CD4 T-cell subsets from individuals treated with antiretroviral therapy and analyzed the tropism of viral env sequences. Th9-polarized CD4 T cells and, to a lesser extent, Th2-polarized CD4 T cells expressed higher surface levels of CXCR4, and are more permissive to X4-tropic infection in vitro. In contrast, Th1 and Th17 CD4 T cells exhibited stronger surface expression of CCR5, and were more susceptible to infection with R5-tropic viruses. Correspondingly, the distribution of X4-tropic viral sequences in antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV-1-infected patients was biased toward Th9/Th2 cells, whereas R5-tropic sequences were more frequently observed in Th17 cells. CD4 T-cell polarization is associated with a distinct susceptibility to X4 and R5-tropic HIV-1 infection.

  1. Viral immune surveillance: Toward a TH17/TH9 gate to the central nervous system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barkhordarian, Andre; Thames, April D; Du, Angela M; Jan, Allison L; Nahcivan, Melissa; Nguyen, Mia T; Sama, Nateli; Chiappelli, Francesco

    2015-01-01

    Viral cellular immune surveillance is a dynamic and fluid system that is driven by finely regulated cellular processes including cytokines and other factors locally in the microenvironment and systemically throughout the body. It is questionable as to what extent the central nervous system (CNS) is an immune-privileged organ protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Recent evidence suggests converging pathways through which viral infection, and its associated immune surveillance processes, may alter the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and lead to inflammation, swelling of the brain parenchyma and associated neurological syndromes. Here, we expand upon the recent "gateway theory", by which viral infection and other immune activation states may disrupt the specialized tight junctions of the BBB endothelium making it permeable to immune cells and factors. The model we outline here builds upon the proposition that this process may actually be initiated by cytokines of the IL-17 family, and recognizing the intimate balance between TH17 and TH9 cytokine profiles systemically. We argue that immune surveillance events, in response to viruses such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), cause a TH17/TH9 induced gateway through blood brain barrier, and thus lead to characteristic neuroimmune pathology. It is possible and even probable that the novel TH17/TH9 induced gateway, which we describe here, opens as a consequence of any state of immune activation and sustained chronic inflammation, whether associated with viral infection or any other cause of peripheral or central neuroinflammation. This view could lead to new, timely and critical patient-centered therapies for patients with neuroimmune pathologies across a variety of etiologies. BBB - blood brain barrier, BDV - Borna disease virus, CARD - caspase activation and recruitment domains, CD - clusters of differentiation, CNS - central nervous system, DAMP - damage-associated molecular patterns, DENV - Dengue

  2. Decreased B and T lymphocyte attenuator in Behcet's disease may trigger abnormal Th17 and Th1 immune responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Zi; Deng, Bolin; Wang, Chaokui; Zhang, Dike; Kijlstra, Aize; Yang, Peizeng

    2016-02-04

    Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic, systemic and recurrent inflammatory disease associated with hyperactive Th17 and Th1 immune responses. Recent studies have shown that B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) negatively regulates the immune response. In this study, we investigated whether BTLA activation could be exploited to inhibit the development of abnormal immune responses in BD patients. BTLA expression in PBMCs and CD4(+) T cells was significantly decreased in active BD patients. Decreased BTLA level was associated with increased Th17 and Th1 responses. Activation of BTLA inhibited the abnormal Th17 and Th1 responses and IL-22 expression in both patients and controls. Addition of an agonistic anti-BTLA antibody remarkably inhibited DC-induced Th17 and Th1 cell responses, resulted in decreased production of the Th17 and Th1-related cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-23 and IL-12p70 and reduced CD40 expression in DCs. In conclusion, decreased BTLA expression in ocular BD may lead to inappropriate control of the Th17 and Th1 immune responses and DC functions. Therefore, BTLA may be involved in the development and recurrence of this disease. Agonistic agents of BTLA may represent a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of BD and other inflammatory diseases mediated by abnormal Th17 and Th1 immune responses.

  3. The extraction of "2"2"9Th"3"+ from a buffer-gas stopping cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wense, L. von der; Seiferle, B.; Laatiaoui, M.; Thirolf, P.G.

    2016-01-01

    In the whole landscape of atomic nuclei, "2"2"9Th is currently the only known nucleus which could allow for the development of a nuclear-based frequency standard, as it possesses an isomeric state of just 7.6 eV energy above the ground state. The 3+ charge state is of special importance in this context, as Th"3"+ allows for a simple laser-cooling scheme. Here we emphasize the direct extraction of triply-charged "2"2"9Th from a buffer-gas stopping cell. This finding will not only simplify any future approach of "2"2"9Th ion cooling, but is also used for thorium-beam purification and in this way provides a powerful tool for the direct identification of the "2"2"9Th isomer to ground state nuclear transition.

  4. Interleukin-9 Overexpression and Th9 Polarization Characterize the Inflamed Gut, the Synovial Tissue, and the Peripheral Blood of Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ciccia, Francesco; Guggino, Giuliana; Ferrante, Angelo; Raimondo, Stefania; Bignone, Rodolfo; Rodolico, Vito; Peralta, Sergio; van Tok, Melissa; Cannizzaro, Alessandra; Schinocca, Claudia; Ruscitti, Piero; Cipriani, Paola; Giacomelli, Roberto; Alessandro, Riccardo; Dieli, Francesco; Rizzo, Aroldo; Baeten, Dominique; Triolo, Giovanni

    2016-01-01

    To investigate the expression and tissue distribution of Th9-related cytokines in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Quantitative gene expression analysis of Th1, Th17, and Th9 cytokines was performed in intestinal biopsy samples obtained from patients with PsA, HLA-B27-positive patients with

  5. Is the current CCU Draft 2016b of the 9th SI Brochure scientifically and formally satisfactory? And an example of simpler SI definition

    OpenAIRE

    Pavese, Franco

    2015-01-01

    This v.4 includes a critical review adjourned to the CCU Draft 2016b of November 2016 of the 9th SI Brochure in the light of four basic principles that a modern system of units should follow, and a proposal for the text of the CGPM Resolution on the revised SI, intended to resolve the problems found. The contents of the previous versions were: (v.1) discussion of the role of constants (called fundamental until 2015) in the proposed New SI formulation of the definition of the International Sys...

  6. 9th International conference on CANDU maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The 9th International Conference on CANDU Maintenance was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on December 4-6, 2011. The conference focused on Nuclear plant reliability and maintenance. Equipment reliability is a critical factor in achieving safe and reliable Nuclear Power Plant operations for many reasons. For one it reduces the challenges upon the operating staff and allows station personnel to 'go on the offence' instead of having to play defense in a reactive mode. Plant reliability ensures that there is time to study the issues in detail and develop solutions for long-term success. Let us not forget that the owner carries the burden of demonstrating the return on investment, and plant reliability goes a long way in helping to make the case for plant life extension. A good reputation for plant reliability provides the public capital necessary to build confidence and facilitate the licensing process. The proceedings papers and presentations given at the 9th International Conference on Candu Maintenance covered topics that include: Managing Worker; Radiation Dose; Full Life Cycle Management; Managing Maintenance Refurbishment; Designing for Maintainability; Inspection Techniques; and, Mitigating Degradation.

  7. [Venereal diseases in a "general practice" in the 17th and early 18th centuries].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fries, F; Winckelmann, H J

    2018-01-31

    The diary of the town physician Johannes Franc (1649-1725), handwritten in Latin, gives-among other diseases-an overview of sexually transmitted infections affecting citizens in Ulm such as syphilis and gonorrhea. Franc reported on his own experiences in the diary and also included many theoretical details on the causes of the diseases and the corresponding therapies, including ethical considerations. Even in ancient times, there are indications of venereal diseases. However, at the latest with the outbreak of syphilis around the year 1495, the treatment and control of the spread of venereal diseases became an important task of medicine. Before gonococci were detected by Neisser in 1879, sexually transmitted diseases were generally seen as a single disease. However, at the beginning of the 18 th century, there were several doctors who treated syphilis and gonorrhea as separate entities. Franc was one of them. Examining the milestones in the history of syphilis and gonorrhea, the present article reviews the existing theories that tried to explain the origins of these diseases. Franc's treatment patterns are illustrated. Franc's case reports indicate a fundamental change in the perception of STIs at the end of the 17 th /beginning of the 18 th century.

  8. Pixeanalysis of some artefacts from the first Bulgarian capital pliska in 9th-11th centuries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Georgiev, Pavel; Ilieva, Galina; Penev, Ilia; Tzekova, Galina; Pantelica, Dan; Pantelica, Ana; Ionescu, Paul; Gugiu, Marius; Fluerasu, Daniela; Calinescu, Ionut C.; Costache, Cristian

    2014-01-01

    Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) technique has been applied to determine major, minor and trace elements in 20 metallic and glass artefacts discovered in 2012 from the archaeological site Pliska, the old capital of Bulgaria in 9th-11th centuries. PIXE analysis was performed using a 3 MeV proton beam in vacuum at the 9 MeV Van de Graaff Tandem accelerator of IFIN-HH in Bucharest-Magurele, Romania. The GUPIX (Guelph PIXE) programme was employed to determine the quantities of around 30 elements (Z ≥ 14) in the investigated samples. The obtained results were compared with literature data for the medieval epoch in Bulgaria. Key words: PIXE, elemental content, artefacts, metal, glass, Pliska, Bulgaria

  9. Suicidal ideation among students of the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades in the State of Lara, Venezuela: the Global School Health Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granero, Ricardo; Poni, Esteban; Poni, Carolin

    2008-12-01

    Suicidal behavior among adolescents is not a well-explored public health problem. Health policy decision-making on suicidal behavior needs reliable information on the prevalence of suicidal ideation (SI) and its associated risk factors to produce health promotion and prevention programs. The Global School Health Survey is a self-administered survey done on a random probabilistic sample among students of the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades in the Lara State, Venezuela, school period 2003 to 2004. Point prevalence of SI and associated factors were included and the odds (OR) of having SI was calculated given selected factors. Two-thousand seventy (2070) respondents, of which 13.5 % reported having SI in the last 12 months, and in females more than males (14.6% vs. 11.7%). The OR for SI, according to an associated risk factor, were among (a) females: age > or = 14 years (2.2), worries (3.42), loneliness (8.8), ever had sexual intercourse (5.58), alcohol (8.43) and (b) males: having only one or non close friends (3.69), alcohol (12.36), ever had sexual intercourse (2.73). Behavioral risk factors are relatively new in the field of surveillance systems; therefore, results on SI should be cautiously taken into consideration and a wide discussion should be encouraged as we learn how to best use the results for health promotion and disease prevention.

  10. 9th International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Camacho, David; Analide, Cesar; Seghrouchni, Amal; Badica, Costin

    2016-01-01

    This book represents the combined peer-reviewed proceedings of the ninth International Symposium on Intelligent Distributed Computing – IDC’2015, of the Workshop on Cyber Security and Resilience of Large-Scale Systems – WSRL’2015, and of the International Workshop on Future Internet and Smart Networks – FI&SN’2015. All the events were held in Guimarães, Portugal during October 7th-9th, 2015. The 46 contributions published in this book address many topics related to theory and applications of intelligent distributed computing, including: Intelligent Distributed Agent-Based Systems, Ambient Intelligence and Social Networks, Computational Sustainability, Intelligent Distributed Knowledge Representation and Processing, Smart Networks, Networked Intelligence and Intelligent Distributed Applications, amongst others.

  11. Censum et iustitia. Libelli as a Mirror of Lucchese Social Transformations (9th-11th Century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Tomei

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This article aims to reflect on the mechanisms governing the political and social life of the Early Medieval Lucca, one of the most important cities of the Italian kingdom, using the numerous charters preserved in the archives of Lucca, and particularly the libelli. This type of charter is so widespread over the centuries from 9th to 11th that it strongly connote the political era marked in Lucca and Tuscany by the exceptional holding of the marquisal institutions.

  12. Toll like Receptor 2 engagement on CD4+ T cells promotes TH9 differentiation and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, Ahmad Faisal; Reba, Scott M; Li, Qing; Boom, W Henry; Rojas, Roxana E

    2017-09-01

    We have recently demonstrated that mycobacterial ligands engage Toll like receptor 2 (TLR2) on CD4 + T cells and up-regulate T-cell receptor (TCR) triggered Th1 responses in vitro and in vivo. To better understand the role of T-cell expressed TLR2 on CD4 + T-cell differentiation and function, we conducted a gene expression analysis of murine naïve CD4 + T-cells stimulated in the presence or absence of TLR2 co-stimulation. Unexpectedly, naïve CD4 + T-cells co-stimulated via TLR2 showed a significant up-regulation of Il9 mRNA compared to cells co-stimulated via CD28. Under TH9 differentiation, we observed up-regulation of TH9 differentiation, evidenced by increases in both percent of IL-9 secreting cells and IL-9 in culture supernatants in the presence of TLR2 agonist both in polyclonal and Ag85B cognate peptide specific stimulations. Under non-polarizing conditions, TLR2 engagement on CD4 + T-cells had minimal effect on IL-9 secretion and TH9 differentiation, likely due to a prominent effect of TLR2 signaling on IFN-γ secretion and TH1 differentiation. We also report that, TLR2 signaling in CD4 + T cells increased expression of transcription factors BATF and PU.1, known to positively regulate TH9 differentiation. These results reveal a novel role of T-cell expressed TLR2 in enhancing the differentiation and function of TH9 T cells. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. 9th International Conference on Boundary Elements

    CERN Document Server

    Wendland, W; Kuhn, G

    1987-01-01

    This book contains the edited versions of most of the papers presented at the 9th International Conference on Boundary Elements held at the University of Stuttgart, Germany from August 31st to September 4th, 1987, which was organized in co-operation with the Computational Mechanics Institute and GAMM (Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics). This Conference, as the previous ones, aimed to review the latest developments in technique and theory and point out new advanced future trends. The emphasis of the meeting was on the engineering advances versus mathematical formulations, in an effort to consolidate the basis of many new applications. Recently engineers have proposed different techniques to solve non-linear and time dependent problems and many of these formulations needed a better mathematical understanding. Furthermore, new approximate formulations have been proposed for boundary elements which appeared to work in engineering practice, but did not have a proper theoretical background. The Conferen...

  14. The diagnostic value of Th1/Th2 cell cytokine and thyroid autoantibody on autoimmune thyroid diseases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Xuemin; Qin Mingxiu; Zhao Yan

    2008-01-01

    To study the diagnostic value of Th1/Th2 cell cytokine and thyroid autoantibody in autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), 28 patients with Graves' disease (GD), 15 patients with hyperthyroidism and thyroiditis (GDIII), 13 patients with Hashimoto's hyperthyroidism (HTL), 21 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT)and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The serum concentrations of Th1 cytokine (IFN-γ) and Th2 cytokine (IL-4) were determined by ELISA. The serum levels of thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were measured by RIA. The relationship between the serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4 and TRAb, TGAb and TPOAb were analyzed. The results showed that IFN-γ levels from higher to lower in different groups were in the order of HT, HTL, GDIII, GD and the IL-4 were GD, GDIII, HTL, HT, respectively. There was significant difference in the IFN-γ (P<0.05) and IL-4 levels (P<0.01) between GDIII and HTL groups. There was no significant difference in TGAb and TPOAb between GDIII and HTL groups. In HT group, IFN-γ levels was positively correlated with TGAb and TPOAb (r=0.67,0.54,P<0.01). In GD group, IL-4 was positively correlated with TRAb (r =0.71,P<0.01). The imbalance of Th1/Th2 cell cytokine reflects pathologic change and abnormality of immune function in AITD patients. The detection of Th1/Th2 cell cytokine combined with thyroid autoantibody may be regarded as an indicator in the diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid diseases. (authors)

  15. Fortified Settlements of the 9th and 10th Centuries ad in Central Europe: Structure, Function and Symbolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herold, Hajnalka

    2012-01-01

    THE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION(S) and symbolism of early medieval (9th–10th centuries ad) fortified settlements from central Europe, in particular today’s Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, are examined in this paper. It offers an overview of the current state of research together with new insights based on analysis of the site of Gars-Thunau in Lower Austria. Special emphasis is given to the position of the fortified sites in the landscape, to the elements of the built environment and their spatial organisation, as well as to graves within the fortified area. The region under study was situated on the SE border of the Carolingian (and later the Ottonian) Empire, with some of the discussed sites lying in the territory of the ‘Great Moravian Empire’ in the 9th and 10th centuries. These sites can therefore provide important comparative data for researchers working in other parts of the Carolingian Empire and neighbouring regions. PMID:23564981

  16. 9Th Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference, Melbourne ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Test

    The 9th Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference was held in Melbourne,. Australia, from 24 to 26 July 2009. This conference formed part of a series of conferences initiated in 1993 by the Monash University's Accident Research Centre (MOARC) in partnership ... outputs in injury presentation work. The speaker ...

  17. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McColgan, Peter; Evans, Jonathan R; Breen, David P; Mason, Sarah L; Barker, Roger A; Williams-Gray, Caroline H

    2012-08-01

    Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), even in the early stages, and appropriate screening tools are needed. We investigated the utility of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in PD in an incident population-representative cohort (n = 132) and investigated the relationship between performance on this instrument and behavior and quality of life (n = 219). Twenty-two percent met criteria for MCI. Receiver operating curve analysis revealed an area under the curve of 0.81. A cutoff Cognitive Rating Scale, and there were significant correlations with the Cambridge Behavioral Inventory-Revised and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39. This instrument is a useful screening tool for PD-MCI, and poor performance is significantly related to impaired behavior and quality of life. Copyright © 2012 Movement Disorder Society.

  18. 9th Conference on Coordinate Measuring Machines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    De Chiffre, Leonardo; Dorph, Pernille

    2001-01-01

    This one-day conference on coordinate measuring machines is the 9th in a row of conferences organised in connection with the Danish CMM Club, a users’ group regarding CMMs that has existed in Denmark since 1994. The Danish CMM Club was founded by the Department of Manufacturing Engineering...... termination of the second lifetime cycle of the club. This conference treates the traceability of geometrical measurements with particular reference to those obtained using coordinate measuring machines. A number of on-going activities and new achievements in coordinate metrology are presented by European...

  19. Report on the 2nd Florence International Symposium on Advances in Cardiomyopathies: 9th meeting of the European Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases WG of the ESC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franco Cecchi

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available A bridge between clinical and basic science aiming at cross fertilization, with leading experts presenting alongside junior investigators, is the key feature of the “2nd Florence International Symposium on Advances in Cardiomyopathies” , 9th Meeting of the Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology, which was held in Florence, Italy on 26-­-28th September 2012. Patients with cardiomyopathies, with an estimated 3 per thousand prevalence in the general population, constitute an increasingly large proportion of patients seen by most cardiologists. This class of diseases, which are mostly genetically determined with different transmission modalities, can cause important and often unsolved management problems, despite rapid advances in the field. On the other hand, few other areas of cardiology have seen such an impressive contribution from basic science and translational research to the understanding of their pathophysiology and clinical management. The course was designed to constantly promote close interaction between basic science and clinical practice and highlight the top scientific and translational discoveries in this field in 10 scientific sessions. It was preceded by two mini-­-courses, which included the basic concepts of cardiomyocyte mechanical and electrophysiological properties and mechanisms, how-­-to sessions for clinical diagnosis and management and illustrative case study presentations of different cardiomyopathies.

  20. EFSA ; Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 63, Revision 1 (FGE.63Rev1): Consideration of aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters evaluated by JECFA (59th and 69th meetings) structurally related to saturated and unsaturated aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, John Christian; Nørby, Karin Kristiane; Beltoft, Vibe Meister

    evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of 19 aliphatic secondary alcohols, ketones and related esters evaluated by the JECFA at the 59th and 69th meetings in 2002 and 2008. This revision is made due to inclusion of six...

  1. 5th International Symposium on Experimental Mechanics (5-ISEM) and 9th Symposium on Optics in Industry

    CERN Document Server

    Furlong, Cosme; Barrientos, Bernardino; Pryputniewicz, Ryszard

    2017-01-01

    This book contains papers of the 5th International Symposium on Experimental Mechanics (5-ISEM) and the 9th Symposium on Optics in Industry (9-SOI), whose general theme is Emerging Challenges for Experimental Mechanics in Energy and Environmental Applications. These symposia are organized by Centro de Investigaciones en Optica (CIO) and Mexican Academy for Optics (AMO), under the sponsorship of the Society of Experimental Mechanics (SEM) and other national and international Organizations; Symposia are interdisciplinary forums for engineers, technicians, researchers and managers involved in all fields of Optics, Opto-mechatronics, Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering. · Addresses a broad readership including graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, and engineers working in experimental mechanics and in the application of optical methods · Covers a broad spectrum of topics highlighting the use of optical methods in experimental mechanics, energy, and in the environment.

  2. 78 FR 76507 - Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-17

    ... include updating the medical terminology in the listings. For example, we would replace the term ``Hodgkin... Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Diseases); Proposed Rule #0;#0...

  3. Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Laser Spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-11-01

    This proceedings contains articles of the 9th International Symposium on Laser Spectroscopy. It was held on 2-3 Nov 2001 in Taejeon, Korea. The main topics are as follows: Laser Isotope, Laser Spectroscopy, Laser Fusion, Laser Applications and so on. (Yi, J. H.)

  4. 9th FCC-ee (TLEP) Physics Workshop

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This is the 9th in the series of FCCee/TLEP-related workshops. It follows on from the sucessful 8th TLEP workshop that took place in Paris on 27-29 October 2014, and the FCC kick-off meeting held on 12-15 February 2014 at University of Geneva. The workshop is open to all FCC-ee /TLEP design study members, and more generally to all interested in a precision Z, W, H, top factory. The focus will be on physics and experiments at the FCC-ee, but a more general session is organized the first day (Tuesday 3 February afternoon) with presentations about the FCC design study as a whole, and on machine and physics for the FCC-ee and the FCC-hh, with synergies and complementarities. This session is aimed at a larger audience, towards improving the project visibility in Italy. It will be followed by a social dinner in the evening. The workshop starts on Tuesday at 13:30 and ends on Thursday 16:00. Registration is now open, please proceed at your earliest convenience! Please visit the FCC-ee / TLEP web site, and subscrib...

  5. Selected Lectures of the 13th International Workshop on Neonatology; Cagliari (Italy); October 25th-28th, 2017

    OpenAIRE

    --- Various Authors

    2017-01-01

    Selected Lectures of the 13th International Workshop on Neonatology • The power of Epigenetics • Twins: identical but different • Cagliari (Italy) • October 25th-28th, 2017LECT 1. ASPHYXIA IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM: FROM VIRGINIA APGAR TO METABOLOMICS • O.D. SaugstadLECT 2. INTRAPARTUM FETAL MONITORING: WHERE ARE WE NOW? • D. Ayres-de-CamposLECT 3. THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA: REVISED IN­DI­CA­TIONS • E. SalibaLECT 4. ANTIBIOTICS PRESCRIPTION IN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT • G. DimitriouLECT 5. CH...

  6. [Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement revised guideline, 'Sexually transmitted diseases and neonatal herpes'

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bleker, O.P.; Meijden, W.I. van der; Wittenberg, J.; Bergen, J.E. van; Boeke, A.J.; Doornum, G.J.J. van; Henquet, C.J.; Galama, J.M.D.; Postma, M.J.; Prins, J.M.; Voorst Vader, P.C. van

    2003-01-01

    The Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement revised guideline, 'Sexually transmitted diseases and neonatal herpes' summarises the current scientific position on the diagnosis and treatment of a great number of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and neonatal herpes. Symptomatic treatment of

  7. 9. znanstvena konferenca Globalizacija kulture = 9th Scientific Conference "Globalisation of Culture"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armand Faganel

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available The 9th scientific conference titled Globalisation of Culture, which was organised by the Political Science Research Centre (PSRC from Zagreb, was held in the middle of October 2008 at the University of Dubrovnik. 20 selected papers cast light on different aspects of mutual relationships between globalisation and culture. The plenary speaker Robertson is one of the pioneers of research in the field of cultural globalisation and is also the one who introduced the Japanese term glocalisation into Western culture. By participating actively in the conference, the authors of the papers turn into co-workers of the centre.

  8. EFSA CEF Panel (EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids), 2015. Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 99 Revision 1 (FGE.99Rev1): Consideration of furanone derivatives evaluated by the JECFA (63rd, 65th and 69th meetings)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beltoft, Vibe Meister; Nørby, Karin Kristiane

    on metabolism and toxicity. The present consideration concerns a group of six furanone derivatives evaluated by the JECFA at their 63rd, 65th and 69th meetings. This revision of FGE.99 includes the assessment of the 2,5-dimethyl-4-methoxyfuran-3(2H)-one [FL-no: 13.089] cleared for genotoxicity concern compared...

  9. Summary of environmental study carried out by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre during 8th, 9th and 10th summer Indian expeditions to Antarctica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramachandran, T.V.; Sathe, A.P.; Joshi, P.V.; Balani, M.C.

    1994-01-01

    The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has participated in the 8th, 9th and 10th summer expeditions to Antarctica during 1988-91 period to carry out background radiation survey and to collect representative samples for radioactivity and heavy metal analyses. Spot measurements of ions as well as Radon daughter radionuclides were also carried out during the expeditions. Radon levels as well as heavy metal pollutant concentrations have been found to be quite low in general; however higher levels were observed at places where human activity is concentrated around the landing area as well as the laboratory site. The richness of the shelf waters at Antarctic were also realised through analysis of phytoplankton and zooplankton samples. (author). 25 refs., 5 figs., 26 tabs

  10. Proceedings of the 9th Dutch-Belgian Information Retrieval Workshop

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aly, Robin; Hauff, C.; den Hamer, Ida; Hiemstra, Djoerd; Huibers, Theo W.C.; de Jong, Franciska M.G.

    Welcome to the 9th Dutch-Belgian Information Retrieval Workshop (DIR). I very well remember the DIR workshop in 2001 that was also organized in Twente. It took place exactly one day before my PhD defense, to give us the opportunity to have one of the PhD committee members, Stephen Robertson, as the

  11. Marijuana-derived Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol suppresses Th1/Th17 cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity through microRNA regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sido, Jessica M; Jackson, Austin R; Nagarkatti, Prakash S; Nagarkatti, Mitzi

    2016-09-01

    ∆(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is one of the major bioactive cannabinoids derived from the Cannabis sativa plant and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) is driven by proinflammatory T helper cells including the classic inflammatory Th1 lineage as well as the more recently discovered Th17 lineage. In the current study, we investigated whether THC can alter the induction of Th1/Th17 cells involved in mBSA-induced DTH response. THC treatment (20 mg/kg) of C57BL/6 mice with DTH caused decreased swelling and infiltration of immune cells at the site of antigen rechallenge. Additionally, THC treatment decreased lymphocyte activation as well as Th1/Th17 lineage commitment, including reduced lineage-specific transcription factors and cytokines. Interestingly, while DTH caused an overexpression of miR-21, which increases Th17 differentiation via SMAD7 inhibition, and downregulation of miR-29b, an IFN-γ inhibitor, THC treatment reversed this microRNA (miR) dysregulation. Furthermore, when we transfected primary cells from DTH mice with miR-21 inhibitor or miR-29b mimic, as seen with THC treatment, the expression of target gene message was directly impacted increasing SMAD7 and decreasing IFN-γ expression, respectively. In summary, the current study suggests that THC treatment during DTH response can simultaneously inhibit Th1/Th17 activation via regulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression. • THC treatment inhibits simultaneous Th1/Th17 driven inflammation. • THC treatment corrects DTH-mediated microRNA dysregulation. • THC treatment regulates proinflammatory cytokines and transcription factors.

  12. Cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus: far beyond Th1/Th2 dualism lupus: cytokine profiles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guimarães, Poliana Macedo; Scavuzzi, Bruna Miglioranza; Stadtlober, Nicole Perugini; Franchi Santos, Lorena Flor da Rosa; Lozovoy, Marcell Alysson Batisti; Iriyoda, Tatiana Mayumi Veiga; Costa, Neide Tomimura; Reiche, Edna Maria Vissoci; Maes, Michael; Dichi, Isaias; Simão, Andréa Name Colado

    2017-10-01

    The aims of this study were to delineate cytokine profiles of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), construct prediction models for diagnosis and disease activity using those profiles, and to examine the associations between TNFB Ncol polymorphism, body mass index (BMI) and vitamin D levels with cytokine levels. Two hundred SLE patients and 196 healthy controls participated in this case-control study. Plasma cytokines levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL- 4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 and IL-17 were measured and cytokines profiles were computed. IL-6, IL-12, IL-17, IFN-γ and IL-10 levels were significantly higher in SLE, while IL-4 was lower in SLE. The Th1/Th2 and Th1+Th17/Th2 profiles were significantly higher in SLE than in healthy controls, whereas there were no significant differences in the proinflammatory cytokine profile (TNFα+IL-6+IL-1β). In total, 90.4% of all subjects were correctly classified using Th1+Th17 profile and IL-10 (positively associated) and IL-4 (negatively associated) as predictor variables (sensitivity=66.7% and specificity=96.9%). In all, 20.9% of the variance in the SLE Disease Activity Index was predicted by the Th1+Th17/Th2 ratio, IL-10 and BMI (all positively) and proinflammatory profile (inversely associated). B1/B1 genotype is accompanied by increased IL-17 and Th17/Th2 ratio, while B1/B2 genotype is accompanied by higher IL-4 and IFNγ values. 25-OH vitamin D was inversely associated with IFN-γ levels. SLE is accompanied by Th1, Th17 and Treg profile and lowered IL-4 production. Lowered vitamin D levels and B1/B1 genotype, but not BMI, contribute to changes in cytokines profiles. Future treatments should target Th1, Th2 and Th17 profiles rather than inflammatory cytokines.

  13. The Ethnic Context and Attitudes toward 9th Grade Math

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, Sandra; Morales-Chicas, Jessica

    2015-01-01

    The present study examined the relations between ethnic context and attitudes about 9th grade math in youth from different ethnic groups who had recently transitioned to high school. The large sample comprised African American, Latino, White, and Asian youth (n = 2,265, 55% girls, M[subscript age] = 14.6 yrs.) A new questionnaire was developed…

  14. Colorectal cancer and the 7th revision of the TNM staging system: review of changes and suggestions for uniform pathologic reporting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obrocea, F L; Sajin, Maria; Marinescu, Elena Cristina; Stoica, D

    2011-01-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a neoplastic disease with a continuously growing incidence in Romania and throughout the world. Although the surgery remains the first line treatment for most of the cases, newly discovered targeted molecular therapies - effective for some patients, but with various side effects and significant financial burden for the national health systems - requires not only stratification of patients in prognostic groups but also evaluation of some non-anatomic factors with major impact on the prognosis and therapeutic strategy. The AJCC/UICC TNM staging system, in his 7th revision, effective for cases diagnosed on or after January 1, 2010, responds to these needs. On the other hand, the role of the pathologist is increasing in terms of workload and amount of information to be included in the pathology report in order to deliver a personalized diagnosis. There are concerns worldwide regarding relevance, validity and completeness of pathologic reporting of CRC in the absence of a uniform reporting format. Therefore, suggestions for a standardized pathology report of CRC are made, based on TNM 7 and recent, up-to-date conclusive published data.

  15. Proceedings of the 9th symposium on advanced photon research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-03-01

    The 9th Symposium on Advanced Photon Research was held at Kansai Photon Science Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA-KPSI) in Kizugawa, Kyoto on July 31- August 1, 2008. This report consists of invited and contributed papers presented at the oral and poster sessions in The Symposium. The 25 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  16. "9th Annual Congress on Drug Formulation & Drug Design"

    OpenAIRE

    Monty Karl

    2017-01-01

    Conference Series has been instrumental in conducting international meetings for seven years, and very excited to expand Europe, America and Asia Pacific continents. Previous meetings were held in major cities like Belgium, Tokyo, Madrid, with success the meetings again scheduled in three continents. It’s time to announce 9th Annual Congress on Drug Formulation & Drug Design October 19-21, 2017 Seoul, South Korea . Drug Formulation 2017 is a 3-day event offering the Exhibition, at venue to sh...

  17. NANOTR9: 9th Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Conference

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-11-01

    The conference series NanoTR is the major conference on nanoscience and nanotechnology in Turkey. It brings together leading scientists and engineers in nanotechnology to exchange information on their latest research progress. An exhibition of the companies working in the related field is also organized as a part of the event. With intensive international participation, NanoTR conference series has spread outside the national border and has become an international event in this field. Among international contributions, a wide interest from the countries around Turkey should be emphasized. 9th in the series was organized by Atatürk University in Erzurum-Turkey on June 24-28, 2013 with more than 900 scientists, researchers, private sector representatives from around the world. Conference program included 6 plenary speakers, 35 invited speakers (18 of them were from outside the country), 116 oral presentations, and 340 poster presentations. In addition to 6 plenary sessions, 17 oral and 4 poster sessions created very lively discussion forums covering a vast range of current and emerging sciences from nano-materials, nanoscience, nanofabrication, nano-engineering, nano-electronics, nano-biotechnology, to ethical and social issues of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Also, panel discussions about industrial applications, tutorial sessions have been organized for students, new-comers and company employees.

  18. Advanced cell-based modeling of the royal disease: characterization of the mutated F9 mRNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martorell, L; Luce, E; Vazquez, J L; Richaud-Patin, Y; Jimenez-Delgado, S; Corrales, I; Borras, N; Casacuberta-Serra, S; Weber, A; Parra, R; Altisent, C; Follenzi, A; Dubart-Kupperschmitt, A; Raya, A; Vidal, F; Barquinero, J

    2017-11-01

    Essentials The Royal disease (RD) is a form of hemophilia B predicted to be caused by a splicing mutation. We generated an iPSC-based model of the disease allowing mechanistic studies at the RNA level. F9 mRNA analysis in iPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells showed the predicted abnormal splicing. Mutated F9 mRNA level was very low but we also found traces of wild type transcripts. Background The royal disease is a form of hemophilia B (HB) that affected many descendants of Queen Victoria in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was found to be caused by the mutation F9 c.278-3A>G. Objective To generate a physiological cell model of the disease and to study F9 expression at the RNA level. Methods Using fibroblasts from skin biopsies of a previously identified hemophilic patient bearing the F9 c.278-3A>G mutation and his mother, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Both the patient's and mother's iPSCs were differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) and their F9 mRNA was analyzed using next-generation sequencing (NGS). Results and Conclusion We demonstrated the previously predicted aberrant splicing of the F9 transcript as a result of an intronic nucleotide substitution leading to a frameshift and the generation of a premature termination codon (PTC). The F9 mRNA level in the patient's HLCs was significantly reduced compared with that of his mother, suggesting that mutated transcripts undergo nonsense-mediated decay (NMD), a cellular mechanism that degrades PTC-containing mRNAs. We also detected small proportions of correctly spliced transcripts in the patient's HLCs, which, combined with genetic variability in splicing and NMD machineries, could partially explain some clinical variability among affected members of the European royal families who had lifespans above the average. This work allowed the demonstration of the pathologic consequences of an intronic mutation in the F9 gene and represents the first bona fide cellular model of HB allowing the

  19. Highlights from the 9th Cachexia Conference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebner, Nicole; von Haehling, Stephan

    2017-06-01

    This article highlights updates of pathways as well as pre-clinical and clinical studies into the field of wasting disorders that were presented at the 9th Cachexia Conference held in Berlin, Germany, December 2016. This year, some interesting results from clinical trials and different new therapeutic targets were shown. This article presents the biological and clinical significance of different markers and new diagnostic tools and cut-offs of detecting skeletal muscle wasting. Effective treatments of cachexia and wasting disorders are urgently needed in order to improve the patients' quality of life and their survival. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders.

  20. Perceptions of 9th and 10th Grade Students on How Their Environment, Cognition, and Behavior Motivate Them in Algebra and Geometry Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harootunian, Alen

    2012-01-01

    In this study, relationships were examined between students' perception of their cognition, behavior, environment, and motivation. The purpose of the research study was to explore the extent to which 9th and 10th grade students' perception of environment, cognition, and behavior can predict their motivation in Algebra and Geometry courses. A…

  1. [Prevalence of severe periodontal disease and its association with respiratory disease in hospitalized adult patients in a tertiary care center].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Plata, Rosario; Olmedo-Torres, Daniel; Martínez-Briseño, David; García-Sancho, Cecilia; Franco-Marina, Francisco; González-Cruz, Herminia

    2015-01-01

    Severe periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory gingival process associated with systemic diseases. To determine the prevalence of severe periodontal disease and its association with respiratory diseases among hospitalized patients at the Institute of Respiratory Diseases "Ismael Cosio Villegas" (INER) in 2011. A cross-sectional study was developed. The severe periodontal disease was diagnosed by the Department of Stomatology. The International Classification of Diseases 10th revision was used. A multinomial logistic was fit to estimate relative-risk. Three thousand and fifty-nine patients were included; 772/3,059 (25.2%) had severe periodontal disease. After controlling for age, sex, inpatient days, death, and socioeconomic status, the infectious respiratory diseases that were significantly associated with severe periodontal disease were: HIV/AIDS (RR: 10.6; 95% CI: 9.1-23.3; p abscess (RR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.6-7.8; p = 0.002). Lung cancer and pleural diseases were also significantly associated with severe periodontal disease. High prevalence of severe periodontal disease was observed in the different respiratory diseases. Severe periodontal disease was associated with both infectious and non-infectious respiratory diseases. It is important to study an oral health intervention.

  2. Intrinsic atopic dermatitis shows similar TH2 and higher TH17 immune activation compared with extrinsic atopic dermatitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte; Dhingra, Nikhil; Gittler, Julia; Shemer, Avner; Cardinale, Irma; de Guzman Strong, Cristina; Krueger, James G; Guttman-Yassky, Emma

    2013-08-01

    Atopic dermatitis (AD) is classified as extrinsic and intrinsic, representing approximately 80% and 20% of patients with the disease, respectively. Although sharing a similar clinical phenotype, only extrinsic AD is characterized by high serum IgE levels. Because most patients with AD exhibit high IgE levels, an "allergic"/IgE-mediated disease pathogenesis was hypothesized. However, current models associate AD with T-cell activation, particularly TH2/TH22 polarization, and epidermal barrier defects. We sought to define whether both variants share a common pathogenesis. We stratified 51 patients with severe AD into extrinsic AD (n = 42) and intrinsic AD (n = 9) groups (with similar mean disease activity/SCORAD scores) and analyzed the molecular and cellular skin pathology of lesional and nonlesional intrinsic AD and extrinsic AD by using gene expression (real-time PCR) and immunohistochemistry. A significant correlation between IgE levels and SCORAD scores (r = 0.76, P extrinsic AD. Marked infiltrates of T cells and dendritic cells and corresponding epidermal alterations (keratin 16, Mki67, and S100A7/A8/A9) defined lesional skin of patients with both variants. However, higher activation of all inflammatory axes (including TH2) was detected in patients with intrinsic AD, particularly TH17 and TH22 cytokines. Positive correlations between TH17-related molecules and SCORAD scores were only found in patients with intrinsic AD, whereas only patients with extrinsic AD showed positive correlations between SCORAD scores and TH2 cytokine (IL-4 and IL-5) levels and negative correlations with differentiation products (loricrin and periplakin). Although differences in TH17 and TH22 activation exist between patients with intrinsic AD and those with extrinsic AD, we identified common disease-defining features of T-cell activation, production of polarized cytokines, and keratinocyte responses to immune products. Our data indicate that a TH2 bias is not the sole cause of high Ig

  3. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised is accurate for detecting dementia in Parkinson's disease patients with low educational level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocha, Maria Sheila Guimarães; Bassetti, Elida Maria; Oliveira, Maira Okada; Kuark, Roberta Gomes Borges; Estevam, Nathercia Marinho; Brucki, Sonia Maria Dozzi

    2014-01-01

    Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease dementia is a challenge in clinical settings. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is time-consuming and expensive; brief instruments for cognitive evaluation must be easier to administer and provide a reliable classification. To study the validity of the Brazilian version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) for the cognitive assessment of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with heterogeneous educational level. Patients were evaluated according to the diagnostic procedures recommended by the Movement Disorder Society (MDS) as the gold standard for the diagnosis of dementia in PD. We studied 70 idiopathic PD patients, with a mean (SD) age of 64.1 (9.3) years and mean disease duration of 7.7 (5.3) years and educational level of 5.9 years, matched for education and age to controls. Twenty-seven patients fulfilled MDS clinical criteria for PD dementia. Mean scores on the ACE-R were 54.7 (12.8) points for patients with PD dementia, 76 (9.9) for PD patients without dementia and 79.7 (1.8) points for healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating curve, taking the MDS diagnostic procedures as a reference, was 0.93 [95% CI, 0.87-0.98; p<0.001] for ACE-R. The optimal cut-off value for ACE-R was ≤72 points [sensitivity 90%; specificity 85%; Kappa concordance (K) 0.79]. ACE-R appears to be a valid tool for dementia evaluation in PD patients with heterogeneous educational level, displaying good correlation with clinical criteria and diagnostic procedures of the MDS.

  4. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised is accurate for detecting dementia in Parkinson's disease patients with low educational level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Sheila Guimarães Rocha

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease dementia is a challenge in clinical settings. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is time-consuming and expensive; brief instruments for cognitive evaluation must be easier to administer and provide a reliable classification. Objective: To study the validity of the Brazilian version of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R for the cognitive assessment of Parkinson's disease (PD patients with heterogeneous educational level. Methods: Patients were evaluated according to the diagnostic procedures recommended by the Movement Disorder Society (MDS as the gold standard for the diagnosis of dementia in PD. Results: We studied 70 idiopathic PD patients, with a mean (SD age of 64.1 (9.3 years and mean disease duration of 7.7 (5.3 years and educational level of 5.9 years, matched for education and age to controls. Twenty-seven patients fulfilled MDS clinical criteria for PD dementia. Mean scores on the ACE-R were 54.7 (12.8 points for patients with PD dementia, 76 (9.9 for PD patients without dementia and 79.7 (1.8 points for healthy controls. The area under the receiver operating curve, taking the MDS diagnostic procedures as a reference, was 0.93 [95% CI, 0.87-0.98; p<0.001] for ACE-R. The optimal cut-off value for ACE-R was ≤72 points [sensitivity 90%; specificity 85%; Kappa concordance (K 0.79]. Conclusion: ACE-R appears to be a valid tool for dementia evaluation in PD patients with heterogeneous educational level, displaying good correlation with clinical criteria and diagnostic procedures of the MDS.

  5. Palaeopathological Evidence of Infectious Disease in a Skeletal Population from Late Medieval Riga, Latvia (15Th-17Th Centuries AD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerhards Guntis

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of infectious disease in the Dome Church (Riga Cathedral Cemetery population, dating from the late medieval period (15th-17th centuries AD. A total of 274 individuals were macroscopically observed for evidence of infectious disease, and seven individuals with lesions possibly associated with a bacterial infection affecting the skeleton were selected for further analysis. Pathological changes on the outer table of the skull and in the long bones of legs characteristic of venereal syphilis were observed in four female and one male individual. Likewise, changes possibly related to late congenital syphilis were observed in a 14-15-year-old non-adult individual. All these individuals were buried in a small area adjacent to the northern wall of the Dome Church, which possibly belonged to a hospital or a shelter. The evidence for venereal syphilis from the cemetery complements historical data about the spread of the disease in Riga during the 16th-17th centuries AD. One adult male individual had destructive changes in the lower spine, which could be associated with tuberculosis (TB. So far, this is the first individual with possible TB from the archaeological populations of Riga. This research provides unique evidence about infectious disease in skeletal populations from the late medieval period in Latvia, and the results will be used as the basis for future research in the subject, including extraction of ancient pathogen DNA.

  6. Nineth Rib Syndrome after 10(th) Rib Resection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hyun Jeong; Jeong, Yu Sub; Lee, Dong Hoon; Yim, Kyoung Hoon

    2016-07-01

    The 12(th) rib syndrome is a disease that causes pain between the upper abdomen and the lower chest. It is assumed that the impinging on the nerves between the ribs causes pain in the lower chest, upper abdomen, and flank. A 74-year-old female patient visited a pain clinic complaining of pain in her back, and left chest wall at a 7 on the 0-10 Numeric Rating scale (NRS). She had a lateral fixation at T12-L2, 6 years earlier. After the operation, she had multiple osteoporotic compression fractures. When the spine was bent, the patient complained about a sharp pain in the left mid-axillary line and radiating pain toward the abdomen. On physical examination, the 10(th) rib was not felt, and an image of the rib-cage confirmed that the left 10(th) rib was severed. When applying pressure from the legs to the 9(th) rib of the patient, pain was reproduced. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with 9(th) rib syndrome, and ultrasound-guided 9(th) and 10(th) intercostal nerve blocks were performed around the tips of the severed 10(th) rib. In addition, local anesthetics with triamcinolone were administered into the muscles beneath the 9(th) rib at the point of the greatest tenderness. The patient's pain was reduced to NRS 2 point. In this case, it is suspected that the patient had a partial resection of the left 10(th) rib in the past, and subsequent compression fractures at T8 and T9 led to the deformation of the rib cage, causing the tip of the remaining 10(th) rib to impinge on the 9(th) intercostal nerves, causing pain.

  7. 9th International Conference on Field and Service Robotics

    CERN Document Server

    Corke, Peter; Roberts, Jonathan

    2015-01-01

    FSR, the International Conference on Field and Service Robotics, is a robotics Symposium which has established over the past ten years the latest research and practical results towards the use of field and service robotics in the community with particular focus on proven technology. The first meeting was held in Canberra, Australia, in 1997. Since then the meeting has been held every two years in the pattern Asia, America, Europe.   Field robots are non-factory robots, typically mobile, that operate in complex, and dynamic environments; on the ground (of earth or planets), under the ground, underwater, in the air or in space. Service robots are those that work closely with humans to help them with their lives. This book present the results of the ninth edition of Field and Service Robotics, FSR13, held in Brisbane, Australia on 9th-11th December 2013. The conference provided a forum for researchers, professionals, and robot manufactures to exchange up-to-date technical knowledge and experience. This book off...

  8. 9th Workshop on Self-Organizing Maps

    CERN Document Server

    Príncipe, José; Zegers, Pablo

    2013-01-01

    Self-organizing maps (SOMs) were developed by Teuvo Kohonen in the early eighties. Since then more than 10,000 works have been based on SOMs. SOMs are unsupervised neural networks useful for clustering and visualization purposes. Many SOM applications have been developed in engineering and science, and other fields. This book contains refereed papers presented at the 9th Workshop on Self-Organizing Maps (WSOM 2012) held at the Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, on December 12-14, 2012. The workshop brought together researchers and practitioners in the field of self-organizing systems. Among the book chapters there are excellent examples of the use of SOMs in agriculture, computer science, data visualization, health systems, economics, engineering, social sciences, text and image analysis, and time series analysis. Other chapters present the latest theoretical work on SOMs as well as Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) methods.

  9. Proceedings of 9th Symposium of the Croatian Radiation Protection Association

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knezevic, Z.; Krajcar Bronic, I.; Majer, M.

    2013-01-01

    The 9th symposium of the Croatian Radiation Protection Association discussed the following topics: general topics; radiation dosimetry; public exposure; biological effects of radiation; radiation protection in medicine; radioecology and instrumentation and measuring techniques. For each subject many investigations, experiments, examples and results are presented. International character of this symposium shows importance of these topics not only in region but world wide.

  10. What about Th1/Th2 in cutaneous leishmaniasis vaccine discovery?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Campos-Neto A.

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The T helper cell type 1 (Th1 response is essential to resist leishmaniasis, whereas the Th2 response favors the disease. However, many leishmanial antigens, which stimulate a Th1 immune response during the disease or even after the disease is cured, have been shown to have no protective action. Paradoxically, antigens associated with an early Th2 response have been found to be highly protective if the Th1 response to them is generated before infection. Therefore, finding disease-associated Th2 antigens and inducing a Th1 immune response to them using defined vaccination protocols is an interesting unorthodox alternative approach to the discovery of a leishmania vaccine.

  11. Summary of 4th general plan of radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Veganzones, A.

    1995-01-01

    The last 9th of December 1994 the Council of Ministries approved the Fourth General Plan of Radioactive Waste (PGRR). The Fourth Plan actualizes former texts taking into into account new circumstances, both technical and economical, affecting radioactive waste. Some of the steps that conform the global waste management process have been revised on the light of the Spanish experience but also considering the evolution and trends in other countries. In this work some of the most important aspects included in the Fourth general Plan are overviewed. (Author)

  12. Study on the correlationship between serum levels of sex hormones and Th1/Th2 cytokines in male patients with graves' disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Li; Su Shengou; Zhang Xuekun; Wang Hongfen

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To explore the effect of sex hormones on the balance of Th1/Th2 in male patients with GD through investigation of changes of serum levels of sex hormones and cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-4) after treatment. Methods: Serum levels of E 2 , testosterone, FSH, LH (with RIA) and IFN-γ, IL-4 (with ELISA) were determined in 42 male patients with Graves' disease (both before and after 12 weeks of successful antithyroid therapy) and 40 controls. Results: The levels of E 2 , T, LH, FSH in the patients before treatment were significantly higher than those in the controls (P 2 was an independent fator affecting the levels of IL-4, and showed positive correlationship. The level of T was an independent factor affecting the levels of IFN-γ, also showed positive correlationship. The levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ were independent factors to each other, and there was negative correlationship between them. Conclusion: There were changes in levels of sex hormones and imbalance of Th1/Th2 in male patients with Graves' disease. The sex hormones might have some effect on Th1/Th2 balance in male patients with GD. (authors)

  13. The economic impact of revision otologic surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadimi, Sahar; Leonetti, John P; Pontikis, George

    2016-03-01

    Revision otologic surgery places a significant economic burden on patients and the healthcare system. We conducted a retrospective chart analysis to estimate the economic impact of revision canal-wall-down (CWD) mastoidectomy. We reviewed the medical records of all 189 adults who had undergone CWD mastoidectomy performed by the senior author between June 2006 and August 2011 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. Institutional charges and collections for all patients were extrapolated to estimate the overall healthcare cost of revision surgery in Illinois and at the national level. Of the 189 CWD mastoidectomies, 89 were primary and 100 were revision procedures. The total charge for the revision cases was $2,783,700, and the net reimbursement (collections) was $846,289 (30.4%). Using Illinois Hospital Association data, we estimated that reimbursement for 387 revision CWD mastoidectomies that had been performed in fiscal year 2011 was nearly $3.3 million. By extrapolating our data to the national level, we estimated that 9,214 patients underwent revision CWD mastoidectomy in the United States during 2011, which cost the national healthcare system roughly $76 million, not including lost wages and productivity. Known causes of failed CWD mastoidectomies that often result in revision surgery include an inadequate meatoplasty, a facial ridge that is too high, residual diseased air cells, and recurrent cholesteatoma. A better understanding of these factors can reduce the need for revision surgery, which could have a positive impact on the economic strain related to this procedure at the local, state, and national levels.

  14. 9th Annual UNCG Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference

    CERN Document Server

    Chhetri, Maya; Gupta, Sat; Shivaji, Ratnasingham

    2015-01-01

    This volume contains rigorously reviewed papers on the topics presented by students at The 9th Annual University of North Carolina at Greensboro Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference (UNCG RMSC) that took place on November 2, 2013.  All papers are coauthored by student researchers and their faculty mentors. This conference series was inaugurated in 2005, and it now attracts over 150 participants from over 30 universities from North Carolina and surrounding states. The conference is specifically tailored for students to present their research projects that encompass a broad spectrum of topics in mathematics, mathematical biology, statistics, and computer science.

  15. [Renal diseases related to MYH9 disorders].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galeano, Dario; Zanoli, Luca; L'Imperio, Vincenzo; Fatuzzo, Pasquale; Granata, Antonio

    2017-04-01

    Mutations in MYH9 gene encoding the nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIA (NMMHC-IIA) are related to a number of rare autosomal-dominant disorders which has been known as May-Hegglin disease, Sebastian syndrome, Fechtner syndrome and Epstein syndrome. Their common clinical features are congenital macrothrombocytopaenia and polymorphonuclear inclusion bodies, in addition to a variable risk of developing proteinuria, chronic kidney disease progressing toward end stage, sensorineural deafness and presenile cataracts. The term MYH9 related disease (MYH9-RD) describes the variable expression of a single illness encompassing all previously mentioned hereditary disorders. Renal involvement in MYH9- RD has been observed in 30% of patients. Mutant MYH9 protein, expressed in podocytes, mesangial and tubular cells, plays a main role in foot process effacement and in development of nephropathy. Interestingly, the MYH9 gene is currently under investigation also for his possible contribution to many other non-hereditary glomerulopathies such as focal global glomerulosclerosis (hypertensive nephrosclerosis), idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, C1q nephropathy and HIV-associated nephropathy. In this review we are aimed to describe renal diseases related to MYH9 disorders, from the hereditary disease to the acquired disorders, in which MYH9-gene acts as a "renal failure susceptibility gene". Copyright by Società Italiana di Nefrologia SIN, Rome, Italy.

  16. The Effect of Conceptual Change Approach to Eliminate 9th Grade High School Students' Misconceptions about Air Pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akbas, Yavuz; Gencturk, Ebru

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching based on conceptual change overcome misconceptions of 9th grade high school students about the subject of air pressure. The sampling of the study was formed with two classes of 9th grade students from a general high school in the city-center of Trabzon. A quasi-experimental…

  17. Modelo natural de dicotomía TH1-TH2: La enfermedad de Hansen Th1-TH2 balance. Natural model: Hansen'disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. L Vaquero

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available La enfermedad de Hansen producida por el Mycobacterium leprae, es una enfermedad infecciosa cuyo amplio espectro clínico e inmunopatológico se correlaciona con los diferentes patrones de respuesta Th1/Th2. La activación preferencial de esas subpoblaciones de linfocitos T CD4 juega un rol importante en su patogenia y constituye un modelo natural de esa dicotomía de la respuesta inmune. Ambas formas polares de la lepra presentan un perfil definido de secreción de citoquinas: Th1 (IL2 e IFN? en el polo tuberculoide y Th2 (IL4, IL5, IL10 en el polo lepromatoso. En el primer caso, la respuesta celular adecuada estimula la activación macrofágica y lleva a la destrucción del bacilo. Las lesiones son escasas y limitadas a la piel y nervios periféricos. En el segundo en cambio, la respuesta celular es casi nula y los bacilos se multiplican descontroladamente dentro de los macrófagos, llevando a la diseminación de las lesiones y afectación de otros órganos. La inmunidad humoral está exacerbada y hay un alto nivel de anticuerpos que no pueden eliminar el germen intracelular. Los factores que determinan la diferenciación hacia una respuesta Th1 ó Th2 no se han esclarecido totalmente. Se han postulado varias hipótesis que hacen referencia a factores genéticos, prevalencia de citoquinas en el microambiente celular, disfunción macrofágica; alteración en los receptores Toll de la inmunidad innata, en la expresión de moléculas coestimulatorias, etc En los últimos años se han descubierto nuevas subpoblaciones de linfocitos, (CD4+ CD25+, Tr1, Th3 y Th17 que estarían implicadas en la desregulación de estas respuestas inmunes.Hansen' disease, caused by Mycobacterium leprae, is an infectious illness whose wide clinical and immunopathologic spectrum correl with different Th1/Th2 responses patterns. The prefferencial activation of the CD4 T cells subset play an important rol in it's pathogenia and provides a natural model of that balance

  18. Quantum interaction. Revised selected papers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Dawei; Zhang, Peng; Wang, Lei; Arafat, Sachi

    2011-01-01

    This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Quantum Interaction, QI 2011, held in Aberdeen, UK, in June 2011. The 26 revised full papers and 6 revised poster papers, presented together with 1 tutorial and 1 invited talk were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions during two rounds of reviewing and improvement. The papers show the cross-disciplinary nature of quantum interaction covering topics such as computation, cognition, mechanics, social interaction, semantic space and information representation and retrieval. (orig.)

  19. Quantum interaction. Revised selected papers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Dawei; Zhang, Peng; Wang, Lei [Aberdeen Univ. (United Kingdom). School of Computing; Melucci, Massimo [Padua Univ., Padova (Italy). Dept. of Information Engineering; Frommholz, Ingo [Bedfordshire Univ. (United Kingdom); Arafat, Sachi (eds.) [Glasgow Univ. (United Kingdom). School of Computing Science

    2011-07-01

    This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Quantum Interaction, QI 2011, held in Aberdeen, UK, in June 2011. The 26 revised full papers and 6 revised poster papers, presented together with 1 tutorial and 1 invited talk were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions during two rounds of reviewing and improvement. The papers show the cross-disciplinary nature of quantum interaction covering topics such as computation, cognition, mechanics, social interaction, semantic space and information representation and retrieval. (orig.)

  20. IL-9 antibody injection suppresses the inflammation in colitis mice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yuan, Aping [Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås (Norway); Research Group of Gastrointestinal Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan (China); Yang, Hang; Qi, Haili; Cui, Jing; Hua, Wei; Li, Can; Pang, Zhigang; Zheng, Wei [Research Group of Gastrointestinal Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan (China); Cui, Guanglin, E-mail: guanglin.cui@yahoo.com [Research Group of Gastrointestinal Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan (China); Faculty of Health, Nord University at Levanger (Norway)

    2015-12-25

    Diverse T help (Th) cells play a crucial role in the processing and maintaining of chronic inflammation as seen in ulcerative colitis (UC). Th9, a novel subset of Th cells that primarily produces interleukin (IL)-9, has recently been associated with the development of inflammatory diseases. In this study, we evaluated the presentation of Th9 cells in inflamed tissues of human and experimental mouse UC, and examined the therapeutic efficiency of anti Th9 cytokine IL-9 in the experimental mouse UC. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we evaluated the presentation of Th9 cells labelled by transcriptional factor PU.1 in both human and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced mouse colitis biopsies. The results showed that increased PU.1 positive Th9 cells were mainly located in the lamina propria in relative with the controls, intraepithelial Th9 cells can also be observed but at low density. Double IHCs revealed that most of PU.1 positive cells were CD3 positive lymphocytes in human UC specimens. Anti-IL-9 antibody injection for 2 weeks reduced the severity of inflammation in DSS induced colitis mice. Our results suggest that The Th9/IL-9 is involved in the pathogenesis of UC. - Highlights: • The density of novel PU.1 positive Th9 cells is significantly increased in both human and mouse colitis tissues. • PU.1 positive Th9 cells are predominately located in the inflamed lamina propria in both human and mouse colitis tissues. • Blocking of Th9 cytokine IL-9 by antibody injection suppresses the severity of inflammation in the bowel in colitis mice. • Novel Th9 cells contribute to the pathogenesis of UC.

  1. IL-9 antibody injection suppresses the inflammation in colitis mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Aping; Yang, Hang; Qi, Haili; Cui, Jing; Hua, Wei; Li, Can; Pang, Zhigang; Zheng, Wei; Cui, Guanglin

    2015-01-01

    Diverse T help (Th) cells play a crucial role in the processing and maintaining of chronic inflammation as seen in ulcerative colitis (UC). Th9, a novel subset of Th cells that primarily produces interleukin (IL)-9, has recently been associated with the development of inflammatory diseases. In this study, we evaluated the presentation of Th9 cells in inflamed tissues of human and experimental mouse UC, and examined the therapeutic efficiency of anti Th9 cytokine IL-9 in the experimental mouse UC. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we evaluated the presentation of Th9 cells labelled by transcriptional factor PU.1 in both human and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced mouse colitis biopsies. The results showed that increased PU.1 positive Th9 cells were mainly located in the lamina propria in relative with the controls, intraepithelial Th9 cells can also be observed but at low density. Double IHCs revealed that most of PU.1 positive cells were CD3 positive lymphocytes in human UC specimens. Anti-IL-9 antibody injection for 2 weeks reduced the severity of inflammation in DSS induced colitis mice. Our results suggest that The Th9/IL-9 is involved in the pathogenesis of UC. - Highlights: • The density of novel PU.1 positive Th9 cells is significantly increased in both human and mouse colitis tissues. • PU.1 positive Th9 cells are predominately located in the inflamed lamina propria in both human and mouse colitis tissues. • Blocking of Th9 cytokine IL-9 by antibody injection suppresses the severity of inflammation in the bowel in colitis mice. • Novel Th9 cells contribute to the pathogenesis of UC.

  2. Revision total hip arthoplasty: factors associated with re-revision surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khatod, Monti; Cafri, Guy; Inacio, Maria C S; Schepps, Alan L; Paxton, Elizabeth W; Bini, Stefano A

    2015-03-04

    The survivorship of implants after revision total hip arthroplasty and risk factors associated with re-revision are not well defined. We evaluated the re-revision rate with use of the institutional total joint replacement registry. The purpose of this study was to determine patient, implant, and surgeon factors associated with re-revision total hip arthroplasty. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The total joint replacement registry was used to identify patients who had undergone revision total hip arthroplasty for aseptic reasons from April 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010. The end point of interest was re-revision total hip arthroplasty. Risk factors evaluated for re-revision total hip arthroplasty included: patient risk factors (age, sex, body mass index, race, and general health status), implant risk factors (fixation type, bearing surface, femoral head size, and component replacement), and surgeon risk factors (volume and experience). A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used. Six hundred and twenty-nine revision total hip arthroplasties with sixty-three (10%) re-revisions were evaluated. The mean cohort age (and standard deviation) was 57.0 ± 12.4 years, the mean body mass index (and standard deviation) was 29.5 ± 6.1 kg/m(2), and most of the patients were women (64.5%) and white (81.9%) and had an American Society of Anesthesiologists score of associated with the risk of re-revision. For every ten-year increase in patient age, the hazard ratio for re-revision decreases by a factor of 0.72 (95% confidence interval, 0.58 to 0.90). For every five revision surgical procedures performed by a surgeon, the risk of revision decreases by a factor of 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 0.99). At the time of revision, a new or retained cemented femoral implant or all-cemented hip implant increases the risk of revision by a factor of 3.19 (95% confidence interval, 1.22 to 8.38) relative to a retained or new uncemented hip implant. A ceramic on a

  3. Contamination of the Th II line and the age of the Galaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawler, J.E.; Whaling, W.; Grevesse, N.

    1990-01-01

    The age of the Galaxy may be estimated from observations of the ratio of stellar abundances of thorium, which has only one long-lived isotope with a half-life comparable to the suspected age of the Galaxy, and neodymium, a stable element. The Th/Nd abundance ratio in a sample of G-dwarf stars of different ages was derived from the intensities of one Th II and one Nd II absorption line, and indicated a rather young galactic age of 9.6 Gyr. But the Th II line is blended with a Co I line. Here we determine the transition probability of the Co I line by combining radiative lifetime and branching-ratio measurements. We show that the Co I contribution cannot be neglected in deriving Th/Nd ratios. By comparing our results with predictions based on models of galactic chemical evolution, we suggest a revised age of the Galaxy of 15-20 Gyr. (author)

  4. TLR9 played a more important role than TLR2 in the combination of maltose-binding protein and BCG-induced Th1 activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Weihua; Wang, Fang; Liu, Guomu; Zhang, Nannan; Yuan, Hongyan; Jie, Jing; Tai, Guixiang

    2016-11-01

    Our previous study demonstrated that maltose-binding protein (MBP) combined with BCG induced synergistic mouse Th1 activation in vivo. Here, to explore the mechanism of MBP combined with BCG on Th1 activation, mouse purified CD4 + T cells were stimulated with MBP and BCG in vitro. The results showed that MBP combined with BCG synergistically increased IFN-γ production, accompanied with the upregulation of TLR2/9 expressions, suggesting that TLR2/9 were involved in the combination-induced Th1 activation. Next, TLR2 antibodies and TLR9 inhibitor were used to further analyze the effects of TLRs in Th1 activation. Results showed TLR2 antibody partly decreased MBP combined with BCG-induced IFN-γ production, MyD88 expression and IκB phosphorylation, indicating that TLR2-mediated MyD88-dependent pathway was involved in the MBP combined with BCG-induced Th1 activation. Moreover, MBP combined with BCG-induced Th1 activation was completely abrogated by TLR9 inhibitor, suggesting that TLR9-mediated MyD88-dependent pathway played a more important role than TLR2 in the combination-induced Th1 activation. Further study showed that TLR9 inhibitor downregulated TLR2 expression, suggesting that TLR9 signaling regulated TLR2 activation to favor Th1 resonse induced by MBP combined with BCG. Collectively, we demonstrated for the first time that the cross-talk of TLR2 and TLR9 triggered Th1 activation collaboratively and our findings provided valuable information about designing more effective adjuvant for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. FOREWORD: 9th International Conference on Compressors and their Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovacevic, Ahmed, Prof

    2015-08-01

    The 9th International Conference on Compressors and their Systems will be held in London from 5th - 9th September 2015, and as its Chairman, it is my pleasure to welcome you. This series of conferences started in 1999 organised by the Fluid Machinery Group of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) but since 2009 it has been managed by City University London in conjunction with the IMechE and the Institute of Refrigeration, both of which have been very proactive in promoting it. The Organising committee is grateful for their support and continued encouragement. This year, after rigorous reviewing, we have accepted over 80 technical papers for publication, the highest number in the conference history. On behalf of the organising committee I would like to thank the reviewers for their hard work and assistance. In addition to the main technical sessions, this year we have introduced a third day, specifically for Industry, to consider technology, business and market drivers on compressor developments. The traditional series of the short courses is this year continuing prior to the main event with the second short course/forum on Computational Fluid Dynamics in rotating positive displacement machines. I would like to extend my special thanks to our main sponsors, Holroyd PTG, Howden and Kapp Niels for their continuing support for the conference. With their generous contributions we have managed to keep the conference fees at the same level as in 2013, despite extending it to 3 days and holding it outside the University this year. The welcome reception on Sunday 6th September 2015 is dedicated to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Centre for Positive Displacement Compressors Technology which was formed at City University in 1995 with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering and Holroyd; its main aim being to assist British manufacturers of screw compressors. The Centre has since made a significant impact on the screw compressor world, far beyond

  6. The hTH-GFP reporter rat model for the study of Parkinson's disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorraine Iacovitti

    Full Text Available Parkinson disease (PD is the second leading neurodegenerative disease in the US. As there is no known cause or cure for PD, researchers continue to investigate disease mechanisms and potential new therapies in cell culture and in animal models of PD. In PD, one of the most profoundly affected neuronal populations is the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH-expressing dopaminergic (DA neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc. These DA-producing neurons undergo degeneration while neighboring DA-producing cells of the ventral tegmental area (VTA are largely spared. To aid in these studies, The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF partnered with Thomas Jefferson University and Taconic Inc. to generate new transgenic rat lines carrying the human TH gene promoter driving EGFP using a 11 kb construct used previously to create a hTH-GFP mouse reporter line. Of the five rat founder lines that were generated, three exhibited high level specific GFP fluorescence in DA brain structures (ie. SN, VTA, striatum, olfactory bulb, hypothalamus. As with the hTH-GFP mouse, none of the rat lines exhibit reporter expression in adrenergic structures like the adrenal gland. Line 12141, with its high levels of GFP in adult DA brain structures and minimal ectopic GFP expression in non-DA structures, was characterized in detail. We show here that this line allows for anatomical visualization and microdissection of the rat midbrain into SNpc and/or VTA, enabling detailed analysis of midbrain DA neurons and axonal projections after toxin treatment in vivo. Moreover, we further show that embryonic SNpc and/or VTA neurons, enriched by microdissection or FACS, can be used in culture or transplant studies of PD. Thus, the hTH-GFP reporter rat should be a valuable tool for Parkinson's disease research.

  7. Mycophenolate Mofetil Modulates Differentiation of Th1/Th2 and the Secretion of Cytokines in an Active Crohn's Disease Mouse Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Qing-Kang; Liu, Ju-Xiong; Li, Su-Nan; Gao, Ying-Jie; Lv, Yan; Xu, Zi-Peng; Huang, Bing-Xu; Xu, Shi-Yao; Yang, Dong-Xue; Zeng, Ya-Long; Liu, Dian-Feng; Wang, Wei

    2015-11-06

    Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an alternative immunosuppressive agent that has been reported to be effective and well tolerated for the treatment of refractory inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of MMF on intestinal injury and tissue inflammation, which were caused by Crohn's disease (CD). Here, trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-relapsing (TNBS) colitis was induced in mice; then, we measured the differentiation of Th1/Th2 cells in mouse splenocytes by flow cytometry and the secretion of cytokines in mice with TNBS-induced colitis by real-time polymerase chain reaction and/or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (RT-PCR/ELISA). The results show that MMF significantly inhibited mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12, IL-6, and IL-1β in mice with TNBS-induced colitis; however, MMF did not inhibit the expression of IL-10 mRNA. Additionally, ELISA showed that the serum levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12, IL-6, and IL-1β were down-regulated in a TNBS model of colitis. Flow cytometric analysis showed MMF markedly reduced the percentages of Th1 and Th2 splenocytes in the CD mouse model. Mycophenolic acid (MPA) also significantly decreased the percentages of splenic Th1 and Th2 cells in vitro. Furthermore, MMF treatment not only significantly ameliorated diarrhea, and loss of body weight but also abrogated the histopathologic severity and inflammatory response of inflammatory colitis, and increased the survival rate of TNBS-induced colitic mice. These results suggest that treatment with MMF may improve experimental colitis and induce inflammatory response remission of CD by down-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines via modulation of the differentiation of Th1/Th2 cells.

  8. Proposals for Paraphilic Disorders in the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krueger, Richard B; Reed, Geoffrey M; First, Michael B; Marais, Adele; Kismodi, Eszter; Briken, Peer

    2017-07-01

    The World Health Organization is currently developing the 11th revision of the International Classifications of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), with approval of the ICD-11 by the World Health Assembly anticipated in 2018. The Working Group on the Classification of Sexual Disorders and Sexual Health (WGSDSH) was created and charged with reviewing and making recommendations for categories related to sexuality that are contained in the chapter of Mental and Behavioural Disorders in ICD-10 (World Health Organization 1992a). Among these categories was the ICD-10 grouping F65, Disorders of sexual preference, which describes conditions now widely referred to as Paraphilic Disorders. This article reviews the evidence base, rationale, and recommendations for the proposed revisions in this area for ICD-11 and compares them with DSM-5. The WGSDSH recommended that the grouping, Disorders of sexual preference, be renamed to Paraphilic Disorders and be limited to disorders that involve sexual arousal patterns that focus on non-consenting others or are associated with substantial distress or direct risk of injury or death. Consistent with this framework, the WGSDSH also recommended that the ICD-10 categories of Fetishism, Fetishistic Transvestism, and Sadomasochism be removed from the classification and new categories of Coercive Sexual Sadism Disorder, Frotteuristic Disorder, Other Paraphilic Disorder Involving Non-Consenting Individuals, and Other Paraphilic Disorder Involving Solitary Behaviour or Consenting Individuals be added. The WGSDSH's proposals for Paraphilic Disorders in ICD-11 are based on the WHO's role as a global public health agency and the ICD's function as a public health reporting tool.

  9. 9th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle

    CERN Document Server

    CKM2016

    2016-01-01

    The 9th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle (CKM 2016) will be held during November 28 to December 3, 2016 at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India. The CKM series is a well-established international meeting in the field of quark-flavour physics that brings both experimenters and theorists on a common platform. On the experimental front, we bridge borders between neutron, kaon, charm and beauty hadron, and top quark physics. The theory program tries to cover a wide range of approaches. We shall discuss how this marriage of the two can indirectly probe physics beyond the standard model, taking into account the interplay with high-pT collider searches.

  10. Coding update of the SMFM definition of low risk for cesarean delivery from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Joanne; McDermott, Patricia; Saade, George R; Srinivas, Sindhu K

    2017-07-01

    In 2015, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine developed a low risk for cesarean delivery definition based on administrative claims-based diagnosis codes described by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine definition is a clinical enrichment of 2 available measures from the Joint Commission and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality measures. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine measure excludes diagnosis codes that represent clinically relevant risk factors that are absolute or relative contraindications to vaginal birth while retaining diagnosis codes such as labor disorders that are discretionary risk factors for cesarean delivery. The introduction of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification in October 2015 expanded the number of available diagnosis codes and enabled a greater depth and breadth of clinical description. These coding improvements further enhance the clinical validity of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine definition and its potential utility in tracking progress toward the goal of safely lowering the US cesarean delivery rate. This report updates the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine definition of low risk for cesarean delivery using International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification coding. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  11. “Crisis and Crisis Scenarios: Normativity, Possibilities and Dilemmas” (Lysebu Conference Centre in Oslo, Norway, April 9th — 12th, 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Øjvind Larsen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This special issue of Nordicum-Mediterraneum contains select proceedings from the third meeting of the Nordic Summer University research circle called “Crisis and Crisis Scenarios: Normativity, Possibilities and Dilemmas”, held April 9th — 12th, 2015 at the Lysebu Conference Centre in Oslo, Norway. The circle’s research program runs from 2014 to 2016 and is aimed at examining the concept of crisis as it is used today in academia and public discussion. In this collection of papers from the symposium we present some of the different ways in which the topic of the study group was addressed.

  12. Positive predictive values of the International Classification of Disease, 10th edition diagnoses codes for diverticular disease in the Danish National Registry of Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rune Erichsen

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Rune Erichsen1, Lisa Strate2, Henrik Toft Sørensen1, John A Baron31Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark; 2Division of Gastroenterology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; 3Departments of Medicine and of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, NH, USAObjective: To investigate the accuracy of diagnostic coding for diverticular disease in the Danish National Registry of Patients (NRP.Study design and setting: At Aalborg Hospital, Denmark, with a catchment area of 640,000 inhabitants, we identified 100 patients recorded in the NRP with a diagnosis of diverticular disease (International Classification of Disease codes, 10th revision [ICD-10] K572–K579 during the 1999–2008 period. We assessed the positive predictive value (PPV as a measure of the accuracy of discharge codes for diverticular disease using information from discharge abstracts and outpatient notes as the reference standard.Results: Of the 100 patients coded with diverticular disease, 49 had complicated diverticular disease, whereas 51 had uncomplicated diverticulosis. For the overall diagnosis of diverticular disease (K57, the PPV was 0.98 (95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.93, 0.99. For the more detailed subgroups of diagnosis indicating the presence or absence of complications (K573–K579 the PPVs ranged from 0.67 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.99 to 0.92 (95% CI: 0.52, 1.00. The diagnosis codes did not allow accurate identification of uncomplicated disease or any specific complication. However, the combined ICD-10 codes K572, K574, and K578 had a PPV of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.99 for any complication.Conclusion: The diagnosis codes in the NRP can be used to identify patients with diverticular disease in general; however, they do not accurately discern patients with uncomplicated diverticulosis or with specific diverticular complications.Keywords: diverticulum, colon, diverticulitis, validation studies

  13. [Alternation of proteins in brain of Parkinson's disease model rats after the transplantation of TH-NTN gene modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yue; Chang, Cheng; Zhang, Jie-wen; Gao, Xiao-qun

    2012-09-04

    To explore the effects of tyrosine hydroxylase-neurturin (TH-NTN) gene modified bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation in Parkinson's disease (PD) model rats and the alternations of correlated proteins. The PD rat model was established by the 2-point injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into unilateral (right) striatum. Successful modeling rats were separated into PD, BMSC and TH-NTN-BMSC groups. BMSC and TH-NTN-BMSC groups were transplanted into BMSCs and TH-NTN gene modified BMSC cells separately into right striatum. After transplantation, ethology detection in all groups was made with an intraperitoneal injection of apomorphine (APO). Dopamine (DA) and Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid (DOPAC) in striatum were detected by high performance liquid electrochemical analysis. TH and NTN proteins in right striatum were also analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Finally the density of dopamine receptors in post synaptic density of dopaminergic synapses of corpus striatum were compared between each group by post-embedding immunogold electron microscopy. After an injection of APO, rotation frequency decreased in TH-NTN-BMSC group, i.e. (5.7 ± 1.3) circles/min versus (10.8 ± 2.2), (9.9 ± 1.2) circles/min in PD and BMSC groups (P TH-NTN-BMSC group versus (923 ± 132)/µm(2) in PD and (860 ± 116)/µm(2) in BMSC groups was also found. The combined therapy of TH and NTN genes increases the synthesis of DA and also protects the dopaminergic neurons to achieve double therapeutic effects. It may provide potential innovations of PD genetic therapy.

  14. 9th International Conference on Practical Applications of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

    CERN Document Server

    Rocha, Miguel; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino; Paz, Juan

    2015-01-01

    This proceedings presents recent practical applications of Computational Biology and  Bioinformatics. It contains the proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Practical Applications of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics held at University of Salamanca, Spain, at June 3rd-5th, 2015. The International Conference on Practical Applications of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (PACBB) is an annual international meeting dedicated to emerging and challenging applied research in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. Biological and biomedical research are increasingly driven by experimental techniques that challenge our ability to analyse, process and extract meaningful knowledge from the underlying data. The impressive capabilities of next generation sequencing technologies, together with novel and ever evolving distinct types of omics data technologies, have put an increasingly complex set of challenges for the growing fields of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The analysis o...

  15. 9th state of logistics survey for South Africa: connecting neighbours - engaging the world

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Viljoen, N

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available -1 Collaboration between CSIR, Imperial logistics and Stellenbosch University 9th state of logistics survey for South Africa: connecting neighbours - engaging the world Viljoen N, Bean W. Havenga J. Simpson Z. Jankauskaite Z. Gounder S. Steyn W. de Jonge G...

  16. 9th International Conference on Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering and the 10th International Conference on Future Information Technology

    CERN Document Server

    Chao, Han-Chieh; Arabnia, Hamid; Yen, Neil; Advanced Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering : Future Information Technology; MUE-15; FutureTech 2015

    This volume brings together contributions representing the state-of-the-art in new multimedia and future technology information research, currently a major topic in computer science and electronic engineering. Researchers aim to interoperate multimedia frameworks, transforming the way people work and  interact with multimedia data. This book covers future information technology topics including digital and multimedia convergence, ubiquitous and pervasive computing, intelligent computing and applications, embedded systems, mobile and wireless communications, bio-inspired computing, grid and cloud computing, semantic web, human-centric computing and social networks, adaptive and context-aware computing, security and trust computing and related areas.  Representing the combined proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Multimedia and Ubiquitous Engineering (MUE-15) and the 10th International Conference on Future Information Technology (FutureTech 2015), this book aims to provide a complete coverage of...

  17. Identification of ICD Codes Suggestive of Child Maltreatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnitzer, Patricia G.; Slusher, Paula L.; Kruse, Robin L.; Tarleton, Molly M.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: In order to be reimbursed for the care they provide, hospitals in the United States are required to use a standard system to code all discharge diagnoses: the International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9). Although ICD-9 codes specific for child maltreatment exist, they do not identify all…

  18. Scientific Report of the 9th International Congress “Flour-Bread ’17”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Jozinović

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The scientific programme of the 9th International Congress “Flour-Bread ’17” and the 11th Croatian Congress of Cereal Technologists “Brašno-Kruh ’17” held from 25 to 27 October in Grand Hotel Adriatic, Opatija, Croatia, included 39 oral and 38 poster presentations. Three plenary lectures, 11 invited lectures, 19 oral presentations, three sponsor advertisement presentations, 3 interactive workshop lectures and 38 poster presentations were within one of five different Congress topics: Cereals and Cereal Product Quality, Cereal Processing Technologies, Cereals and Health, Cereal Food Safety, and Cereal Waste Management.

  19. Percutaneous liver biopsy and revised coagulation guidelines: a 9-year experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kitchin, Douglas R; Del Rio, Alejandro Munoz; Woods, Michael; Ludeman, Lucas; Hinshaw, J Louis

    2017-09-19

    To retrospectively review revised pre-procedural coagulation guidelines for percutaneous liver biopsy to determine whether their implementation is associated with increased hemorrhagic complications on a departmental scale. Secondary endpoints were to determine the effect of this change on pre-procedural blood product (FFP and platelet) utilization, to evaluate the impact of administered blood products on hemorrhagic complications, and to determine whether bleeding complications were related to INR and platelet levels. This IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant, retrospective study reviewed 1846 percutaneous liver biopsies in 1740 patients, comparing biopsies performed, while SIR consensus pre-procedural coagulation guidelines were in place (INR ≤ 1.5, platelets ≥50,000 µL) to those performed after departmental implementation of revised, less stringent guidelines (INR ≤ 2.0, platelets ≥25,000 µL). On a departmental scale, there were significantly fewer hemorrhagic complications in the population of patients treated after adoption of less stringent guidelines as compared to those treated under the SIR guidelines (1.6% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.0192) despite a significant decrease in pre-procedural FFP (0.8% vs. 3.9%, p guidelines for percutaneous liver biopsy (INR ≤ 2.0, platelets ≥25,000 µL) did not result in an increase in departmental hemorrhagic complication rates but did significantly decrease pre-procedural FFP/platelet administration. An individual patient's bleeding risk does increase as INR increases and platelets decrease, but pre-procedural FFP and/or platelet transfusion did not mitigate that increased risk.

  20. 9th Workshop on Cyclostationary Systems and Their Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Leskow, Jacek; Napolitano, Antonio; Zimroz, Radoslaw; Wylomanska, Agnieszka

    2017-01-01

    This book gathers contributions presented at the 9th Workshop on Cyclostationary Systems and Their Applications, held in Gródek nad Dunajcem, Poland in February 2016. It includes both theory-oriented and practice-oriented chapters. The former focus on heavy-tailed time series and processes, PAR models, rational spectra for PARMA processes, covariance invariant analysis, change point problems, and subsampling for time series, as well as the fraction-of-time approach, GARMA models and weak dependence. In turn, the latter report on case studies of various mechanical systems, and on stochastic and statistical methods, especially in the context of damage detection. The book provides students, researchers and professionals with a timely guide to cyclostationary systems, nonstationary processes and relevant engineering applications.

  1. Overview of the 9th International Conference on Hydrodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Dong-qiang

    2010-10-01

    The 9th International Conference on Hydrodynamics (ICHD), held in Shanghai, China from 11 to 15 October, 2010, was briefly reviewed. More than 240 delegates from 23 countries and regions attended this Conference, at which three plenary lectures, two keynote lectures and more than 160 papers were delivered. A special symposium on hydrodynamics in honor of Prof. You-sheng He was jointly organized in this ICHD. The printed proceedings, edited by Y. S. Wu, S. Q. Dai, H. Liu et al. and published by China Ocean Press, collect 172 technical papers contributed from 26 countries and regions. The electronic proceedings are distributed by the Elsevier at the ScienceDirect website as "Journal of Hydrodynamics, 2010, Vol. 22, No. 5 (Supplement)".

  2. 9th Conference of the European Social Simulation Association

    CERN Document Server

    Koloch, Grzegorz

    2014-01-01

    This book is the conference proceedings of ESSA 2013, the 9th Conference of the European Social Simulation Association. ESSA conferences constitute annual events which serve as an international platform for the exchange of ideas and discussion of cutting-edge research in the field of social simulations, both from the theoretical as well as applied perspective. This book consists of 33 articles, which are divided into four themes: Methods for the development of simulation models, Applications of agent-based modeling, Adaptive behavior, social interactions and global environmental change and Using qualitative data to inform behavioral rules. We are convinced that this book will serve interested readers as a useful compendium which presents in a nutshell the most recent advances at the frontiers of social simulation research.

  3. 9th PEF status colloquium from March 9-11, 1993 at the Nuclear Research Center Karlsruhe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horsch, F.; Filby, W.G.; Fund, N.; Gross, S.; Kaendler, G.; Reinhardt, W.

    1993-04-01

    During the 9-11th of March 1993 the ninth status report of the project ''European Research Centre for Air Pollution Prevention Measures'' (PEF) took place at the Nuclear Research Center Karlsruhe. Progress reports on the following topics were presented: investigation into damage and elucidation of the causes and effects of forest decline (task 1A); research into atmospheric dispersion, conversion and deposition of airborne pollutants (task 2); development and optimization of industrial-technical processes to reduce or avoid emissions (task 3); and providing instruments and making recommendations to the industrial and political sectors (task 4). (orig./BBR) [de

  4. THE 9TH INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP "PHYSICS AND FORECASTING OF ROCK DESTRUCTION"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Ruzhich

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available   The 9th International Workshop “Physics and Forecasting of Rock Destruction” was held in the Institute of the Earth’s Crust, SB RAS, in Irkutsk on 02–06 September 2013. The article reviews the main events of this scientific forum and briefly describes its discussion results concerning prediction / forecasting of dynamic destruction of rocks due to loading in various regimes and scales. Also reviewed are options for improvement of forecast methods and their application to practice. 

  5. Quantitative Proteomics of Gut-Derived Th1 and Th1/Th17 Clones Reveal the Presence of CD28+ NKG2D- Th1 Cytotoxic CD4+ T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riaz, Tahira; Sollid, Ludvig Magne; Olsen, Ingrid; de Souza, Gustavo Antonio

    2016-03-01

    T-helper cells are differentiated from CD4+ T cells and are traditionally characterized by inflammatory or immunosuppressive responses in contrast to cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. Mass-spectrometry studies on T-helper cells are rare. In this study, we aimed to identify the proteomes of human Th1 and Th1/Th17 clones derived from intestinal biopsies of Crohn's disease patients and to identify differentially expressed proteins between the two phenotypes. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, with predominantly Th1- and Th17-mediated response where cells of the "mixed" phenotype Th1/Th17 have also been commonly found. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used for protein identification and quantitation. In total, we identified 7401 proteins from Th1 and Th1/Th17 clones, where 334 proteins were differentially expressed. Major differences were observed in cytotoxic proteins that were overrepresented in the Th1 clones. The findings were validated by flow cytometry analyses using staining with anti-granzyme B and anti-perforin and by a degranulation assay, confirming higher cytotoxic features of Th1 compared with Th1/Th17 clones. By testing a larger panel of T-helper cell clones from seven different Crohn's disease patients, we concluded that only a subgroup of the Th1 cell clones had cytotoxic features, and these expressed the surface markers T-cell-specific surface glycoprotein CD28 and were negative for expression of natural killer group 2 member D. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  6. Books/Boeke

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    genetically engineered plasma proteins, novel intravenous globulins and their ... the International Classification ofDiseases, 9th revision (lCD-9). In this edition one ... The new section on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is ofparticular im- portance. .... latter are part of the cytoskeleton and may link the membrane recep- tors (the ...

  7. EDITORIAL: The 9th Workshop on Frontiers in Low Temperature Plasma Diagnostics The 9th Workshop on Frontiers in Low Temperature Plasma Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    SAME ADDRESS--> Nader Sadeghi,

  1. Dual effects of vitamin D-induced alteration of TH1/TH2 cytokine expression: enhancing IgE production and decreasing airway eosinophilia in murine allergic airway disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Matheu, Victor; Bäck, Ove; Mondoc, Emma

    2003-01-01

    . These findings were attributed to late treatment with vitamin D after establishment of an early immune response. CONCLUSION: We suggest that excess supplementation of vitamin D could influence the development of a sustained T(H)2 response, leading to an increasing prevalence of allergy, whereas vitamin D might......BACKGROUND: Vitamin D, a common food additive, has been shown to prevent the induction of experimental autoimmune diseases in mice. A possible immune deviation from T(H)1 to T(H)2 responses has been postulated. Although there is no doubt about the beneficial effects of vitamin D, its role...... in allergy has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE: To define the role of vitamin D in modulating the development of a T(H)2-mediated disease, we used a murine model of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation. METHODS: Five-week-old mice were primed on day 0 with ovalbumin intraperitoneally. Then they were nasally...

  2. 9th IFToMM International Conference on Rotor Dynamics

    CERN Document Server

    2015-01-01

    This book presents the proceedings of the 9th IFToMM International Conference on Rotor Dynamics. This conference is a premier global event that brings together specialists from the university and industry sectors worldwide in order to promote the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and information on the latest developments and applied technologies in the dynamics of rotating machinery. The coverage is wide ranging, including, for example, new ideas and trends in various aspects of bearing technologies, issues in the analysis of blade dynamic behavior,  condition monitoring of different rotating machines, vibration control, electromechanical and fluid-structure interactions in rotating machinery, rotor dynamics of micro, nano, and cryogenic machines, and applications of rotor dynamics in transportation engineering. Since its inception 32 years ago, the IFToMM International Conference on Rotor Dynamics has become an irreplaceable point of reference for those working in the field, and this book reflects the high qua...

  3. Health care resource use and costs among patients with cushing disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swearingen, Brooke; Wu, Ning; Chen, Shih-Yin; Pulgar, Sonia; Biller, Beverly M K

    2011-01-01

    To assess health care costs associated with Cushing disease and to determine changes in overall and comorbidity-related costs after surgical treatment. In this retrospective cohort study, patients with Cushing disease were identified from insurance claims databases by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for Cushing syndrome (255.0) and either benign pituitary adenomas (227.3) or hypophysectomy (07.6×) between 2004 and 2008. Each patient with Cushing disease was age- and sex-matched with 4 patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas and 10 population control subjects. Comorbid conditions and annual direct health care costs were assessed within each calendar year. Postoperative changes in health care costs and comorbidity-related costs were compared between patients presumed to be in remission and those with presumed persistent disease. Of 877 identified patients with Cushing disease, 79% were female and the average age was 43.4 years. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia were more common among patients with Cushing disease than in patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas or in control patients (PCushing disease had significantly higher total health care costs (2008: $26 440 [Cushing disease] vs $13 708 [nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas] vs $5954 [population control], Pdisease-related costs with remission. A significant increase in postoperative health care costs was observed in those patients not in remission. Patients with Cushing disease had more comorbidities than patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas or control patients and incurred significantly higher annual health care costs; these costs decreased after successful surgery and increased after unsuccessful surgery.

  4. FOREWORD: 9th Curtin University of Technology Science and Engineering International Conference 2014 (CUTSE2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chieng Chen, Vincent Lee

    2015-04-01

    A very warm welcome to all participants of the 9th Curtin University Technology, Science and Engineering (CUTSE) Conference 2014. This annual conference dates back to 2006 when the first Curtin University of Technology Science and Engineering (CUTSE) Conference was held in Curtin University, Miri Sarawak. CUTSE Conference was initially intended for Curtin's undergraduates such that they are able to experience the presentation of their work in a conference environment. As time passes and following the urge of knowledge dissemination, CUTSE Conference is hence open to public. This year the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been given the honour to organize the 9th CUTSE Conference. It has been a pleasure to watch CUTSE grow from strength to strength over the years. This year, our theme is "Discovering, Innovating and Engineering". We hope that it is in this spirit that CUTSE participants may align their respective work, such that we all aim for a greater and better implementation of "Discovering, Innovating and Engineering". The 9th CUTSE Conference 2014 is an excellent avenue for researchers, engineers, scientists, academicians, professionals from industry and students to share their research findings and initiate further collaborations in their respective fields. Parallel sessions in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Civil and Chemical engineering as well as the sciences will be hosted over a period of two days. Each year, the conference attracts participation from a number of countries in addition to Malaysia and Australia. In addition, student participants will get the opportunity to present their research projects and gain valuable feedback from industry professionals. This year the Conference will be organised by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Curtin Sarawak's School of Engineering and Science in collaboration with The Institute of Engineers Malaysia, Miri Branch. On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to thank this year

  5. The HUPO Brain Proteome project wish list--summary of the 9(th) HUPO BPP Workshop 9-10 January 2008, Barbados.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamacher, Michael; Eisenacher, Martin; Tribl, Florian; Stephan, Christian; Marcus, Katrin; Hardt, Tanja; Wiltfang, Jens; Martens, Lennart; Desiderio, Dominic; Gutstein, Howard; Park, Young Mok; Meyer, Helmut E

    2008-06-01

    The Human Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) aims at advancing knowledge and the understanding of neurodiseases and aging with the purpose of identifying prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as to push new diagnostic approaches and medications. The participating groups meet in semi-annual workshops to discuss the progress, as well as the needs, within the field of proteomics. The 9(th) HUPO BPP workshop took place in Barbados from 9-10 January, 2008. Discussing the future HUPO BPP Roadmap, the attendees drafted the so called HUPO BPP wish list containing timelines, suggestions and missions. This wish list will be updated regularly and will serve as a guideline for the next phase.

  6. 19th-century and early 20th-century jaundice outbreaks, the USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teo, C G

    2018-01-01

    Historical enquiry into diseases with morbidity or mortality predilections for particular demographic groups can permit clarification of their emergence, endemicity, and epidemicity. During community-wide outbreaks of hepatitis A in the pre-vaccine era, clinical attack rates were higher among juveniles rather than adults. In community-wide hepatitis E outbreaks, past and present, mortality rates have been most pronounced among pregnant women. Examination for these characteristic predilections in reports of jaundice outbreaks in the USA traces the emergence of hepatitis A and also of hepatitis E to the closing three decades of the 19th century. Thereafter, outbreaks of hepatitis A burgeoned, whereas those of hepatitis E abated. There were, in addition, community-wide outbreaks that bore features of neither hepatitis A nor E; they occurred before the 1870s. The American Civil War antedated that period. If hepatitis A had yet to establish endemicity, then it would not underlie the jaundice epidemic that was widespread during the war. Such an assessment may be revised, however, with the discovery of more extant outbreak reports.

  7. [The Revision and 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): Consequences for the Diagnostic Work with Children and Adolescents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zulauf Logoz, Marina

    2014-01-01

    The Revision and 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5): Consequences for the Diagnostic Work with Children and Adolescents.The present paper describes and discusses the major revisions in DSM-5 for children and adolescents. A major modification is that the separate chapter for disorders first diagnosed in childhood and adolescence was abandoned in favour of the integration of these clinical pictures into the relevant disorder-specific chapters. Several new diagnoses and diagnostic groups were introduced: "Disruptive mood regulation disorder" is a new diagnosis; the different diagnoses for autism were brought together into one, and a new diagnostic group for obsessive-compulsive disorders has been established. The developmental approach of DSM-5 and the integration of dimensional assessment tools are to be welcomed. Practice will show if the critiques afraid of possible increases in prevalences or those who approve the changes will end up being right.

  8. Advance Organizers and Examining of their Usage in 9th Grade Chemistry Textbooks

    OpenAIRE

    Canan NAKİBOĞLU; Nihan KAŞMER; Cem GÜLTEKİN; Füsun DÖNMEZ

    2010-01-01

    An advance organizer is the tool that is presented prior to the material to be learned, and that helps learners to organize and interpret new incoming information. In this study, a concept map concerning the classification of advance organizer was developed. Then, 9th grade chemistry textbooks written according to both current (year 2007) and past (year 1996) high school chemistry curriculum were examined by taking into account the concept map prepared. Next, the findings of each textbook ana...

  9. Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 9

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neitzel, D.A. [ed.; Bjornstad, B.N.; Fosmire, C.J. [and others

    1997-08-01

    This ninth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Chapters 4 and 6 in Hanford Site-related NEPA documents. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) includes information on climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological and historical resources, socioeconomics, and noise. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE directives and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site. Not all of the sections have been updated for this revision. The following lists the updated sections: climate and meteorology; ecology (threatened and endangered species section only); culture, archaeological, and historical resources; socioeconomics; all of Chapter 6.

  10. Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neitzel, D.A.; Bjornstad, B.N.; Fosmire, C.J.

    1997-08-01

    This ninth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Chapters 4 and 6 in Hanford Site-related NEPA documents. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) includes information on climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological and historical resources, socioeconomics, and noise. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE directives and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site. Not all of the sections have been updated for this revision. The following lists the updated sections: climate and meteorology; ecology (threatened and endangered species section only); culture, archaeological, and historical resources; socioeconomics; all of Chapter 6

  11. A VUV detection system for the direct photonic identification of the first excited isomeric state of "2"2"9Th

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seiferle, B.; Von der Wense, L.; Thirolf, P.G.; Laatiaoui, M.

    2016-01-01

    With an expected energy of 7.6(5) eV, "2"2"9Th possesses the lowest excited nuclear state in the landscape of all presently known nuclei. The energy corresponds to a wavelength of about 160 nm and would conceptually allow for an optical laser excitation of a nuclear transition. We report on a VUV optical detection system that was designed for the direct detection of the isomeric ground-state transition of "2"2"9Th. "2"2"9"("m") Th ions originating from a "2"3"3U α-recoil source are collected on a micro electrode that is placed in the focus of an annular parabolic mirror. The latter is used to parallelize the UV fluorescence that may emerge from the isomeric ground-state transition of "2"2"9Th. The parallelized light is then focused by a second annular parabolic mirror onto a CsI-coated position-sensitive MCP detector behind the mirror exit. To achieve a high signal-to-background ratio, a small spot size on the MCP detector needs to be achieved. Besides extensive ray-tracing simulations of the optical setup, we present a procedure for its alignment, as well as test measurements using a D_2 lamp, where a focal-spot size of ∼100 μm has been achieved. Assuming a purely photonic decay, a signal-to-background ratio of ∼7000:1 could be achieved. (authors)

  12. Meeting the Editors at the 9th Iberoamerican Academy of Management Conference

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Antonio Ribeiro Serra

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The following Editorial Comment presents a summary of the main ideas and suggestions presented at the “Meeting with the Editors” at the 9th Iberoamerican Academy of Management (IAM Conference, in Santiago (Chile. The meeting was conducted by three editors: Jonathan Doh from the Journal of World Business, Martin Larraza from Management Research and Herman Aguinis, President of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management and former editor of Organizational Research Methods. The conference took place from 3rd to 5th December 2015, and was hosted by Universidad Del Desarrollo. This editorial does not change the focus of the previous recent editorial comments of the Iberoamerican Journal of Strategic Management (IJSM. Its purpose of helping researchers and students in their quest to conduct quality research and publish it remains unchanged. These specific editorial comments are grouped in the menu section of the IJSM website under the title How to publish (or perish? (available at http://www.revistaiberoamericana.org/ojs/index.php/ibero/pages/view/publish%20or%20perish.

  13. Activated rat hepatic stellate cells influence Th1/Th2 profile in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Zhi-Zhi; Huang, Liu-Ye; Wu, Cheng-Rong; You, Hong; Ma, Hong; Jia, Ji-Dong

    2015-06-21

    To investigate the effects of activated rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) on rat Th1/Th2 profile in vitro. Growth and survival of activated HSCs and CD4(+) T lymphocytes cultured alone or together was assessed after 24 or 48 h. CD4(+) T lymphocytes were then cultured with or without activated HSCs for 24 or 48 h and the proportion of Th1 [interferon (IFN)-γ(+)] and Th2 [interleukin (IL)-4(+)] cells was assessed by flow cytometry. Th1 and Th2 cell apoptosis was assessed after 24 h of co-culture using a caspase-3 staining procedure. Differentiation rates of Th1 and Th2 cells from CD4(+) T lymphocytes that were positive for CD25 but did not express IFN-γ or IL-4 were also assessed after 48 h of co-culture with activated HSCs. Galectin-9 expression in HSCs was determined by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. ELISA was performed to assess galectin-9 secretion from activated HSCs. Co-culture of CD4(+) T lymphocytes with activated rat HSCs for 48 h significantly reduced the proportion of Th1 cells compared to culture-alone conditions (-1.73% ± 0.71%; P Th1/Th2 ratio was significantly decreased (-0.44 ± 0.13; P Th1 cells was decreased (-65.71 ± 9.67; P Th1 (12.27% ± 0.99%; P Th1 cell apoptosis rate was significantly higher than in Th2 cells (P Th1 and Th2 cells; however, the increase in the proportion of Th2 cells was significantly higher than that of Th1 cells (1.85% ± 0.48%; P Th1/Th2 profile, inhibiting the Th1 response and enhancing the Th2 response, and this may be a novel pathway for liver fibrogenesis.

  14. Th17/Treg immunoregulation and implications in treatment of sulfur mustard gas-induced lung diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iman, Maryam; Rezaei, Ramazan; Azimzadeh Jamalkandi, Sadegh; Shariati, Parvin; Kheradmand, Farrah; Salimian, Jafar

    2017-12-01

    Sulfur mustard (SM) is an extremely toxic gas used in chemical warfare to cause massive lung injury and death. Victims exposed to SM gas acutely present with inhalational lung injury, but among those who survive, some develop obstructive airway diseases referred to as SM-lung syndrome. Pathophysiologically, SM-lung shares many characteristics with smoking-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including airway remodeling, goblet cell metaplasia, and obstructive ventilation defect. Some of the hallmarks of COPD pathogenesis, which include dysregulated lung inflammation, neutrophilia, recruitment of interleukin 17A (IL -17A) expressing CD4 + T cells (Th17), and the paucity of lung regulatory T cells (Tregs), have also been described in SM-lung. Areas covered: A literature search was performed using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases inclusive of all literature prior to and including May 2017. Expert commentary: Here we review some of the recent findings that suggest a role for Th17 cell-mediated inflammatory changes associated with pulmonary complications in SM-lung and suggest new therapeutic approaches that could potentially alter disease progression with immune modulating biologics that can restore the lung Th17/Treg balance.

  15. 9th International Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Lin, Jerry; Pan, Jeng-Shyang; Tin, Pyke; Yokota, Mitsuhiro; Genetic and Evolutionary Computing

    2016-01-01

    This volume of Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing contains accepted papers presented at ICGEC 2015, the 9th International Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computing. The conference this year was technically co-sponsored by Ministry of Science and Technology, Myanmar, University of Computer Studies, Yangon, University of Miyazaki in Japan, Kaohsiung University of Applied Science in Taiwan, Fujian University of Technology in China and VSB-Technical University of Ostrava. ICGEC 2015 is held from 26-28, August, 2015 in Yangon, Myanmar. Yangon, the most multiethnic and cosmopolitan city in Myanmar, is the main gateway to the country. Despite being the commercial capital of Myanmar, Yangon is a city engulfed by its rich history and culture, an integration of ancient traditions and spiritual heritage. The stunning SHWEDAGON Pagoda is the center piece of Yangon city, which itself is famous for the best British colonial era architecture. Of particular interest in many shops of Bogyoke Aung San Market,...

  16. Transcription of Toll-Like Receptors 2, 3, 4 and 9, FoxP3 and Th17 Cytokines in a Susceptible Experimental Model of Canine Leishmania infantum Infection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hosein, Shazia; Rodríguez-Cortés, Alhelí; Blake, Damer P.; Allenspach, Karin; Alberola, Jordi; Solano-Gallego, Laia

    2015-01-01

    Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a chronic zoonotic systemic disease resulting from complex interactions between protozoa and the canine immune system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of the innate immune system and facilitate the early detection of many infections. However, the role of TLRs in CanL remains unknown and information describing TLR transcription during infection is extremely scarce. The aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of L. infantum infection on canine TLR transcription using a susceptible model. The objectives of this study were to evaluate transcription of TLRs 2, 3, 4 and 9 by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in skin, spleen, lymph node and liver in the presence or absence of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagle dogs. These findings were compared with clinical and serological data, parasite densities in infected tissues and transcription of IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3 in different tissues in non-infected dogs (n = 10), and at six months (n = 24) and 15 months (n = 7) post infection. Results revealed significant down regulation of transcription with disease progression in lymph node samples for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9, IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3. In spleen samples, significant down regulation of transcription was seen in TLR4 and IL-22 when both infected groups were compared with controls. In liver samples, down regulation of transcription was evident with disease progression for IL-22. In the skin, upregulation was seen only for TLR9 and FoxP3 in the early stages of infection. Subtle changes or down regulation in TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and FoxP3 are indicative of the silent establishment of infection that Leishmania is renowned for. These observations provide new insights about TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and Foxp3 in the liver, spleen, lymph node and skin in CanL and highlight possible markers of disease susceptibility in

  17. The effect of chronic liver disease on venous thromboembolism among medically managed patients in Singapore General Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yong; Zhang, Xiao Zhu; Ng, Han Seong; Fong, Jeffrey Chern Hui; Lee, Lai Heng

    2015-09-01

    Chronic liver disease (CLD) has been suggested to be associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE) in western populations. However, little is known about the risk effects of CLD on VTE among Asians. To compute the prevalence of VTE among hospitalised Asian patients, and to evaluate the pattern and scale of risk effects of CLD on VTE occurrence. Retrospective study of hospital discharge database from 2004 to 2011 to identify patients with VTE and CLD using International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-9-AM) codes. Of 199904 medically managed inpatients during the 8years, 1744 (0.9%) patients had VTE. Patients with CLD had significant higher prevalence of VTE (non-cirrhosis CLD 1.5%, cirrhosis 2.0%) than patients without CLD (0.8%, pCLD (odds ratio, OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2-1.7, pCLD, particular liver cirrhosis, increases the risks of VTE in hospitalised Asian patients. As CLD patients are perceived to be at risks of bleeding due to the prolonged clotting times and thrombocytopenia, the results of this study brings attention to opposite end of the haemostatic pendulum in patients with chronic liver disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised accurately detects cognitive decline in Huntington's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Begeti, Faye; Tan, Adrian Y K; Cummins, Gemma A; Collins, Lucy M; Guzman, Natalie Valle; Mason, Sarah L; Barker, Roger A

    2013-11-01

    Cognitive features, which begin before manifestation of the motor features, are an integral part of Huntington's disease and profoundly affect quality of life. A number of neuropsychological batteries have been used to assess this aspect of the condition, many of which are difficult to administer and time consuming, especially in advanced disease. We, therefore, investigated a simple and practical way to monitor cognition using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) in 126 manifest Huntington's disease patients, 28 premanifest gene carriers and 21 controls. Using this test, we demonstrated a selective decrease in phonemic, but not semantic, fluency in premanifest participants Cognitive decline in manifest Huntington's disease varied according to disease severity with extensive cognitive decline observed in early-stage Huntington's disease patients, indicating that this would be an optimal stage for interventions designed to halt cognitive decline, and lesser changes in the advanced cases. We next examined cognitive performance in patients prescribed antidopaminergic drugs as these drugs are known to decrease cognition when administered to healthy volunteers. We paradoxically found that these drugs may be beneficial, as early-stage Huntington's disease participants in receipt of them had improved attention and Mini-Mental State Examination scores. In conclusion, this is the first study to test the usefulness of the ACE-R in a Huntington's disease population and demonstrates that this is a brief, inexpensive and practical way to measure global cognitive performance in clinical practice with potential use in clinical trials.

  19. 9th International Conference Mechatronics 2011

    CERN Document Server

    Březina, Tomaš

    2012-01-01

    The book “Mechatronics: Recent Technological and Scientific Advances” provides comprehensive and accessible coverage of the evolving disciplines of mechatronics for nanotechnology, automatic control & robotics, biomedical engineering, design manufacturing and testing of MEMS, metrology, photonics, mechatronic products majors. It is already the third volume following the previous editions in 2007 and 2009 providing a recent state of advances in mechatronics presented on the 9th International Conference Mechatronics 2011, hosted this year at the Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland.                                                                                                                                                                                               The carefully selecte...

  20. Protocol for a qualitative study exploring perspectives on the INternational CLassification of Diseases (11th revision); Using lived experience to improve mental health Diagnosis in NHS England: INCLUDE study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hackmann, Corinna; Green, Amanda; Notley, Caitlin; Perkins, Amorette; Reed, Geoffrey M; Ridler, Joseph; Wilson, Jon; Shakespeare, Tom

    2017-09-03

    Developed in dialogue with WHO, this research aims to incorporate lived experience and views in the refinement of the International Classification of Diseases Mental and Behavioural Disorders 11th Revision (ICD-11). The validity and clinical utility of psychiatric diagnostic systems has been questioned by both service users and clinicians, as not all aspects reflect their lived experience or are user friendly. This is critical as evidence suggests that diagnosis can impact service user experience, identity, service use and outcomes. Feedback and recommendations from service users and clinicians should help minimise the potential for unintended negative consequences and improve the accuracy, validity and clinical utility of the ICD-11. The name INCLUDE reflects the value of expertise by experience as all aspects of the proposed study are co-produced. Feedback on the planned criteria for the ICD-11 will be sought through focus groups with service users and clinicians. The data from these groups will be coded and inductively analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Findings from this will be used to form the basis of co-produced recommendations for the ICD-11. Two service user focus groups will be conducted for each of these diagnoses: Personality Disorder, Bipolar I Disorder, Schizophrenia, Depressive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. There will be four focus groups with clinicians (psychiatrists, general practitioners and clinical psychologists). This study has received ethical approval from the Coventry and Warwickshire HRA Research Ethics Committee (16/WM/0479). The output for the project will be recommendations that reflect the views and experiences of experts by experience (service users and clinicians). The findings will be disseminated via conferences and peer-reviewed publications. As the ICD is an international tool, the aim is for the methodology to be internationally disseminated for replication by other groups. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03131505

  1. Estimating the burden of disease attributable to physical inactivity in South Africa in 2000.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joubert, Jané; Norman, Rosana; Lambert, Estelle V; Groenewald, Pam; Schneider, Michelle; Bull, Fiona; Bradshaw, Debbie

    2007-08-01

    To quantify the burden of disease attributable to physical inactivity in persons 15 years or older, by age group and sex, in South Africa for 2000. The global comparative risk assessment (CRA) methodology of the World Health Organization was followed to estimate the disease burden attributable to physical inactivity. Levels of physical activity for South Africa were obtained from the World Health Survey 2003. A theoretical minimum risk exposure of zero, associated outcomes, relative risks, and revised burden of disease estimates were used to calculate population-attributable fractions and the burden attributed to physical inactivity. Monte Carlo simulation-modelling techniques were used for the uncertainty analysis. South Africa. Adults >or= 15 years. Deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from ischaemic heart disease, ischaemic stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Overall in adults >or= 15 years in 2000, 30% of ischaemic heart disease, 27% of colon cancer, 22% of ischaemic stroke, 20% of type 2 diabetes, and 17% of breast cancer were attributable to physical inactivity. Physical inactivity was estimated to have caused 17,037 (95% uncertainty interval 11,394 - 20,407), or 3.3% (95% uncertainty interval 2.2 - 3.9%) of all deaths in 2000, and 176,252 (95% uncertainty interval 133,733 - 203,628) DALYs, or 1.1% (95% uncertainty interval 0.8 - 1.3%) of all DALYs in 2000. Compared with other regions and the global average, South African adults have a particularly high prevalence of physical inactivity. In terms of attributable deaths, physical inactivity ranked 9th compared with other risk factors, and 12th in terms of DALYs. There is a clear need to assess why South Africans are particularly inactive, and to ensure that physical activity/inactivity is addressed as a national health priority.

  2. Concentration of thorium isotopes and the activity ratios of 230Th/232Th and 228Th/232Th in seawater in the Pacific Ocean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyake, Yasuo; Sugimura, Yukio; Yasujima, Tadahide.

    1978-01-01

    The concentration of thorium isotopes and the activity ratios of 230 Th/ 232 Th and 228 Th/ 232 Th in 500 l sea water samples collected in the Pacific Ocean were determined. Thorium isotopes were analyzed by alpha-ray spectrometry after separating them from other elements with an anion exchange resin. The average content of thorium ( 232 Th) of 0.9 ng l -1 was obtained in the open Pacific water. The average contents of 230 Th and 228 Th were 2.1 x 10 -2 pgl -1 and 1.2 agl -1 respectively. It was found that the ratios of 230 Th/ 232 Th and 228 Th/ 232 Th ranged respectively from 1.0 to 29, and from 0.4 to as high as 128. (author)

  3. The Effect of Group Work on Misconceptions of 9th Grade Students about Newton's Laws

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ergin, Serap

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the effect of group work and traditional method on 9th grade students' misconceptions about Newton Laws was investigated. The study was conducted in three classes in an Anatolian Vocational High School in Ankara/Turkey in the second term of the 2014-2015 academic year. Two of these classes were chosen as the experimental group and…

  4. Proposed declassification of disease categories related to sexual orientation in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochran, Susan D; Drescher, Jack; Kismödi, Eszter; Giami, Alain; García-Moreno, Claudia; Atalla, Elham; Marais, Adele; Vieira, Elisabeth Meloni; Reed, Geoffrey M

    2014-09-01

    The World Health Organization is developing the 11th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), planned for publication in 2017. The Working Group on the Classification of Sexual Disorders and Sexual Health was charged with reviewing and making recommendations on disease categories related to sexuality in the chapter on mental and behavioural disorders in the 10th revision (ICD-10), published in 1990. This chapter includes categories for diagnoses based primarily on sexual orientation even though ICD-10 states that sexual orientation alone is not a disorder. This article reviews the scientific evidence and clinical rationale for continuing to include these categories in the ICD. A review of the evidence published since 1990 found little scientific interest in these categories. In addition, the Working Group found no evidence that they are clinically useful: they neither contribute to health service delivery or treatment selection nor provide essential information for public health surveillance. Moreover, use of these categories may create unnecessary harm by delaying accurate diagnosis and treatment. The Working Group recommends that these categories be deleted entirely from ICD-11. Health concerns related to sexual orientation can be better addressed using other ICD categories.

  5. Hay fever, a post industrial revolution epidemic: a history of its growth during the 19th century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emanuel, M B

    1988-05-01

    Although other forms of allergic disease were described in antiquity, hay fever is surprisingly modern. Very rare descriptions can be traced back to Islamic texts of the 9th century and European texts of the 16th century. It was only in the early 19th century that the disease was carefully described and at that time was regarded as most unusual. By the end of the 19th century it had become commonplace in both Europe and North America. This paper attempts to chart the growth of hay fever through the medical literature of the 19th century. It is hoped that an understanding of the increase in prevalence between 1820 and 1900 may provide an insight for modern researchers and give some clues into possible reasons for the epidemic nature of the disease today.

  6. Revised Rules for Concrete Bridges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thoft-Christensen, Palle; Jensen, F. M.; Middleton, C.

    This paper is based on research performed for the Highway Agency, London, UK under the project DPU/9/44 "Revision of Bridge Assessment Rules Based on Whole Life Performance: Concrete Bridges" It contains details of a methodology which can be used to generate Whole Life (WL) reliability profiles....... These WL reliability profiles may be used to establish revised rules for Concrete Bridges....

  7. A Labor and Delivery Patient Classification System Based on Direct Nursing Care Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-08-01

    equipment at bedside, position temperature probe or thermometer, assess respiratory rate, take pulse, place cuff around extremity, position stethoscope ...at bedside, assess respiratory rate, take pulse, place cuff around extremity, position stethoscope , measure blood pressure, remove cuff, record...International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). A stratified random sample of the various types of delivery

  8. A Mismatch Between Patient Education Materials About Sickle Cell Disease and the Literacy Level of Their Intended Audience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Elizabeth; Ng, Jared; Vitzthum, Kelly; Rudd, Rima

    2016-05-12

    Despite the first goal of the 2010 National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, the literacy demands of much health information exceeds the reading skills of most US adults. The objective of this study was to assess the health literacy level of publicly available patient education materials for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). We used 5 validated tools to evaluate 9 print and 4 online patient education materials: the simple measure of gobbledygook (SMOG) to assess reading grade level, the Peter Mosenthal and Irwin Kirsch readability formula (PMOSE/IKIRSCH) to assess structure and density, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) to assess actionability (how well readers will know what to do after reading the material) and understandability, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Clear Communication Index (Index) to obtain a comprehensive literacy demand score, and the Printed Cancer Education Materials for African Americans Cultural Sensitivity Assessment Tool. Materials' scores reflected high reading levels ranging from 8th grade to 12th grade, appropriate (low) structural demand, and low actionability relative to understandability. CDC suggests that an appropriate Index score should fall in or above the 90th percentile. The scores yielded by materials evaluated in this assessment ranged from the 44th to the 76th percentiles. Eight of the 13 materials scored within the acceptable range for cultural sensitivity. Reading levels of available patient education materials exceed the documented average literacy level of the US adult population. Health literacy demands should be a key consideration in the revision and development of patient education materials for people with SCD.

  9. The impact of subsidence on straight and curved modular cementless revision stems in hip revision surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraile Suari, A; Gil González, S; Pérez Prieto, D; León García, A; Mestre Cortadellas, C; Tey Pons, M; Marqués López, F

    Subsidence is one of the potential complications in femoral stem revision total hip arthroplasty surgery, and can affect stability and osseointegration. A retrospective study was conducted on the outcomes at one year and 5 years (specifically subsidence and clinical relevance) of 40 consecutive femoral total hip arthroplasty revisions, comparing two modular cementless revision stems, Straight vs. Curved, with 20 patients in each group. No mechanical failure was observed, and there was an improvement in functional outcomes. Mean radiological subsidence was 9.9±4.9mm (straight=10.75mm vs. curved=9.03mm), with no statistically significant difference between groups (p=0,076). Fourteen patients (35%) had ≥10mm of subsidence, up to a maximum of 22mm. The subsidence found in this study is similar to published series, with no short-term clinical manifestations, or an increased number of complications or stem loosening in either the Straight or Curved group. No differences in subsidence were observed at one year and 5 years after surgery between the 2 types of stems. Copyright © 2017 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  10. CRISPR/Cas9: the Jedi against the dark empire of diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Sehrish; Mahmood, Muhammad Shahid; Rahman, Sajjad Ur; Zafar, Hassan; Habibullah, Sultan; Khan, Zulqarnain; Ahmad, Aftab

    2018-03-28

    Advances in Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR associated system (CRISPR/Cas9) has dramatically reshaped our ability to edit genomes. The scientific community is using CRISPR/Cas9 for various biotechnological and medical purposes. One of its most important uses is developing potential therapeutic strategies against diseases. CRISPR/Cas9 based approaches have been increasingly applied to the treatment of human diseases like cancer, genetic, immunological and neurological disorders and viral diseases. These strategies using CRISPR/Cas9 are not only therapy oriented but can also be used for disease modeling as well, which in turn can lead to the improved understanding of mechanisms of various infectious and genetic diseases. In addition, CRISPR/Cas9 system can also be used as programmable antibiotics to kill the bacteria sequence specifically and therefore can bypass multidrug resistance. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9 based gene drive may also hold the potential to limit the spread of vector borne diseases. This bacterial and archaeal adaptive immune system might be a therapeutic answer to previous incurable diseases, of course rigorous testing is required to corroborate these claims. In this review, we provide an insight about the recent developments using CRISPR/Cas9 against various diseases with respect to disease modeling and treatment, and what future perspectives should be noted while using this technology.

  11. 9th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2017-01-01

    IC3DDose 2016 - 9th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry Preface It was a great pleasure to welcome participants to IC3DDose 2016, the 9th International Conference on 3D Radiation Dosimetry, held from 7–10 November 2016 in Galveston, Texas. The series of conferences has evolved considerably during its history. At the first conference, DOSGEL’99, the discussion centered around gel dosimetry. Held in Lexington, Kentucky in 1999, it was timed to coincide with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. It was my honour to organize that first conference, and it was once again my honour to organize the 9th conference in the series now known as IC3DDose which was held in Galveston, Texas. As was the case with recent IC3DDose conferences, the topic has broadened considerably beyond gel dosimetry. Not only have newer 3D volumetric dosimeters appeared on the scene, but novel electronic dosimetry systems and software that generate quasi-3D dose information have also. These changes have tracked advances in radiation oncology as techniques such as IMRT, VMAT, and IGRT have become almost ubiquitous. At the same time, dynamic treatments including gating and tracking now enjoy widespread use. Novel treatment technologies have appeared with perhaps the most disruptive being combined MR imaging-treatment units such as the ViewRay MR-cobalt unit and the Elekta/Philips MR-Linac. The potential benefits offered by 3D dosimetry were explored, compared and evaluated during IC3DDose 2016. Novel and improved readout techniques, some of which take advantage of the contemporary treatment environment and new QA systems and procedures, as well as other aspects of clinical dosimetry were well represented in the program. Over the past several years, the importance of safety in radiation therapy has been highlighted. The benefits of 3D dosimetry in contributing to safe and accurate treatments cannot be overstated. The

  12. 42 CFR 433.138 - Identifying liable third parties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... State law) to provide for obtaining— (i) From State Workers' Compensation or Industrial Accident... be met. (e) Diagnosis and trauma code edits. (1) Except as specified under paragraph (e)(2) or (l) of... recipients that contain diagnosis codes 800 through 999 International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision...

  13. 77 FR 54663 - Administrative Simplification: Adoption of a Standard for a Unique Health Plan Identifier...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-05

    ...- 10-CM) for diagnosis coding, including the Official ICD-10-CM Guidelines for Coding and Reporting... International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification, Volumes 1 and 2 (diagnoses), and... available for the enumeration of SHPs based on a CHP's organizational structure and business needs. The CHP...

  14. [Sex education and knowledge of venerial disease among public school 9th graders].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Jacob Lauesgaard; Boelskifte, Jane; Falk, Jørgen; Lauszus, Finn Friis; Rasmussen, Kjeld Leisgård

    2009-03-30

    A study on knowledge of venereal diseases, opinions on sexual matters, and satisfaction with sex education at school. A questionnaire was handed out on the same day in all ninth grade classes in the municipality of Viborg without prior notification of teachers and pupils. A total of 394 of 398 questionnaires were answered and returned. Only 36% were fully satisfied with the sex education imparted at school, while 70% of the teenagers were satisfied with the quantity. Satisfaction was similar between genders, but more marked among those without sexual debut as 66% were satisfied, while just 47% of those with sexual debut thought sex education was satisfactory (p Knowledge of venereal disease like hiv/aids, chlamydia and herpes simplex was high (> 80% of pupils). A total of 58% of boys and 76% of girls identified chlamydia as the most common venereal disease (p sexual debut increased knowledge of chlamydia's status as the most common venereal disease to 85% among girls (p Knowledge of the symptoms and risks of chlamydia is rather limited. The girls were more aware of the fact that it may cause sterility (p sexual debut was not associated with gender but with own sexual debut. Those with no sexual debut guessed better than the pupils with sexual debut, as 77% of boys and 81% of girls with no sexual debut guessed correctly. The sex education curriculum should be differentiated with regard to sexual debut or not in order to increase satisfaction with teaching and increase the school's contribution to improve sexual knowledge and behaviour.

  15. 75 FR 17742 - Filing Dates for the Georgia Special Election in the 9th Congressional District

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-07

    ... 9th Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for special election. SUMMARY: Georgia has scheduled a special general election on May 11, 2010, to fill the U... participate in the Georgia Special General and Special Runoff Elections shall file a 12-day Pre-General Report...

  16. Th1-, Th2-, and Th17-associated cytokine expression in hypopharyngeal carcinoma and clinical significance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xuemei; Wang, Junfu; Wang, Rui; Su, Qinghong; Luan, Junwen; Huang, Haiyan; Zhou, Peng; Liu, Jinsheng; Xu, Xiaoqun

    2016-02-01

    Th0 cells differentiate into Th1 or Th2 depending on multiple transcription factors acting on specific time points to regulate gene expression. Th17 cells, a subset of IL-17-producing T cells distinct from Th1 or Th2 cells, have been described as key players in inflammation and autoimmune diseases as well as cancer development. In the present study, 53 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer were included. The expression levels of Th1-, Th2- and Th17-associated cytokines in hypopharyngeal cancer tissues and pericarcinoma tissues were detected. The relationship between Th1, Th2, or Th17 infiltration and metastasis was studied. Our results showed that the mRNA and protein expressions of Th1 cytokines were lower, while the expressions of Th2 and Th17 cytokines were higher in tumor tissues, and the intensity of expression was strengthened with clinical stage increasing. Cancer tissues had higher level expressions of Th2 and Th17 cytokines than that of pericarcinoma tissues. From the above data, we speculated that high expressions of Th2- and Th17-associated cytokines in hypopharyngeal carcinoma may contribute to cancer development and metastasis.

  17. Intelligent Virtual Agents : 9th International Conference, IVA 2009 Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 14-16, 2009 Proceedings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ruttkay, Z.M.; Kipp, M.; Nijholt, Antinus; Vilhjalmsson, H.H.

    2009-01-01

    Welcome to the Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, held 14-16 September, 2009 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) are interactive characters that exhibit humanlike qualities and communicate with humans or with each other using

  18. 30. MPA-Seminar 'Safety and reliability in energy technology' in conjunction with the 9th German-Japanese seminar. Vol. 2 (Papers 27-53)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roos, E.

    2004-01-01

    he 30th MPA-seminar on ''Safety and Availability in Energy Engineering'' was held in conjuction with the 9th German-Japanese Seminar. The 52 contributions were published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains the contributions to the following sessions: fracture mechanics, fatigue, welding, environmental impact and European research projects. Volume 2 contains contributions of sessions 6-9: high-temperature application, modelling-simulation, ageing management and non-destructive testing. (uke)

  19. 30. MPA-Seminar 'Safety and reliability in energy technology' in conjunction with the 9th German-Japanese seminar. Vol. 1 (Papers 1-26)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roos, E.

    2004-01-01

    The 30th MPA-seminar on ''Safety and Availability in Energy Engineering'' was held in conjuction with the 9th German-Japanese Seminar. The 52 contributions were published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains the contributions to the following sessions: fracture mechanics, fatigue, welding, environmental impact and European research projects. Volume 2 contains contributions of sessions 6-9: high-temperature application, modelling-simulation, ageing management and non-destructive testing. (uke)

  20. Unexpected exacerbations following initiation of disease-modifying drugs in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: Which factor is responsible, anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies, B cells, Th1 cells, Th2 cells, Th17 cells, or others?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kira, Jun-Ichi

    2017-08-01

    Some disease-modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis, which mainly act on T cells, are ineffective for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and induce unexpected relapses. These include interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, fingolimod, natalizumab, and alemtuzumab. The cases reported here suggest that dimethyl fumarate, which reduces the number of Th1 and Th17 cells and induces IL-4-producing Th2 cells, is also unsuitable for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, irrespective of anti-aquaporin 4 IgG serostatus. Although oral dimethyl fumarate with manageable adverse effects is easy to initiate in the early course of multiple sclerosis, special attention should be paid for atypical demyelinating cases.

  1. 9th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Nguyen, Ngoc; Shirai, Kiyoaki

    2017-01-01

    This book presents recent research in intelligent information and database systems. The carefully selected contributions were initially accepted for presentation as posters at the 9th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems (ACIIDS 2017) held from to 5 April 2017 in Kanazawa, Japan. While the contributions are of an advanced scientific level, several are accessible for non-expert readers. The book brings together 47 chapters divided into six main parts: • Part I. From Machine Learning to Data Mining. • Part II. Big Data and Collaborative Decision Support Systems, • Part III. Computer Vision Analysis, Detection, Tracking and Recognition, • Part IV. Data-Intensive Text Processing, • Part V. Innovations in Web and Internet Technologies, and • Part VI. New Methods and Applications in Information and Software Engineering. The book is an excellent resource for researchers and those working in algorithmics, artificial and computational intelligence, collaborative systems, decisio...

  2. Intrinsic atopic dermatitis (AD) shows similar Th2 and higher Th17 immune activation compared to extrinsic AD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suárez-Fariñas, M; Dhingra, N; Gittler, J; Shemer, A; Cardinale, I; de Guzman Strong, C; Krueger, JG; Guttman-Yassky, E

    2013-01-01

    Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is classified as extrinsic (ADe) and intrinsic (ADi), representing approximately 80% and 20% of patients, respectively. While sharing a similar clinical phenotype, only ADe is characterized by high serum IgE. Since most AD patients exhibit high IgE, an “allergic”/IgE-mediated disease pathogenesis was hypothesized. However, current models associate AD with T-cell activation, particularly Th2/Th22 polarization, and epidermal barrier defects. Objective To define if both variants share a common pathogenesis. Methods We stratified 51 severe AD patients as ADe (42) and ADi (9) (with similar mean disease activity/SCORAD), and analyzed the molecular and cellular skin pathology of lesional and non-lesional ADi and ADe using gene-expression (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry. Results A significant correlation between IgE levels and SCORAD (r=0.76, pextrinsic and intrinsic AD variants might be treated with T-cell targeted therapeutics or agents that modify keratinocyte responses. PMID:23777851

  3. The mediating effect of sleep satisfaction on the relationship between stress and perceived health of adolescents suffering atopic disease: Secondary analysis of data from the 2013 9th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Won Oak; Im, YeoJin; Suk, Min Hyun

    2016-11-01

    Difficulty in sleep is one disturbing symptom in adolescents with atopic diseases including asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Assuming psychological stress can affect adolescents' health status, impaired sleep quality can be one mediator that negatively impacts the health status of adolescents with atopic disease. This study aimed to identify the mediating effect of sleep satisfaction on the relationship between stress and perceived health status in Korean adolescents with atopic disease and to examine the differences among three types of atopic disease. A cross-sectional descriptive study was completed based on secondary analysis of raw data from the 2013 9th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The 21,154 adolescents (29.2%) ever diagnosed and treated for at least one atopic disease regardless of the symptom presence in a recent year were extracted out of 72,435 survey participants. Then, the 13,216 individuals with exclusively single atopic diseases were included in analyzing the mediation model. Variables including demographics, stress, perceived health status, and sleep satisfaction were included. Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, path analysis to define direct/indirect effects with bootstrapping analysis, and multi-group variance analysis were conducted. High levels of stress in adolescents with atopic diseases had a significant and direct effect on their negative health status perception for all atopic disease groups. A significant negative mediating effect of sleep satisfaction was identified on the relationship between stress and perceived health status, irrespective of the type of atopic disease. Total effect and remaining direct effect on the path from stress and perceived health status via sleep satisfaction was high in adolescents with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis compared to those with asthma. To improve sleep satisfaction for adolescents with atopic diseases, interventions are needed to enhance the adolescents

  4. Laparoscopy Improves Short-term Outcomes After Surgery for Diverticular Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    RUSS, ANDREW J.; OBMA, KARI L.; RAJAMANICKAM, VICTORIA; WAN, YIN; HEISE, CHARLES P.; FOLEY, EUGENE F.; HARMS, BRUCE; KENNEDY, GREGORY D.

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND & AIMS Observational studies and small randomized controlled trials have shown that the use of laparoscopy in colon resection for diverticular disease is feasible and results in fewer complications. We analyzed data from a large, prospectively maintained, multicenter database (National Surgical Quality Initiative Program) to determine whether the use of laparoscopy in the elective treatment of diverticular disease decreases rates of complications compared with open surgery, independent of preoperative comorbid factors. METHODS The analysis included data from 6970 patients who underwent elective surgeries for diverticular disease from 2005 to 2008. Patients with diverticular disease were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes and then categorized into open or laparoscopic groups based on Current Procedural Terminology codes. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data were analyzed to determine factors associated with increased risk for postoperative complications. RESULTS Data were analyzed from 3468 patients who underwent open surgery and 3502 patients who underwent laparoscopic procedures. After correcting for probability of morbidity, American Society of Anesthesiology class, and ostomy creation, overall complications (including superficial surgical site infections, deep incisional surgical site infections, sepsis, and septic shock) occurred with significantly lower incidence among patients who underwent laparoscopic procedures compared with those who received open operations. CONCLUSIONS The use of laparoscopy for treating diverticular disease, in the absence of absolute contraindications, results in fewer postoperative complications compared with open surgery. PMID:20193685

  5. Advances in Computer Entertainment : 9th International Conference, ACE 2012, Kathmandu, Nepal, November 3-5, 2012. Proceedings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nijholt, Anton; Romão, Teresa; Reidsma, Dennis

    2012-01-01

    This book constitutes the refereed conference proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment, ACE 2012, held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in November 2012. The 10 full paper and 19 short papers presented together with 5 papers from the special track Arts and Culture

  6. 76 FR 45797 - Filing Dates for the New York Special Election in the 9th Congressional District

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-01

    ... 9th Congressional District AGENCY: Federal Election Commission. ACTION: Notice of filing dates for special election. SUMMARY: New York has scheduled a Special General Election on September 13, 2011, to.... Committees required to file reports in connection with the Special General Election on September 13, 2011...

  7. The Effectiveness of a Self Regulated Learning-Based Training Program on Improving Cognitive and Metacognitive EFL Reading Comprehension of 9th Graders with Reading Disabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eissa, Mourad Ali

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a self regulated learning intervention program on cognitive and metacognitive EFL reading comprehension of 9th graders with reading disabilities. The participants in this study were 40 9th Graders with reading disabilities, selected from two schools located in Baltim Educational Edara. A…

  8. Circulating levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL and their complex MMP-9/NGAL in breast cancer disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nonni Afroditi

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL expression is induced in many types of human cancer, while detection of its complex with matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9 is correlated with cancer disease status. We aim to evaluate the serum expression of MMP-9, NGAL and their complex (MMP-9/NGAL during the diagnostic work-up of women with breast abnormalities and investigate their correlation with disease severity. Methods The study included 113 women with non-palpable breast lesions undergoing vacuum-assisted breast biopsy for histological diagnosis, and 30 healthy women, which served as controls. Expression levels of MMP-9, NGAL and their complex MMP-9/NGAL were determined in peripheral blood samples with immunoenzymatic assays. Results Women with invasive ductal carcinoma exhibited significantly increased levels of MMP-9, NGAL and MMP-9/NGAL compared to healthy controls (MMP-9: p Conclusion These findings suggest that the serum measurement of MMP-9 and NGAL may be useful in non-invasively monitoring breast cancer progression, while supporting their potential role as early biomarkers of breast disease status.

  9. 77 FR 8877 - ICD-9-CM Coordination and Maintenance (C&M) Committee Meeting

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-15

    ...), Classifications and Public Health Data Standards Staff, announces the following meeting. Name: ICD-9-CM... proposed modifications to the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth-Revision, Clinical... Infusion of Glucarpidase ICD-10 Updates: ICD-10 MS-DRG Update ICD-10 HAC Translation List Impact of ICD-10...

  10. Coming 5th Edition of the API Standard 618: major changes compared to the API 618, 4th edition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pyle, A.; Eijk, A.; Elferink, H.

    2003-01-01

    This paper will present the highlights of changes that will be found in the 5th Edition of API 618, which is expected to be published in late 2003 or early 2004. Approximately every 5 years the API Standards are revised in such a way that the latest field experiences and proven designs are included

  11. Computer Games : 5th Workshop on Computer Games, CGW 2016, and 5th Workshop on General Intelligence in Game-Playing Agents, GIGA 2016, held in conjunction with the 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI 2016, New York, USA, July 9-10, 2016, Revised selected papers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cazenave, Tristan; Winands, Mark H. M; Edelkamp, Stefan; Schiffel, Stephan; Thielscher, Michael; Togelius, Julian

    2017-01-01

    This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th Computer Games Workshop, CGW 2016, and the 5th Workshop on General Intelligence in Game-Playing Agents, GIGA 2016, held in conjunction with the 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI 2016, in New York, USA, in July

  12. CCR6+ Th cell distribution differentiates systemic lupus erythematosus patients based on anti-dsDNA antibody status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Wei; Jiang, Zhenyu; Wu, Jiang; Jiang, Yanfang; Zhao, Ling

    2018-01-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease has been shown to be associated with the generation of multiple auto-antibodies. Among these, anti-dsDNA antibodies (anti-DNAs) are specific and play a pathogenic role in SLE. Indeed, anti-DNA + SLE patients display a worse disease course. The generation of these pathogenic anti-DNAs has been attributed to the interaction between aberrant T helper (Th) cells and autoimmune B cells. Thus, in this study we have investigated whether CCR6 + Th cells have the ability to differentiate SLE patients based on anti-DNA status, and if their distribution has any correlation with disease activity. We recruited 25 anti-DNA + and 25 anti-DNA - treatment-naive onset SLE patients, matched for various clinical characteristics in our nested matched case-control study. CCR6 + Th cells and their additional subsets were analyzed in each patient by flow cytometry. Anti-DNA + SLE patients specifically had a higher percentage of Th cells expressing CCR6 and CXCR3. Further analysis of CCR6 + Th cell subsets showed that anti-DNA + SLE patients had elevated proportions of Th9, Th17, Th17.1 and CCR4/CXCR3 double-negative (DN) cells. However, the proportions of CCR6 - Th subsets, including Th1 and Th2 cells, did not show any association with anti-DNA status. Finally, we identified a correlation between CCR6 + Th subsets and clinical indicators, specifically in anti-DNA + SLE patients. Our data indicated that CCR6 + Th cells and their subsets were elevated and correlated with disease activity in anti-DNA + SLE patients. We speculated that CCR6 + Th cells may contribute to distinct disease severity in anti-DNA + SLE patients.

  13. Validity of administrative database code algorithms to identify vascular access placement, surgical revisions, and secondary patency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Jaishi, Ahmed A; Moist, Louise M; Oliver, Matthew J; Nash, Danielle M; Fleet, Jamie L; Garg, Amit X; Lok, Charmaine E

    2018-03-01

    We assessed the validity of physician billing codes and hospital admission using International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes to identify vascular access placement, secondary patency, and surgical revisions in administrative data. We included adults (≥18 years) with a vascular access placed between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2013 at the University Health Network, Toronto. Our reference standard was a prospective vascular access database (VASPRO) that contains information on vascular access type and dates of placement, dates for failure, and any revisions. We used VASPRO to assess the validity of different administrative coding algorithms by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of vascular access events. The sensitivity (95% confidence interval) of the best performing algorithm to identify arteriovenous access placement was 86% (83%, 89%) and specificity was 92% (89%, 93%). The corresponding numbers to identify catheter insertion were 84% (82%, 86%) and 84% (80%, 87%), respectively. The sensitivity of the best performing coding algorithm to identify arteriovenous access surgical revisions was 81% (67%, 90%) and specificity was 89% (87%, 90%). The algorithm capturing arteriovenous access placement and catheter insertion had a positive predictive value greater than 90% and arteriovenous access surgical revisions had a positive predictive value of 20%. The duration of arteriovenous access secondary patency was on average 578 (553, 603) days in VASPRO and 555 (530, 580) days in administrative databases. Administrative data algorithms have fair to good operating characteristics to identify vascular access placement and arteriovenous access secondary patency. Low positive predictive values for surgical revisions algorithm suggest that administrative data should only be used to rule out the occurrence of an event.

  14. Standard technical specifications: Combustion engineering plants. Volume 3, Revision 1: Bases (Sections 3.4--3.9)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-04-01

    This report documents the results of the combined effort of the NRC and the industry to produce improved Standard Technical Specifications (STS), Revision 1 for Combustion Engineering Plants. The changes reflected in Revision 1 resulted from the experience gained from license amendment applications to convert to these improved STS or to adopt partial improvements to existing technical specifications. This NUREG is the result of extensive public technical meetings and discussions between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and various nuclear power plant licensees, Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) Owners Groups, NSSS vendors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The improved STS were developed based on the criteria in the Final Commission Policy Statement on Technical Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors, dated July 22, 1993. The improved STS will be used as the basis for individual nuclear power plant licensees to develop improved plant-specific technical specifications. This report contains three volumes. Volume 1 contains the Specifications for all chapters and sections of the improved STS. Volume 2 contains the Bases for Chapters 2.0 and 3.0, and Sections 3.1--3.3 of the improved STS Volume 3 contains the Bases for Sections 3.4--3.9 of the improved STS

  15. Failure of aseptic revision total knee arthroplasties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leta, Tesfaye H; Lygre, Stein Håkon L; Skredderstuen, Arne; Hallan, Geir; Furnes, Ove

    2015-02-01

    In Norway, the proportion of revision knee arthroplasties increased from 6.9% in 1994 to 8.5% in 2011. However, there is limited information on the epidemiology and causes of subsequent failure of revision knee arthroplasty. We therefore studied survival rate and determined the modes of failure of aseptic revision total knee arthroplasties. This study was based on 1,016 aseptic revision total knee arthroplasties reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register between 1994 and 2011. Revisions done for infections were not included. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the survival rate and the relative risk of re-revision with all causes of re-revision as endpoint. 145 knees failed after revision total knee arthroplasty. Deep infection was the most frequent cause of re-revision (28%), followed by instability (26%), loose tibial component (17%), and pain (10%). The cumulative survival rate for revision total knee arthroplasties was 85% at 5 years, 78% at 10 years, and 71% at 15 years. Revision total knee arthroplasties with exchange of the femoral or tibial component exclusively had a higher risk of re-revision (RR = 1.7) than those with exchange of the whole prosthesis. The risk of re-revision was higher for men (RR = 2.0) and for patients aged less than 60 years (RR = 1.6). In terms of implant survival, revision of the whole implant was better than revision of 1 component only. Young age and male sex were risk factors for re-revision. Deep infection was the most frequent cause of failure of revision of aseptic total knee arthroplasties.

  16. 9th International Conference on Software Engineering Research, Management and Applications(SERA 2011)

    CERN Document Server

    Software Engineering Research, Management and Applications 2011

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of the 9th International Conference on Software Engineering Research, Management and Applications(SERA 2011) held on August 10-12, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland was to bring together scientists, engineers, computer users, and students to share their experiences and exchange new ideas and research results about all aspects (theory, applications and tools) of computer and information sciences, and to discuss the practical challenges encountered along the way and the solutions adopted to solve them.   The conference organizers selected 12 outstanding papers from SERA 2011, all of which you will find in this volume of Springer’s Studies in Computational Intelligence.

  17. The revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue measures and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease scale: validation in six countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hewlett, Sarah; Kirwan, John; Bode, Christina; Cramp, Fiona; Carmona, Loreto; Dures, Emma; Englbrecht, Matthias; Fransen, Jaap; Greenwood, Rosemary; Hagel, Sofia; van de Laar, Maart; Molto, Anna; Nicklin, Joanna; Petersson, Ingemar F; Redondo, Marta; Schett, Georg; Gossec, Laure

    2018-02-01

    To evaluate the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Multidimensional Questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ), the revised Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Numerical Rating Scales (BRAF-NRS V2) and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Impact of Disease (RAID) scale in six countries. We surveyed RA patients in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, including the HAQ, 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and potential revisions of the BRAF-NRS coping and Spanish RAID coping items. Factor structure and internal consistency were examined by factor analysis and Cronbach's α and construct validity by Spearman's correlation. A total of 1276 patients participated (76% female, 25% with a disease duration <5 years, median HAQ 1.0). The original BRAF-MDQ four-factor structure and RAID single-factor structure were confirmed in every country with ⩾66% of variation in items explained by each factor and all item factor loadings of 0.71-0.98. Internal consistency for the BRAF-MDQ total and subscales was a Cronbach's α of 0.75-0.96 and for RAID, 0.93-0.96. Fatigue construct validity was shown for the BRAF-MDQ and BRAF-NRS severity and effect scales, correlated internally with SF-36 vitality and with RAID fatigue (r = 0.63-0.93). Broader construct validity for the BRAFs and RAID was shown by correlation with each other, HAQ and SF-36 domains (r = 0.46-0.82), with similar patterns in individual countries. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 Coping item had stronger validity than the original in all analyses. The revised Spanish RAID coping item performed as well as the original. Across six European countries, the BRAF-MDQ identifies the same four aspects of fatigue, and along with the RAID, shows strong factor structure and internal consistency and moderate-good construct validity. The revised BRAF-NRS V2 shows improved construct validity and replaces the original. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.

  18. The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition (SCAT5): Background and rationale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Echemendia, Ruben J; Meeuwisse, Willem; McCrory, Paul; Davis, Gavin A; Putukian, Margot; Leddy, John; Makdissi, Michael; Sullivan, S John; Broglio, Steven P; Raftery, Martin; Schneider, Kathryn; Kissick, James; McCrea, Michael; Dvořák, Jiří; Sills, Allen K; Aubry, Mark; Engebretsen, Lars; Loosemore, Mike; Fuller, Gordon; Kutcher, Jeffrey; Ellenbogen, Richard; Guskiewicz, Kevin; Patricios, Jon; Herring, Stanley

    2017-06-01

    This paper presents the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition (SCAT5), which is the most recent revision of a sport concussion evaluation tool for use by healthcare professionals in the acute evaluation of suspected concussion. The revision of the SCAT3 (first published in 2013) culminated in the SCAT5. The revision was based on a systematic review and synthesis of current research, public input and expert panel review as part of the 5th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Berlin in 2016. The SCAT5 is intended for use in those who are 13 years of age or older. The Child SCAT5 is a tool for those aged 5-12 years, which is discussed elsewhere. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  19. The Tick Salivary Protein Sialostatin L Inhibits the Th9-Derived Production of the Asthma-Promoting Cytokine IL-9 and Is Effective in the Prevention of Experimental Asthma

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Horká, Helena; Staudt, V.; Klein, M.; Taube, Ch.; Reuter, S.; Dehzad, N.; Andersen, J. F.; Kopecký, Jan; Schild, H.; Kotsyfakis, Michalis; Hoffmann, M.; Gerlitzki, B.; Stassen, M.; Bopp, T.; Schmitt, E.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 188, č. 6 (2012), s. 2669-2676 ISSN 0022-1767 R&D Projects: GA ČR GCP302/11/J029; GA MŠk(CZ) LC06009 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : experimental asthma * airway hyperresponsiveness * eosinophilia * interleukin-9 * Th9 cells * Sialostatin L * therapeutic * Ixodes scapularis * cysteine protease inhibitor * tick saliva Subject RIV: EC - Immunology Impact factor: 5.520, year: 2012

  20. Taxonomic revision of Xanthomendoza borealis and Xanthoria mawsonii (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindblom, Louise; Søchting, Ulrik

    2008-01-01

    The xanthorioid taxa Xanthomendoza borealis and Xanthoria mawsonii are revised using morphological, anatomical, secondary chemical, and molecular characters. We conclude that most specimens determined as X. mawsonii from the Antarctic are conspecific with specimens labelled X. borealis from...... the Northern Hemisphere. Some specimens named X. mawsonii from the Antarctic are wrongly determined specimens of Xanthoria candelaria (L.) Th. Fr, including the holotype of Xanthoria mawsonii C. W. Dodge. Accordingly, Xanthoria mawsonii C. W. Dodge is a synonym to Xanthoria candelaria (L.) Th. Fr. The only...

  1. Increased Circulating Th17 Cells, Serum IL-17A, and IL-23 in Takayasu Arteritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misra, Durga Prasanna; Chaurasia, Smriti; Misra, Ramnath

    2016-01-01

    Introduction. Th17, γδT, NK, and NKT cells in peripheral blood and serum IL-17 and IL-23 in Takayasu arteritis (TA) were measured and correlated with disease activity. Methods. Th17 (anti-CD3APC, CD4PECy7, and IL-17PE), NKT, NK (anti-CD3APC, CD56FITC), and γδT (anti-CD3FITC and γδTCRAPC) cells were enumerated by flow cytometry in peripheral blood of 30 patients with TA (ACR1990 criteria) and 20 healthy controls, serum IL-17 and IL-23 measured by ELISA. Relation with disease activity (NIH criteria, ITAS2010) was analyzed (using nonparametric tests, median with interquartile range). Results. Mean age of patients was 33.47 ± 11.78 years (25 females); mean symptom duration was 7.1 ± 5.3 years. 13 were not on immunosuppressants; 12 were active (ITAS2010 ≥ 4). The percentage of Th17 cells was significantly expanded in TA (patients 2.1 (1.5-3.2) versus controls 0.75 (0.32-1.2); p < 0.0001) with no differences in other cell populations. Serum IL-17 and IL-23 (pg/mL) in patients (6.2 (4.6-8.5) and 15 (14.9-26.5), resp.) were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than controls (3.9 (3.9-7.3) and undetectable median value, resp.). Subgroup analysis revealed no correlation of Th17 cells, serum IL-17, and IL-23 with disease activity or medications, nor any significant difference before and after medication. Conclusions. There is significant expansion of Th17 cells and elevated serum IL-17 and IL-23 levels in TA patients compared to healthy controls.

  2. 9th International Frumkin symposium: Electrochemical technologies and materials for 21st century. Abstracts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2010-07-01

    Abstracts of the 9th International Frumkin symposium: Electrochemical technologies and materials for 21st century are presented. The symposium was held 24-29 October 2010 in Moscow. The symposium included the following microsymposiums: Electrical double layer and electrochemical kinetics (from phenomenological to molecular level); New processes, materials and devices for successful electrochemical transformation of energy; Corrosion and protection of materials; General and local corrosion; Electroactive composition materials; Bioelectrochemistry. The Frumkin symposium includes plenary lectures, oral and poster presentations. Official language of the symposium is English

  3. 9th International Frumkin symposium: Electrochemical technologies and materials for 21st century. Abstracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    Abstracts of the 9th International Frumkin symposium: Electrochemical technologies and materials for 21st century are presented. The symposium was held 24-29 October 2010 in Moscow. The symposium included the following microsymposiums: Electrical double layer and electrochemical kinetics (from phenomenological to molecular level); New processes, materials and devices for successful electrochemical transformation of energy; Corrosion and protection of materials; General and local corrosion; Electroactive composition materials; Bioelectrochemistry. The Frumkin symposium includes plenary lectures, oral and poster presentations. Official language of the symposium is English [ru

  4. Sources of South African mortality data, 1910 - 1992

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Code 509, mesothelioma, falls under respiratory diseases rather than carcinomas. These local codes are incorrectly omitted from the listings of the basic tabulation list of the 9th revision in the South African edition.3. Not all the statistical reports on death have used the full. ICD classification. The exceptions are indicated in ...

  5. Circumcision revision in male children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed A. Al-Ghazo

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine indications for circumcision revision and to identify the specialty of the person who performed unsatisfactory primary circumcision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors reviewed medical records of 52 cases that underwent circumcision revision over a 6-year period (1998 to 2004. Sleeve surgical technique was used for revision in patients with redundant foreskin or concealed penis, penoplasty for partial or complete degloving of the penis and meatotomy for external meatal stenosis. The mean age of children was 32 months (range 6 months to 9 years. RESULTS: Most of unsatisfactory primary circumcisions (86.7% were performed by laymen. All patients who underwent circumcision revision had good to excellent cosmetic results. CONCLUSION: Primary circumcision performed by laymen carry a high complication rate and serious complications may occur. A period of training and direct supervision by physicians is required before allowing laymen to perform circumcision independently.

  6. EFSA CEF Panel (EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids), 2014. Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 82, Revision 1 (FGE.82Rev1): Consideration of Epoxides evaluated by the JECFA (65 th meeting)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beltoft, Vibe Meister; Binderup, Mona-Lise; Frandsen, Henrik Lauritz

    evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of five epoxides evaluated by the JECFA at the 65th meeting in 2005. This revision is made due to inclusion of one additional substance, beta-ionone epoxide [FL-no: 07.170], cleared...

  7. Health-Care Utilization and Complications of Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation in a National Population

    OpenAIRE

    Goyal, Abhinav; Chatterjee, Kshitij; Yadlapati, Sujani; Singh, Shailender

    2017-01-01

    Background/Aims Esophageal stricture is usually managed with outpatient endoscopic dilation. However, patients with food impaction or failure to thrive undergo inpatient dilation. Esophageal perforation is the most feared complication, and its risk in inpatient setting is unknown. Methods We used National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for 2007?2013. International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were used to identify patients with esophageal s...

  8. Health-Care Utilization and Complications of Endoscopic Esophageal Dilation in a National Population

    OpenAIRE

    Abhinav Goyal; Kshitij Chatterjee; Sujani Yadlapati; Shailender Singh

    2017-01-01

    Background/Aims Esophageal stricture is usually managed with outpatient endoscopic dilation. However, patients with food impaction or failure to thrive undergo inpatient dilation. Esophageal perforation is the most feared complication, and its risk in inpatient setting is unknown. Methods We used National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database for 2007–2013. International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were used to identify patients with esophageal s...

  9. Inhibition of Th1 and Th17 Cells by Medicinal Plants and Their Derivatives: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asadi-Samani, Majid; Bagheri, Nader; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud; Shirzad, Hedayatollah

    2017-08-01

    Searching for new natural drugs that are capable of targeting Th1 and Th17 may lead to development of more effective treatments for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Most of the natural drugs can be derived from plants that are used in traditional medicine and folk medicine. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and introduce plants or plant derivatives that are effective on inflammatory diseases by inhibiting Th1 and Th17 responses. To achieve this purpose, the search terms herb, herbal medicine, herbal drug, medicinal plant, phytochemical, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, natural compound, inflammation, inflammatory diseases, Th1, Th17, T helper 1 or T helper 17 were used separately in Title/Keywords/Abstract in Web of Science and PubMed databases. In articles investigating the effect of the medicinal plants and their derivatives in inhibiting Th1 and Th17 cells, the effects of eight extracts of the medicinal plants, 21 plant-based compounds and some of their derivatives, and eight drugs derived from the medicinal plants' compounds in inhibiting Th1 and Th17 cells were reviewed. The results showed that medicinal plants and their derivates are able to suppress Th17 and Th1 T cell functions as well as cytokine secretion and differentiation. The results can be used to produce herbal drugs that suppress Th, especially Th17, responses. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. 9 CFR 113.212 - Bursal Disease Vaccine, Killed Virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Bursal Disease Vaccine, Killed Virus..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE VIRUSES, SERUMS, TOXINS, AND ANALOGOUS PRODUCTS; ORGANISMS AND VECTORS STANDARD REQUIREMENTS Killed Virus Vaccines § 113.212 Bursal Disease Vaccine, Killed Virus. Bursal Disease Vaccine...

  11. Th1/Th2 cytokine expression in diabetic retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Y L; Zhang, F Q; Hao, F Q

    2016-07-15

    Diabetic retinopathy (DR), an important complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is not well understood. T helper cell balance (Th1/Th2) is involved in various autoimmune diseases; however, its role in DR is not understood. This study explores changes in Th1 and Th2 cytokine expression during DR. Blood samples were collected from 25 healthy volunteers (normal control group), 35 patients with type 2 DM (T2DM group) without DR, and 30 cases of T2DM patients with DR (DR group). Real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA expression of IL-2 and TNF-α, secreted from Th1 cells, and of IL-4 and IL-10, secreted from Th2 cells. We used ELISA to detect cytokine expression in serum to analyze the correlation between Th1 and Th2 cytokines. IL-2 and TNF-αmRNA and protein expression levels in the T2DM and DR groups were significantly higher than in the normal control group (P 0.05). IL-2 and TNF-αwere negatively correlated with IL-4 and IL-10 in the DR group, respectively. We found that Th1 cytokine secretion was higher and Th2 cytokines secretion was lower during DR, leading to a Th1/ Th2 imbalance, suggesting that Th1/Th2 imbalance is a side effect for DR occurrence and development.

  12. Increased intracellular Th1 cytokines in scid mice with inflammatory bowel disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bregenholt, S; Claesson, Mogens Helweg

    1998-01-01

    Severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice engrafted with small pieces of full thickness gut wall from immunocompetent syngenic donors develop a chronic and lethal colitis. Lymphocytes from the lamina propria of engrafted mice were analyzed for phorbol ester/ionomycin-induced cytokine production...... by intracellular staining. A 4-5-fold increase in the fraction of IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ lamina propria T cells was found in moderately and severely diseased mice when compared to healthy congenic C.B-17 control mice. The number of IL-2-producing T cells was increased by approximately 2-fold when comparing mice...... suffering from severe disease to healthy control mice. The fraction of TNF-alpha positive CD4+ T cells was increased by a factor of two in both moderately and severely diseased mice. When analyzing Th2 cytokines, it was found that the levels of IL-4-producing CD4+ T cells was not altered in diseased animals...

  13. Byzantine influence on the Serbian customary law in the 9th century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Đekić Đorđe N.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available By the 10th century Serbian law recognized the following ways of dispute resolution: revenge and appeasement, and it may be indirectly proved that there was a system of compensation. As punishments, there was banishment into exile, blinding and a death sentence. Since revenge, appeasement and compensation system appear in the pre-state period, while the death penalty has its roots in the blood feud, that indicates they are all of local origin. A question remains about the origin of banishment and blinding a fallen ruler, that is, a rival to the throne. In the first half of the 9th century the Byzantine Empire managed to reinstate its power over the Adriatic Sea, to impose itself over the Serbian states, to Christianise them and to legalise ruling families in the Serbian lands. Suffice to say that in 869 the Serbian states fight wars on the Byzantine side. Origin of influences on the ways of the punishment we seek in Byzantium, or better still, in its legal practice. It has been found that Byzantium used to send their conquered rivals to the throne into exile, punishing them by blinding them, so we draw a conclusion that in the matter of punishment, i.e. in the customary law, it exercised its influence on Serbia.

  14. What Is the Role and Importance of the Revised AERA, APA, NCME "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing"?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plake, Barbara S.; Wise, Lauress L.

    2014-01-01

    With the 2014 publication of the 5th revision of the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing," the cochairs of the Joint Committee for the revision process were asked to consider the role and importance of the "Standards" for the educational testing community, and in particular for members of the National Council…

  15. The Factor Structure of Coordination Abilities Development in 5th-7th Grade Boys

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    В. В. Приходько

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective is to determine the structure of coordination abilities development in 5th-7th grade boys. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were boys of the 5th grade (n=21, 6th grade (n=20, and 7th grade (n=19. The paper used analysis and generalization of the scientific and methodological literature data, general scientific methods of theoretical level, namely: analogy, analysis, synthesis, abstracting, induction, as well as general scientific methods of empirical level: observation, testing, experiment. To evaluate of the motor preparedness, the results of motor tests, height and body weight were recorded. The materials of the study were processed in the statistical analysis program IBM SPSS 20. Factor analysis was carried out using a model of the principal components with the rotation method: Variamax with Kaiser normalization. Results. Analysis of the similarities shows that the most informative in the structure of the 5th grade boys’ motor preparedness are Test 9 “Static Equilibrium Evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s Method” (,999, Test 2 “Standing Long Jump (cm” (,998, Test 10 “Dynamic Equilibrium Evaluation by Bess Method” (,916; for the 6th grade boys such are Test 9 “Static Equilibrium Evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s Method” (1.0, Test 2 “Standing Long Jump (cm” (,999, Test 5 “Sit-Up for 30 sec.” (,968, Test 10 “Dynamic Equilibrium Evaluation by Bess Method” (,918; for the 7th grade boys such are Test 2 “Standing Long Jump (cm” (,994, Test 9 “Static Equilibrium Evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s Method” (,987, Test 10 “Dynamic Equilibrium Evaluation by Bess Method” (,945. Conclusions. The most informative in the structure of 5th-7th grade boys’ coordination abilities is vestibular tolerance. For pedagogical control of 5th-7th grade boys’ motor preparedness the following can be recommended: Test 2 “Standing Long Jump (cm”, Test 9 “Static Equilibrium

  16. Applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in retinal degenerative diseases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Ying-Qian; Tang, Luo-Sheng; Yoshida, Shigeo; Zhou, Ye-Di

    2017-01-01

    Gene therapy is a potentially effective treatment for retinal degenerative diseases. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system has been developed as a new genome-editing tool in ophthalmic studies. Recent advances in researches showed that CRISPR/Cas9 has been applied in generating animal models as well as gene therapy in vivo of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). It has also been shown as a potential attempt for clinic by combining with other technologies such as adeno-associated virus (AAV) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this review, we highlight the main points of further prospect of using CRISPR/Cas9 in targeting retinal degeneration. We also emphasize the potential applications of this technique in treating retinal degenerative diseases. PMID:28503441

  17. Dendritic Cell-Induced Th1 and Th17 Cell Differentiation for Cancer Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Terhune

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The success of cellular immunotherapies against cancer requires the generation of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. The type of T-cell response generated (e.g., Th1 or Th2 will determine the efficacy of the therapy, and it is generally assumed that a type-1 response is needed for optimal cancer treatment. IL-17 producing T-cells (Th17/Tc17 play an important role in autoimmune diseases, but their function in cancer is more controversial. While some studies have shown a pro-cancerous role for IL-17, other studies have shown an anti-tumor function. The induction of polarized T-cell responses can be regulated by dendritic cells (DCs. DCs are key regulators of the immune system with the ability to affect both innate and adaptive immune responses. These properties have led many researchers to study the use of ex vivo manipulated DCs for the treatment of various diseases, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. While Th1/Tc1 cells are traditionally used for their potent anti-tumor responses, mounting evidence suggests Th17/Tc17 cells should be utilized by themselves or for the induction of optimal Th1 responses. It is therefore important to understand the factors involved in the induction of both type-1 and type-17 T-cell responses by DCs.

  18. Curcumin attenuates the scurfy-induced immune disorder, a model of IPEX syndrome, with inhibiting Th1/Th2/Th17 responses in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Gihyun; Chung, Hwan-Suck; Lee, Kyeseok; Lee, Hyeonhoon; Kim, Minhwan; Bae, Hyunsu

    2017-09-15

    Immunodysregulation polyendocrinopathy enteropathy X-linked syndrome (IPEX) is a lethal autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the Foxp3 gene scurfin (scurfy). Immunosuppressive therapy for IPEX patients has been generally ineffective and has caused severe side effects, however curcumin has shown immune regulation properties for inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel diseases without side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether curcumin would attenuate symptoms of IPEX in mouse model and would prolong its survival period. C57BL/6 mice were separated into scurfy or wild-type litter mate groups by genotyping, and each group subsequently was separated into 2 subgroups that were fed a 1% curcumin containing or normal diet from the last day of breast-feeding. After weaning, pups were fed either a 1% curcumin containing or normal diet until all scurfy mice die for survival data. To elucidate immune cell proportions in spleen and lymph nodes, cells were analyzed by flowcytometry. Cellular cytokine production was accessed to investigate the effects of curcumin in T cell differentiation in vitro. Scurfy mice fed a 1% curcumin diet survived 4.0-fold longer compared to scurfy (92.5 days) mice fed a normal diet (23 days). A curcumin diet decreased all of the Th1/Th2/Th17 cell populations and attenuated diverse symptoms such as splenomegaly in scurfy mice. In vitro experiments showed that curcumin treatment directly decreased the Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine production of IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17A in CD4 + T cells. Curcumin diet attenuated the scurfy-induced immune disorder, a model of IPEX syndrome, by inhibiting Th1/Th2/Th17 responses in mice. These results have implications for improving clinical therapy for patients with IPEX and other T cell related autoimmune diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  19. EFSA ; Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 94, Revision 1 (FGE.94Rev1): Consideration of aliphatic amines and amides evaluated in an addendum to the group of aliphatic and aromatic amines and amides evaluated by the JECFA (68th meeting)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, John Christian; Nørby, Karin Kristiane; Beltoft, Vibe Meister

    evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of 12 aliphatic amines and amides evaluated by the JECFA at the 68th meeting in 2007. This revision of the consideration is made due to additional toxicity data available for two...

  20. Proteomic landscape in Central and Eastern Europe: the 9th Central and Eastern European Proteomic Conference, Poznań, Poland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gadher, Suresh Jivan; Marczak, Łukasz; Łuczak, Magdalena; Stobiecki, Maciej; Widlak, Piotr; Kovarova, Hana

    2016-01-01

    Every year since 2007, the Central and Eastern European Proteomic Conference (CEEPC) has excelled in representing state-of-the-art proteomics in and around Central and Eastern Europe, and linking it to international institutions worldwide. Its mission remains to contribute to all approaches of proteomics including traditional and often-revisited methodologies as well as the latest technological achievements in clinical, quantitative and structural proteomics with a view to systems biology of a variety of processes. The 9th CEEPC was held from June 15th to 18th, 2015, at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Poznań, Poland. The scientific program stimulated exchange of proteomic knowledge whilst the spectacular venue of the conference allowed participants to enjoy the cobblestoned historical city of Poznań.

  1. Beyond factor analysis: Multidimensionality and the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-Revised.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria E Pushpanathan

    Full Text Available Many studies have sought to describe the relationship between sleep disturbance and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD. The Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS and its variants (the Parkinson's disease Sleep Scale-Revised; PDSS-R, and the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2; PDSS-2 quantify a range of symptoms impacting sleep in only 15 items. However, data from these scales may be problematic as included items have considerable conceptual breadth, and there may be overlap in the constructs assessed. Multidimensional measurement models, accounting for the tendency for items to measure multiple constructs, may be useful more accurately to model variance than traditional confirmatory factor analysis. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that a multidimensional model (a bifactor model is more appropriate than traditional factor analysis for data generated by these types of scales, using data collected using the PDSS-R as an exemplar. 166 participants diagnosed with idiopathic PD participated in this study. Using PDSS-R data, we compared three models: a unidimensional model; a 3-factor model consisting of sub-factors measuring insomnia, motor symptoms and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA and REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD symptoms; and, a confirmatory bifactor model with both a general factor and the same three sub-factors. Only the confirmatory bifactor model achieved satisfactory model fit, suggesting that PDSS-R data are multidimensional. There were differential associations between factor scores and patient characteristics, suggesting that some PDSS-R items, but not others, are influenced by mood and personality in addition to sleep symptoms. Multidimensional measurement models may also be a helpful tool in the PDSS and the PDSS-2 scales and may improve the sensitivity of these instruments.

  2. Preferential Th1 cytokine profile of phosphoantigen-stimulated human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dunne, Margaret R

    2010-01-01

    Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells recognise pyrophosphate-based antigens (phosphoantigens) and have multiple functions in innate and adaptive immunity, including a unique ability to activate other cells of the immune system. We used flow cytometry and ELISA to define the early cytokine profiles of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells stimulated in vitro with isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2 enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP) in the absence and presence of IL-2 and IL-15. We show that fresh Vγ9Vδ2 T cells produce interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) within 4 hours of stimulation with phosphoantigen, but neither IL-10, IL-13, nor IL-17 was detectable up to 72 hours under these conditions. Cytokine production was not influenced by expression or lack, thereof, of CD4 or CD8. Addition of IL-2 or IL-15 caused expansion of IFN-γ-producing Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, but did not enhance IFN-γ secretion after 24-72 hours. Thus, phosphoantigen-stimulated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells have potential as Th1-biasing adjuvants for immunotherapy.

  3. Preferential Th1 Cytokine Profile of Phosphoantigen-Stimulated Human Vγ9Vδ2 T Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret R. Dunne

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells recognise pyrophosphate-based antigens (phosphoantigens and have multiple functions in innate and adaptive immunity, including a unique ability to activate other cells of the immune system. We used flow cytometry and ELISA to define the early cytokine profiles of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells stimulated in vitro with isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP and (E-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2 enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP in the absence and presence of IL-2 and IL-15. We show that fresh Vγ9Vδ2 T cells produce interferon-γ (IFN-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α within 4 hours of stimulation with phosphoantigen, but neither IL-10, IL-13, nor IL-17 was detectable up to 72 hours under these conditions. Cytokine production was not influenced by expression or lack, thereof, of CD4 or CD8. Addition of IL-2 or IL-15 caused expansion of IFN-γ-producing Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, but did not enhance IFN-γ secretion after 24–72 hours. Thus, phosphoantigen-stimulated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells have potential as Th1-biasing adjuvants for immunotherapy.

  4. Perioperative transfusion threshold and ambulation after hip revision surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kamilla; Johansson, Pär I; Dahl, Benny

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Transfusion with red blood cells (RBC) may be needed during hip revision surgery but the appropriate haemoglobin concentration (Hb) threshold for transfusion has not been well established. We hypothesized that a higher transfusion threshold would improve ambulation after hip revision...... surgery. METHODS: The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT00906295). Sixty-six patients aged 18 years or older undergoing hip revision surgery were randomized to receive RBC at a Hb threshold of either 7.3 g/dL (restrictive group) or 8.9 g/dL (liberal group). Postoperative ambulation...... received RBC. CONCLUSIONS: A Hb transfusion threshold of 8.9 g/dL was associated with a statistically significantly faster TUG after hip revision surgery compared to a threshold of 7.3 g/dL but the clinical importance is questionable and the groups did not differ in Hb at the time of testing....

  5. Standard technical specifications: Babcock and Wilcox plants. Volume 3, Revision 1: Bases (Sections 3.4--3.9)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-04-01

    This report documents the results of the combined effort of the NRC and the industry to produce improved Standard Technical Specifications (STS), Revision 1 for Babcock and Wilcox Plants. The changes reflected in Revision 1 resulted from the experience gained from license amendment applications to convert to these improved STS or to adopt partial improvements to existing technical specifications. This NUREG is the result of extensive public technical meetings and discussions between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and various nuclear power plant licensees, Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) Owners Groups, NSSS vendors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The improved STS were developed based on the criteria in the Final Commission Policy Statement on Technical Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors, dated July 22, 1993. The improved STS will be used as the basis for individual nuclear power plant licensees to develop improved plant-specific technical specifications. This report contains three volumes. Volume 1 contains the Specifications for all chapters and sections of the improved STS. Volume 2 contains the Bases for Chapters 2.0 and 3.0, and Sections 3.1--3.3 of the improved STS. Volume 3 contains the Bases for Sections 3.4--3.9 of the improved STS

  6. The Use of Monograms on Byzantine Seals in the Early Middle-Ages (6th to 9th Centuries)

    OpenAIRE

    Werner Seibt

    2016-01-01

    The paper deals especially with monograms on Byzantine lead seals. The early form was the block monogram, a type used already in Classical times, which came into fashion in the Byzantine world in the 6th or already in the 5th century and remained important till the early 7th century. Such monograms hide normally a name, a title or an office, the Greek ones in genitive, the Latin ones in nominative or genitive. Many of them can be read in different ways. For the double using of parts of letter...

  7. The IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against immune-mediated diseases by impairing IL-23-induced Th17 effector response in humans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Di Meglio

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available IL-23 and Th17 cells are key players in tissue immunosurveillance and are implicated in human immune-mediated diseases. Genome-wide association studies have shown that the IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against psoriasis, Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis. We investigated the immunological consequences of the protective IL23R R381Q gene variant in healthy donors. The IL23R R381Q gene variant had no major effect on Th17 cell differentiation as the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was similar in carriers of the IL23R protective (A and common (G allele. Accordingly, Th17 cells generated from A and G donors produced similar amounts of Th17 cytokines. However, IL-23-mediated Th17 cell effector function was impaired, as Th17 cells from A allele carriers had significantly reduced IL-23-induced IL-17A production and STAT3 phosphorylation compared to G allele carriers. Our functional analysis of a human disease-associated gene variant demonstrates that IL23R R381Q exerts its protective effects through selective attenuation of IL-23-induced Th17 cell effector function without interfering with Th17 differentiation, and highlights its importance in the protection against IL-23-induced tissue pathologies.

  8. The IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against immune-mediated diseases by impairing IL-23-induced Th17 effector response in humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Meglio, Paola; Di Cesare, Antonella; Laggner, Ute; Chu, Chung-Ching; Napolitano, Luca; Villanova, Federica; Tosi, Isabella; Capon, Francesca; Trembath, Richard C; Peris, Ketty; Nestle, Frank O

    2011-02-22

    IL-23 and Th17 cells are key players in tissue immunosurveillance and are implicated in human immune-mediated diseases. Genome-wide association studies have shown that the IL23R R381Q gene variant protects against psoriasis, Crohn's disease and ankylosing spondylitis. We investigated the immunological consequences of the protective IL23R R381Q gene variant in healthy donors. The IL23R R381Q gene variant had no major effect on Th17 cell differentiation as the frequency of circulating Th17 cells was similar in carriers of the IL23R protective (A) and common (G) allele. Accordingly, Th17 cells generated from A and G donors produced similar amounts of Th17 cytokines. However, IL-23-mediated Th17 cell effector function was impaired, as Th17 cells from A allele carriers had significantly reduced IL-23-induced IL-17A production and STAT3 phosphorylation compared to G allele carriers. Our functional analysis of a human disease-associated gene variant demonstrates that IL23R R381Q exerts its protective effects through selective attenuation of IL-23-induced Th17 cell effector function without interfering with Th17 differentiation, and highlights its importance in the protection against IL-23-induced tissue pathologies.

  9. Production of 231Pa and 232U by irradiation of 230Th/232Th mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kluge, E.; Lieser, K.H.

    1981-01-01

    The production of 231 Pa and of 232 U by irradiating a 230 Th/ 232 Th mixture (containing 12 mol per cent 230 Th) in form of ThO 2 at a thermal neutron flux of 6.9 x 10 13 cm -2 s -1 for 4 months was investigated. Pa, U and Th were separated and the chemical yields were determined. 2.6% of the 230 Th were transformed into 231 Pa and 0.13% into 232 U. These values are higher than those calculated for a thermal flux, but lower than those calculated for a flux ratio epithermal to thermal = 0.03. 231 Pa and 232 U were isolated in form of a protactinium solution and of U 3 O 8 with 94.9 and 89.1% chemical yields, respectively. Foreign activities were not detected. Thorium was recuperated and isolated as ThO 2 , with a chemical yield of 93.6%. (orig.)

  10. Biglycan, a novel trigger of Th1 and Th17 cell recruitment into the kidney.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nastase, Madalina-Viviana; Zeng-Brouwers, Jinyang; Beckmann, Janet; Tredup, Claudia; Christen, Urs; Radeke, Heinfried H; Wygrecka, Malgorzata; Schaefer, Liliana

    2017-12-15

    Th1 and Th17 cells, T helper (Th) subtypes, are key inducers of renal fibrosis. The molecular mechanisms of their recruitment into the kidney, however, are not well understood. Here, we show that biglycan, a proteoglycan of the extracellular matrix, acting in its soluble form as a danger signal, stimulates autonomously the production of Th1 and Th17 chemoattractants CXCL10 and CCL20 in macrophages. In the presence of IFNγ, biglycan synergistically stimulates CXCL9. In macrophages deficient for TLR2, TLR4, and their adaptor molecules MyD88 or TRIF, we identified highly selective mechanisms of biglycan-dependent Th1/17 chemoattraction. Thus, the expression of CXCL9 and CXCL10, common chemoattractants for CXCR3-positive Th1 and Th17 cells, is triggered in a biglycan-TLR4/TRIF-dependent manner. By contrast, biglycan induces CCL20 chemokine production, responsible for CCR6-positive Th17 cell recruitment, in a TLR2/4/MyD88-dependent manner. Importantly, at the onset of diabetes mellitus and lupus nephritis we provide evidence for biglycan-dependent recruitment of Th1 and Th17 cells, IFNγ and IL-17 production, and development of albuminuria in mice lacking or overexpressing soluble biglycan. Furthermore, by genetic ablation of Cxcl10 we showed in vivo involvement of this chemokine in biglycan-dependent recruitment of Th1 and Th17 cells into the kidney. Finally, a positive correlation of biglycan and CXCL10/CXCL9 levels was detected in plasma from patients with diabetic nephropathy and lupus nephritis. Taken together, we identified biglycan as a novel trigger of Th1 and Th17 cell recruitment into the kidney and we postulate that interfering with biglycan/TLR/TRIF/MyD88-signaling might provide novel therapeutic avenues for renal fibrosis. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Matrix Biology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Reverse plasticity: TGF-β and IL-6 induce Th1-to-Th17-cell transdifferentiation in the gut.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geginat, Jens; Paroni, Moira; Kastirr, Ilko; Larghi, Paola; Pagani, Massimiliano; Abrignani, Sergio

    2016-10-01

    Th17 cells are a heterogeneous population of pro-inflammatory T cells that have been shown to mediate immune responses against intestinal bacteria. Th17 cells are highly plastic and can transdifferentiate to Th1/17 cells or unconventional Th1 cells, which are highly pathogenic in animal models of immune-mediated diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases. A recent European Journal of Immunology article by Liu et al. (Eur. J. Immunol. 2015. 45:1010-1018) showed, surprisingly, that Th1 cells have a similar plasticity, and could transdifferentiate to Th17 cells. Thus, IFN-γ-producing Th1 effector cells specific for an intestinal microbial antigen were shown to acquire IL-17-producing capacities in the gut in a mouse model of colitis, and in response to TGF-β and IL-6 in vitro. TGF-β induced Runx1, and together with IL-6 was shown to render the ROR-γt and IL-17 promoters in Th1 cells accessible for Runx1 binding. In this commentary, we discuss how this unexpected plasticity of Th1 cells challenges our view on the generation of Th1/17 cells with the capacity to co-produce IL-17 and IFN-γ, and consider possible implications of this Th1-to-Th17-cell conversion for therapies of inflammatory bowel diseases and protective immune responses against intracellular pathogens. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. 9th International Workshop on Parallel Tools for High Performance Computing

    CERN Document Server

    Hilbrich, Tobias; Niethammer, Christoph; Gracia, José; Nagel, Wolfgang; Resch, Michael

    2016-01-01

    High Performance Computing (HPC) remains a driver that offers huge potentials and benefits for science and society. However, a profound understanding of the computational matters and specialized software is needed to arrive at effective and efficient simulations. Dedicated software tools are important parts of the HPC software landscape, and support application developers. Even though a tool is by definition not a part of an application, but rather a supplemental piece of software, it can make a fundamental difference during the development of an application. Such tools aid application developers in the context of debugging, performance analysis, and code optimization, and therefore make a major contribution to the development of robust and efficient parallel software. This book introduces a selection of the tools presented and discussed at the 9th International Parallel Tools Workshop held in Dresden, Germany, September 2-3, 2015, which offered an established forum for discussing the latest advances in paral...

  13. Th-1, Th-2 Cytokines Profile among Madurella mycetomatis Eumycetoma Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasr, Amre; Abushouk, Amir; Hamza, Anhar; Siddig, Emmanuel; Fahal, Ahmed H

    2016-07-01

    Eumycetoma is a progressive and destructive chronic granulomatous subcutaneous inflammatory disease caused by certain fungi, the most common being Madurella mycetomatis. The host defence mechanisms against fungi usually range from an early non-specific immune response to activation and induction of specific adaptive immune responses by the production of Th-1 and Th-2 cytokines. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of Th-1 and Th-2 cytokines in patients infected with Madurella mycetomatis, and the association between their levels and disease prognosis. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Mycetoma Research Centre, University of Khartoum, Sudan, where 70 patients with confirmed M. mycetomatis eumycetoma were enrolled; 35 with, and 35 without surgical excision. 70 healthy individuals from mycetoma endemic areas were selected as controls. The levels of serum cytokines were determined by cytometric bead array technique. Significantly higher levels of the Th-1 cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-2) were recorded in patients treated with surgical excision, compared to those treated without surgical excision. In contrast, the Th-2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10) were significantly lower in patients treated with surgical excision compared to those treated without surgical excision. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that cell-mediated immunity can have a role to play in the pathogenesis of eumycetoma.

  14. 1st Global Conference on Biomedical Engineering & 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Shyh-Hau; Yeh, Ming-Long

    2015-01-01

    This volume presents the proceedings of the 9th Asian-Pacific Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering (APCMBE 2014). The proceedings address a broad spectrum of topics from Bioengineering and Biomedicine, like Biomaterials, Artificial Organs, Tissue Engineering, Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, Biomedical Imaging, Bio MEMS, Biosignal Processing, Digital Medicine, BME Education. It helps medical and biological engineering professionals to interact and exchange their ideas and experiences.

  15. Effects of PARP-1 Deficiency on Th1 and Th2 Cell Differentiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Sambucci

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available T cell differentiation to effector Th cells such as Th1 and Th2 requires the integration of multiple synergic and antagonist signals. Poly(ADP-ribosylation is a posttranslational modification of proteins catalyzed by Poly(ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs. Recently, many reports showed that PARP-1, the prototypical member of the PARP family, plays a role in immune/inflammatory responses. Consistently, its enzymatic inhibition confers protection in several models of immune-mediated diseases, mainly through an inhibitory effect on NF-κB (and NFAT activation. PARP-1 regulates cell functions in many types of immune cells, including dendritic cells, macrophages, and T and B lymphocytes. Our results show that PARP-1KO cells displayed a reduced ability to differentiate in Th2 cells. Under both nonskewing and Th2-polarizing conditions, naïve CD4 cells from PARP-1KO mice generated a reduced frequency of IL-4+ cells, produced less IL-5, and expressed GATA-3 at lower levels compared with cells from wild type mice. Conversely, PARP-1 deficiency did not substantially affect differentiation to Th1 cells. Indeed, the frequency of IFN-γ+ cells as well as IFN-γ production, in nonskewing and Th1-polarizing conditions, was not affected by PARP-1 gene ablation. These findings demonstrate that PARP-1 plays a relevant role in Th2 cell differentiation and it might be a target to be exploited for the modulation of Th2-dependent immune-mediated diseases.

  16. Essential fats for future health. Proceedings of the 9th Unilever Nutrition Symposium, 26-27 May 2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calder, P C; Dangour, A D; Diekman, C; Eilander, A; Koletzko, B; Meijer, G W; Mozaffarian, D; Niinikoski, H; Osendarp, S J M; Pietinen, P; Schuit, J; Uauy, R

    2010-12-01

    The 9th Unilever Nutrition Symposium entitled 'Essential fats for future health', held on 26-27 May 2010, aimed to review the dietary recommendations for essential fatty acids (EFA); discuss the scientific evidence for the roles of EFA in cognition, immune function and cardiovascular health; and to identify opportunities for joint efforts by industry, academia, governmental and non-governmental organizations to effectively improve health behaviour. This paper summarizes the main conclusions of the presentations given at the symposium. Linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) are EFA that cannot by synthesized by the human body. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is considered as conditionally essential because of its limited formation from ALA in the human body and its critical role in early normal retinal and brain development and, jointly with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), in prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some evidence for possible beneficial roles of n-3 fatty acids for immune function and adult cognitive function is emerging. A higher consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; >10%E), including LA, ALA and at least 250-500 mg per day of EPA+DHA, is recommended for prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD). Two dietary interventions suggest that EFA may affect CVD risk factors in children similarly as in adults. To ensure an adequate EFA intake of the population, including children, public health authorities should develop clear messages based on current science; ensure availability of healthy, palatable foods; and collaborate with scientists, the food industry, schools, hospitals, health-care providers and communities to encourage consumers to make healthy choices.

  17. Toll-like receptor 9 suppresses lupus disease in Fas-sufficient MRL Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin M Nickerson

    Full Text Available Genetic deficiency in TLR9 accelerates pathogenesis in the spontaneous polygenic MRL.Faslpr murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus, despite the absence of anti-nucleosome autoantibodies. However, it could be argued that this result was dependent on Fas-deficiency rather than lupus-promoting genes in the MRL genetic background. Here we report the effects of TLR9 deficiency on autoimmune disease independent of the lpr mutation in Fas by characterizing Tlr9-/- and Tlr9+/+ mice on the Fas-intact MRL/+ genetic background. By 30 weeks of age, Tlr9-deficient MRL/+ had more severe renal disease, increased T cell activation, and higher titers of anti-Sm and anti-RNA autoantibodies than Tlr9-intact animals, as had been the case in the MRL.Faslpr model. In addition, Tlr9-deficient MRL/+ mice had increased numbers of germinal center phenotype B cells and an increase in splenic neutrophils and conventional dendritic cell populations. Thus, the disease accelerating effects of Tlr9 deficiency are separable from those mediated by the Fas mutation in the lupus-prone MRL genetic background. Nonetheless, disease acceleration in Tlr9-deficient MRL/+ mice was phenotypically distinct from that in Fas-deficient counterparts, which has important implications.

  18. CRISPR/Cas9 for Human Genome Engineering and Disease Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Xin; Chen, Meng; Lim, Wendell A; Zhao, Dehua; Qi, Lei S

    2016-08-31

    The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9) system, a versatile RNA-guided DNA targeting platform, has been revolutionizing our ability to modify, manipulate, and visualize the human genome, which greatly advances both biological research and therapeutics development. Here, we review the current development of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies for gene editing, transcription regulation, genome imaging, and epigenetic modification. We discuss the broad application of this system to the study of functional genomics, especially genome-wide genetic screening, and to therapeutics development, including establishing disease models, correcting defective genetic mutations, and treating diseases.

  19. 77 FR 60919 - Tennessee: Final Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-05

    ...: Final Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions AGENCY: Environmental..., Division of Solid Waste Management, 5th Floor, L & C Tower, 401 Church Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37243... RCRA hazardous waste management program. We granted authorization for changes to Tennessee's program on...

  20. Th17 Cells Induce Dopaminergic Neuronal Death via LFA-1/ICAM-1 Interaction in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhan; Huang, Yan; Cao, Bei-Bei; Qiu, Yi-Hua; Peng, Yu-Ping

    2017-12-01

    T helper (Th)17 cells, a subset of CD4 + T lymphocytes, have strong pro-inflammatory property and appear to be essential in the pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases. However, the involvement of Th17 cells in Parkinson's disease (PD) that is characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons in the nigrostriatal system is unclear. Here, we aimed to demonstrate that Th17 cells infiltrate into the brain parenchyma and induce neuroinflammation and DAergic neuronal death in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)- or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + )-induced PD models. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in the substantia nigra (SN) was assessed by the signal of FITC-labeled albumin that was injected into blood circulation via the ascending aorta. Live cell imaging system was used to observe a direct contact of Th17 cells with neurons by staining these cells using the two adhesion molecules, leukocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1 and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, respectively. Th17 cells invaded into the SN where BBB was disrupted in MPTP-induced PD mice. Th17 cells exacerbated DAergic neuronal loss and pro-inflammatory/neurotrophic factor disorders in MPP + -treated ventral mesencephalic (VM) cell cultures. A direct contact of LFA-1-stained Th17 cells with ICAM-1-stained VM neurons was dynamically captured. Either blocking LFA-1 in Th17 cells or blocking ICAM-1 in VM neurons with neutralizing antibodies abolished Th17-induced DAergic neuronal death. These results establish that Th17 cells infiltrate into the brain parenchyma of PD mice through lesioned BBB and exert neurotoxic property by promoting glial activation and importantly by a direct damage to neurons depending on LFA-1/ICAM-1 interaction.

  1. Abstracts of the communications presented during the 6th World Rabbit Congress: REPRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION PHYSIOLOGY. Toulouse, July 9-12, 1996

    OpenAIRE

    REPRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION PHYSIOLOGY

    1996-01-01

    Abstract not available. REPRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION PHYSIOLOGY (1996). Abstracts of the communications presented during the 6th World Rabbit Congress: REPRODUCTION & REPRODUCTION PHYSIOLOGY. Toulouse, July 9-12, 1996. World Rabbit Science. 58-67. doi:10.4995/wrs.1996.302 58 67 04

  2. Visual reproduction on the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised as a predictor of Alzheimer's disease in Japanese patients with mild cognitive impairments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hori, Takumi; Sanjo, Nobuo; Tomita, Makoto; Mizusawa, Hidehiro

    2013-01-01

    The Visual Reproduction (VR) test is used to assess mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but the characteristics of visual memory in Japanese MCI patients remain unclear. VR scores of 27 MCI patients were evaluated using the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised. Scores of MCI, no-dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) groups were then compared. The annual conversion rate of MCI to AD was 18.8%. Mean VR-I and VR-II baseline scores for MCI patients were 33.3 ± 5.6 and 20.5 ± 14.0, respectively. Mean VR-II scores for converted and nonconverted MCI patients were 7.2 ± 8.7 and 29.8 ± 9.3, respectively. It is likely that VR-II and VR-II/I scores are more sensitive for predicting conversion to AD in Japanese than in American MCI patients. Our results indicate that VR is a sensitive and useful measure for predicting the conversion of Japanese MCI patients to AD within 2 years. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  3. [Th17 and Treg cell levels in patients with sarcoidosis and their relation to disease activation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Yue-song; Wang, Hua-ying; Lv, Ding-feng; Fu, Zhong-ming; Yu, Wan-jun

    2015-03-01

    To investigate the Th17 cell and Treg cell levels in patients with sarcoidosis, and their relation to disease activation and glucocorticoids treatment. Twenty-three sarcoidosis patients admitted in Yinzhou People's Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013 and 25 healthy subjects (controls) were included in this study. The blood samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were collected in all patients before and after glucocorticoids treatment. The serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) levels were detected. The percentages of Th17 cells and Treg cells in peripheral blood and BALF were determined by flow cytometry, the concentrations of cytokines in serum and supernatants of BALF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of ROR-γt and Foxp3 mRNA transcripts in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were determined by real-time quantitative PCR. The potential correlation between the percentages of Th17 or Treg cells and SACE levels was evaluated. Compared with healthy controls, significantly higher frequencies of Th17 cells (4.34%±0.89% vs 1.60% ± 0.42%), lower frequencies of Treg cells (1.28% ± 0.37% vs 3.39% ± 0.50%) in peripheral blood were observed. Higher level of ROR-γt mRNA (21.31 ± 3.55 vs 3.63 ± 1.00) and lower level of Foxp3 mRNA (1.60 ± 0.24 vs 3.12 ± 0.76) in peripheral blood were detected in sarcoidosis patients in active stage (before glucocorticoids treatment) (all PSACE (r= 0.781). The imbalance of Th17 cells and Treg cells in peripheral blood and airway may be involved in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis, which was associated with the activity of disease, and the treatment of glucocorticoids may achieve a therapeutic effect by correcting the immune imbalance.

  4. Randomized Phase II Trial of Gemcitabine Plus TH-302 Versus Gemcitabine in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borad, Mitesh J; Reddy, Shantan G; Bahary, Nathan; Uronis, Hope E; Sigal, Darren; Cohn, Allen L; Schelman, William R; Stephenson, Joe; Chiorean, E Gabriela; Rosen, Peter J; Ulrich, Brian; Dragovich, Tomislav; Del Prete, Salvatore A; Rarick, Mark; Eng, Clarence; Kroll, Stew; Ryan, David P

    2015-05-01

    TH-302 is an investigational hypoxia-activated prodrug that releases the DNA alkylator bromo-isophosphoramide mustard in hypoxic settings. This phase II study (NCT01144455) evaluated gemcitabine plus TH-302 in patients with previously untreated, locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m(2)), gemcitabine plus TH-302 240 mg/m(2) (G+T240), or gemcitabine plus TH-302 340 mg/m(2) (G+T340). Randomized crossover after progression on gemcitabine was allowed. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), tumor response, CA 19-9 response, and safety. Two hundred fourteen patients (77% with metastatic disease) were enrolled between June 2010 and July 2011. PFS was significantly longer with gemcitabine plus TH-302 (pooled combination arms) compared with gemcitabine alone (median PFS, 5.6 v 3.6 months, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.87; P = .005; median PFS for metastatic disease, 5.1 v 3.4 months, respectively). Median PFS times for G+T240 and G+T340 were 5.6 and 6.0 months, respectively. Tumor response was 12%, 17%, and 26% in the gemcitabine, G+T240, and G+T340 arms, respectively (G+T340 v gemcitabine, P = .04). CA 19-9 decrease was greater with G+T340 versus gemcitabine (-5,398 v -549 U/mL, respectively; P = .008). Median OS times for gemcitabine, G+T240, and G+T340 were 6.9, 8.7, and 9.2 months, respectively (P = not significant). The most common adverse events (AEs) were fatigue, nausea, and peripheral edema (frequencies similar across arms). Skin and mucosal toxicities (2% grade 3) and myelosuppression (55% grade 3 or 4) were the most common TH-302-related AEs but were not associated with treatment discontinuation. PFS, tumor response, and CA 19-9 response were significantly improved with G+TH-302. G+T340 is being investigated further in the phase III MAESTRO study (NCT01746979). © 2014 by American Society of

  5. Mode of dendritic cell activation: the decisive hand in Th2/Th17 cell differentiation. Implications in asthma severity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vroman, Heleen; van den Blink, Bernt; Kool, Mirjam

    2015-02-01

    Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, with reversible airflow limitations and airway remodeling. The classification of asthma phenotypes was initially based on different combinations of clinical symptoms, but they are now unfolding to link biology to phenotype. As such, patients can suffer from a predominant eosinophilic, neutrophilic or even mixed eosinophilic/neutrophilic inflammatory response. In adult asthma patients, eosinophilic inflammation is usually seen in mild-to-moderate disease and neutrophilic inflammation in more severe disease. The underlying T cell response is predominated by T helper (Th) 2, Th17, or a mixed Th2/Th17 cell immune response. Dendritic cells (DCs) are "professional" antigen presenting cells (APCs), since their principal function is to present antigens and induce a primary immune response in resting naive T cells. DCs also drive the differentiation into distinctive Th subsets. The expression of co-stimulatory molecules and cytokines by DCs and surrounding cells determines the outcome of Th cell differentiation. The nature of DC activation will determine the expression of specific co-stimulatory molecules and cytokines, specifically needed for induction of the different Th cell programs. Thus DC activation is crucial for the subsequent effector Th immune responses. In this review, we will discuss underlying mechanisms that initiate DC activation in favor of Th2 differentiation versus Th1/Th17 and Th17 differentiation in the development of mild versus moderate to severe asthma. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  6. Royal Decree No. 1116/1984 dated 9th May 1984, in respect of restoration of land affected by opencast mining operations. [Spain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1984-01-01

    Of the set of norms relating to protection of the environment, which have come into force in Spain within the last few years, Royal Decree No. 1116/1984 of 9th May, 1984, and the Order from the Ministry of Industry and Energy dated 13th June 1984, which is complementary to it, are worth special mention in the field of mining. They both cover the restoration of open spaces affected by opencast mining operations.

  7. Revision of the qualification framework at the Technical University of Denmark Part 2

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henneberg, Kaj-Åge; Kuhn, Luise Theil; Jungersen, Gregers

    2017-01-01

    Using a revised Qualification Framework (QF) with four main categories: -to know, - to be, -to interact, and -to do, this paper demonstrates how to use the elements of the QF to construct Programme-Qualification Matrices. A general Programme- Qualification Matrix defines the qualifications and th...

  8. T4 category revision enhances the accuracy and significance of stage III breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güth, Uwe; Singer, Gad; Langer, Igor; Schötzau, Andreas; Herberich, Linda; Holzgreve, Wolfgang; Wight, Edward

    2006-06-15

    Because of the considerable heterogeneity in breast carcinoma with noninflammatory skin involvement (T4b/Stage IIIB), a revision was proposed of the TNM staging system that would classify these tumors exclusively based on their tumor size and lymph node status. In the current study, the authors evaluated how implementation of this proposal will affect Stage III noninflammatory breast cancer. Two hundred seven patients who were classified with noninflammatory Stage III breast cancer were treated consecutively between 1990 and 1999 at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. To assess the extent of T4b/Stage IIIB tumors independent of the clinicopathologic feature of skin involvement, the reclassification was undertaken. Of 68 patients who had nonmetastatic T4b breast cancer, 37 patients (54.4%) had a tumor extent in accordance with Stage I/II and had improved disease-specific survival (DSS) compared with patients who had Stage III breast cancer (P = .008). Excluding those patients from Stage III led to a 17.9% reduction of the number of patients in this group (n = 170 patients). The 10-year DSS declined from 48.5% to 42.9%. Considerable numbers of patients who are classified with noninflammatory Stage IIIB breast cancer show only a limited disease extent. Through a revision of the T4 category, these low-risk patients were excluded from the highest nonmetastatic TNM stage, and overstaging could be avoided. This procedure decreased the degree of heterogeneity of the entire Stage III group and may result in a more precise assessment of this disease entity. Copyright 2006 American Cancer Society.

  9. [Changing prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the 9th district of Budapest. A retrospective endoscopic study, 1997-2012].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buzás, György Miklós; Lotz, Gábor; Schneider, Ferenc; Józan, Jolán

    2013-06-09

    The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in developed countries is decreasing. The time-frame of this process is largely unknown. The aim of the authors was to evaluate the changes in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in their endoscopic centre. This retrospective study included 4647 patients examined between 1997 and 2012. Helicobacter pylori was determined from antral and corpus biopsies by the modified Giemsa stain and rapid urease test. The prevalence of the infection was calculated yearly for the period studied, for age decades from 18 to 85 years, birth cohorts of 10 years from 1920 to 1994 and according to diagnosis. The overall prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 54.7%, which decreased from 71.3% in 1997 to 32.76% in 2011. Functional dyspepsia was found in 37.9%, duodenal ulcer in 25.3%, gastric ulcer in 3.8% and reflux disease in 24.2% of the patients. The mean prevalence of infection was 62.5% in birth cohorts of 10 years between 1920 and 1959, 57.4% in those between 1960 and 1969, and decreased to 39.0% and 26.7% in birth cohorts between 1970 and 1979) and between 1980 and 1989, respectively. According to age cohorts, the prevalence was 21.8% 34.9%, 46.5%, 63.7%, 63.2% and 59.2% in patients aged 18-19 years, 20-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 years and 60-69 years, respectively. The proportion of H. pylori positive duodenal ulcers decreased from 95.9% in 1998 to 59.1% in 2011 (p = 0.001). The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in the 9th district of Budapest is decreasing, especially in cohorts born in the late 1960s and 1970s, nearly 1.5 decades before the discovery of the bacterium.

  10. 9 CFR 113.329 - Newcastle Disease Vaccine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Newcastle Disease Vaccine. 113.329 Section 113.329 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF.... Challenge virus shall be provided or approved by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (4) If at least...

  11. IL-4 enhances IL-10 production in Th1 cells: implications for Th1 and Th2 regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Ruth E; Hassan, Masriana; Burton, Bronwen R; Britton, Graham; Hill, Elaine V; Verhagen, Johan; Wraith, David C

    2017-09-12

    IL-10 is an immunomodulatory cytokine with a critical role in limiting inflammation in immune-mediated pathologies. The mechanisms leading to IL-10 expression by CD4 + T cells are being elucidated, with several cytokines implicated. We explored the effect of IL-4 on the natural phenomenon of IL-10 production by a chronically stimulated antigen-specific population of differentiated Th1 cells. In vitro, IL-4 blockade inhibited while addition of exogenous IL-4 to Th1 cultures enhanced IL-10 production. In the in vivo setting of peptide immunotherapy leading to a chronically stimulated Th1 phenotype, lack of IL-4Rα inhibited the induction of IL-10. Exploring the interplay of Th1 and Th2 cells through co-culture, Th2-derived IL-4 promoted IL-10 expression by Th1 cultures, reducing their pathogenicity in vivo. Co-culture led to upregulated c-Maf expression with no decrease in the proportion of T-bet + cells in these cultures. Addition of IL-4 also reduced the encephalitogenic capacity of Th1 cultures. These data demonstrate that IL-4 contributes to IL-10 production and that Th2 cells modulate Th1 cultures towards a self-regulatory phenotype, contributing to the cross-regulation of Th1 and Th2 cells. These findings are important in the context of Th1 driven diseases since they reveal how the Th1 phenotype and function can be modulated by IL-4.

  12. 77 FR 73454 - Revision of Information Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-10

    ... proposed revision of its Senior Corps Grant Application (424-NSSC) (OMB Control Number 3045-0035). CNCS... questions to clarify new concepts; Simplify language and wording of questions; Revise questions to better... CNCS mailroom at Room 8100 at the mail address given in paragraph (1) above, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00...

  13. Revisions of K/Ar ages for the Hadar hominid site, Ethiopia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walter, R.C.; Aronson, J.L. (Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (USA). Dept. of Geology)

    1982-03-11

    Conventional K/Ar age measurements are reported for two volcanic units from the hominid-bearing Hadar Formation. These ages represent revision of previously published ages for the BKT-2 tephra and the Kadada Moumou basalt. BKT-2 is revised from 2.65 to 2.9 Myr BP and the Kadada Moumou basalt is revised from 3.0 to 3.6 Myr BP.

  14. Standard technical specifications, Westinghouse Plants: Bases (Sections 3.4--3.9). Volume 3, Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1995-04-01

    This NUREG contains the improved Standard Technical Specifications (STS) for Westinghouse plants. Revision 1 incorporates the cumulative changes to Revision 0, which was published in September 1992. The changes reflected in Revision 1 resulted from the experience gained from license amendment applications to convert to these improved STS or to adopt partial improvements to existing technical specifications. This NUREG is the result of extensive public technical meetings and discussions between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff and various nuclear power plant licensees, Nuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) Owners Groups, specifically the Westinghouse Owners Group (WOG), NSSS vendors, and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). The improved STS were developed based on the criteria in the Final Commission Policy Statement on Technical Specifications Improvements for Nuclear Power Reactors, dated July 22, 1993 (58 FR 39132). Licensees are encouraged to upgrade their technical specifications consistent with those criteria and conforming, to the extent practical and consistent with the licensing basis for the facility, to Revision 1 to the improved STS. The Commission continues to place the highest priority on requests for complete conversions to the improved STS. Licensees adopting portions of the improved STS to existing technical specifications should adopt all related requirements, as applicable, to achieve a high degree of standardization and consistency

  15. Comparative Analysis of Indicators of Coordination Abilities Development in 5th-7th Graders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    В. В. Приходько

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the research is to determine the regularities of coordination abilities development in 5th-7th-grade boys.  Materials and methods. The participants in the research were boys of the 5th grade (n = 21, 6th grade (n = 20, 7th grade (n = 19. To achieve the tasks outlined, the research used the following methods: analysis of scientific and methodological literature; pedagogical testing, pedagogical observation, methods of mathematical statistics. Research results. The 5th-6th-grade boys show a statistically significant difference between their results in the following tests: “Standing long jump (cm” (p < 0.002; “Six standing accuracy ball handlings to a partner from a 7 m distance using one of the techniques learned” (p < 0.049; “Rhythmic hand tapping” (p < 0.044; “Rhythmic movements of upper and lower limbs” (p < 0.042 (p < 0.05; “Height (cm”; “Body weight (kg”. The 6th-7th-grade boys — “30 m running (s”; “Standing long jump (cm”; “Sit-ups in 30 seconds”; “Evaluation of static equilibrium by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method”; “Evaluation of dynamic equilibrium by the BESS method”; “Rhythmic hand tapping”; “Rhythmic movements of upper and lower limbs”; “Shuttle run (4 × 9 m”; “Tossing rings over a peg”. The 5th-7th-grade boys — “Standing long jump (cm”; “Pull-ups (number of times”; “Evaluation of the ability to differentiate movement speed (accuracy in reproduction of running speed, 90% of maximum”; “Evaluation of static equilibrium by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method”; “Evaluation of dynamic equilibrium by the BESS method”; “Rhythmic hand tapping”; “Shuttle run (4 × 9 m”; “Height (cm”; “Body weight (kg”. Conclusions. The research has observed a positive dynamics of the results in the following group of tests: “Standing long jump” by 8.4%, “Rhythmic hand tapping and rhythmic movements of upper and lower

  16. Draft revision of human factors guideline HF-010

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hyun Chul; Lee, Yong Hee; Oh, In Seok; Lee, Jung Woon; Cha, Woo Chang; Lee, Dhong Ha

    2003-05-01

    The Application of Human Factors to the design of Man-Machine Interfaces System(MMIS) in the nuclear power plant is essential to the safety and productivity of the nuclear power plants, human factors standards and guidelines as well as human factors analysis methods and experiments are weightily used to the design application. A Korean engineering company has developed a human factors engineering guideline, so-call HF-010, and has used it for human factors design, however the revision of HF-010 is necessary owing to lack of the contents related to the advanced MMI(Man-Machine Interfaces). As the results of the reviews of HF-010, it is found out that the revision of Section 9. Computer Displays of HF-010 is urgent, thus the revision was drafted on the basis of integrated human factors design guidelines for VDT, human factors design guidelines for PMAS SPADES display, human factors design guidelines for PMAS alarm display, and human factors design guidelines for electronic displays developed by the surveillance and operation support project of KOICS. The draft revision of HF-010 Section 9 proposed in this report can be utilized for the human factors design of the advanced MMI, and the high practical usability of the draft can be kept up through the continuous revision according to the advancement of digital technology

  17. Dysregulated CD46 shedding interferes with Th1-contraction in systemic lupus erythematosus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellinghaus, Ursula; Cortini, Andrea; Pinder, Christopher L; Le Friec, Gaelle; Kemper, Claudia; Vyse, Timothy J

    2017-07-01

    IFN-γ-producing T helper 1 (Th1) cell responses mediate protection against infections but uncontrolled Th1 activity also contributes to a broad range of autoimmune diseases. Autocrine complement activation has recently emerged as key in the induction and contraction of human Th1 immunity: activation of the complement regulator CD46 and the C3aR expressed by CD4 + T cells via autocrine generated ligands C3b and C3a, respectively, are critical to IFN-γ production. Further, CD46-mediated signals also induce co-expression of immunosuppressive IL-10 in Th1 cells and transition into a (self)-regulating and contracting phase. In consequence, C3 or CD46-deficient patients suffer from recurrent infections while dysregulation of CD46 signaling contributes to Th1 hyperactivity in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Here, we report a defect in CD46-regulated Th1 contraction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We observed that MMP-9-mediated increased shedding of soluble CD46 by Th1 cells was associated with this defect and that inhibition of MMP-9 activity normalized release of soluble CD46 and restored Th1 contraction in patients' T cells. These data may deliver the first mechanistic explanation for the increased serum CD46 levels observed in SLE patients and indicate that targeting CD46-cleaving proteases could be a novel avenue to modulate Th1 responses. © 2017 The Authors. European Journal of Immunology published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Th2 Regulation of Viral Myocarditis in Mice: Different Roles for TLR3 versus TRIF in Progression to Chronic Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric D. Abston

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Viral infections are able to induce autoimmune inflammation in the heart. Here, we investigated the role of virus-activated Toll-like receptor (TLR3 and its adaptor TRIF on the development of autoimmune coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3 myocarditis in mice. Although TLR3- or TRIF-deficient mice developed similarly worse acute CVB3 myocarditis and viral replication compared to control mice, disease was significantly worse in TRIF compared to TLR3-deficient mice. Interestingly, TLR3-deficient mice developed an interleukin (IL-4-dominant T helper (Th2 response during acute CVB3 myocarditis with elevated markers of alternative activation, while TRIF-deficient mice elevated the Th2-associated cytokine IL-33. Treatment of TLR3-deficient mice with recombinant IL-33 improved heart function indicating that elevated IL-33 in the context of a classic Th2-driven response protects against autoimmune heart disease. We show for the first time that TLR3 versus TRIF deficiency results in different Th2 responses that uniquely influence the progression to chronic myocarditis.

  19. Detailed analysis of the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test, revised version.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moriyama, Yasushi; Yoshino, Aihide; Muramatsu, Taro; Mimura, Masaru

    2017-11-01

    The number-transcoding task on the Japanese version of the Rapid Dementia Screening Test (RDST-J) requires mutual conversion between Arabic and Chinese numerals (209 to , 4054 to , to 681, to 2027). In this task, question and answer styles of Chinese numerals are written horizontally. We investigated the impact of changing the task so that Chinese numerals are written vertically. Subjects were 211 patients with very mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and 42 normal controls. Mini-Mental State Examination scores ranged from 26 to 12, and Clinical Dementia Rating scores ranged from 0.5 to 3. Scores of all four subtasks of the transcoding task significantly improved in the revised version compared with the original version. The sensitivity and specificity of total scores ≥9 on the RDST-J original and revised versions for discriminating between controls and subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 0.5 were 63.8% and 76.6% on the original and 60.1% and 85.8% on revised version. The revised RDST-J total score had low sensitivity and high specificity compared with the original RDST-J for discriminating subjects with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 0.5 from controls. © 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

  20. Blockade of αEβ7 integrin suppresses accumulation of CD8+ and Th9 lymphocytes from patients with IBD in the inflamed gut in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zundler, Sebastian; Schillinger, Daniela; Fischer, Anika; Atreya, Raja; López-Posadas, Rocío; Watson, Alastair; Neufert, Clemens; Atreya, Imke; Neurath, Markus F

    2017-11-01

    Therapeutically targeting lymphocyte adhesion is of increasing relevance in IBD. Yet, central aspects of the action of antiadhesion compounds are incompletely understood. We investigated the role of αEβ7 and α4β7 integrins and their blockade by vedolizumab and etrolizumab for trafficking of IBD T lymphocytes in an in vivo model of homing to and retention in the inflamed gut. We explored integrin expression in patients with IBD by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, while regulation of integrins was studied in T cell cultures. The functional relevance of integrins was assessed by adhesion assays and a recently established humanised mouse model in dextran sodium sulfate-treated immunodeficient mice. High expression of αEβ7 was noted on CD8 + and CD4 + Th9 cells, while α4β7 was expressed on CD8 + , Th2 and Th17 cells. T cell receptor stimulation and transforming growth factor β were key inducers of αEβ7 on human T cells, while butyric acid suppressed αEβ7. In comparison to α4β7 blockade via vedolizumab, blockade of β7 via etrolizumab surrogate antibody superiorly reduced colonic numbers of CD8 + and Th9 cells in vivo after 3 hours, while no difference was noted after 0.5 hours. AEβ7 expression was higher on CD8 + T cells from patients with IBD under vedolizumab therapy. AEβ7 is of key relevance for gut trafficking of IBD CD8 + T cells and CD4 + Th9 cells in vivo and mainly retention might account for this effect. These findings indicate that blockade of αEβ7 in addition to α4β7 may be particularly effective in intestinal disorders with expansion of CD8 + and Th9 cells such as IBD. 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/.

  1. The 9th International Countercurrent Chromatography Conference held at Dominican University, Chicago, USA, August 1-3, 2016.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friesen, J Brent; McAlpine, James B; Chen, Shao-Nong; Pauli, Guido F

    2017-10-20

    The 9th International Countercurrent Chromatography Conference (CCC 2016) was held at Dominican University near Chicago, IL (USA), from August 1st-3rd, 2016. The biennial CCC 20XX conferences provide an opportunity for countercurrent chromatography and centrifugal partition chromatography (CCC/CPC) manufactures, marketers, theorists, and research scientists to gather together socially, learn from each other, and advance countercurrent separation technology. A synopsis of the conference proceedings as well as a series of short reviews of the special edition articles is included in this document. Many productive discussions and collegial conversation at CCC 2016 attested to the liveliness, connectivity, and productivity of the global countercurrent research community and bodes well for the success of the 10th conference at the University of Braunschweig, Germany on August 1-3, 2018. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Abstracts of oral and poster presentations given at the 8th International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases, Valencia, Spain, 18–21 June 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AA. VV.

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The 8th International Workshop on Grapevine Trunk Diseases was held in Valencia, Spain, on June 18–21 2012. The meeting was attended by 120 participants and 103 papers were presented either as oral or poster presentations in four sessions: Pathogen Detection and Characterization, Epidemiology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Disease Management. A special session was dedicated on implications of trunk diseases for grapevine nurseries with five invited presentations, followed by several oral and poster presentations. A field trip to the Utiel-Requena wine-producing area was undertaken on June the 20th, including visits to vineyards and a winery. The workshop is the 8th organised by members of the International Council on Grapevine Trunk Diseases (www.icgtd.org, a subject matter committee of the International Society for Plant Pathology (www.isppweb.org.

  3. Proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Unknown, [Unknown; Aksit, Mehmet; Matsuoka, S.

    1997-01-01

    This book constitutes the strictly refereed proceedings of the 11th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming, ECOOP'97, held in Jyväskylä, Finland, in June 1997. The book presents 20 revised full papers selected from a total of 103 submissions; also included are two full invited

  4. Climate Change, Risks and Natural Resources didactic issues of educational content geography of Bulgaria and the world in 9th and 10th grade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dermendzhieva, Stela; Nejdet, Semra

    2017-03-01

    The purpose of this paper is to follow "Climate change, risks and Natural Resources" in the curriculum of Geography of Bulgaria and the world in 9th and 10th grade and to interpret some didactic aspects. Analysis of key themes, concepts and categories related to the environment, events and approaches to environmental protection and the environmentally sound development of sectors of the economy is didikticheski targeted. Considering the emergence and development of geo-ecological issues, their scope and their importance to the environment, systematize some species and some approaches to solving them. Geography education in grade 9 and 10 involves acquiring knowledge, developing skills and composing behaviors of objective perception and assessment of the reality of globed, regional and local aspect. The emerging consumer and individualistic culture snowballing globalization, are increasingly occurring global warming, declining biodiversity form new realities which education must respond appropriately. The objective, consistency, accessibility and relevance in real terms are meaningful, logical accents. Whether and how reproduced in the study of Geography of Bulgaria and the world is the subject of research study in this report. Geoecological structuring of topics, concepts and categories can be done in different signs. In terms of their scope are local, national or regional, and global. Matter and interdisciplinary approach, which is to reveal the unity of the "man-society-nature" to clarify the complexity of their character with a view to forming a harmonious personality with high Geoecological consciousness and culture, and the activities carried out in their study.

  5. 10th International Symposium on Computer Science in Sports

    CERN Document Server

    Soltoggio, Andrea; Dawson, Christian; Meng, Qinggang; Pain, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    This book presents the main scientific results of the 10th International Symposium of Computer Science in Sport (IACSS/ISCSS 2015), sponsored by the International Association of Computer Science in Sport in collaboration with the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP), which took place between September 9-11, 2015 at Loughborough, UK. This proceedings aims to build a link between computer science and sport, and reports on results from applying computer science techniques to address a wide number of problems in sport and exercise sciences. It provides a good platform and opportunity for researchers in both computer science and sport to understand and discuss ideas and promote cross-disciplinary research. The strictly reviewed and carefully revised papers cover the following topics: Modelling and Analysis, Artificial Intelligence in Sport, Virtual Reality in Sport,  Neural Cognitive Training,  IT Systems for Sport, Sensing Technologies and Image Processing.

  6. MICCAI ´06 - Workshop on Biophotonics Imaging for Diagnostics and Treatment, October 6, 2006 proceedings, 9th MICCAI Conference

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær; Jørgensen, Thomas Martini

    2006-01-01

    Preface: Biophotonics can be defined as the study of the interaction of light with biological material. With the recent advances in biomedical science, our understanding of the mechanisms of human health and disease has extended into the regime of cellular and molecular structure and function. Th...... Mota et al., Departamento de Matematica, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil...

  7. The 9th Grade Shock and the High School Dropout Crisis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pharris-Ciurej, Nikolas; Hirschman, Charles; Willhoft, Joseph

    2011-01-01

    Retrospective questions on educational attainment in national surveys and censuses tend to over-estimate high school graduation rates by 15 to 20 percentage points relative to administrative records. Administrative data on educational enrollment are, however, only available at the aggregate level (state, school district, and school levels) and the recording of inter-school transfers are generally incomplete. With access to linked individual-level administrative records from a very large “West Coast metropolitan school district” we track patterns of high school attrition and on-time high school graduation of individual students. Even with adjustments for the omission of out-of-district transfers (estimates of omission are presented), the results of this study show that failure in high school, as indexed by retention and attrition, are almost as common as on-time high school graduation. In addition to the usual risk factors of disadvantaged background, we find that the “9th grade shock”—an unpredicted decline in academic performance upon entering high school—is a key mechanism behind the continuing crisis of high school attrition. PMID:23017804

  8. Elevated Ratio of Th17 Cell-Derived Th1 Cells (CD161(+)Th1 Cells) to CD161(+)Th17 Cells in Peripheral Blood of Early-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotake, Shigeru; Nanke, Yuki; Yago, Toru; Kawamoto, Manabu; Kobashigawa, Tsuyoshi; Yamanaka, Hisashi

    2016-01-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the destruction of articular cartilage and bone with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines. It has been reported that IL-17 and Th17 cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA. Recently, plasticity in helper T cells has been demonstrated; Th17 cells can convert to Th1 cells. It remains to be elucidated whether this conversion occurs in the early phase of RA. Here, we tried to identify Th17 cells, Th1 cells, and Th17 cell-derived Th1 cells (CD161(+)Th1 cells) in the peripheral blood of early-onset RA patients. We also evaluated the effect of methotrexate on the ratio of Th17 cells in early-onset RA patients. The ratio of Th17 cell-derived Th1 cells to CD161(+)Th17 cells was elevated in the peripheral blood of early-onset RA patients. In addition, MTX reduced the ratio of Th17 cells but not Th1 cells. These findings suggest that IL-17 and Th17 play important roles in the early phase of RA; thus, anti-IL-17 antibodies should be administered to patients with RA in the early phase.

  9. Public health and social supervision issues within public administration of ukrainian territories in the late 8th- early 9th centuries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hrynzovskyi, Anatolii M; Holovanova, Irina A; Omelchuk, Sergei T; Kuzminska, Olena V; Hrynzovska, Anastasia A; Karlova, Olena O; Kondratiuk, Vitalii Ye

    Introduction: The public health system modernization history is based upon the progress in state country administration and administration of healthcare within the sectorwide approach. The WHO European Bureau pays much attention to the National Health Service systems development while implementing their basic policies. The Ukrainian state health service management was founded basing on the regulatory field of the Russian Empire, using the European healthcare promotion experience. Aim: of the article is the analysis of the regulatory field of police and amenity authorities of the Russian Empire and Ukraine within the medical and social service in the 18th-19th centuries. Materials and methods: The structure of the article corresponds to the problem city and chronology principles, using the following methods and techniques of scientific learning: the systemic, historic, regulatory comparative, logical and structural-functional analysis of the studied medical-legal phenomena. The study sources are the scientific publications, collections of laws and executive orders of the Russian Empire and Ukraine in the 18th-19th centuries. Review: As a result of the performed work it can be determined were the main directions of the police competence in late 18th- early 19th centuries. Conclusion: Preserving health, treatment of the ill and injured, management of medical and social service of those in need, holding various preventive activities and supporting safe environment and regulating the safety of food were the main directions of the police competence in late 18th- early 19th centuries.

  10. ISMIR 2010 Proceedings of the 11th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference, August 9-13, 2010 Utrecht, Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Downie, J. Stephen; Veltkamp, Remco C.

    2010-01-01

    Welcome to the 11th International Society for Music Information Retrieval Conference (ISMIR 2010). ISMIR 2010 will be convened in Utrecht, Netherlands, 9-13 August 2010 and is jointly organised by Utrecht University, the Utrecht School of the Arts, the Meertens Institute and Philips Research. The

  11. Cross-Culture Validation of the HIV/AIDS Stress Scale: The Development of a Revised Chinese Version.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Lu; Qiu, Yangyang; Luo, Dan; Chen, Xi; Wang, Min; Pakenham, Kenneth I; Zhang, Xixing; Huang, Zhulin; Xiao, Shuiyuan

    2016-01-01

    Being HIV-infected is a stressful experience for many individuals. To assess HIV-related stress in the Chinese context, a measure with satisfied psychometric properties is yet underdeveloped. This study aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of a simplified Chinese version of the HIV/AIDS Stress Scale (SS-HIV) among people living with HIV/AIDS in central China. A total of 667 people living with HIV (92% were male) were recruited from March 1st 2014 to August 31th 2015 by consecutive sampling. A standard questionnaire package containing the Chinese HIV/AIDS Stress Scale (CSS-HIV), the Chinese Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Chinese Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were administered to all participants, and 38 of the participants were selected randomly to be re-tested in four weeks after the initial testing. Our data supported that a revised 17-item CSS-HIV had adequate psychometric properties. It consisted of 3 factors: emotional stress (6 items), social stress (6 items) and instrumental stress (5 items). The overall Cronbach's α was 0.906, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.832. The revised CSS-HIV was significantly correlated with the number of HIV-related symptoms, as well as scores on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, indicating acceptable concurrent validity. The 17-item Chinese version of the SS-HIV has potential research and clinical utility in identifying important stressors among the Chinese HIV-infected population and in understanding the effects of stress on adjustment to HIV.

  12. Actualizing of calibration curves of "1"4C/C, "9"0Sr/Ca, "2"2"8Th/"2"3"2Th in ivory for the determination of the post mortal interval of elephants and consequences of the radiation protection of non-human species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schupfner, R.

    2016-01-01

    The determination of the activity concentration of the radionuclides "1"4C/C and "9"0Sr/Ca and "2"2"8Th/"2"3"2Th applying combined radionuclide analyses methods has been proved to be a suitable tool for the purpose of an unambiguous age determination of elephant ivory [1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Analysing representative and independently dated samples (N = 28) of ivory the curves fitting the post mortal interval (PMI) versus the activity concentration of the radionuclides mentioned above produced the data base enabling a more unambiguous age determination. Data from these studies origin [1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13] in analyses of ivory samples which were available up to the 2012. During the last five years there was a gap in information of the future trend of "1"4C/C and "9"0Sr/Ca. Up to this study it was not possible to assess whether the future level of "1"4C/C as well as "9"0Sr/Ca can analytically be distinguished from the level before 1954. At about 1954 the activity concentration of radionuclides from the atmospheric nuclear explosion, as "1"4C and "9"0Sr, increased in ivory significantly. This study aims in closing this information gap. The results of analyses of "1"4C/C, "9"0Sr/Ca, "2"2"8Th/"2"3"2Th in ivory with PMI values ranging from 1 to 5 years are presented and interpreted. These data enable an actualization of the calibration curves of PMI versus specific activities. This is necessary for a better understanding of the effect of blindness of "1"4C/C dating and its prevention. On the base of all available results form independent dated ivory sample available up to 2015 a suitable analytical procedure is suggested which aims in a more precise and reliable age determination of elephant tusks. Results of determining of radionuclides "1"4C/C and "9"0Sr/Ca and "2"2"8Th/"2"3"2Th in ivory are shown from before 1950 to 2015. These results are discussed with respect the purposes of dating as well as their significance to the radiation protection of nonhuman species.

  13. Th1 and Th17 Cells and Associated Cytokines Discriminate among Clinically Isolated Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis Phenotypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arellano, Gabriel; Acuña, Eric; Reyes, Lilian I; Ottum, Payton A; De Sarno, Patrizia; Villarroel, Luis; Ciampi, Ethel; Uribe-San Martín, Reinaldo; Cárcamo, Claudia; Naves, Rodrigo

    2017-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. It is a heterogeneous pathology that can follow different clinical courses, and the mechanisms that underlie the progression of the immune response across MS subtypes remain incompletely understood. Here, we aimed to determine differences in the immunological status among different MS clinical subtypes. Blood samples from untreated patients diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) ( n  = 21), different clinical forms of MS ( n  = 62) [relapsing-remitting (RRMS), secondary progressive, and primary progressive], and healthy controls (HCs) ( n  = 17) were tested for plasma levels of interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-10, TGF-β, IL-17A, and IL-17F by immunoanalysis. Th1 and Th17 lymphocyte frequencies were determined by flow cytometry. Our results showed that IFN-γ levels and the IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio were higher in CIS patients than in RRMS patients and HC. Th1 cell frequencies were higher in CIS and RRMS than in progressive MS, and RRMS had a higher Th17 frequency than CIS. The Th1/Th17 cell ratio was skewed toward Th1 in CIS compared to MS phenotypes and HC. Receiver operating characteristic statistical analysis determined that IFN-γ, the IFN-γ/IL-10 ratio, Th1 cell frequency, and the Th1/Th17 cell ratio discriminated among CIS and MS subtypes. A subanalysis among patients expressing high IL-17F levels showed that IL-17F and the IFN-γ/IL-17F ratio discriminated between disease subtypes. Overall, our data showed that CIS and MS phenotypes displayed distinct Th1- and Th17-related cytokines and cell profiles and that these immune parameters discriminated between clinical forms. Upon validation, these parameters might be useful as biomarkers to predict disease progression.

  14. 9{sup th} international workshop on large-scale integration of wind power into power systems as well as on transmission networks for offshore wind power plants. Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Betancourt, Uta; Ackermann, Thomas (eds.)

    2010-07-01

    Within the 9th International Workshop on large-scale integration of wind power into power systems as well as on transmission networks for offshore wind power plants at 18th to 19th October, 2010 in Quebec (Canada), lectures and poster papers were presented to the following themes: (1) Keynote session and panel; (2) European grid integration studies; (3) Modeling; (4) Wind forecasting; (5) North American grid integration studies; (6) Voltage stability and control; (7) Grid codes and impact studies; (8) Canadian University research (WESNet); (9) Operation and dispatch; (9) Offshore wind power plants; (10) Frequency Control; (11) Methodologies to estimate wind power impacts on power systems, summaries from IEAWIND collaboration; (12) HVDC; (13) Grid codes and system impact studies; (14) Modeling and validation; (15) Regulations, markets and offshore wind energy; (16) Integration issues; (17) Wind turbine control system; (18) Energy management and IT solutions.

  15. Administrative database concerns: accuracy of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision coding is poor for preoperative anemia in patients undergoing spinal fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golinvaux, Nicholas S; Bohl, Daniel D; Basques, Bryce A; Grauer, Jonathan N

    2014-11-15

    Cross-sectional study. To objectively evaluate the ability of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes, which are used as the foundation for administratively coded national databases, to identify preoperative anemia in patients undergoing spinal fusion. National database research in spine surgery continues to rise. However, the validity of studies based on administratively coded data, such as the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, are dependent on the accuracy of ICD-9 coding. Such coding has previously been found to have poor sensitivity to conditions such as obesity and infection. A cross-sectional study was performed at an academic medical center. Hospital-reported anemia ICD-9 codes (those used for administratively coded databases) were directly compared with the chart-documented preoperative hematocrits (true laboratory values). A patient was deemed to have preoperative anemia if the preoperative hematocrit was less than the lower end of the normal range (36.0% for females and 41.0% for males). The study included 260 patients. Of these, 37 patients (14.2%) were anemic; however, only 10 patients (3.8%) received an "anemia" ICD-9 code. Of the 10 patients coded as anemic, 7 were anemic by definition, whereas 3 were not, and thus were miscoded. This equates to an ICD-9 code sensitivity of 0.19, with a specificity of 0.99, and positive and negative predictive values of 0.70 and 0.88, respectively. This study uses preoperative anemia to demonstrate the potential inaccuracies of ICD-9 coding. These results have implications for publications using databases that are compiled from ICD-9 coding data. Furthermore, the findings of the current investigation raise concerns regarding the accuracy of additional comorbidities. Although administrative databases are powerful resources that provide large sample sizes, it is crucial that we further consider the quality of the data source relative to its intended purpose.

  16. Clinical and Economic Burden of Revision Knee Arthroplasty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohit Bhandari

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Surgery is indicated for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA when conservative measures are unsuccessful. High tibial osteotomy (HTO, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA are surgical options intended to relieve knee OA pain and dysfunction. The choice of surgical intervention is dependent on several factors such as disease location, patient age, comorbidities, and activity levels. Regardless of surgical treatment, complications such as infection, loosening or lysis, periprosthetic fracture, and postoperative pain are known risks and are indications for revision surgery. The clinical and economic implications for revision surgery are underappreciated. Over 55,000 revision surgeries were performed in 2010 in the US, with 48% of these revisions in patients under 65 years. Total costs associated with each revision TKA surgery have been estimated to be in excess of $49,000. The current annual economic burden of revision knee OA surgery is $2.7 billion for hospital charges alone. By 2030, assuming a 5-fold increase in the number of revision procedures, this economic burden will exceed $13 billion annually. It is appealing to envision a therapy that could delay or obviate the need for arthroplasty. From an actuarial standpoint, this would have the theoretical downstream effect of substantially reducing the number of revision procedures. Although no known therapies currently meet these criteria, such a breakthrough would have a tremendous impact in lessening the clinical and economic burden of knee OA revision surgery.

  17. Up-regulated Th17 cell function is associated with increased peptic ulcer disease in Helicobacter pylori-infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagheri, Nader; Razavi, Alireza; Pourgheysari, Batoul; Azadegan-Dehkordi, Fatemeh; Rahimian, Ghorbanali; Pirayesh, Ashkan; Shafigh, Mohammedhadi; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud; Fereidani, Rana; Tahmasbi, Kamran; Shirzad, Hedayatollah

    2018-06-01

    During Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection CD4 + T cells in the gastric lamina propria are hyporesponsive and polarized by Th1/Th17 cell responses controlled by Treg cells. The objective of this study was to determine the number of Th17 cells in gastric mucosa of patients with gastritis and peptic ulcer and determined the relationship between main virulence factor of H. pylori and Th17 cells. A total of 89 H. pylori-infected gastritis patients, 63 H. pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients and 48 H. pylori-negative non-ulcer dysplasia patients were enrolled in this study. The number of Th17 was determined by immunohistochemistry. IL-8 and IL-17A expressions were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Also, the grade of chronic and active inflammation was investigated for involvement according to the density of neutrophils and mononuclear in gastric mucosal crypts, from one to all crypts. The number of Th17 cells and the expression of IL-8 and IL-17A in infected patients were significantly higher than uninfected subjects. The number of Th17 cells and the expression of IL-8 and IL-17A in infected patients with peptic ulcer were significantly higher than patients with gastritis. Additionally, the numbers of Th17 cells as well as the expression of IL-8 and IL-17A were positively correlated with the degree of H. pylori density in infected patients with peptic ulcer, while this correlation was negative in infected patients with gastritis. The numbers of Th17 cells as well as the expression of IL-8 and IL-17A were positively correlated with the degree of chronic inflammation. The predominant Th17 cell responses may play a role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcers disease in infected patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. BJ-1108, a 6-Amino-2,4,5-trimethylpyridin-3-ol analogue, regulates differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells to ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Youra; Timilshina, Maheshwor; Nam, Tae-Gyu; Jeong, Byeong-Seon; Chang, Jae-Hoon

    2017-02-28

    CD4 + T cells play an important role in the initiation of an immune response by providing help to other cells. Among the helper T subsets, interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-secreting T helper 1 (Th1) and IL-17-secreting T helper 17 (Th17) cells are indispensable for clearance of intracellular as well as extracellular pathogens. However, Th1 and Th17 cells are also associated with pathogenesis and contribute to the progression of multiple inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases. In the current study, we found that BJ-1108, a 6-aminopyridin-3-ol analogue, significantly inhibited Th1 and Th17 differentiation in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner, with no effect on proliferation or apoptosis of activated T cells. Moreover, BJ-1108 inhibited differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells in ovalbumin (OVA)-specific OT II mice. A complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)/OVA-induced inflammatory model revealed that BJ-1108 can reduce generation of proinflammatory Th1 and Th17 cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that BJ-1108 delayed onset of disease and suppressed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease progression by inhibiting differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells. BJ-1108 treatment ameliorates inflammation and EAE by inhibiting Th1 and Th17 cells differentiation. Our findings suggest that BJ-1108 is a promising novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of inflammation and autoimmune disease.

  19. Financial Wealth Distribution in Revised Financial Accounts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Václav Rybáček

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Financial statistics undergo dynamic evolution as apparent consequence of their rising importance. Structureof assets, source of fi nancing, price changes or net fi nancial position, all these indicators can detect oncomingfi nancial instability. Financial statistics as a logical extension of the national accounts provide such information.Th e aim of the following text is to present fi nancial statistics, relation between particular accounts, the impact of extraordinary revision carried out in 2011, and also to analyse current wealth distribution as described by fi nancial statistics.

  20. The combination of maltose-binding protein and BCG-induced Th1 activation is involved in TLR2/9-mediated upregulation of MyD88-TRAF6 and TLR4-mediated downregulation of TRIF-TRAF3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Guomu; Zhai, Xiaoyu; Zhou, Hongyue; Yang, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Nannan; Tai, Guixiang; Ni, Weihua

    2018-03-01

    Our previous study demonstrated that maltose-binding protein (MBP) activated Th1 through the TLR2-mediated MyD88-dependent pathway and the TLR4-mediated TRIF-dependent pathway. The combination of MBP and BCG synergistically induced Th1 activation, and the TLR2/9-mediated MyD88-dependent pathway is involved in this process. To further explore this mechanism, we stimulated purified mouse CD4 + T cells with MBP and BCG in vitro. The results demonstrated that MBP combined with BCG synergistically increased IFN-γ production and TLR2/4/9 expression, suggesting the involvement of TLR2/4/9 in the combination-induced Th1 activation. Next, TLRs 2/4/9 were blocked to analyze the effects of TLRs on Th1 activation. The results demonstrated that MBP induced a low level of Th1 activation by upregulating TLR2-mediated MyD88-TRAF6 and TLR4-mediated TRIF-TRAF3 expression, whereas MBP combined with BCG induced synergistic Th1 activation, which was not only triggered by strong upregulation of TLR2/9-mediated MyD88-TRAF6 expression but also by shifting TLR4-mediated TRIF-TRAF3 into the TRIF-TRAF6 pathway. Moreover, we observed that a TLR4 antibody upregulated MyD88 expression and a TLR9 inhibitor downregulated TRIF expression, indicating that there was cross-talk between TLRs 2/4/9 in MBP combined with BCG-induced Th1 activation. Our findings may expand the knowledge regarding TLR cross-talk involved in regulating the Th1 response. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The Use of Monograms on Byzantine Seals in the Early Middle-Ages (6th to 9th Centuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werner Seibt

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals especially with monograms on Byzantine lead seals. The early form was the block monogram, a type used already in Classical times, which came into fashion in the Byzantine world in the 6th or already in the 5th century and remained important till the early 7th century. Such monograms hide normally a name, a title or an office, the Greek ones in genitive, the Latin ones in nominative or genitive. Many of them can be read in different ways. For the double using of parts of letters for other ones the well-known Latin monogram of Theoderich is explained in detail.  But the “typical Byzantine monogram” became the cross monogram, with letters more or less affixed on the arms of a Greek cross. The earliest example stems from a coin of Justinus I, starting 522, quite earlier than Theodora’s monograms on capitals in the Hagia Sophia. These cruciform monograms presented in the beginning also a name, a title or an office, but in the 8th century already often a combination of them; these monograms with prosopographical information stopped in Byzantium at the end of the 8th century.  On the other hand invocative monograms (like Θεοτόκε βοήθει, often with the tetragram τῷ σῷ δούλῳ in the free quarters of the monogram, started around the middle of the 7th century and can be found till the earlier 11th century. The most common ones were collected by V. Laurent – we use this system till today, though there are much more types documented.  An important problem is that sometimes single letters are “hidden” in another letter, e. g. Lambda in Alpha or Delta, Epsilon in a Kappa on the left bar of a cross monogram, Sigma in Epsilon, Sigma in Kappa, Omikron in Rho, etc. In Vienna we developed a special program to solve many monograms. If we bring all the readable letters of a monogram (including the possibly additional ones in an alphabetical order, and do the same with the letters of names, titles and offices

  2. TGF-β converts Th1 cells into Th17 cells through stimulation of Runx1 expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hou-Pu; Cao, Anthony T; Feng, Ting; Li, Qingjie; Zhang, Wenbo; Yao, Suxia; Dann, Sara M; Elson, Charles O; Cong, Yingzi

    2015-04-01

    Differentiated CD4(+) T cells preserve plasticity under various conditions. However, the stability of Th1 cells is unclear, as is whether Th1 cells can convert into Th17 cells and thereby contribute to the generation of IFN-γ(+) IL-17(+) CD4(+) T cells, the number of which correlates with severity of colitis. We investigated whether IFN-γ(+) Th1 cells can convert into Th17 cells under intestinal inflammation and the mechanisms involved. IFN-γ(Thy1.1+) Th1 cells were generated by culturing naïve CD4(+) T cells from IFN-γ(Thy1.1) CBir1 TCR-Tg reporter mice, whose TCR is specific for an immunodominant microbiota antigen, CBir1 flagellin, under Th1 polarizing conditions. IFN-γ(Thy1.1+) Th1 cells induced colitis in Rag(-/-) mice after adoptive transfer and converted into IL-17(+) Th17, but not Foxp3(+) Treg cells in the inflamed intestines. TGF-β and IL-6, but not IL-1β and IL-23, regulated Th1 conversion into Th17 cells. TGF-β induction of transcriptional factor Runx1 is crucial for the conversion, since silencing Runx1 by siRNA inhibited Th1 conversion into Th17 cells. Furthermore, TGF-β enhanced histone H3K9 acetylation but inhibited H3K9 trimethylation of Runx1- and ROR-γt-binding sites on il-17 or rorc gene in Th1 cells. We conclude that Th1 cells convert into Th17 cells under inflammatory conditions in intestines, which is possibly mediated by TGF-β induction of Runx1. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Movement Coordination: Factor Structure of Development in 5th-7th Grade Girls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Ivashchenko

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The study objective is to determine the structure of coordination abilities development in 5th-7th grade girls. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were 5th grade girls (n = 20, 6th grade girls (n = 23, 7th grade girls (n = 19. The study used the following methods: analysis and collation of scientific and methodological literature, general scientific methods of theoretical level, such as analogy, analysis, synthesis, abstraction, induction, as well as general scientific methods of empirical level: observation, testing, experiment. To evaluate motor preparedness, the study recorded the results of motor tests, body height and weight. The IBM SPSS 20 statistical analysis software was used to process the study materials. A factor analysis was performed, for which the study used principal component analysis with the rotation method: Variamax with Kaiser Normalization. Results. The analysis of similarities shows that the most informative tests in the structure of motor preparedness of the 5th grade girls are the following: test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic stability. Running with turns” (.884, test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826, test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824; of the 6th grade girls — test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic stability. Running with turns” (0.884, test 9 “Static equilibrium evaluation by E. Ya. Bondarevsky’s method” (.826, test 6 “Evaluation of the sense of movement speed in sprinting” (.824; of the 7th grade girls — test 8 “Evaluation of the ability to differentiate movement speed (reproduction accuracy of running speed at 90% intensity of maximum” (.902, test 11 “Evaluation of the ability for vestibular (statokinetic stability. Running with turns” (.900, test 1 “30 m running (s” (.869. Conclusions. In the structure of

  4. 9 CFR 381.73 - Quarantine of diseased poultry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Quarantine of diseased poultry. 381.73... AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION REGULATIONS Ante Mortem Inspection § 381.73...

  5. Staphylococcus aureus carriage among participants at the 13th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nulens, E.; Gould, I.; MacKenzie, F.; Deplano, A.; Cookson, B.; Alp, E.; Bouza, E.; Voss, A.

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this study was to measure the rate of Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among attendees of the 13th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), particularly with regard to methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains. The 31.4% rate of Staphylococcus aureus

  6. An investigation of the relationships between junior high school students' (8th and 9th grades) background variables and structure of knowledge recall of biological content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demetrius, Olive Joyce

    The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between Junior High School students' (8th and 9th grades) background variables (e.g. cognitive factors, prior knowledge, preference for science versus non-science activities, formal and informal activities) and structure of information recall of biological content. In addition, this study will illustrate how flow maps, a graphic display, designed to represent the sequential flow and cross linkage of ideas in information recalled by the learner can be used as a tool for analyzing science learning data. The participants (46 junior high school students) were taught a lesson on the human digestive system during which they were shown a model of the human torso. Their pattern of information recall was determined by using an interview technique to elicit their understanding of the functional anatomy of the human digestive system. The taped responses were later transcribed for construction of the flow map. The interview was also used to assess knowledge recall of biological content. The flow map, science interest questionnaire and the cognitive operations (based on content analysis of student's narrative) were used to analyze data from each respondent. This is a case study using individual subjects and interview techniques. The findings of this study are: (1) Based on flow map data higher academic ability students have more networking of ideas than low ability students. (2) A large percentage of 9th grade low ability students intend to pursue science/applied science course work after leaving school but they lack well organized ways of representing science knowledge in memory. (3) Content analysis of the narratives shows that students with more complex ideational networks use higher order cognitive thought processes compared to those with less networking of ideas. If students are to make a successful transition from low academic performance to high academic performance it seems that more emphasis should be placed on

  7. Validity of peptic ulcer disease and upper gastrointestinal bleeding diagnoses in administrative databases: a systematic review protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montedori, Alessandro; Abraha, Iosief; Chiatti, Carlos; Cozzolino, Francesco; Orso, Massimiliano; Luchetta, Maria Laura; Rimland, Joseph M; Ambrosio, Giuseppe

    2016-09-15

    Administrative healthcare databases are useful to investigate the epidemiology, health outcomes, quality indicators and healthcare utilisation concerning peptic ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, but the databases need to be validated in order to be a reliable source for research. The aim of this protocol is to perform the first systematic review of studies reporting the validation of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision and 10th version (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes for peptic ulcer and upper gastrointestinal bleeding diagnoses. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library databases will be searched, using appropriate search strategies. We will include validation studies that used administrative data to identify peptic ulcer disease and upper gastrointestinal bleeding diagnoses or studies that evaluated the validity of peptic ulcer and upper gastrointestinal bleeding codes in administrative data. The following inclusion criteria will be used: (a) the presence of a reference standard case definition for the diseases of interest; (b) the presence of at least one test measure (eg, sensitivity, etc) and (c) the use of an administrative database as a source of data. Pairs of reviewers will independently abstract data using standardised forms and will evaluate quality using the checklist of the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) criteria. This systematic review protocol has been produced in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Ethics approval is not required given that this is a protocol for a systematic review. We will submit results of this study to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. The results will serve as a guide for researchers validating administrative healthcare databases to determine appropriate case definitions for peptic ulcer disease and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, as well as to perform outcome research using

  8. The first reactor [40th anniversary commemorative edition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1982-12-01

    This updated and revised story of the first reactor, or 'pile,' commemorates the 40th anniversary of the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction created by mankind. Enrico Fermi and his team of scientists initiated the reaction on December 2, 1941, underneath the West Stands of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago. Firsthand accounts of the participants as well as postwar recollections by Enrico and Laura Fermi are included.

  9. Low LDL cholesterol, PCSK9 and HMGCR genetic variation, and risk of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Benn, Marianne; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth

    2017-01-01

     Risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, all dementia, and Parkinson's disease.Results In observational analyses, the multifactorially adjusted hazard ratio for Parkinson's disease in participants with an LDL cholesterol level ....79), whereas the corresponding hazard ratios for Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, or any dementia did not differ from 1.0. PCSK9 and HMGCR variants combined were associated with a 9.3% lower LDL cholesterol level. In genetic, causal analyses adjusted for age, sex, and year of birth, the risk ratios...... for a lifelong 1 mmol/L lower LDL cholesterol level were 0.57 (0.27 to 1.17) for Alzheimer's disease, 0.81 (0.34 to 1.89) for vascular dementia, 0.66 (0.34 to 1.26) for any dementia, and 1.02 (0.26 to 4.00) for Parkinson's disease. Summary level data from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project using...

  10. Lyme disease and Bell's palsy: an epidemiological study of diagnosis and risk in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Lilli; Branagan-Harris, Michael; Tuson, Richard; Nduka, Charles

    2017-05-01

    Lyme disease is caused by a tick-borne spirochaete of the Borrelia species. It is associated with facial palsy, is increasingly common in England, and may be misdiagnosed as Bell's palsy. To produce an accurate map of Lyme disease diagnosis in England and to identify patients at risk of developing associated facial nerve palsy, to enable prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment. Hospital episode statistics (HES) data in England from the Health and Social Care Information Centre were interrogated from April 2011 to March 2015 for International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) codes A69.2 (Lyme disease) and G51.0 (Bell's palsy) in isolation, and as a combination. Patients' age, sex, postcode, month of diagnosis, and socioeconomic groups as defined according to the English Indices of Deprivation (2004) were also collected. Lyme disease hospital diagnosis increased by 42% per year from 2011 to 2015 in England. Higher incidence areas, largely rural, were mapped. A trend towards socioeconomic privilege and the months of July to September was observed. Facial palsy in combination with Lyme disease is also increasing, particularly in younger patients, with a mean age of 41.7 years, compared with 59.6 years for Bell's palsy and 45.9 years for Lyme disease ( P = 0.05, analysis of variance [ANOVA]). Healthcare practitioners should have a high index of suspicion for Lyme disease following travel in the areas shown, particularly in the summer months. The authors suggest that patients presenting with facial palsy should be tested for Lyme disease. © British Journal of General Practice 2017.

  11. Microbiological diagnosis in revision of infected knee arthroplasties in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindberg-Larsen, Martin; Pitter, Frederik Taylor; Voldstedlund, Marianne

    2017-01-01

    . METHODS: One hundred and two partial revisions (open debridement and exchange of tibial insert) and 213 two-stage procedures performed due to infection in 275 patients from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2013 were included and analysed by linkage to data from a nationwide registry on microbiological test results....... RESULTS: 78 (24.8%) revisions were culture negative, 192 (60.9%) showed monomicrobial growth and 43 (14.3%) polymicrobial growth. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent isolate in mono-culture in 70 (22.2%) revisions and in polymicrobial culture in 15 revisions with a total frequency of 27.0%. Only...... one case (1.4%) of methicillin-resistance was registered. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were frequent, sole pathogen in 65 revisions and in polymicrobial cultures in 28 revisions with a total frequency of 29.5%. A pre-operative knee aspiration was performed in 50% and preoperative blood...

  12. Children's high-level writing skills: development of planning and revising and their contribution to writing quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limpo, Teresa; Alves, Rui A; Fidalgo, Raquel

    2014-06-01

    It is well established that the activity of producing a text is a complex one involving three main cognitive processes: Planning, translating, and revising. Although these processes are crucial in skilled writing, beginning and developing writers seem to struggle with them, mainly with planning and revising. To trace the development of the high-level writing processes of planning and revising, from Grades 4 to 9, and to examine whether these skills predict writing quality in younger and older students (Grades 4-6 vs. 7-9), after controlling for gender, school achievement, age, handwriting fluency, spelling, and text structure. Participants were 381 students from Grades 4 to 9 (age 9-15). Students were asked to plan and write a story and to revise another story by detecting and correcting mechanical and substantive errors. From Grades 4 to 9, we found a growing trend in students' ability to plan and revise despite the observed decreases and stationary periods from Grades 4 to 5 and 6 to 7. Moreover, whereas younger students' planning and revising skills made no contribution to the quality of their writing, in older students, these high-level skills contributed to writing quality above and beyond control predictors. The findings of this study seem to indicate that besides the increase in planning and revising, these skills are not fully operational in school-age children. Indeed, given the contribution of these high-level skills to older students' writing, supplementary instruction and practice should be provided from early on. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

  13. Structural and functional brain signatures of C9orf72 in motor neuron disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agosta, Federica; Ferraro, Pilar M; Riva, Nilo; Spinelli, Edoardo Gioele; Domi, Teuta; Carrera, Paola; Copetti, Massimiliano; Falzone, Yuri; Ferrari, Maurizio; Lunetta, Christian; Comi, Giancarlo; Falini, Andrea; Quattrini, Angelo; Filippi, Massimo

    2017-09-01

    This study investigated structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities in hexanucleotide repeat expansion in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) motor neuron disease (MND) relative to disease severity-matched sporadic MND cases. We enrolled 19 C9orf72 and 67 disease severity-matched sporadic MND patients, and 22 controls. Sporadic cases were grouped in patients with: no cognitive/behavioral deficits (sporadic-motor); same patterns of cognitive/behavioral impairment as C9orf72 cases (sporadic-cognitive); shorter disease duration versus other sporadic groups (sporadic-early). C9orf72 patients showed cerebellar and thalamic atrophy versus all sporadic cases. All MND patients showed motor, frontal, and temporoparietal cortical thinning and motor and extramotor white matter damage versus controls, independent of genotype and presence of cognitive impairment. Compared with sporadic-early, C9orf72 patients revealed an occipital cortical thinning. C9orf72 patients had enhanced visual network functional connectivity versus sporadic-motor and sporadic-early cases. Structural cerebellar and thalamic damage and posterior cortical alterations are the brain magnetic resonance imaging signatures of C9orf72 MND. Frontotemporal cortical and widespread white matter involvement are likely to be an effect of the disease evolution rather than a C9orf72 marker. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. 9 CFR 93.313 - Appearance of disease among horses in quarantine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Appearance of disease among horses in...; REQUIREMENTS FOR MEANS OF CONVEYANCE AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS Horses § 93.313 Appearance of disease among horses in quarantine. If any contagious disease appears among horses during the quarantine period special...

  15. Th1 and Th2 immune responses related to pelvic endometriosis Resposta imunológica Th1 e Th2 relacionada à endometriose pélvica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Podgaec

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the relationship between clinical characteristics of endometriosis and Th1/Th2 immune response patterns. METHODS: A prospective study was performed with 65 patients with endometriosis (Group A and 33 without the disease (Group B. Measurement of IL 2, 4 and 10, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma was carried out in peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid. RESULTS: Serum TNF-alpha was higher in patients with endometriosis who had deep dyspareunia compared to controls (mean 4.5 pg/ml and 2.3 pg/ml, pOBJETIVO: Este estudo analisa a relação entre as características clínicas da endometriose e os padrões da resposta imune Th1/Th2. MÉTODOS: Estudo prospectivo realizado com 65 pacientes com endometriose (Grupo A e 33 pacientes sem a doença (Grupo B. Foram realizadas avaliação no fluido peritoneal e sangue periférico de IL 2, 4 e 10, TNF-alfa e IFN-gama. A significância foi estabelecida em p < 0,05. RESULTADOS: TNF-alfa encontrava-se elevado em pacientes com endometriose que apresentavam dispareunia de profundidade comparado com controle (média 4,5 pg/ml e 2,3 pg/ml, p< 0,05. Dentre essas pacientes (n=32, 65,5% apresentavam endometriose profunda. Pacientes com endometriose e infertilidade apresentavam concentrações maiores de IL-2 no fluido peritoneal quando comparadas com controle (média 5,9 pg/ml e 0,2 pg/ml, p< 0,05, sendo que neste grupo, 63,5% (n=14 apresentavam endometriose profunda. Foi observada também maior concentração de IL-10 nas pacientes que apresentavam endometriose ovariana quando comparadas às sem esse tipo de endometriose, assim como quando comparadas às pacientes do grupo controle (média 50pg/ml, 18,7pg/ml e 25,7pg/ml, p<0,05. CONCLUSÃO: Estes resultados sugerem que quando dados clínicos específicos associam-se a uma produção elevada de certas citocinas, ocorre um padrão de resposta Th1 que pode estar associado à endometriose profunda.

  16. A comparison of revision and rerupture rates of ACL reconstruction between autografts and allografts in the skeletally immature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Ian R; Chen, Jason; Love, Rebecca; Davis, Brent R; Maletis, Gregory B; Funahashi, Tadashi T

    2016-03-01

    Anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLRs) in skeletally immature patients are increasing. The purpose of this study is to describe the demographics, graft usage, revision, and re-operation rates in skeletally immature ACLRs in the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system. Skeletally immature patients (type; bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft, hamstring autograft, and any type of allograft. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and race were evaluated as confounders. Cox proportional hazard models stratified by surgeon were used to analyse the risk of revision and re-operation. A total of 534 primary ACLR cases were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 2.9 years. The majority were hamstring autografts (n = 388, 72.7%), male (n = 339, 63.9%), and White (n = 232, 43.4%). Median age was 14.9 years, and median BMI was 21.9 kg/m(2). There were 44 (8.2%) aseptic revisions and 48 (9.0%) same-knee re-operations. The incidence rate for revision was BPTB autograft 5.5%, hamstring autograft 7.5%, and allograft 13.2%. After adjusting for confounders and surgeon clustering effect, the risk of aseptic revision and revision between allograft and hamstring autograft did not reach statistical significance. Graft selection differs in skeletally immature patients with a preponderance of surgeries being performed with hamstring tendon autografts. High revision rates were identified for all graft types used, though differences in revision rates across different graft types did not reach statistical significance. Surgeons should be aware of high rates of revision in this skeletally immature young population, although type of graft used did not appear to make a difference. III.

  17. U and Th background contents in the Crimea rocks, Th/U ratio interpretation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerasimov, Yu.G.; Voronova, M.A.; AN Ukrainskoj SSR, Kiev. Inst. Geologicheskikh Nauk)

    1981-01-01

    Radiogeochemical sampling of rocks in the Crimea is carried out. Analyses for U are made by luminescence method, while for Th by X-ray one. About 1000 samples, characterizing the whole stratigraphical cross section except Pz of crystalline rocks, have been analyzed. Low background values for U and Th are established; U content of 1.3-2.3 g/kg and Th content of 7.0-9.0 g/kg are predominant, that is lower than the clark of the earth crust. The distribution of radioelements in stepper and submontane Crimea is gradual, while in mountain part - the mosaic one. Results of Th/U ratios interpretation are presented [ru

  18. 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference. Nuclear energy, science and technology - Pacific partnership. Proceedings Volume 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-04-01

    The theme of the 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference held in Sydney from 1-6 May 1994, embraced the use of atom in energy production and in science and technology. The focus was on selected topics of current and on-going interest to countries around the Pacific Basin. The two-volume proceedings include both invited and contributed papers which have been indexed separately. This document, Volume 2 covers the following topics: education and training in Nuclear Science, public acceptance, nuclear safety and radiation protection, nuclear fuel resources and their utilisation, research reactors, cyclotrons and accelerators. refs., tabs., figs., ills

  19. 78 FR 47697 - Public Water System Supervision Program Revision for the State of Louisiana

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-06

    ...: 1) Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (LT2), 2) the Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule (DBP2), and 3) the Lead and Copper Rule Short-Term Revisions and Clarifications...: Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, Bienville Building, 628 4th Street...

  20. 27 CFR 9.120 - Sierra Foothills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 10-9), edition of 1962, revised 1969. (4) “Mariposa” (NJ 11-7), edition of 1957, revised 1970. (c..., Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Mariposa, in the State of California. The boundary is... line to the point where the county lines of Tuolumne, Mariposa, Stanislaus and Merced counties meet in...

  1. Cross-cultural and comparative epidemiology of insomnia: the Diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM), International classification of diseases (ICD) and International classification of sleep disorders (ICSD).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Ka-Fai; Yeung, Wing-Fai; Ho, Fiona Yan-Yee; Yung, Kam-Ping; Yu, Yee-Man; Kwok, Chi-Wa

    2015-04-01

    To compare the prevalence of insomnia according to symptoms, quantitative criteria, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th and 5th Edition (DSM-IV and DSM-5), International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), and International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICSD-2), and to compare the prevalence of insomnia disorder between Hong Kong and the United States by adopting a similar methodology used by the America Insomnia Survey (AIS). Population-based epidemiological survey respondents (n = 2011) completed the Brief Insomnia Questionnaire (BIQ), a validated scale generating DSM-IV, DSM-5, ICD-10, and ICSD-2 insomnia disorder. The weighted prevalence of difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and non-restorative sleep that occurred ≥3 days per week was 14.0%, 28.3%, 32.1%, and 39.9%, respectively. When quantitative criteria were included, the prevalence dropped the most from 39.9% to 8.4% for non-restorative sleep, and the least from 14.0% to 12.9% for difficulty falling asleep. The weighted prevalence of DSM-IV, ICD-10, ICSD-2, and any of the three insomnia disorders was 22.1%, 4.7%, 15.1%, and 22.1%, respectively; for DSM-5 insomnia disorder, it was 10.8%. Compared with 22.1%, 3.9%, and 14.7% for DSM-IV, ICD-10, and ICSD-2 in the AIS, cross-cultural difference in the prevalence of insomnia disorder is less than what is expected. The prevalence is reduced by half from DSM-IV to DSM-5. ICD-10 insomnia disorder has the lowest prevalence, perhaps because excessive concern and preoccupation, one of its diagnostic criteria, is not always present in people with insomnia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. 49 CFR 79.9 - Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Design. 79.9 Section 79.9 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation MEDALS OF HONOR § 79.9 Design. The Department is authorized to adopt and revise the existing designs for the award, rosette, and ribbon provided for by statute. ...

  3. The structure of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition, text revision) personality disorder symptoms in a large national sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trull, Timothy J; Vergés, Alvaro; Wood, Phillip K; Jahng, Seungmin; Sher, Kenneth J

    2012-10-01

    We examined the latent structure underlying the criteria for DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.) personality disorders in a large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Personality disorder symptom data were collected using a structured diagnostic interview from approximately 35,000 adults assessed over two waves of data collection in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Our analyses suggested that a seven-factor solution provided the best fit for the data, and these factors were marked primarily by one or at most two personality disorder criteria sets. A series of regression analyses that used external validators tapping Axis I psychopathology, treatment for mental health problems, functioning scores, interpersonal conflict, and suicidal ideation and behavior provided support for the seven-factor solution. We discuss these findings in the context of previous studies that have examined the structure underlying the personality disorder criteria as well as the current proposals for DSM-5 personality disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. Uncertainty reevaluation of T/H parameters of HANARO core design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hark Rho; Park, Cheol; Kim, Heo Nil; Chae, Hee Taek

    1999-03-01

    HANARO core was designed by statistical thermal design method which was generally applied to power plant design. However, reevaluation of core thermal margin reflecting design changes as well as experiences through commissioning and operation is necessary for safe operation of reactor. For this objective, the revision of data for T/H design parameters and the reevaluation of their uncertainties were performed. (Author). 30 refs., 7 figs.

  5. Investigation of 9th Grade High School Students’ Attitudes towards Science Course

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Orhan Karamustafaoglu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In this study, ninth grade students’ attitudes towards science were investigated in terms of self-regulation strategies, motivational beliefs and gender variables. The sample of this study includes 322 male and 296 female in total 618 students from 3 different high schools (Science high school, Anatolian high school, and Vocational high school in center district of Amasya city. To collect the data, the researchers employed “Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire” which has been developed by Pintrich and De Groot in 1990, adapted into Turkish by Uredi in 2005 and consists of 44 items and “Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS” has been developed by Adams and others in 2006, adapted into Turkish by Bayar and Karamustafaoğlu in 2015 and consists of 36 items. For data analysis, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test and correlation were addressed. The results of this study show that there are statistically significant relationships between 9th grade students’ attitudes towards science and self-regulation strategies, motivational beliefs, and gender.

  6. Revising Translations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Kirsten Wølch; Schjoldager, Anne

    2011-01-01

    The paper explains the theoretical background and findings of an empirical study of revision policies, using Denmark as a case in point. After an overview of important definitions, types and parameters, the paper explains the methods and data gathered from a questionnaire survey and an interview...... survey. Results clearly show that most translation companies regard both unilingual and comparative revisions as essential components of professional quality assurance. Data indicate that revision is rarely fully comparative, as the preferred procedure seems to be a unilingual revision followed by a more...... or less comparative rereading. Though questionnaire data seem to indicate that translation companies use linguistic correctness and presentation as the only revision parameters, interview data reveal that textual and communicative aspects are also considered. Generally speaking, revision is not carried...

  7. Comparison of mode of failure between primary and revision total knee arthroplasties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, H; Bae, J K; Park, C H; Kim, K I; Bae, D K; Song, S J

    2018-04-01

    Cognizance of common reasons for failure in primary and revision TKA, together with their time course, facilitates prevention. However, there have been few reports specifically comparing modes of failure for primary vs. revision TKA using a single prosthesis. The goal of the study was to compare the survival rates, modes of failure, and time periods associated with each mode of failure, of primary vs. revision TKA. The survival rates, modes of failure, time period for each mode of failure, and risk factors would differ between primary and revision TKA. Data from a consecutive cohort comprising 1606 knees (1174 patients) of primary TKA patients, and 258 knees (224 patients) of revision TKA patients, in all of whom surgery involved a P.F.C ® prosthesis (Depuy, Johnson & Johnson, Warsaw, IN), was retrospectively reviewed. The mean follow-up periods of primary and revision TKAs were 9.2 and 9.8 years, respectively. The average 10- and 15-year survival rates for primary TKA were 96.7% (CI 95%,±0.7%) and 85.4% (CI 95%,±2.0%), and for revision TKA 91.4% (CI 95%,±2.5%) and 80.5% (CI 95%,±4.5%). Common modes of failure included polyethylene wear, loosening, and infection. The most common mode of failure was polyethylene wear in primary TKA, and infection in revision TKA. The mean periods (i.e., latencies) of polyethylene wear and loosening did not differ between primary and revision TKAs, but the mean period of infection was significantly longer for revision TKA (1.2 vs. 4.8 years, P=0.003). Survival rates decreased with time, particularly more than 10 years post-surgery, for both primary and revision TKAs. Continuous efforts are required to prevent and detect the various modes of failure during long-term follow-up. Greater attention is necessary to detect late infection-induced failure following revision TKA. Case-control study, Level III. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. Is MYO9B the missing link between schizophrenia and celiac disease?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jungerius, Bart J.; Bakker, Steven C.; Monsuur, Alienke J.; Sinke, Richard J.; Kahn, Rene S.; Wijmenga, Cisca

    2008-01-01

    There has long been discussion on the correlation between schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases (especially celiac disease), which makes the recently discovered celiac disease risk factor, MYO9B, an attractive functional and positional candidate gene for schizophrenia. To test this hypothesis we

  9. Practice Patterns in Screening for Metabolic Disease in Women with PCOS of Diverse Race-Ethnic Backgrounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mott, Melanie M; Kitos, Nicole R; Coviello, Andrea D

    2014-09-01

    Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at high risk for metabolic disorders, which prompted the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) to publish a 2005 position statement recommending screening for metabolic disease.The purposes of the present study were to 1) to examine changes in screening rates for obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic syndrome (MetS), hyperlipidemia (HL), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and hypertension (HTN) in women with PCOS after publication of the 2005 AACE position statement and 2) to determine if screening rates and metabolic disorders vary by race-ethnicity. PCOS cases in 2006 (n = 547) and 2011 (n = 1,159) and metabolic disorders were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD9) code. Screening rates for metabolic disorders were determined by the presence of blood tests (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], lipid profile, alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase [ALT/AST]). In 2006, ≤25% of PCOS patients underwent recommended screening tests: HbA1c 18%; lipid profile 11, only HbA1c testing had increased (18% to 21%). Obesity increased from 35% to 40%, while other metabolic disorders remained stable. Black women had the highest rates of obesity and HTN in 2011 (Obesity: Black 48%, Hispanic 44%, White 33%, Other 31%, P1; HTN: Black 18%, Hispanic 9%, White 10%, Other 7%, P1). Blacks and Hispanics were screened more often with ALT/AST testing (Black 27/27%, Hispanic 28/27%, White 23/22%, Other 17/18%, P = .02/.03). Screening rates were higher in the endocrine clinic for all metabolic disorders than in other clinics (P11.

  10. Study of a 9th century silver earrings set from Mikulčice: corrosion, conservation and maintenance

    OpenAIRE

    Cardoso, Mariana Oliveira

    2010-01-01

    Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Conservação e Restauro The presented study deal with the degradation processes of the silver objects, buried for a long time in human graves and with their appropriate methods of conservation and restoration after excavation during archaeological research. It was used for this study a set of earrings from the 9th century A.D. found in Mikulčice, in the south...

  11. PREFACE: 9th International Symposium on Cavitation (CAV2015)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farhat, M.; Müller, A.

    2015-12-01

    It is our pleasure and privilege to welcome all the participants of the 9th International Symposium on Cavitation (CAV2015) to Lausanne. Since its initiation in 1986 in Sendai, Japan, the CAV symposium has grown to become the world's foremost event dedicated to cavitation. Hosted by EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and staged at the SwissTech Convention Center, CAV2015 is a unique opportunity to exchange with leading scientists and industry experts about the latest advances in theoretical modelling, numerical simulation and experimentation related to cavitation phenomena with a special emphasis on practical applications. The topics covered by CAV2015 include cavitation in ¬fluid machinery and fuel systems, bubble dynamics, cavitation erosion, advanced numerical simulation, sonochemistery, biomedicine and experimental techniques. CAV2015 will also host an exhibition of leading providers of state of the art measurement equipment, including high-speed imaging systems, non-intrusive velocimetry, pressure sensors, as well as numerical solvers. We have accepted over 190 papers, which will be presented in four parallel sessions. The proceedings will appear in the open access Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS), which is part of the IOP Conference Series. All published papers are fully citable and upon publication will be free to download in perpetuity. We would like to thank all the reviewers for their great help during the selection process. We will also propose six plenary speakers to highlight cavitation issues in different fields. Finally, we would like to warmly thank our sponsors for their valuable support and the local Organizing Committee for the efforts in setting up this important event. We look forward to seeing you in Lausanne!

  12. Management of Patients With Diverticulosis and Diverticular Disease: Consensus Statements From the 2nd International Symposium on Diverticular Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tursi, Antonio; Picchio, Marcello; Elisei, Walter; Di Mario, Francesco; Scarpignato, Carmelo; Brandimarte, Giovanni

    2016-10-01

    The statements produced by the Chairmen of the 2nd International Symposium on Diverticular Disease, held in Rome on April 8th to 9th, 2016, are reported. Topics such as epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of diverticular disease in patients with uncomplicated and complicated diverticular disease were reviewed by the Chairmen who proposed 41 statements graded according to level of evidence and strength of recommendation. Each topic was explored focusing on the more relevant clinical questions. The vote was conducted on a 6-point scale and consensus was defined a priori as 67% agreement of the participants. The voting group consisted of 80 physicians from 6 countries, and agreement with all statements was provided. Comments were added explaining some controversial areas.

  13. Inflammatory Th17 cells promote depression-like behavior in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beurel, Eléonore; Harrington, Laurie E.; Jope, Richard S.

    2012-01-01

    Background Recognition of substantial immune-neural interactions is revising dogmas about their insular actions and revealing that immune-neural interactions can substantially impact CNS functions. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 promotes susceptibility to depression and drives production of inflammatory T helper 17 (Th17) T cells, raising the hypothesis that in mouse models Th17 cells promote susceptibility to depression-like behaviors. Methods Behavioral characteristics were measured in male mice administered Th17 cells, CD4+ cells, or vehicle, and in RORγT+/GFP mice or male mice treated with RORγT inhibitor or anti-IL-17A antibodies. Results Mouse brain Th17 cells were elevated by learned helplessness and chronic restraint stress, two common depression-like models. Th17 cell administration promoted learned helplessness in 89% of mice in a paradigm where no vehicle-treated mice developed learned helplessness, and impaired novelty suppressed feeding and social interaction behaviors. Mice deficient in the RORγT transcription factor necessary for Th17 cell production exhibited resistance to learned helplessness, identifying modulation of RORγT as a potential intervention. Treatment with the RORγT inhibitor SR1001, or anti-IL-17A antibodies to abrogate Th17 cell function, reduced Th17-dependent learned helplessness. Conclusions These findings indicate that Th17 cells are increased in the brain during depression-like states, promote depression-like behaviors in mice, and specifically inhibiting the production or function of Th17 cells reduces vulnerability to depression-like behavior, suggesting antidepressant effects may be attained by targeting Th17 cells. PMID:23174342

  14. Low LDL cholesterol, PCSK9 and HMGCR genetic variation, and risk of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Benn, Marianne; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth

    2017-01-01

    Egger Mendelian randomisation analysis gave a risk ratio for Alzheimer's disease of 0.24 (0.02 to 2.79) for 26 PCSK9 and HMGCR variants, and of 0.64 (0.52 to 0.79) for 380 variants of LDL cholesterol level lowering.Conclusion Low LDL cholesterol levels due to PCSK9 and HMGCR variants had no causal......Objective To test the hypothesis that low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol due to genetic variation in the genes responsible for LDL cholesterol metabolism and biosynthesis(PCSK9 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), respectively) is associated with a high risk of Alzheimer.......79), whereas the corresponding hazard ratios for Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, or any dementia did not differ from 1.0. PCSK9 and HMGCR variants combined were associated with a 9.3% lower LDL cholesterol level. In genetic, causal analyses adjusted for age, sex, and year of birth, the risk ratios...

  15. Results of the 76th meeting of the Council on Power Resource Development and Adjustment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Koichi

    1979-01-01

    To the decisions concerning the power resource development plans in fiscal 1978 decided in the 75th meeting, revision was made in the 76th meeting of the Council on Power Resource Development and Adjustment. In the original plans; during 8 years from fiscal 1978, the power plants of a total of 71,100 MW will be completed; and for fiscal 1978, 41,250 MW is developed consecutively, while and 3,150 MW is developed newly. 6 hydraulic stations, 18 thermal stations and 2 nuclear stations of 1,990 MW are planned. According to revision, 2,800 MW developed newly at 1 hydraulic, 2 thermal and/nuclear sites was newly incorporated in the plan. As for nuclear power generation, in The Chubu Electric Power Co., Ltd., Unit 3 of BWR type with 1,100 MW is added to the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station. (Mori, K.)

  16. 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference. Nuclear energy, science and technology - Pacific partnership. Proceedings Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-04-01

    The theme of the 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear conference held in Sydney from 1-6 May 1994, embraced the use of the atom in energy production and in science and technology. The focus was on selected topics of current and ongoing interest to countries around the Pacific Basin. The two-volume proceedings include both invited and contributed papers. They have been indexed separately. This document, Volume 1 covers the following topics: Pacific partnership; perspectives on nuclear energy, science and technology in Pacific Basin countries; nuclear energy and sustainable development; economics of the power reactors; new power reactor projects; power reactor technology; advanced reactors; radioisotope and radiation technology; biomedical applications

  17. Constructing a classification of hypersensitivity/allergic diseases for ICD-11 by crowdsourcing the allergist community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanno, L K; Calderon, M A; Goldberg, B J; Gayraud, J; Bircher, A J; Casale, T; Li, J; Sanchez-Borges, M; Rosenwasser, L J; Pawankar, R; Papadopoulos, N G; Demoly, P

    2015-06-01

    The global allergy community strongly believes that the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) offers a unique opportunity to improve the classification and coding of hypersensitivity/allergic diseases via inclusion of a specific chapter dedicated to this disease area to facilitate epidemiological studies, as well as to evaluate the true size of the allergy epidemic. In this context, an international collaboration has decided to revise the classification of hypersensitivity/allergic diseases and to validate it for ICD-11 by crowdsourcing the allergist community. After careful comparison between ICD-10 and 11 beta phase linearization codes, we identified gaps and trade-offs allowing us to construct a classification proposal, which was sent to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) sections, interest groups, executive committee as well as the World Allergy Organization (WAO), and American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) leaderships. The crowdsourcing process produced comments from 50 of 171 members contacted by e-mail. The classification proposal has also been discussed at face-to-face meetings with experts of EAACI sections and interest groups and presented in a number of business meetings during the 2014 EAACI annual congress in Copenhagen. As a result, a high-level complex structure of classification for hypersensitivity/allergic diseases has been constructed. The model proposed has been presented to the WHO groups in charge of the ICD revision. The international collaboration of allergy experts appreciates bilateral discussion and aims to get endorsement of their proposals for the final ICD-11. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. NKX3.1 Genotype and IGF-1 Interact in Prostate Cancer Risk

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-01

    hi stopathology-confirmed di agnosis of adenocarcinoma of the prostate (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, rubric 185...ymorphic l ocus NKX3.1 C154T i s a ttenuated i n IGFBP-3 activation and growth suppression in vitro. NKX3.1 C154T is a genetic determinant that is a...Australia + 6 Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic , and Analytic Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne, Australia 4Children’s

  19. Medical Examination of Aliens--Revisions to Medical Screening Process. Final rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-26

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is issuing this final rule (FR) to amend its regulations governing medical examinations that aliens must undergo before they may be admitted to the United States. Based on public comment received, HHS/CDC did not make changes from the NPRM published on June 23, 2015. Accordingly, this FR will: Revise the definition of communicable disease of public health significance by removing chancroid, granuloma inguinale, and lymphogranuloma venereum as inadmissible health-related conditions for aliens seeking admission to the United States; update the notification of the health-related grounds of inadmissibility to include proof of vaccinations to align with existing requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA); revise the definitions and evaluation criteria for mental disorders, drug abuse and drug addiction; clarify and revise the evaluation requirements for tuberculosis; clarify and revise the process for the HHS/CDC-appointed medical review board that convenes to reexamine the determination of a Class A medical condition based on an appeal; and update the titles and designations of federal agencies within the text of the regulation.

  20. A guide to radiologic methods of diagnosis. 9. rev. and enlarged ed.

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thurn, P.; Buecheler, E.; Frommhold, H.

    1992-01-01

    With the 9th edition of this guide an attempt was made to take account of technical innovations in radiology and the appropriate range of indications. Attention was mainly focused on the various possibilities offered at the clinical level by high-resolution computed tomography as well as nmr imaging and digitized radiography. The chapter on radioprotection and radiation injuries has been rewritten and updated through the addition of recently prepared tables. The clinical chapters chiefly deal with the roles of nmr imaging and computed tomography. This applies in particular to discussions relating to the central nervous system, facial skull, cervical region and soft tissues. Radiologic methods of intervention were given some coverage. The chapter on contrast media and mishaps attributable to these was completely revised. (orig./MG) With 761 figs., 29 tabs [de

  1. TH17 cells promote microbial killing and innate immune sensing of DNA via interleukin 26

    KAUST Repository

    Meller, Stephan

    2015-07-13

    Interleukin 17-producing helper T cells (TH 17 cells) have a major role in protection against infections and in mediating autoimmune diseases, yet the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. We found that interleukin 26 (IL-26), a human TH17 cell-derived cytokine, is a cationic amphipathic protein that kills extracellular bacteria via membrane-pore formation. Furthermore, TH17 cell-derived IL-26 formed complexes with bacterial DNA and self-DNA released by dying bacteria and host cells. The resulting IL-26-DNA complexes triggered the production of type I interferon by plasmacytoid dendritic cells via activation of Toll-like receptor 9, but independently of the IL-26 receptor. These findings provide insights into the potent antimicrobial and proinflammatory function of TH17 cells by showing that IL-26 is a natural human antimicrobial that promotes immune sensing of bacterial and host cell death. © 2015 Nature America, Inc.

  2. TH17 cells promote microbial killing and innate immune sensing of DNA via interleukin 26

    KAUST Repository

    Meller, Stephan; Di Domizio, Jeremy; Voo, Kui S; Friedrich, Heike C; Chamilos, Georgios; Ganguly, Dipyaman; Conrad, Curdin; Gregorio, Josh; Le Roy, Didier; Roger, Thierry; Ladbury, John E; Homey, Bernhard; Watowich, Stanley; Modlin, Robert L; Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P; Liu, Yong-Jun; Arold, Stefan T.; Gilliet, Michel

    2015-01-01

    Interleukin 17-producing helper T cells (TH 17 cells) have a major role in protection against infections and in mediating autoimmune diseases, yet the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. We found that interleukin 26 (IL-26), a human TH17 cell-derived cytokine, is a cationic amphipathic protein that kills extracellular bacteria via membrane-pore formation. Furthermore, TH17 cell-derived IL-26 formed complexes with bacterial DNA and self-DNA released by dying bacteria and host cells. The resulting IL-26-DNA complexes triggered the production of type I interferon by plasmacytoid dendritic cells via activation of Toll-like receptor 9, but independently of the IL-26 receptor. These findings provide insights into the potent antimicrobial and proinflammatory function of TH17 cells by showing that IL-26 is a natural human antimicrobial that promotes immune sensing of bacterial and host cell death. © 2015 Nature America, Inc.

  3. Vertical Jump and Leg Power Normative Data for Colombian Schoolchildren Aged 9-17.9 Years: The FUPRECOL Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson; Correa-Bautista, Jorge E; Lobelo, Felipe; Cadore, Eduardo L; Alonso-Martinez, Alicia M; Izquierdo, Mikel

    2017-04-01

    Ramírez-Vélez, R, Correa-Bautista, JE, Lobelo, F, Cadore, EL, Alonso-Martinez, AM, and Izquierdo, M. Vertical jump and leg power normative data for Colombian schoolchildren aged 9-17.9 years: the FUPRECOL study. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 990-998, 2017-The aims of the present study were to generate normative vertical jump height and predicted peak power (Ppeak) data for 9- to 17.9-year-olds and to investigate between-sex and age group differences in these measures. This was a cross-sectional study of 7,614 healthy schoolchildren (boys n = 3,258 and girls n = 4,356, mean [SD] age 12.8 [2.3] years). Each participant performed 2 countermovement jumps; jump height was calculated using a Takei 5414 Jump-DF Digital Vertical (Takei Scientific Instruments Co., Ltd.). The highest jump was used for analysis and in the calculation of predicted Ppeak. Centile smoothed curves, percentiles, and tables for the 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles were calculated using Cole's LMS (L [curve Box-Cox], M [curve median], and S [curve coefficient of variation]) method. The 2-way analysis of variance tests showed that maximum jump height (in centimeters) and predicted Ppeak (in watts) were higher in boys than in girls (p jump height and Ppeak in all ages. In boys, the maximum jump height and predicted Ppeak 50th percentile ranged from 24.0 to 38.0 cm and from 845.5 to 3061.6 W, respectively. In girls, the 50th percentile for jump height ranged from 22.3 to 27.0 cm, and the predicted Ppeak was 710.1-2036.4 W. For girls, jump height increased yearly from 9 to 17.9 years old. Our results provide, for the first time, sex- and age-specific vertical jump height and predicted Ppeak reference standards for Colombian schoolchildren aged 9-17.9 years.

  4. Kleptomania in patients with neuro-Behçet's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shugaiv, Erkingül; Kıyat-Atamer, Aslı; Tüzün, Erdem; Kürtüncü, Murat; Baral-Kulaksızoğlu, Işın; Akman Demir, Gülşen

    2013-01-01

    This study was conducted to characterize the prevalence and clinical features of kleptomania, an impulse control disorder, in patients with Behçet's disease involving the central nervous system. Medical records of 350 patients with neuro-Behçet's disease were evaluated, and clinical and neuropsychological features of patients with kleptomania were noted. Of the 350 neuro-Behçet's disease patients 6 (1.7%) had presented with symptoms that fulfilled the criteria of kleptomania according to the revised 4th version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The 6 patients (5 men, 1 woman) had parenchymal lesions and had developed kleptomania during remission. Magnetic resonance imaging done on the 6 patients before the onset of kleptomania mostly revealed brainstem lesions. Psychiatric assessment did not show any comorbid psychiatric disorders and neuropsychological evaluation showed executive dysfunction in all patients. The 6 patients with kleptomania had developed a frontal lobe syndrome. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. TNF-α inhibitors reduce the pathological Th1 -Th17 /Th2 imbalance in cutaneous mesenchymal stem cells of psoriasis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campanati, Anna; Orciani, Monia; Lazzarini, Raffaella; Ganzetti, Giulia; Consales, Veronica; Sorgentoni, Giulia; Di Primio, Roberto; Offidani, Annamaria

    2017-04-01

    Psoriasis is a disease characterized by an imbalance between Th 1 and Th 17 and Th 2 inflammatory axes, in which cutaneous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are early involved, as they show a greater relative expression of several genes encoding for Th 1 and Th 17 cytokines. Therapeutic implications of TNF-α inhibitors on differentiated skin cells have been largely described in psoriasis; however, their effects on MSCs derived from patients with psoriasis have been only partially described. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of TNF-α inhibitors on cytokine milieu expressed by MSCs isolated from the skin of patients with psoriasis. Resident MSCs from skin of patients with psoriasis and healthy subjects have been isolated, characterized and profiled by PCR and ELISA for the expression of 22 cytokines involved in Th 1 , Th 2 and Th 17 pathways, both before and after 12 weeks therapy with TNF-α inhibitors. The administration of TNF-α inhibitors for 12-weeks acts on MSCs as follows: it reduces the expression of several Th 1 -Th 17 cytokines whose levels are elevated at baseline (IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-23A, IFN-γ, TNF-α, CCL2, CCL20, CXCL2, CXCL5, IL-17A, IL-17C, IL-17F, IL-21, G-CSF). Similarly, it enhances the expression of several Th 2 cytokines which are underexpressed at baseline (IL-2, IL-4, IL-5), reducing the expression of those overexpressed at baseline (TGF-β and IL-13). TNF-α inhibitors could contribute to reduce the pathological imbalance between the Th 1 -Th 17 vs Th 2 axis in MSCs of patients with psoriasis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. 9 CFR 95.3 - Byproducts from diseased animals prohibited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Byproducts from diseased animals prohibited. 95.3 Section 95.3 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE EXPORTATION AND IMPORTATION OF ANIMALS (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS...

  7. Interleukin 9 and its receptor: an overview of structure and function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demoulin, J B; Renauld, J C

    1998-01-01

    Interleukin-9 (IL-9) is a multifunctional cytokine produced by activated TH2 clones in vitro and during TH2-like T cell responses in vivo. Although IL-9 was initially described as a T cell growth factor, its role in T cell responses is still unclear. While freshly isolated normal T cells do not respond to IL-9, this cytokine induces the proliferation of murine T cell lymphomas in vitro, and in vivo overexpression of IL-9 results in the development of thymic lymphomas. In the human, the existence of an IL-9 mediated autocrine loop has been suggested for some malignancies such as Hodgkin's disease. Various observations indicate that IL-9 is actively involved in mast cells responses by inducing the proliferation and differentiation of these cells. Other potential biological targets for IL-9 include B lymphocytes, and hematopoietic progenitors, for which higher responses were observed with foetal or transformed cells as compared to normal adult progenitors. The IL-9 receptor is a member of the hemopoietin receptor superfamily and interacts with the gamma chain of the IL-2 receptor for signaling. Signal transduction studies have stressed the role of the Jak-STAT pathway in various IL-9 bioactivities, whereas the 4PS/IRS2 adaptor protein might also play a significant role in IL-9 signaling.

  8. NEEDLE REVISION WITH MITOMYCIN-C IN ENCAPSULATED BLEBS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R Zarei

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available "nThe most common cause of failure during the first trimester after trabeculectomy is encapsulated bleb and needling bleb revision is a less invasive method in the management of refractory cases. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of mitomycin-C (MMC augmented bleb revision of failed filtration surgery. This study is a before-after (paired observation. 33 patients with failed trabeculectomy because of bleb encapsulation, whose intraocular pressure (IOP was not reduced under 21 mmHg despite of medications and digital massage , underwent needling bleb revision and subconjunctival injection of 0.1 ml MMC (0.4 mg/ml.The mean follow-up time was 9.24 ± 5.27 months (1-20 months. Statistical analysis of the data included the paired two-tailed Student's t test for preoperative and postoperative IOP and number of medications. 36 needling procedures (mean, 1.09 ± 0.21 revisions per eye were performed on 33 eyes. Patients were between 10-80 years old (mean, 45.67 ± 22.41 years and mean follow-up was 9.24 ± 5.27 months. IOP decreased from 29.06 ± 5.03 mmHg to 18.21 ± 6.76 mmHg at last follow-up (P= 0.000. Antiglaucoma medications decreased from 2.18 ± 0.58 to 1.36 ± 0.29 at last follow-up (P= 0.000.Overall, 6 (18.2% of 33 cases achieved a complete success and 20 (60.6% of cases achieved a qualified success. The complications of this procedure were subconjunctival hemorrhage (17 cases, hyphema (5 cases and conjunctival button hole (2 cases. Needling bleb revision with mitomycin-C appears to be an effective and relatively safe way to revive failed filtration surgery.

  9. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α agonists modulate Th1 and Th2 chemokine secretion in normal thyrocytes and Graves' disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antonelli, Alessandro; Ferrari, Silvia Martina; Frascerra, Silvia; Corrado, Alda; Pupilli, Cinzia; Bernini, Giampaolo; Benvenga, Salvatore; Ferrannini, Ele; Fallahi, Poupak

    2011-01-01

    Until now, no data are present about the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)α activation on the prototype Th1 [chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)10] (CXCL10) and Th2 [chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2] (CCL2) chemokines secretion in thyroid cells. The role of PPARα and PPARγ activation on CXCL10 and CCL2 secretion was tested in Graves' disease (GD) and control primary thyrocytes stimulated with interferon (IFN)γ and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α. IFNγ stimulated both CXCL10 and CCL2 secretion in primary GD and control thyrocytes. TNFα alone stimulated CCL2 secretion, while had no effect on CXCL10. The combination of IFNγ and TNFα had a synergistic effect both on CXCL10 and CCL2 chemokines in GD thyrocytes at levels comparable to those of controls. PPARα activators inhibited the secretion of both chemokines (stimulated with IFNγ and TNFα) at a level higher (for CXCL10, about 60-72%) than PPARγ agonists (about 25-35%), which were confirmed to inhibit CXCL10, but not CCL2. Our data show that CCL2 is modulated by IFNγ and TNFα in GD and normal thyrocytes. Furthermore we first show that PPARα activators inhibit the secretion of CXCL10 and CCL2 in thyrocytes, suggesting that PPARα may be involved in the modulation of the immune response in the thyroid.

  10. 78 FR 70225 - West Virginia: Final Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-25

    ... 04. 45-25-1.1.a, 45-25- Trucks, Revision Checklist 1.5.a/Table 25-A, 205. Item 9. RCRA Cluster XV...- Pigments, and Food, Drug, and 70 FR 35032, 6/ 10.1. Cosmetic Colorants, Revision 16/05. Checklist 206...

  11. The Issues of the Diocesan Organization of the Breton Сhurch in the 9th Century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arteev Mikhail

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Using a considerable variety of sources (chronicles, hagiography, charters, letters the author of the present article shows a process of formation of the system of the Breton bishoprics during the Carolingian era, when this land was a part of the Frankish empire. There were no regular episcopal sees in Brittany before the 9th century: Dol and Léon were monastery-bishoprics; Tréguier and Aleth, possibly, had the same nature. Bishops appeared there only from time to time. In the middle of the 9th century there were sees in Aleth, Quimper, Léon, and Dol. And they were substituted regularly. Obviously, an attempt to establish episcopal sees in Tréguier and Saint-Brieuc was vain. Along with a territorial expansion of the power of the Breton duke three others bishoprics founded in the Roman and post-Roman times — Nantes, Rennes, and Vannes — became parts of the Breton church. The sought of duke Nominoe for the independence from West-Frankish kingdom led to the «schism» of 849 which actually meant a separation of the most of the Breton bishoprics from the Gallic Church. King Salomon in 860s tried to promote the see of Dol to a metropolitan grade, but with no success due to determined resistance of the pope Nicolas I and the Frankish bishops. But in spite of the absence of archbishopric in Brittany the church of the region from the last third of the ninth century onwards run its quite different from the rest of the Western Сhurch way of life with its own synods and traditions. In this sense the Breton Church resembled other Celtic Churches of the Early Middle Ages.

  12. Outcomes of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Revision in Pediatric Glaucoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Omairi, Ahmed Mansour; Al Ameri, Aliah H; Al-Shahwan, Sami; Khan, Arif O; Al-Jadaan, Ibrahim; Mousa, Ahmed; Edward, Deepak P

    2017-11-01

    Encapsulation of the Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) plate is a common cause for postoperative elevation of intraocular pressure, especially in children. Many reports have described the outcomes of AGV revision in adults. However, the outcomes of AGV revision in children are poorly documented. The aim of this study was to determine the outcomes of AGV revision in children. Retrospective cross-sectional study. A retrospective chart review of patients less than 15 years of age who underwent AGV revision with a minimum postoperative follow-up of 6 months was conducted. Outcome measures included reduction in intraocular pressure from baseline, survival analysis, and reduction in the number of antiglaucoma medications. Postoperative complications were also noted. Complete success was defined as an IOP of 21 mm Hg or less without medications, while qualified success was defined as having an IOP of 21 mm Hg or less with medications. A total of 44 eyes met the inclusion criteria. Primary congenital glaucoma was present in 39 eyes (88.6%), aphakic glaucoma in 4 eyes (9.1%), and Peters anomaly-associated glaucoma in 1 eye (2.3%). The mean number of previous surgeries was 1.4, and the mean age was 6.7 years (range, 1.9-13 years) with a median follow-up of 12 months (range, 6-24 months). The IOP was reduced from a preoperative mean of 30.4 (± 10.3) to 24.9 (± 10.6) mm Hg at 6 months postoperatively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the complete success rate at 1 month was 100% followed by a rapid decline at 6 months to 38.6%, 27.7% at 1 year, and 5.5% at 2 years. Qualified success rate was 100% at 1 month followed by a 6-month and 1-year survival rate of approximately 50% and a 2-year survival rate of approximately 16%. The median survival time was 14 months. No specific risk factors for failure were identified. Visual acuity remained unchanged following revision. The most common complication was recurrence of encapsulation with elevated IOP (15.9%). Other

  13. FY 1998 Report on development of technologies for commercialization of photovoltaic power systems. International co-operative project (IEA implementing agreement for a co-operative programme on photovoltaic power systems, 9th and 10th executive committee meetings); 1998 nendo taiyoko hatsuden system jitsuyoka gijutsu kaihatsu kokusai kyoryoku jigyo. IEA taiyoko hatsuden system kenkyu kyoryoku program jisshi kyotei dai 10 kai dai 9 kai iinkai

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1999-03-01

    Described herein are outline of the International Energy Agency/Co-operative programme on Photovoltaic Power Systems (IEA/PVPS), and minutes of the 9th and 10th executive committee meetings. Japan signed the IEA Implementing Agreement for a co-operative programme on Photovoltaic Power Systems in April 1993, and has been participating in the programme for research and development, demonstration, analysis, information exchange and introduction promotion, among others. The tasks are composed of exchange and dissemination of information on PVPS, operational performance and design of PVPS, use of PVPS in stand alone and island applications, grid interconnection of building integrated and other dispersed PVPS, design and grid interconnection of dispersed PVPS, e.g., roof type, design and operation of modular PV plants for large scale power generation, PV in the built environment, and feasibility study on large scale PV power generation utilizing desert areas. The 9th and 10th executive committee meetings include the co-operative programme progress reports and technical tours. (NEDO)

  14. Proceedings of the 18th technical meeting on nuclear reactor and radiation for KURRI engineers and the 9th technical official group section 5 meeting in Kyoto University

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-03-01

    This report is a summary of 18th Technical Meeting on Nuclear Reactor and Radiation for KURRI Engineers in Kyoto University. This was also the 9th meeting for technical official group section 5 (nuclear and radiation) in Kyoto University. In the workshop, three special lectures held were: (1) 'On Border Between Subcritical and Supercritical', (2) 'Memories of Nuclear Power Plant Management for 40 Years', and (3) 'Introduction of Technical Office in Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University'. The technical presentations held were: (1) 'Radiation Background Study of Specialty Products in Senshu Region', (2) 'Introduction of Radioactivation Analysis at KUR', (3) 'Consideration of Critical Approach Method for KUR Low-Enrichment Fuel Reactor Core Using SRAC', (4) 'Evaluation of Temperature Coefficient of KUR Low-Enrichment Fuel Reactor Core Using SRAC'. As training for technical staffs in Technical Office, we visited the facility in Ashiu Research Forest. An introduction of this facility and the comments from the participants were included in this report. (S.K.)

  15. Structural phase stability of ThSb and ThAs under pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venkatasubramaniam, K.; Rajagopalan, M.; Palanivel, B.; Kalpana, G.

    1997-01-01

    The high-pressure behaviour of thorium monopnictides is of considerable interest as these systems exhibit structural phase transitions under pressure. At ambient conditions these compounds crystallize in the NaCl-type(B1) structure. Experiments show that with the application of pressure these compounds transform to the CsCl-type (B2) structure. ThSb and ThAs are found to exhibit B1-B2 transition in the pressure range between 9-12 GPa and 1826 GPa respectively. In this work, we present the electronic and high-pressure behaviour of ThAs and ThSb performed using the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital method. The total energies within the atomic sphere approximation were calculated as a function of volume for both the B1 and B2 structures. The total energy calculations reveal that both ThSb and ThAs are stable in the B1 structure at ambient conditions and undergo structural transition to the B2 structure at pressures 78 and 240 kbar respectively, which are in good agreement with the experimental values. The calculated values of equilibrium lattice parameter and the transition pressure are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. (author)

  16. 9th Annual Systems Engineering Conference: Volume 4 Thursday

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-10-26

    ISO /IEC 27000 series – Information Security Management System (ISMS) – ISO /IEC 17799:2005 – Code of Practice for Information Security Management...October 2006, Track 2 Standards Organizations Supporting Assurance ISO IEC JTC1TC176 SC1 SC22 Terminology Software Engineering Language, OS SC7...Information Assurance IEEE CS ISO IEC IEEE CS NIST FISMA Projects U.S. Gov’t DoD MIL-STDsPolicy Memos OMG Knowledge Discovery Models OMG 259th Annual

  17. Proposal for a revised definition of dilated cardiomyopathy, hypokinetic non-dilated cardiomyopathy, and its implications for clinical practice : a position statement of the ESC working group on myocardial and pericardial diseases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pinto, Yigal M.; Elliott, Perry M.; Arbustini, Eloisa; Adler, Yehuda; Anastasakis, Aris; Boehm, Michael; Duboc, Denis; Gimeno, Juan; de Groote, Pascal; Imazio, Massimo; Heymans, Stephane; Klingel, Karin; Komajda, Michel; Limongelli, Giuseppe; Linhart, Ales; Mogensen, Jens; Moon, James; Pieper, Petronella G.; Seferovic, Petar M.; Schueler, Stephan; Zamorano, Jose L.; Caforio, Alida L. P.; Charron, Philippe

    2016-01-01

    In this paper the Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Disease proposes a revised definition of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in an attempt to bridge the gap between our recent understanding of the disease spectrum and its clinical presentation in relatives, which is key for early diagnosis

  18. 78 FR 54178 - Virginia: Final Authorization of State Hazardous Waste Management Program Revisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-03

    ... XIX Academic Laboratories 73 FR 72912, 9 VAC Sec. Sec. 20- Generator Standards, Revision December 1... 17, 60-18, 20-60-261 A, Hazardous Constituents, 2010. 20-60-268 A. Revision Checklist 225. Academic... steps to eliminate drafting errors and ambiguity, minimize potential litigation, and provide a clear...

  19. 9th International Bielefeld Conference 2009: Upgrading the eLibrary: Enhanced Information Services Driven by Technology and Economics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Almuth Gastinger

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Thisarticle reports on the 9th International Bielefeld Conference ‘Upgrading the eLibrary: Enhanced Information Services Driven by Technology and Economics’, 3-5 February 2009, in Bielefeld, Germany. The conference focused on future challenges for libraries regarding the development of information services and infrastructures that meet the changing needs of scholarly communication, collaboration (e-science and publication (open access as well as new requirements regarding teaching and learning (virtual learning spaces. In addition attention was paid to economic conditions and strategic positioning of libraries as a general framework for information services.

  20. Pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch predisposes to adjacent segment disease after lumbar spinal fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rothenfluh, Dominique A; Mueller, Daniel A; Rothenfluh, Esin; Min, Kan

    2015-06-01

    Several risk factors and causes of adjacent segment disease have been debated; however, no quantitative relationship to spino-pelvic parameters has been established so far. A retrospective case-control study was carried out to investigate spino-pelvic alignment in patients with adjacent segment disease compared to a control group. 45 patients (ASDis) were identified that underwent revision surgery for adjacent segment disease after on average 49 months (7-125), 39 patients were selected as control group (CTRL) similar in the distribution of the matching variables, such as age, gender, preoperative degenerative changes, and numbers of segments fused with a mean follow-up of 84 months (61-142) (total n = 84). Several radiographic parameters were measured on pre- and postoperative radiographs, including lumbar lordosis measured (LL), sacral slope, pelvic incidence (PI), and tilt. Significant differences between ASDis and CTRL groups on preoperative radiographs were seen for PI (60.9 ± 10.0° vs. 51.7 ± 10.4°, p = 0.001) and LL (48.1 ± 12.5° vs. 53.8 ± 10.8°, p = 0.012). Pelvic incidence was put into relation to lumbar lordosis by calculating the difference between pelvic incidence and lumbar lordosis (∆PILL = PI-LL, ASDis 12.5 ± 16.7° vs. CTRL 3.4 ± 12.1°, p = 0.001). A cutoff value of 9.8° was determined by logistic regression and ROC analysis and patients classified into a type A (∆PILL lordosis mismatch. In type A spino-pelvic alignment, 25.5 % of patients underwent revision surgery for adjacent segment disease, whereas 78.3 % of patients classified as type B alignment had revision surgery. Classification of patients into type A and B alignments yields a sensitivity for predicting adjacent segment disease of 71 %, a specificity of 81 % and an odds ratio of 10.6. In degenerative disease of the lumbar spine a high pelvic incidence with diminished lumbar lordosis seems to predispose to adjacent segment disease. Patients with such pelvic incidence

  1. Intensive chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia differentially affects circulating TC1, TH1, TH17 and TREG cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gjertsen Bjørn

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Several observations suggest that immunological events early after chemotherapy, possibly during the period of severe treatment-induced cytopenia, are important for antileukemic immune reactivity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML. We therefore investigated the frequencies of various T cell subsets (TC1, TH1, TH17 and CD25+ FoxP3+ TREG cells in AML patients with untreated disease and following intensive chemotherapy. Results Relative levels of circulating TC1 and TH1 cells were decreased in patients with severe chemotherapy-induced cytopenia, whereas TH17 levels did not differ from healthy controls. Increased levels of regulatory CD25+ FoxP3+ T cells were detected in AML patients with untreated disease, during chemotherapy-induced cytopenia and during regeneration after treatment. TH17 and TH1 levels were significantly higher in healthy males than females, but this gender difference was not detected during chemotherapy-induced cytopenia. Finally, exogenous IL17-A usually had no or only minor effects on proliferation of primary human AML cells. Conclusions We conclude that the effect of intensive AML chemotherapy differ between circulating T cell subsets, relative frequencies of TH17 cells are not affected by chemotherapy and this subset may affect AML cells indirectly through their immunoregulatory effects but probably not through direct effects of IL17-A.

  2. Revised guidance on reporting of offshore hydrocarbon releases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-11-01

    The application offshore of the Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 1995) has resulted in a new statutory reporting form. The definitions in RIDDOR 95 covering offshore hydrocarbon releases have been slightly revised, making it necessary to revise the guidance on reporting of offshore hydrocarbon releases. RIDDOR 1995 does not affect the existing voluntary arrangements for completion of forms. The receipt of correctly completed forms is important to ensure good output data from the database, and the guidance contained in this document is therefore aimed at assisting completion of the voluntary form. (UK)

  3. A statistical study of the maxillofacial diseases by radiograms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Yoo Tai; Lee, Sang Chull [College of Dentistry, Kyunghee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1974-11-15

    This report based on 300 cases of serious diseases in maxillofacial region by radiograms seen at the department of dental radiodontics, infirmary school of dentistry, Kyung Hee University from October 1971 to August 1974. The maxillofacial diseases were analysed upon the following items, such as 1) the frequency of dominant diseases, 2) sex-ratio of male to female, 3) predominant region of diseases, 4) comparison with the age, 5) the incidence of diseases in relative to the individual teeth. The results were obtained as follows. 1) Among the total of 300 cases of the patients, the frequency of dominant diseases of patients were fractures of facial bone (44.3 {+-} 2.87%), inflammatory diseases (22.7 {+-} 2.39%), cysts (11.1 {+-} 1.62%), tumors(10.7 {+-} 1.77%), maxillary sinusitis (7.9 {+-} 1.56%), temporomandibular joint disorders(3.3 {+-} 1.05%) in the order. 2) The sex ratio of male to female in occurrence of jaw fractures were 7.3 : 1, temporomandibular joint disorders were 2.1 : 1, inflammatory diseases were 1.8:1, maxillary sinusitis were 1.7 : 1, but tumors were 1: 1, while cysts were 1:1 .2 in sex difference.3) The predominant region of mandibular fractures were symphysis (17.3 {+-} 3.27%), canine region (15.0 {+-} 3.09%), and angle region(14.3 {+-} 3.04%) in the order. Inflammatory diseases were occurred frequently in mandible and it's left side were a little dominant. Odontogenic cysts were observed frequently in maxilla, but regardless of right and left. Carcinomas were involved most frequently in maxilla, while sarcomas and ameloblastomas in mandible. Frequency of the maxillary sinusitis w ere dominant in right side and molar area, also temporomandibular joint disorders were dominant in right side. 4) To study comparing with the age, jaw fractures showed the highest ratio at the 2nd decade (32.3 {+-} 4.06%), and 3rd decade (27.8 {+-} 3.89%), 4th decade (19.6 {+-} 3.44%), 6th decade (9.0 {+-} 2.47%), 5th decade(6.0 {+-} 2.06%), lst decade(5.3 {+-} 1

  4. Rome, October 13th, 1965: Shklovsky interviewed by Arbasino

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alberto Arbasino

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In an issue that connects artistic creation with desire in many ways, we propose here the notoriously eccentric point of view of Šklovskij, through the re-reading a long conversation he had with Alberto Arbasino, published by “Il Giorno”, 13th October 1965. This is the original version of the interview: an extensively revised edition is included in the profile dedicated by Arbasino to Šklovskij in Sessanta posizioni, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1971, pp. 410-28.

  5. Melatonin as potential inducer of Th17 cell differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuklina, Elena M

    2014-09-01

    The subset of T lymphocytes producing IL-17 (Th17) plays a key role in the immune system. It has been implicated in host defense, inflammatory diseases, tumorigenesis, autoimmune diseases, and transplant rejection. Careful analysis of the data available holds that Th17 cell subpopulation should be under the direct control of pineal hormone melatonin: the key Th17 differentiation factor RORα serves in the meantime as a high-affinity melatonin receptor. Since the levels of melatonin have diurnal and seasonal variation, as well as substantial deviations in some physiological or pathological conditions, melatonin-dependent regulation of Th17 cells should implicate multiform manifestation, such as influencing the outcome of infectious challenge or determining predisposition, etiology and progression of immune-related morbidities. Another important reason to raise a point of the new melatonin effects is current considering the possibilities of its clinical trials. Especially, the differentiation of Th17 upon melatonin treatment must aggravate the current recession in autoimmune diseases or induce serious complications in pregnancy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Revision Total Hip Arthoplasty: Factors Associated with Re-Revision Surgery

    OpenAIRE

    Khatod, M; Cafri, G; Inacio, MCS; Schepps, AL; Paxton, EW; Bini, SA

    2015-01-01

    The survivorship of implants after revision total hip arthroplasty and risk factors associated with re-revision are not well defined. We evaluated the re-revision rate with use of the institutional total joint replacement registry. The purpose of this study was to determine patient, implant, and surgeon factors associated with re-revision total hip arthroplasty.A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The total joint replacement registry was used to identify patients who had undergone revi...

  7. A revision of the genus Mastixia (Cornaceae)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Matthew, K.M.

    1976-01-01

    A revision of the genus in its entire range of distribution is presented. Out of more than 50 published specific names, 9 species (with 13 subspecies or varieties) are recognized, in addition to 4 new species and one new subspecies. The two subgenera Pentamastixia and Tetramastixia of Wangerin

  8. A survey of the past earthquakesin the Eastern Adriatic (14th to early 19th century

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Albini

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Focusing on the Eastern Adriatic region, from Zadar in the north to Corfu in the south, the background information supporting our knowledge of the seismicity in the time-span 14th to early 19th century is discussed from the point of view of the historical earthquake records. The late 19th century seismological compilations turn out to be those responsible for the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of seismicity suggested by current parametric earthquake catalogues. This awareness asked for a comprehensive reappraisal of the reliability and completeness of the available historical earthquake records. This task was addressed by retrieving in the original version the information already known, by putting the records in the historical context in which they were produced, and finally by sampling historical sources so far not considered. Selected case histories have been presented in some detail also. This material altogether has shown that i current parameterisation of past earthquakes in the Eastern Adriatic should be reconsidered in the light of a critically revised interpretation of the available records; ii collecting new evidence in sources and repositories, not fully exploited so far, is needed. This should aim mostly at overcoming another limitation affecting the evaluation of full sets of earthquake parameters, that is the few observations available for each earthquake. In this perspective, an optimistic assessment of the potential documentation on this area is proposed.

  9. PREFACE: 9th World Congress on Computational Mechanics and 4th Asian Pacific Congress on Computational Mechanics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khalili, N.; Valliappan, S.; Li, Q.; Russell, A.

    2010-07-01

    The use for mathematical models of natural phenomena has underpinned science and engineering for centuries, but until the advent of modern computers and computational methods, the full utility of most of these models remained outside the reach of the engineering communities. Since World War II, advances in computational methods have transformed the way engineering and science is undertaken throughout the world. Today, theories of mechanics of solids and fluids, electromagnetism, heat transfer, plasma physics, and other scientific disciplines are implemented through computational methods in engineering analysis, design, manufacturing, and in studying broad classes of physical phenomena. The discipline concerned with the application of computational methods is now a key area of research, education, and application throughout the world. In the early 1980's, the International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM) was founded to promote activities related to computational mechanics and has made impressive progress. The most important scientific event of IACM is the World Congress on Computational Mechanics. The first was held in Austin (USA) in 1986 and then in Stuttgart (Germany) in 1990, Chiba (Japan) in 1994, Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1998, Vienna (Austria) in 2002, Beijing (China) in 2004, Los Angeles (USA) in 2006 and Venice, Italy; in 2008. The 9th World Congress on Computational Mechanics is held in conjunction with the 4th Asian Pacific Congress on Computational Mechanics under the auspices of Australian Association for Computational Mechanics (AACM), Asian Pacific Association for Computational Mechanics (APACM) and International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM). The 1st Asian Pacific Congress was in Sydney (Australia) in 2001, then in Beijing (China) in 2004 and Kyoto (Japan) in 2007. The WCCM/APCOM 2010 publications consist of a printed book of abstracts given to delegates, along with 247 full length peer reviewed papers published with

  10. CCR6(+) Th cell populations distinguish ACPA positive from ACPA negative rheumatoid arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulissen, Sandra M J; van Hamburg, Jan Piet; Davelaar, Nadine; Vroman, Heleen; Hazes, Johanna M W; de Jong, Pascal H P; Lubberts, Erik

    2015-11-30

    Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be separated into two major subpopulations based on the absence or presence of serum anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs). The more severe disease course in ACPA(+) RA and differences in treatment outcome between these subpopulations suggest that ACPA(+) and ACPA(-) RA are different disease subsets. The identification of T-helper (Th) cells specifically recognizing citrullinated peptides, combined with the strong association between HLA-DRB1 and ACPA positivity, point toward a pathogenic role of Th cells in ACPA(+) RA. In this context we recently identified a potential pathogenic role for CCR6(+) Th cells in RA. Therefore, we examined whether Th cell population distributions differ by ACPA status. We performed a nested matched case-control study including 27 ACPA(+) and 27 ACPA(-) treatment-naive early RA patients matched for disease activity score in 44 joints, presence of rheumatoid factor, sex, age, duration of complaints and presence of erosions. CD4(+)CD45RO(+) (memory) Th cell distribution profiles from these patients were generated based on differential chemokine receptor expression and related with disease duration. ACPA status was not related to differences in total CD4(+) T cell or memory Th cell proportions. However, ACPA(+) patients had significantly higher proportions of Th cells expressing the chemokine receptors CCR6 and CXCR3. Similar proportions of CCR4(+) and CCR10(+) Th cells were found. Within the CCR6(+) cell population, four Th subpopulations were distinguished based on differential chemokine receptor expression: Th17 (CCR4(+)CCR10(-)), Th17.1 (CXCR3(+)), Th22 (CCR4(+)CCR10(+)) and CCR4/CXCR3 double-positive (DP) cells. In particular, higher proportions of Th22 (p = 0.02), Th17.1 (p = 0.03) and CCR4/CXCR3 DP (p = 0.01) cells were present in ACPA(+) patients. In contrast, ACPA status was not associated with differences in Th1 (CCR6(-)CXCR3(+); p = 0.90), Th2 (CCR6(-)CCR4(+); p = 0.27) and T

  11. Academic stress-induced changes in Th1- and Th2-cytokine response

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Areej M. Assaf

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Psychological stress stimulates physiological responses releasing catecholamines and corticoids, which act via corresponding receptors on immune cells, producing a shift in the cytokine balance. These responses are variable depending on the nature of stressors. The effect of the academic stress on the production of the Th1-cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 and Th2-cytokines (IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 on 35 medical/health sciences students after completing their questionnaires was investigated. Blood samples were taken at three stages; baseline stage at the beginning, midterm and final academic examination stages. Plasma cortisol and cytokines were measured during the three stages. The last two stages were compared with the baseline non-stress period. Results of the stress induced during the final examination stage were the highest with a significant increase in cortisol release, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-1ra release with a shift in Th1:Th2 cytokines balance towards Th2. Whereby, the midterm stage did not show significant reduction in Th1-cytokines except for TNF-α, with an increase in IFN-γ level that was reduced in the third stage. Th2 cytokine, IL-1ra, had positive correlations with Th1 cytokines; IL-2 and IFN-γ in the second stage and IL-6 cytokine in the third stage. Cortisol was positively correlated with IL-8 in the last stage and heart rates had negative correlation with IL-10 in the first and last stages. Findings of this study indicate that exam stress down-regulates Th1 with a selective up-regulation of Th2-cytokines. In conclusion, Cortisol might have a role in suppressing the release of Th1- mediated cellular immune response which could increase the vulnerability among the students to infectious diseases.

  12. Academic stress-induced changes in Th1- and Th2-cytokine response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assaf, Areej M; Al-Abbassi, Reem; Al-Binni, Maysaa

    2017-12-01

    Psychological stress stimulates physiological responses releasing catecholamines and corticoids, which act via corresponding receptors on immune cells, producing a shift in the cytokine balance. These responses are variable depending on the nature of stressors. The effect of the academic stress on the production of the Th1-cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8) and Th2-cytokines (IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10) on 35 medical/health sciences students after completing their questionnaires was investigated. Blood samples were taken at three stages; baseline stage at the beginning, midterm and final academic examination stages. Plasma cortisol and cytokines were measured during the three stages. The last two stages were compared with the baseline non-stress period. Results of the stress induced during the final examination stage were the highest with a significant increase in cortisol release, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-1ra release with a shift in Th1:Th2 cytokines balance towards Th2. Whereby, the midterm stage did not show significant reduction in Th1-cytokines except for TNF-α, with an increase in IFN-γ level that was reduced in the third stage. Th2 cytokine, IL-1ra, had positive correlations with Th1 cytokines; IL-2 and IFN-γ in the second stage and IL-6 cytokine in the third stage. Cortisol was positively correlated with IL-8 in the last stage and heart rates had negative correlation with IL-10 in the first and last stages. Findings of this study indicate that exam stress down-regulates Th1 with a selective up-regulation of Th2-cytokines. In conclusion, Cortisol might have a role in suppressing the release of Th1- mediated cellular immune response which could increase the vulnerability among the students to infectious diseases.

  13. Oxidative stress modulates the cytokine response of differentiated Th17 and Th1 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abimannan, Thiruvaimozhi; Peroumal, Doureradjou; Parida, Jyoti R; Barik, Prakash K; Padhan, Prasanta; Devadas, Satish

    2016-10-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling is critical in T helper (Th) cell differentiation; however its role in differentiated Th cell functions is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of oxidative stress on the effector functions of in vitro differentiated mouse Th17 and Th1 cells or CD4 + T cells from patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis using pro-oxidants plumbagin (PB) and hydrogen peroxide. We found that in mouse Th cells, non-toxic concentration of pro-oxidants inhibited reactivation induced expression of IL-17A in Th17 and IFN-γ in Th1 cells by reducing the expression of their respective TFs, RORγt and T-bet. Interestingly, in both the subsets, PB increased the expression of IL-4 by enhancing reactivation induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. We further investigated the cytokine modulatory effect of PB on CD4 + T cells isolated from PBMCs of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a well-known Th17 and or Th1 mediated disease. In human CD4 + T cells from Rheumatoid Arthritis patients, PB reduced the frequencies of IL-17A + (Th17), IFN - γ + (Th1) and IL-17A + /IFN - γ + (Th17/1) cells and also inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) an antioxidant completely reversed PB mediated cytokine modulatory effects in both mouse and human cells indicating a direct role for ROS. Together our data suggest that oxidative microenvironment can alter cytokine response of terminally differentiated cells and thus altering intracellular ROS could be a potential way to target Th17 and Th1 cells in autoimmune disorders. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Revision after shoulder replacement for acute fracture of the proximal humerus

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brorson, Stig; Salomonsson, Björn; Jensen, Steen L

    2017-01-01

    Background and purpose - For more than half a century, stemmed hemiarthroplasty (SHA) has been used in the treatment of comminuted and displaced fractures of the proximal humerus. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has been increasingly popular in cases where it is difficult to obtain satisfactory...... to the national shoulder arthroplasty registries in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. We included 6,756 shoulder arthroplasties performed for acute fractures between 2004 and 2013. Results - There were 6,112 SHAs (90%) and 565 RSAs (8.4%). The cumulative arthroplasty survival rate after 5 years was 0.96 for both SHA...... and RSA. The relative risk of revision of RSA was 1.4 (95% CI: 0.9-2.2) with SHA as reference. For both types of arthroplasty, the most common reason for revision was infection (SHA 0.8%, RSA 2.1%). The relative risk of revision due to infection was 3.1 (95% CI: 1.6-5.9) for RSA with SHA as reference...

  15. Neutron Diffraction Study On Gamma To Alpha Phase Transition In Ce0.9th0.1 Alloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lashley, Jason C1 [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Heffner, Robert H [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Llobet, A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Darling, T W [U OF NEVADA; Jeong, I K [PUSAN NATL UNIV

    2008-01-01

    Comprehensive neutron diffraction measurements were performed to study the isostructural {gamma} {leftrightarrow} {alpha} phase transition in Ce{sub 0.9}Th{sub 0.1} alloy. Using Rietveld refinements, we obtained lattice and thermal parameters as a function of temperature. From the temperature slope of the thermal parameters, we determined Debye temperatures {Theta}{sup {gamma}}{sub D} = 133(1) K and {Theta}{sup {alpha}}{sub D} = 140(1) K for the {gamma} phase and the {alpha} phase, respectively. This result implies that the vibrational entropy change is not significant at the {gamma} {leftrightarrow} {alpha} transition, contrary to that from elemental Cerium [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 105702, 2004].

  16. 16th edition IEE wiring regulations design and verification of electrical installations

    CERN Document Server

    Scaddan, Brian

    1995-01-01

    This book builds on the basic knowledge and techniques covered in 16th Edition IEE Wiring Regulations Explained and Illustrated, providing the information and revision materials needed for the City & Guilds 2400 (Design, Erection and Verification ofElectrical Installations) exam. All Qualifying Managers will be required to gain this qualification, and Brian Scaddan's book is the ideal text for all students undertaking C&G 2400 courses.

  17. Revised

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johannsen, Vivian Kvist; Nord-Larsen, Thomas; Riis-Nielsen, Torben

    This report is a revised analysis of the Danish data on CO2 emissions from forest, afforestation and deforestation for the period 1990 - 2008 and a prognosis for the period until 2020. Revision have included measurements from 2009 in the estimations. The report is funded by the Ministry of Climate...

  18. CCR6+ Th cells in the cerebrospinal fluid of persons with multiple sclerosis are dominated by pathogenic non-classic Th1 cells and GM-CSF-only-secreting Th cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Restorick, S M; Durant, L; Kalra, S; Hassan-Smith, G; Rathbone, E; Douglas, M R; Curnow, S J

    2017-08-01

    Considerable attention has been given to CCR6 + IL-17-secreting CD4 + T cells (Th17) in the pathology of a number of autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, other Th subsets also play important pathogenic roles, including those that secrete IFNγ and GM-CSF. CCR6 expression by Th17 cells allows their migration across the choroid plexus into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), where they are involved in the early phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), and in MS these cells are elevated in the CSF during relapses and contain high frequencies of autoreactive cells. However, the relatively low frequency of Th17 cells suggests they cannot by themselves account for the high percentage of CCR6 + cells in MS CSF. Here we identify the dominant CCR6 + T cell subsets in both the blood and CSF as non-classic Th1 cells, including many that secrete GM-CSF, a key encephalitogenic cytokine. In addition, we show that Th cells secreting GM-CSF but not IFNγ or IL-17, a subset termed GM-CSF-only-secreting Th cells, also accumulate in the CSF. Importantly, in MS the proportion of IFNγ- and GM-CSF-secreting T cells expressing CCR6 was significantly enriched in the CSF, and was elevated in MS, suggesting these cells play a pathogenic role in this disease. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. spv locus aggravates Salmonella infection of zebrafish adult by inducing Th1/Th2 shift to Th2 polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shu-Yan; Wang, Li-Dan; Xu, Guang-Mei; Yang, Si-di; Deng, Qi-Feng; Li, Yuan-Yuan; Huang, Rui

    2017-08-01

    Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) are facultative intracellular enteric pathogens causing disease with a broad range of hosts. It was known that Th1-type cytokines such as IFN-γ, IL-12, and TNF-α etc. could induce protective immunity against intracellular pathogens, while Th2-type cytokines such as IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 etc. are proved to help pathogens survive inside hosts and cause severe infection. One of the critical virulence factor attributes to the pathogenesis of S. typhimurium is Salmonella plasmid virulence genes (spv). Until now, the interaction between spv locus and the predictable generation of Th1 or Th2 immune responses to Salmonella has not been identified. In this study, zebrafish adults were employed to explore the effect of spv locus on Salmonella pathogenesis as well as host adaptive immune responses especially shift of Th1/Th2 balance. The pathological changes of intestines and livers in zebrafish were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and electron microscopy. Levels of the transcription factors of Th1 (Tbx21) and Th2 (GATA3) were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Expression of cytokines were determined by using RT-qPCR and ELISA, respectively. Results showed that spv operon aggravates damage of zebrafish. Furthermore, it demonstrated that spv locus could inhibit the transcription of tbx21 gene and suppress the expression of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF-α. On the contrary, the transcription of gata3 gene could be promoted and the expression of cytokines IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13 were enhanced by spv locus. Taken together, our data revealed that spv locus could aggravate Salmonella infection of zebrafish adult by inducing an imbalance of Th1/Th2 immune response and resulting in a detrimental Th2 bias of host. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Laparoscopic revision of failed antireflux operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafini, F M; Bloomston, M; Zervos, E; Muench, J; Albrink, M H; Murr, M; Rosemurgy, A S

    2001-01-01

    A small number of patients fail fundoplication and require reoperation. Laparoscopic techniques have been applied to reoperative fundoplications. We reviewed our experience with reoperative laparoscopic fundoplication. Reoperative laparoscopic fundoplication was undertaken in 28 patients, 19 F and 9 M, of mean age 56 years +/- 12. Previous antireflux procedures included 19 open and 12 laparoscopic antireflux operations. Symptoms were heartburn (90%), dysphagia (35%), and atypical symptoms (30%%). The mean interval from antireflux procedure to revision was 13 months +/- 4.2. The mean DeMeester score was 78+/-32 (normal 14.7). Eighteen patients (64%) had hiatal breakdown, 17 (60%) had wrap failure, 2 (7%) had slipped Nissen, 3 (11%) had paraesophageal hernias, and 1 (3%) had an excessively tight wrap. Twenty-five revisions were completed laparoscopically, while 3 patients required conversion to the open technique. Complications occurred in 9 of 17 (53%) patients failing previous open fundoplications and in 4 of 12 patients (33%) failing previous laparoscopic fundoplications and included 15 gastrotomies and 1 esophagotomy, all repaired laparoscopically, 3 postoperative gastric leaks, and 4 pneumothoraces requiring tube thoracostomy. No deaths occurred. Median length of stay was 5 days (range 2-90 days). At a mean follow-up of 20 months +/- 17, 2 patients (7%) have failed revision of their fundoplications, with the rest of the patients being essentially asymptomatic (93%). The results achieved with reoperative laparoscopic fundoplication are similar to those of primary laparoscopic fundoplications. Laparoscopic reoperations, particularly of primary open fundoplication, can be technically challenging and fraught with complications. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  1. FACS-Assisted CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing Facilitates Parkinson's Disease Modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Arias-Fuenzalida

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Genome editing and human induced pluripotent stem cells hold great promise for the development of isogenic disease models and the correction of disease-associated mutations for isogenic tissue therapy. CRISPR-Cas9 has emerged as a versatile and simple tool for engineering human cells for such purposes. However, the current protocols to derive genome-edited lines require the screening of a great number of clones to obtain one free of random integration or on-locus non-homologous end joining (NHEJ-containing alleles. Here, we describe an efficient method to derive biallelic genome-edited populations by the use of fluorescent markers. We call this technique FACS-assisted CRISPR-Cas9 editing (FACE. FACE allows the derivation of correctly edited polyclones carrying a positive selection fluorescent module and the exclusion of non-edited, random integrations and on-target allele NHEJ-containing cells. We derived a set of isogenic lines containing Parkinson's-disease-associated mutations in α-synuclein and present their comparative phenotypes.

  2. Th17 Inhibitors in Active Psoriatic Arthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naik, Girish S; Ming, Wai K; Magodoro, Itai M

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Several biologics targeting the Th17 pathway have been developed for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a disabling disease with moderate response and an increased incidence of serious infections to first-line biologics (TNF-α antagonists). Th17 inhibitors could replace TNF-α...

  3. Applied Computational Intelligence in Engineering and Information Technology Revised and Selected Papers from the 6th IEEE International Symposium on Applied Computational Intelligence and Informatics SACI 2011

    CERN Document Server

    Precup, Radu-Emil; Preitl, Stefan

    2012-01-01

    This book highlights the potential of getting benefits from various applications of computational intelligence techniques. The present book is structured such that to include a set of selected and extended papers from the 6th IEEE International Symposium on Applied Computational Intelligence and Informatics SACI 2011, held in Timisoara, Romania, from 19 to 21 May 2011. After a serious paper review performed by the Technical Program Committee only 116 submissions were accepted, leading to a paper acceptance ratio of 65 %. A further refinement was made after the symposium, based also on the assessment of the presentation quality. Concluding, this book includes the extended and revised versions of the very best papers of SACI 2011 and few invited papers authored by prominent specialists. The readers will benefit from gaining knowledge of the computational intelligence and on what problems can be solved in several areas; they will learn what kind of approaches is advised to use in order to solve these problems. A...

  4. Trends in Revision Elbow Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Professional Baseball Pitchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Alexander T; Pidgeon, Tyler S; Morrell, Nathan T; DaSilva, Manuel F

    2015-11-01

    To determine the frequency of revision elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction in professional baseball pitchers. Data were collected on 271 professional baseball pitchers who underwent primary UCL reconstruction. Each player was evaluated retrospectively for occurrence of revision UCL reconstructive surgery to treat failed primary reconstruction. Data on players who underwent revision UCL reconstruction were compiled to determine total surgical revision incidence and revision rate by year. The incidence of early revision was analyzed for trends. Average career length after primary UCL reconstruction was calculated and compared with that of players who underwent revision surgery. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess risk factors for revision including handedness, pitching role, and age at the time of primary reconstruction. Between 1974 and 2014, the annual incidence of primary UCL reconstructions among professional pitchers increased, while the proportion of cases being revised per year decreased. Of the 271 pitchers included in the study, 40 (15%) required at least 1 revision procedure during their playing career. Three cases required a second UCL revision reconstruction. The average time from primary surgery to revision was 5.2 ± 3.2 years (range, 1-13 years). The average length of career following primary reconstruction for all players was 4.9 ± 4.3 years (range, 0-22 years). The average length of career following revision UCL reconstruction was 2.5 ± 2.4 years (range, 0-8 years). No risk factors for needing revision UCL reconstruction were identified. The incidence of primary UCL reconstructions among professional pitchers is increasing; however, the rate of primary reconstructions requiring revision is decreasing. Explanations for the decreased revision rate may include improved surgical technique and improved rehabilitation protocols. Therapeutic IV. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by

  5. EFSA Panel on Food Contact Material, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF); Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 51, Revision 1: Consideration of alicyclic ketones and secondary alcohols and related esters evaluated by the JECFA (59th meeting) structurally related to alicyclic, ketones secondary alcohols and related esters in FGE.09Rev3 (2011)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, John Christian; Nørby, Karin Kristiane; Beltoft, Vibe Meister

    evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of 20 alicyclic ketones and secondary alcohols and related esters evaluated by JECFA (59th meeting) in 2002. This revision is made due to inclusion of seven additional substances...

  6. 30. MPA-Seminar 'Safety and reliability in energy technology' in conjunction with the 9th German-Japanese seminar. Vol. 1 (Papers 1-26); 30. MPA-Seminar 'Sicherheit und Verfuegbarkeit in der Energietechnik' in Verbindung mit dem 9. Deutsch-Japanischen Seminar. Bd. 1 (Vortraege 1-26)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roos, E. (comp.)

    2004-07-01

    The 30th MPA-seminar on ''Safety and Availability in Energy Engineering'' was held in conjuction with the 9th German-Japanese Seminar. The 52 contributions were published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains the contributions to the following sessions: fracture mechanics, fatigue, welding, environmental impact and European research projects. Volume 2 contains contributions of sessions 6-9: high-temperature application, modelling-simulation, ageing management and non-destructive testing. (uke)

  7. 30. MPA-Seminar 'Safety and reliability in energy technology' in conjunction with the 9th German-Japanese seminar. Vol. 2 (Papers 27-53); 30. MPA-Seminar 'Sicherheit und Verfuegbarkeit in der Energietechnik' in Verbindung mit dem 9. Deutsch-Japanischen Seminar. Bd. 2 (Vortraege 27-53)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roos, E. (comp.)

    2004-07-01

    he 30th MPA-seminar on ''Safety and Availability in Energy Engineering'' was held in conjuction with the 9th German-Japanese Seminar. The 52 contributions were published in two volumes. Volume 1 contains the contributions to the following sessions: fracture mechanics, fatigue, welding, environmental impact and European research projects. Volume 2 contains contributions of sessions 6-9: high-temperature application, modelling-simulation, ageing management and non-destructive testing. (uke)

  8. 9th Workshop on Stochastic Analysis and Related Topics

    CERN Document Server

    Decreusefond, Laurent; Stochastic Analysis and Related Topics

    2012-01-01

    Since the early eighties, Ali Suleyman Ustunel has been one of the main contributors to the field of Malliavin calculus. In a workshop held in Paris, June 2010 several prominent researchers gave exciting talks in honor of his 60th birthday. The present volume includes scientific contributions from this workshop. Probability theory is first and foremost aimed at solving real-life problems containing randomness. Markov processes are one of the key tools for modeling that plays a vital part concerning such problems. Contributions on inventory control, mutation-selection in genetics and public-pri

  9. Closed Incision Negative Pressure Therapy Versus Standard of Care Surgical Dressing in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-06-07

    Surgical Wound; Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty; Wounds and Injuries; Joint Disease; Musculoskeletal Disease; Prosthesis-Related Infections; Infection; Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes

  10. Air and radon pathways screenings methodologies for the next revision of the E-area PA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dyer, J. A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2017-10-31

    The strategic plan for the next E-Area Low-Level Waste Facility Performance Assessment includes recommended changes to the screening criteria used to reduce the number of radioisotopes that are to be considered in the air and radon pathways incorporated into the GoldSim® atmospheric release model (ARM). For the air pathway, a revised screening methodology was developed based on refinement of previous E-Area PA screening approaches and consideration of the strategic plan recommendations. The revised methodology has three sequential screening steps for each radioisotope: (1) volatility test using the Periodic Table of the Elements, (2) stability test based on half-life, and (3) stability test based on volatility as measured by the Henry’s Law constant for the assumed dominant gaseous species or vapor pressure in the case of tritiated water. Of the 1252 radioisotopes listed in the International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 107, only the 10 that satisfied all three steps of the revised screening methodology will be included in the ARM. They are: Ar-37, Ar-39, Ar-42, C-14, H-3, Hg-194, Hg-203, Kr-81, Kr-85, and Xe-127. For the radon pathway, a revised screening methodology was developed that also has three sequential steps: (1) identify all decay chains that terminate at Rn-222, (2) screen out parents that decay through U-238 because of its 4.5-billion-year primordial half-life, and (3) eliminate remaining parents whose half-life is shorter than one day. Of the 86 possible decay chains leading to Rn-222, six decay chains consist of 15 unique radioisotopes that will be incorporated into the ARM. The 15 radioisotopes are: U-238, Th-234, Pa-234m, Pu-238, U-234, Th-230, Ra-226, Cf-246, Cm-242, Am-242m, Am-242, Np-238, Np-234, Pa-230, and Rn-222.

  11. Extended networks, porous sheets, and chiral frameworks. Thorium materials containing mixed geometry anions: Structures and properties of Th(SeO3)(SeO4), Th(IO3)2(SeO4)(H2O)3.H2O, and Th(CrO4)(IO3)2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sullens, Tyler A.; Almond, Philip M.; Byrd, Jessica A.; Beitz, James V.; Bray, Travis H.; Albrecht-Schmitt, Thomas E.

    2006-01-01

    Three novel Th(IV) compounds containing heavy oxoanions, Th(SeO 3 )(SeO 4 ) (1), Th(IO 3 ) 2 (SeO 4 )(H 2 O) 3 .H 2 O (2), and Th(CrO 4 )(IO 3 ) 2 (3), have been synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions. Each of these three distinct structures contain trigonal pyramidal and tetrahedral oxoanions. Compound 1 adopts a three-dimensional structure formed from ThO 9 tricapped trigonal prisms, trigonal pyramidal selenite, SeO 3 2- , anions containing Se(IV), and tetrahedral selenate, SeO 4 2- , anions containing Se(VI). The structure of 2 contains two-dimensional porous sheets and occluded water molecules. The Th centers are found as isolated ThO 9 tricapped trigonal prisms and are bound by four trigonal pyramidal iodate anions, two tetrahedral selenate anions, and three coordinating water molecules. In the structure of 3, the Th(IV) cations are found as ThO 9 tricapped trigonal prisms. Each Th center is bound by six IO 3 1- anions and three CrO 4 2- anions forming a chiral three-dimensional structure. Second-harmonic generation of 532nm light from 1064nm radiation by a polycrystalline sample of 3 was observed. Crystallographic data (193K, MoKα, λ=0.71073): 1; monoclinic, P2 1 /c; a=7.0351(5)A, b=9.5259(7)A, c=9.0266(7)A, β=103.128(1), Z=4, R(F)=2.47% for 91 parameters with 1462 reflections with I>2σ(I); 2, monoclinic, P2 1 /n, a=7.4889(9)A, b=8.002(1)A, c=20.165(3)A, β=100.142(2), Z=4, R(F)=4.71% for 158 parameters with 2934 reflections with I>2σ(I); 3, orthorhombic, P2 1 2 1 2 1 , a=7.3672(5)A, b=9.3617(6)A, c=11.9201(7)A, Z=4, R(F)=2.04% for 129 parameters with 2035 reflections with I>2σ(I)

  12. Cigarette Smoke Induction of Interleukin-27/WSX-1 Regulates the Differentiation of Th1 and Th17 Cells in a Smoking Mouse Model of Emphysema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Shi-Lin; Duan, Min-Chao; Liang, Yi; Tang, Hai-Juan; Liu, Guang-Nan; Zhang, Liang-Ming; Yang, Chao-Mian

    2016-01-01

    IFN-γ-producing CD4 + T (Th1) cells and IL-17-producing CD4 + T (Th17) cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the immune regulation between Th1 and Th17 cells remains unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that interleukin-27 (IL-27)/WSX-1 exerted pro- or anti-inflammatory effects in many acute inflammatory diseases by modulating T cell-mediated immune response, but little was known about its role in chronic inflammatory disease, especially in smoking-related lung diseases. Considering IL-27 is an important regulator in T lymphocytes immune responses and was found markedly increased in patients with COPD, we hypothesized that IL-27/WSX-1 may exert immuno-regulatory effects on the differentiation of Th1 and Th17 cells in smoking-related COPD. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression of IL-27 in patients with COPD and explore the role of IL-27/WSX-1 on Th1 and Th17 cells differentiation in a smoking mouse model of emphysema. We found that elevated expression of IL-27 was associated with increased proportion of Th1 cells and Th17 cells in patients with COPD and demonstrated parallel findings in cigarette smoke-exposed mice. In addition, cigarette smoke exposure upregulated the expression of IL-27R (WSX-1) by naive CD4 + T cells in mice. In vitro , IL-27 significantly augmented the secretion of IFN-γ by naive CD4 + T cells via a T-bet, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3-dependent manner, but inhibited the production of IL-17 by a ROR-γt and p-STAT1-dependent way. Furthermore, anti-IL27 treatment dramatically decreased the expression of IFN-γ-producing CD4 + T cells in cigarette smoke-exposed mice. These findings proposed that IL-27 has functions for promoting the expression of Th1 cells but inhibiting the expression of Th17 cells in vitro and IL-27 neutralization-attenuated Th1-mediated inflammation in vivo , suggesting targeting IL-27/WSX-1 may provide a new therapeutic approach for smoking

  13. Th17 Pathway As a Target for Multipotent Stromal Cell Therapy in Dogs: Implications for Translational Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kol, A; Walker, N J; Nordstrom, M; Borjesson, D L

    2016-01-01

    Detrimental Th17 driven inflammatory and autoimmune disease such as Crohn's disease, graft versus host disease and multiple sclerosis remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Multipotent stromal/stem cell (MSC) inhibit Th17 polarization and activation in vitro and in rodent models. As such, MSC based therapeutic approaches are being investigated as novel therapeutic approaches to treat Th17 driven diseases in humans. The significance of naturally occurring diseases in dogs is increasingly recognized as a realistic platform to conduct pre-clinical testing of novel therapeutics. Full characterization of Th17 cells in dogs has not been completed. We have developed and validated a flow-cytometric method to detect Th17 cells in canine blood. We further demonstrate that Th17 and other IL17 producing cells are present in tissues of dogs with naturally occurring chronic inflammatory diseases. Finally, we have determined the kinetics of a canine specific Th17 polarization in vitro and demonstrate that canine MSC inhibit Th17 polarization in vitro, in a PGE2 independent mechanism. Our findings provide fundamental research tools and suggest that naturally occurring diseases in dogs, such as inflammatory bowel disease, may be harnessed to translate novel MSC based therapeutic strategies that target the Th17 pathway.

  14. Human Blood CD1c+ Dendritic Cells Promote Th1 and Th17 Effector Function in Memory CD4+ T Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leal Rojas, Ingrid M; Mok, Wai-Hong; Pearson, Frances E; Minoda, Yoshihito; Kenna, Tony J; Barnard, Ross T; Radford, Kristen J

    2017-01-01

    Dendritic cells (DC) initiate the differentiation of CD4 + helper T cells into effector cells including Th1 and Th17 responses that play an important role in inflammation and autoimmune disease pathogenesis. In mice, Th1 and Th17 responses are regulated by different conventional (c) DC subsets, with cDC1 being the main producers of IL-12p70 and inducers of Th1 responses, while cDC2 produce IL-23 to promote Th17 responses. The role that human DC subsets play in memory CD4 + T cell activation is not known. This study investigated production of Th1 promoting cytokine IL-12p70, and Th17 promoting cytokines, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-23, by human blood monocytes, CD1c + DC, CD141 + DC, and plasmacytoid DC and examined their ability to induce Th1 and Th17 responses in memory CD4 + T cells. Human CD1c + DC produced IL-12p70, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-23 in response to R848 combined with LPS or poly I:C. CD141 + DC were also capable of producing IL-12p70 and IL-23 but were not as proficient as CD1c + DC. Activated CD1c + DC were endowed with the capacity to promote both Th1 and Th17 effector function in memory CD4 + T cells, characterized by high production of interferon-γ, IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, and IL-22. These findings support a role for CD1c + DC in autoimmune inflammation where Th1/Th17 responses play an important role in disease pathogenesis.

  15. IAEA consultants' meeting: 9th meeting of atomic and molecular data centres and ALADDIN network, Vienna, September 20 and 21, 1990

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janev, R.K.

    1990-11-01

    This Summary Report contains the proceedings and the conclusions of the IAEA Consultants' Meeting: 9th Meeting of Atomic and Molecular Data Centres and ALADDIN Network, convened on September 20 and 21, 1990, at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna. The Progress Reports of national atomic data centres and reports on the ALADDIN status and developments are also included as appendices to the present Report. (author). Refs, figs and tabs

  16. Geometry The Language of Space and Form (Revised Edition)

    CERN Document Server

    Tabak, John

    2011-01-01

    Geometry, Revised Edition describes geometry in antiquity. Beginning with a brief description of some of the geometry that preceded the geometry of the Greeks, it takes up the story of geometry during the European Renaissance as well as the significant mathematical progress in other areas of the world. It also discusses the analytic geometry of Ren Descartes and Pierre Fermat, the alternative coordinate systems invented by Isaac Newton, and the solid geometry of Leonhard Euler. Also included is an overview of the geometry of one of the most successful mathematicians of the 19th century, Bernha

  17. Proceedings of the 9th symposium on JAERI's Reimei Research Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamashita, Toshiyuki

    2005-09-01

    The Reimei (Dawn) Research Program is a research project based on public application to be conducted within the framework of the Reimei Research Promotion project of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The objective of the program is to encourage original and/or unique ideas in the field of fundamental nuclear science and nuclear energy. The Symposium on JAERI's Reimei Research Program carried out in the 2004 fiscal year was held at Tokai Research Establishment on 28th and 29th of June 2005. 38 papers were reported through the short presentation followed by the poster presentation, and animated discussions were carried out by about 120 attendees. These presented papers were compiled in the proceedings. We hope that new researches will be grown and developed by the help of Reimei Research Promotion project. The 37 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

  18. The Diagnostic Accuracy of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision for 9- to 12-Year-Old Learning Disabled Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerry, David C.; And Others

    1984-01-01

    Two groups (learning disabled and normal) of 15 children were administered the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Children's Revision and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. Considering abnormal or borderline profiles as indicative of learning disability was 93.3 percent accurate in discriminating between groups.…

  19. Retinoic Acid Is Essential for Th1 Cell Lineage Stability and Prevents Transition to a Th17 Cell Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Chrysothemis C.; Esterhazy, Daria; Sarde, Aurelien; London, Mariya; Pullabhatla, Venu; Osma-Garcia, Ines; al-Bader, Raya; Ortiz, Carla; Elgueta, Raul; Arno, Matthew; de Rinaldis, Emanuele; Mucida, Daniel; Lord, Graham M.; Noelle, Randolph J.

    2015-01-01

    Summary CD4+ T cells differentiate into phenotypically distinct T helper cells upon antigenic stimulation. Regulation of plasticity between these CD4+ T-cell lineages is critical for immune homeostasis and prevention of autoimmune disease. However, the factors that regulate lineage stability are largely unknown. Here we investigate a role for retinoic acid (RA) in the regulation of lineage stability using T helper 1 (Th1) cells, traditionally considered the most phenotypically stable Th subset. We found that RA, through its receptor RARα, sustains stable expression of Th1 lineage specifying genes, as well as repressing genes that instruct Th17-cell fate. RA signaling is essential for limiting Th1-cell conversion into Th17 effectors and for preventing pathogenic Th17 responses in vivo. Our study identifies RA-RARα as a key component of the regulatory network governing maintenance and plasticity of Th1-cell fate and defines an additional pathway for the development of Th17 cells. PMID:25769610

  20. Immunomodulation Mechanism of Antidepressants: Interactions between Serotonin/Norepinephrine Balance and Th1/Th2 Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martino, Matteo; Rocchi, Giulio; Escelsior, Andrea; Fornaro, Michele

    2012-01-01

    Neurotransmitters and hormones regulate major immune functions, including the selection of T helper (Th)1 or Th2 cytokine responses, related to cell-mediated and humoral immunity, respectively. A role of imbalance and dynamic switching of Th1/Th2 system has been proposed, with relative displacement of the immune reserve in relation to complex interaction between Th1/Th2 and neuro-hormonal balance fluctuations, in the pathogenesis of various chronic human diseases, probably also including psychiatric disorders. Components of the stress system such as norepinephrine (NE) and glucocorticoids appear to mediate a Th2 shift, while serotonin (5-HT) and melatonin might mediate a Th1 shift. Some antidepressants would occur affecting these systems, acting on neurotransmitter balance (especially the 5-HT/NE balance) and expression levels of receptor subtypes, which in turn affect cytokine production and relative Th1/Th2 balance. It could be therefore hypothesized that the antidepressant-related increase in NE tone enhances the Th2 response, while the decrease in NE tone or the increase in 5-HT tone enhances the Th1 response. However, the neurotransmitter and Th1/Th2 balance modulation could be relative, aiming to restore physiological levels a previous imbalance in receptor sensitivity and cytokine production. The considerations on neuro-immunomodulation could represent an additional aid in the study of pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and in the choice of specific antidepressants in specific clusters of symptoms, especially in comorbidity with internal pathologies. Furthermore limited data, reviewed here, have shown the effectiveness of some antidepressants as pure immunomodulators. However, these considerations are tentative and require experimental confirmation or refutation by future studies. PMID:23204981

  1. Cytochrome P450 1B1 and 2C9 genotypes and risk of ischemic vascular disease, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaur-Knudsen, Diljit; Bojesen, Stig E; Nordestgaard, Børge G

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this review is to summarize present knowledge of genetic variation in cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) and 2C9 (CYP2C9) genes and risk of tobacco-related cancer, female cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischemic vascular disease. The CYP1B1 and CYP2C9 enzymes metabolize pol...

  2. [Summary of the practice guideline 'Viral hepatitis and other liver diseases' (second revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouma, M; van Geldrop, W J; Numans, M E; Wiersma, Tj; Goudswaard, A N

    2008-12-06

    The revised Dutch College of General Practitioners' practice guideline 'Viral hepatitis and other liver diseases' offers advice in the diagnosis and management of viral hepatitis A, B and C and other liver diseases. The guideline is important for general practitioners as well as specialists in internal medicine and gastroenterology. The emphasis is on the management of chronic hepatitis B en C, because the prevalence of these diseases has increased in the Netherlands and, in addition, the treatment options for chronic hepatitis have improved. Consequently, timely recognition and adequate referral of patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C have become more important. However, many patients with a chronic liver disease have no symptoms. Therefore, the general practitioner should be aware that a patient visiting the practice with fatigue and malaise could have a liver disease if he or she belongs to a high-risk group or has had high-risk contacts. If the general practitioner repeatedly finds increased liver transaminase values during routine examination of asymptomatic patients, additional diagnostic tests should be performed. Further tests should focus on viral hepatitis as well as on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or, depending on the history-taking, liver damage due to excessive alcohol, medication or drug use.

  3. Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in Campylobacter jejuni-induced paralytic neuropathy resembling Guillain-Barré syndrome in chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nyati, Kishan Kumar; Prasad, Kashi Nath; Agrawal, Vinita; Husain, Nuzhat

    2017-10-01

    Inflammation in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is manifested by changes in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. We investigated the expression of MMP-2, -9 and TNF-α and correlated it with pathological changes in sciatic nerve tissue from Campylobacter jejuni-induced chicken model for GBS. Campylobacter jejuni and placebo were fed to chickens and assessed for disease symptoms. Sciatic nerves were examined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry. Expressions of MMPs and TNF-α, were determined by real-time PCR, and activities of MMPs by zymography. Diarrhea developed in 73.3% chickens after infection and 60.0% of them developed GBS like neuropathy. Pathology in sciatic nerves showed perinodal and/or patchy demyelination, perivascular focal lymphocytic infiltration and myelin swelling on 10th- 20th post infection day (PID). MMP-2, -9 and TNF-α were up-regulated in progressive phase of the disease. Enhanced MMP-2, -9 and TNF-α production in progressive phase correlated with sciatic nerve pathology in C. jejuni-induced GBS chicken model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. 4th International conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining

    CERN Document Server

    Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining

    2012-01-01

    The volume includes a set of selected papers extended and revised from the 4th International conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, March 1-2, 2011, Macau, Chin.   This Volume is to provide a forum for researchers, educators, engineers, and government officials involved in the general areas of knowledge discovery and data mining and learning to disseminate their latest research results and exchange views on the future research directions of these fields. 108 high-quality papers are included in the volume.

  5. CD28 co-stimulation down regulates Th17 development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salim Bouguermouh

    Full Text Available Th17 cells are implicated in host defence and autoimmune diseases. CD28/B7 co-stimulation is involved in the induction and progression of autoimmune diseases, but its role in controlling murine Th17 cell fate remains to be clarified. We here report that soluble anti-CD28 mAb suppressed the differentiation of anti-CD3-stimulated naïve CD4(+ T cells into IL-17-producing cells. CD28 co-stimulation reduced the frequency of proliferating cells that produce IL-17. We provide evidence for an IL-2 and IFN-gamma-dependent mechanism of CD28-mediated IL-17 suppression. CD28 blockade of Th17 development was correlated with a decrease rather than an increase in the percentage of Foxp3(+ T cells. In APC/T cell co-cultures, mature dendritic cells (DC were less efficient than immature DC in their ability to support Th17 cell differentiation, while CTLA4-Ig, an agent blocking CD28/B7 and CTLA4/B7 interactions, facilitated both murine and human Th17 differentiation. This study identifies the importance of B7 co-stimulatory molecules in the negative regulation of Th17 development. These unexpected results caution targeting the CD28/B7 pathways in the treatment of human autoimmune diseases.

  6. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells, Th1/Th2/Th17-related cytokines, and endothelial dysfunction in resistant hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magen, Eli; Feldman, Arie; Cohen, Ziona; Alon, Dora Ben; Minz, Evegeny; Chernyavsky, Alexey; Linov, Lina; Mishal, Joseph; Schlezinger, Menacham; Sthoeger, Zev

    2010-02-01

    A possible link between chronic vascular inflammation and arterial hypertension is now an object of intensive studies. To compare Th1/Th2/Th17 cells-related cytokines, circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), and endothelial function in subjects with resistant arterial hypertension (RAH) and controlled arterial hypertension (CAH). Blood pressure was measured by electronic sphygmomanometer. EPC were identified as CD34+/CD133+/kinase insert domain receptor (KDR)+ cells by flow cytometry. Th1/Th2/Th17 cells-related cytokines were identified using the Human Th1/Th2/Th17 Cytokines MultiAnalyte ELISArray Kit. Endothelium-dependent (FMD) vasodilatation of brachial artery was measured by Doppler ultrasound scanning. RAH group (n = 20) and CAH group (n = 20) and 17 healthy individuals (control group) were recruited. In the RAH group, lower blood levels of EPC number (42.4 +/- 16.7 cells/mL) and EPC% (0.19 +/- 0.08%) were observed than in the CAH group (93.1 +/- 88.7 cells/mL; P = 0.017; 0.27 +/- 0.17; P = 0.036) and control group (68.5 +/- 63.6 cells/mL; P < 0.001; 0.28 +/- 0.17%; P = 0.003), respectively. Plasma transforming growth factor-beta1 levels were significantly higher in the RAH group (1767 +/- 364 pg/mL) than in the CAH group (1292 +/- 349; P < 0.001) and in control group (1203 +/- 419 pg/mL; P < 0.001). In the RAH group, statistically significant negative correlation was observed between systolic blood pressure and EPC% (r = -0.72, P < 0.01). FMD in the RAH group was significantly lower (5.5 +/- 0.8%) than in the CAH group (9.2 +/- 1.4; P < 0.001) and in healthy controls (10.1 +/- 1.1%; P < 0.001). RAH is characterized by reduced circulating EPC, substantial endothelial dysfunction, and increased plasma transforming growth factor-beta1 levels.

  7. Bright light exposure reduces TH-positive dopamine neurons: implications of light pollution in Parkinson's disease epidemiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romeo, Stefania; Viaggi, Cristina; Di Camillo, Daniela; Willis, Allison W; Lozzi, Luca; Rocchi, Cristina; Capannolo, Marta; Aloisi, Gabriella; Vaglini, Francesca; Maccarone, Rita; Caleo, Matteo; Missale, Cristina; Racette, Brad A; Corsini, Giovanni U; Maggio, Roberto

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the effect of continuous exposure to bright light on neuromelanin formation and dopamine neuron survival in the substantia nigra. Twenty-one days after birth, Sprague-Dawley albino rats were divided into groups and raised under different conditions of light exposure. At the end of the irradiation period, rats were sacrificed and assayed for neuromelanin formation and number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the substantia nigra. The rats exposed to bright light for 20 days or 90 days showed a relatively greater number of neuromelanin-positive neurons. Surprisingly, TH-positive neurons decreased progressively in the substantia nigra reaching a significant 29% reduction after 90 days of continuous bright light exposure. This decrease was paralleled by a diminution of dopamine and its metabolite in the striatum. Remarkably, in preliminary analysis that accounted for population density, the age and race adjusted Parkinson's disease prevalence significantly correlated with average satellite-observed sky light pollution.

  8. Fish from Head to Tail: The 9th European Zebrafish Meeting in Oslo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Gareth; Müller, Ferenc; Ledin, Johan; Patton, E Elizabeth; Gjøen, Tor; Lobert, Viola Hélène; Winther-Larsen, Hanne Cecilie; Mullins, Mary; Joly, Jean-Stephane; Weltzien, Finn-Arne; Press, Charles McLean; Aleström, Peter

    2016-04-01

    The 9th European Zebrafish Meeting took place recently in Oslo (June 28-July 2, 2015). A total of 650 participants came to hear the latest research news focused on the zebrafish, Danio rerio, and to its distant evolutionary relative medaka, Oryzias latipes. The packed program included keynote and plenary talks, short oral presentations and poster sessions, workshops, and strategic discussions. The meeting was a great success and revealed dramatically how important the zebrafish in particular has become as a model system for topics, such as developmental biology, functional genomics, biomedicine, toxicology, and drug development. A new emphasis was given to its potential as a model for aquaculture, a topic of great economic interest to the host country Norway and for the future global food supply in general. Zebrafish husbandry as well as its use in teaching were also covered in separate workshops. As has become a tradition in these meetings, there was a well-attended Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and ZFIN workshop focused on Zebrafish Genome Resources on the first day. The full EZM 2015 program with abstracts can be read and downloaded from the EZM 2015 Web site zebrafish2015.org .

  9. Changes in the expression of Th17 cell-associated cytokines in the development of rheumatic heart disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Yun; Zeng, Zhiyu; Gui, Chun; Li, Lang; Li, Wenting

    2015-01-01

    Autoimmunity plays a critical role in the development of rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Recent studies have linked Th17 cells to the autoimmune mechanism associated with RHD. This study aimed to investigate changes in Th17 cell-related cytokine expression in acute and chronic RHD. We established a Lewis rat model of experimental RHD, which was induced by inactivated Group A streptococci and complete Freund's adjuvant. After 7- and 24-week intervention treatments, we measured serum levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and IL-6, key cytokines associated with Th17 cells, using a Luminex liquichip method, and levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in heart tissues using immunohistochemical assays. Moreover, expression levels of IL-17, IL-21, IL-6, and IL-23 in mitral valve tissues of human RHD patients were also measured using immunohistochemistry. Compared with the normal control group, serum IL-17 and IL-6 concentrations were significantly increased, and the expression levels of IL-17 and IL-6 in the mitral valve were also significantly increased in 7- or 24-week RHD rats (P<.017). Compared with the control group, expression of IL-17, IL-21, IL-6, and IL-23 in mitral valve tissues was significantly increased in RHD patients (P<.05). Our study suggested that the increased expression of Th17 cell-associated cytokines might play an important role in the pathogenesis and development of RHD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Revision of cemented hip arthroplasty using a hydroxyapatite-ceramic-coated femoral component.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raman, R; Kamath, R P; Parikh, A; Angus, P D

    2005-08-01

    We report the clinical and radiological outcome of 86 revisions of cemented hip arthroplasties using JRI-Furlong hydroxyapatite-ceramic-coated acetabular and femoral components. The acetabular component was revised in 62 hips and the femoral component in all hips. The mean follow-up was 12.6 years and no patient was lost to follow-up. The mean age of the patients was 71.2 years. The mean Harris hip and Oxford scores were 82 (59 to 96) and 23.4 (14 to 40), respectively. The mean Charnley modification of the Merle d'Aubigné and Postel score was 5 (3 to 6) for pain, 4.9 (3 to 6) for movement and 4.4 (3 to 6) for mobility. Migration of the acetabular component was seen in two hips and the mean acetabular inclination was 42.6 degrees. The mean linear polyethylene wear was 0.05 mm/year. The mean subsidence of the femoral component was 1.9 mm and stress shielding was seen in 23 (28%) with bony ingrowth in 76 (94%). Heterotopic ossification was seen in 12 hips (15%). There were three re-revisions, two for deep sepsis and one for recurrent dislocation and there were no re-revisions for aseptic loosening. The mean EuroQol EQ-5D description scores and health thermometer scores were 0.69 (0.51 to 0.89) and 79 (54 to 95), respectively. With an end-point of definite or probable loosening, the probability of survival at 12 years was 93.9% and 95.6% for the acetabular and femoral components, respectively. Overall survival at 12 years, with removal or further revision of either component for any reason as the end-point, was 92.3%. Our study supports the continued use of this arthroplasty and documents the durability of hydroxyapatite-ceramic-coated components.

  11. Rare human diseases: 9p deletion syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Galagan V.O.

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective of the study was to review the anamnesis, pheno - and genotype in patients with rare chromosome disorders such as 9p deletion syndrome. Genetic methods of investigation (clinical and genealogical, cytogenetic, FISH- method, paraclinical and instrumental methods of examination were used. Karyotyping was performed by the G-method of differential staining of chromosomes. Only three cases of pathology were diagnosed in the Medical Genetics Center over the last 10 years. By anamnesis data nobody in the probands’ families had bad habits, was exposed to occupational hazards, took part in the elimination of the Chernobyl accident or lived in contaminated areas. Clinical signs of diseases have not been identified in probands’ parents. All probands had trigonocephaly, bilateral epicanthal folds, ocular hypertelorism, downslanting palpebral fissures, long philtrum, flat face and nasal bridge, low set ears with malformed auricles. Two patients of three ones had exophthalmos, contracture of the second and third fingers, abnormal external genitalia. In all three cases there was monosomy of chromosome 9 of critical segment p 24. Normal karyotypes were seen in all parents, so there were three cases of new mutations of 9p deletion syndrome. Retardation of physical, psycho-spech, mental development in proband with or without congenital anomalies requires medical genetic counseling in a specialized institution. Cases of reproductive loss in anamnesis require cytogenetic investigation of fetal membranes and amniotic fluid.

  12. Properties of Fr-like Th^3+ from microwave spectroscopy of high-L Rydberg states of Th^2+

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keele, Julie; Smith, Chris; Woods, Shannon; Lundeen, Stephen; Fehrenbach, Charles

    2012-06-01

    Spectroscopy of high-L n= 28 Rydberg levels of Th^2+ was recently reported using the optical RESIS method [1]. Because the ground state of Fr-like Th^3+ is a ^2F5/2 level, each (n,L) Rydberg level of Th^2+ is split into six eigenstates whose relative positions are determined by long-range e-Th^3+ interactions. Measurements of those positions can be used to determine the Th^3+ properties that control those interactions, such as polarizabilities and permanent moments. We report a much improved study of n=28 levels with 9 Hanni, Shannon L. Woods, S.R. Lundeen, and C.W. Fehrenbach, Phys. Rev. A 83, 062501 (2011)[0pt] [2] U.I. Safronova, W.R. Johnson, and M.S. Safronova, Phys. Rev. A 74, 042511 (2006)

  13. Functional and Logic Programming - 14th International Symposium (FLOPS 2018)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    This volume contains the proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Functional and Logic Programming - FLOPS 2018 - held in Nagoya, Japan, May 9 - 11, 2018......This volume contains the proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Functional and Logic Programming - FLOPS 2018 - held in Nagoya, Japan, May 9 - 11, 2018...

  14. PREFACE: 9th National Symposium on Polymeric Materials (NSPM 2009)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Aidy; Salit, Sapuan

    2010-07-01

    NSPM 2009 is the formal proceedings of the 9th National Symposium on Polymeric Materials held in Residence Hotel Uniten Bangi on 14-16 December 2009. It is also organised with The Plastics and Rubber Institute Malaysia PRIM. The symposium proceedings consists of 94 papers covering a large number of issues on experimental and analytical studies of polymeric materials. The objectives of the symposium are to review the state-of-the art, present and latest findings and exchange ideas among engineers, researchers and practitioners involved in this field. We strongly hope the outcomes of this symposium will stimulate and enhanced the progress of experimental and analytical studies on polymeric materials as well as contribute to the fundamental understanding in related fields. After careful refereeing of all manuscripts, 15 papers were selected for publications in this issue. Another 20 papers were selected for publication in Pertanika Journal of Science and Technology (PJST). The content of the material and its rapid dissemination was considered to be more important than its form. We are grateful to all the authors for their papers and presentations in this symposium. They are also the ones who help make this symposium possible through their hard work in the preparation of the manuscripts. We would also like to offer our sincere thanks to all the invited speakers who came to share their knowledge with us. We would also like to acknowledge the untiring efforts of the reviewers, research assistants and students in meeting deadlines and for their patience and perseverance. We are indeed honoured to associate this event with Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, and Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Finally, we appreciate the sponsor support provided by Faculty of Engineering, The Plastics and Rubber Institute Malaysia (PRIM) and PETRONAS Malaysia. Thank you all. Editors: Aidy Ali and S M Sapuan

  15. File list: InP.Bld.50.AllAg.Th17 [Chip-atlas[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available InP.Bld.50.AllAg.Th17 mm9 Input control Blood Th17 SRX288138,SRX495621,SRX288137,SR...X220933,SRX172342,SRX1328057,SRX1328056 http://dbarchive.biosciencedbc.jp/kyushu-u/mm9/assembled/InP.Bld.50.AllAg.Th17.bed ...

  16. Total hip arthroplasty revision due to infection: a cost analysis approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klouche, S; Sariali, E; Mamoudy, P

    2010-04-01

    The treatment of total hip arthroplasty (THA) infections is long and costly. However,the number of studies in the literature analysing the real cost of THA revision in relation to their etiology, including infection, is limited. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the cost of revision of infected THA and to compare these costs to those of primary THA and revision of non-infected THA. We performed a retrospective cost analysis for the year 2006 using an identical analytic accounting system in each hospital department (according to internal criteria) based on allotment of direct costs and receipts for each department. From January to December 2006, 424 primary THA, 57 non-infected THA revisions and 40 THA revisions due to infection were performed. The different cost areas of the patient's treatment were identified.This included preoperative medical work-up, medicosurgical management during hospital stay,a second stay in an orthopedic rehabilitation hospital (ORH) and post-hospitalisation antibiotic therapy after revision due to infection, as well as home-based hospitalisation (HH) costs, if this was the selected alternative option. We used the national health insurance fee schedule found in the "Common classification of medical procedures" and the "General nomenclature of professional procedures" applicable in France since September 1, 2005. Hospital costs included direct costs (hospital overhead costs) and indirect costs, (medical, surgical, technical settings and net general service expenses). The calculation of HH costs and ORH costs were based on the average daily charge of these departments. The cost of primary THA was used as the reference.We then compared our surgical costs with those found for the corresponding comparable hospital stay groups (Groupes homogènes de séjour). The average hospital stay (AHS) was 7.5 +/- 1.8 days for primary THA, 8.9 +/- 2.2 days for non-infected revisions and 30.6 +/- 14.9 days for revisions due to infection

  17. Cytokines (interleukin-9, IL-17, IL-22, IL-25 and IL-33 and asthma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahim Farahani

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Asthma is a reversible airway obstruction that is characterized by constriction of airway smooth muscle, hyper secretion of mucus, edema and airway hyper responsiveness (AHR, mucus secretion and thickening of the basement membrane underlying the airway epithelium. During the process of airway inflammation, complex interactions of innate and adaptive immune cells as well as structural cells and their cytokines have many important roles. It was believed that airway inflammation is orchestrated by allergen specific T helper (Th 2 cells, which recruit and accumulate in the lungs and produce a range of different effector cytokines. However, more recent studies have revealed the potential collaboration of other helper T cells and their cytokines in this process. Th17 cell may have a role in severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. Interleukin (IL-9-producing subset called Th9 cell, Th22 cells which primarily secrete IL-22, IL-13 and tumor necrosis factor-α and Th25 cells via producing IL-25 are believed to be important for initiating allergic reactions and developing airway inflammation. Cytokines are important in asthma and play a critical role in orchestrating the allergic inflammatory response, although the precise role of each cytokine remains to be determined. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the possible roles of newly identified helper T cells derived cytokines (IL-9, 17, 22, 25 and IL-33 in asthma. The potential therapeutic applications emerging from the roles of these cytokines will be discussed as well.

  18. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor {alpha} agonists modulate Th1 and Th2 chemokine secretion in normal thyrocytes and Graves' disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonelli, Alessandro, E-mail: a.antonelli@med.unipi.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Ferrari, Silvia Martina, E-mail: sm.ferrari@int.med.unipi.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Frascerra, Silvia, E-mail: lafrasce@gmail.com [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Corrado, Alda, E-mail: dala_res@hotmail.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Pupilli, Cinzia, E-mail: c.pupilli@dfc.unifi.it [Endocrinology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Careggi and University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 85, I-50134, Florence (Italy); Bernini, Giampaolo, E-mail: g.bernini@int.med.unipi.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Benvenga, Salvatore, E-mail: s.benvenga@me.nettuno.it [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, University of Messina, Piazza Pugliatti 1, I-98122, Messina (Italy); Ferrannini, Ele, E-mail: eferrannini@med.unipi.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy); Fallahi, Poupak, E-mail: poupak@int.med.unipi.it [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pisa-School of Medicine, Via Roma 67, I-56100, Pisa (Italy)

    2011-07-01

    Until now, no data are present about the effect of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR){alpha} activation on the prototype Th1 [chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL)10] (CXCL10) and Th2 [chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2] (CCL2) chemokines secretion in thyroid cells. The role of PPAR{alpha} and PPAR{gamma} activation on CXCL10 and CCL2 secretion was tested in Graves' disease (GD) and control primary thyrocytes stimulated with interferon (IFN){gamma} and tumor necrosis factor (TNF){alpha}. IFN{gamma} stimulated both CXCL10 and CCL2 secretion in primary GD and control thyrocytes. TNF{alpha} alone stimulated CCL2 secretion, while had no effect on CXCL10. The combination of IFN{gamma} and TNF{alpha} had a synergistic effect both on CXCL10 and CCL2 chemokines in GD thyrocytes at levels comparable to those of controls. PPAR{alpha} activators inhibited the secretion of both chemokines (stimulated with IFN{gamma} and TNF{alpha}) at a level higher (for CXCL10, about 60-72%) than PPAR{gamma} agonists (about 25-35%), which were confirmed to inhibit CXCL10, but not CCL2. Our data show that CCL2 is modulated by IFN{gamma} and TNF{alpha} in GD and normal thyrocytes. Furthermore we first show that PPAR{alpha} activators inhibit the secretion of CXCL10 and CCL2 in thyrocytes, suggesting that PPAR{alpha} may be involved in the modulation of the immune response in the thyroid.

  19. Creating a human brain proteome atlas--14th HUPO BPP workshop September 20-21, 2010, Sydney, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gröttrup, Bernd; Marcus, Katrin; Grinberg, Lea T; Lee, Sang K; Meyer, Helmut E; Park, Young M

    2011-08-01

    The HUPO Brain Proteome Project (HUPO BPP) held its 14th workshop during the HUPO 9th Annual World Congress in Sydney, Australia. The principal aim of this project is to discover prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging, with the ultimate objective of obtaining a better understanding of these conditions and creating roads for the development of novel diagnostic techniques and effective treatments. The attendees came together to discuss progress in the human clinical neuroproteomics and to define the needs and guidelines required for more advanced proteomics approaches. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Cerebrospinal fluid Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles in children with enterovirus 71-associated meningoencephalitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huajun; Li, Shuxian; Zheng, Jianfeng; Cai, Chunyan; Ye, Bin; Yang, Jun; Chen, Zhimin

    2015-03-01

    Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection can cause severe neurological complications including meningoencephalitis (ME) in some patients with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). However, to date no studies have reported changes in cytokine concentrations and their correlations with clinical variables in patients with ME following EV71 infection. In this study, responses of Th1/Th2 cytokine, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN-γ, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with EV71-related HFMD with ME and patients with febrile convulsions (FC) were analyzed using cytometric bead array technology. It was found that CSF IL-6 and IFN-γ concentrations were significantly higher in patients with EV71-related ME than in those with FC. Additionally, both CSF IL-6 and IFN-γ concentrations were correlated with CSF cytology, fever duration and duration of hospital stay. More interestingly, a positive correlation between CSF IL-6 and IFN-γ concentrations was observed. Finally, receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that when a cutoff value of 9.40 pg/mL was set for IL-6, the sensitivity and specificity were 84.5% and 85.5%, respectively, for discriminating EV71-related ME from FC. In conclusion, IL-6 and IFN-γ may be associated with EV71-induced neuropathology. © 2015 The Societies and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  1. Synergistic induction of apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells by bortezomib and hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302, in vivo and in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jinsong; Van Valckenborgh, Els; Xu, Dehui; Menu, Eline; De Raeve, Hendrik; De Bruyne, Elke; De Bryune, Elke; Xu, Song; Van Camp, Ben; Handisides, Damian; Hart, Charles P; Vanderkerken, Karin

    2013-09-01

    Recently, we showed that hypoxia is a critical microenvironmental factor in multiple myeloma, and that the hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 selectively targets hypoxic multiple myeloma cells and improves multiple disease parameters in vivo. To explore approaches for sensitizing multiple myeloma cells to TH-302, we evaluated in this study the antitumor effect of TH-302 in combination with the clinically used proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. First, we show that TH-302 and bortezomib synergistically induce apoptosis in multiple myeloma cell lines in vitro. Second, we confirm that this synergism is related to the activation of caspase cascades and is mediated by changes of Bcl-2 family proteins. The combination treatment induces enhanced cleavage of caspase-3/8/9 and PARP, and therefore triggers apoptosis and enhances the cleavage of proapoptotic BH3-only protein BAD and BID as well as the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1. In particular, TH-302 can abrogate the accumulation of antiapoptotic Mcl-1 induced by bortezomib, and decreases the expression of the prosurvival proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Furthermore, we found that the induction of the proapoptotic BH3-only proteins PUMA (p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis) and NOXA is associated with this synergism. In response to the genotoxic and endoplasmic reticulum stresses by TH-302 and bortezomib, the expression of PUMA and NOXA were upregulated in p53-dependent and -independent manners. Finally, in the murine 5T33MMvv model, we showed that the combination of TH-302 and bortezomib can improve multiple disease parameters and significantly prolong the survival of diseased mice. In conclusion, our studies provide a rationale for clinical evaluation of the combination of TH-302 and bortezomib in patients with multiple myeloma.

  2. Polarization of T-helper lymphocytes toward the Th2 phenotype in uremic patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libetta, C; Rampino, T; Dal Canton, A

    2001-08-01

    T-helper (Th) lymphocytes consist of Th1 and Th2 subsets. Th1 cells are effectors of cell-mediated immunity and secrete interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), which recruits new Th1 cells in cooperation with interleukin-12 (IL-12; produced by monocytes) and inhibits Th2 differentiation. Th2 cells produce IL-4 and IL-10, which inhibit IFN-gamma secretion and cell immunity. We investigated whether the impaired immune response in uremia is associated with an altered balance of Th1/Th2. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on conservative treatment (CRF patients), patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on regular hemodialysis therapy (ESRD-HD patients), and healthy controls (CON). CD4(+) cells were isolated from PBMCs by negative selection using a magnetic labeling system. PBMCs and purified CD4(+) cells were cultured in Iscove's medium and Iscove's medium plus mitogens (phytohemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide). IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-4, and IL-10 were measured in supernatant. The constitutive release of IL-4 and IL-10 by PBMCs and CD4(+) cells of CRF and ESRD-HD patients was increased by five to eight times in comparison with CON (P CON, 115.8 pg/2 x10(6) cells; CRF, 81.8 pg/2 x10(6) cells; ESRD-HD, 9.3 pg/2 x10(6) cells; CD4(+) cells: CON, 358.0 pg/5 x 10(5) cells; CRF, 165.4 pg/5 x 10(5) cells; ESRD-HD, 43.5 pg/5 x 10(5) cells). The ability of PBMCs of ESRD-HD patients to secrete IFN-gamma was recovered after IL-4 and IL-10 neutralization. Uremia is associated with a prevalence of Th1 over Th2 cells and a configuration of cytokine network that depresses cell-mediated immunity.

  3. Revision of the structures of citrifolinin A, citrifolinoside, yopaaoside A, yopaaoside B, and morindacin, iridoids from Morinda citrifolia L. and Morinda coreia Ham.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schripsema, Jan; Caprini, Geisa P; Dagnino, Denise

    2006-11-09

    [Structure: see text] Citrifolin A was revised to dehydromethoxygaertneroside (2). Citrifolinoside and yopaaoside A were found to be identical, and their structures were revised to the new structure dehydroepoxymethoxygaertneroside (5). Yopaaoside B was revised to citrifolinoside A (9), and morindacin was revised to borreriagenin (11).

  4. Screening for Depressive Disorder in Elderly Patients with Chronic Physical Diseases Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Seon-Cheol; Lee, Hwa-Young; Lee, Dong-Woo; Hahn, Sang-Woo; Park, Sang-Ho; Kim, Yeo Ju; Choi, Jae Sung; Lee, Ho-Sung; Lee, Soyoung Irene; Na, Kyoung-Sae; Jung, Sung Won; Shim, Se-Hoon; Kim, Ki Won; Paik, Jong-Woo; Kwon, Young-Joon

    2017-05-01

    We aimed to identify depressive symptom profiles that indicated the presence of depressive disorder and present optimal cut-off sub-scores for depressive symptom profiles for detecting depressive disorder in elderly subjects with chronic physical diseases including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma, and coronary artery disease, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Two hundred and thirty-one elderly patients with chronic physical diseases were recruited consecutively from a university-affiliated general hospital in South Korea. Greater severities of all 9 depressive symptoms in the PHQ-9 were presented in those with depressive disorder rather than those without depressive disorder. A binary logistic regression modeling presented that little interest [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=4.648, pdepressive disorder. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis presented that the optimal cut-off value of score on the items for little interest, reduced/increased sleep, psychomotor retardation/agitation and concentration problem (PHQ-9) for detecting depressive disorder was 4 with 61.9% of sensitivity and 91.5% of specificity [area under curve (AUC)=0.937, pdepressive disorder among the elderly patients with chronic physical diseases.

  5. Retinoic acid is essential for Th1 cell lineage stability and prevents transition to a Th17 cell program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Chrysothemis C; Esterhazy, Daria; Sarde, Aurelien; London, Mariya; Pullabhatla, Venu; Osma-Garcia, Ines; Al-Bader, Raya; Ortiz, Carla; Elgueta, Raul; Arno, Matthew; de Rinaldis, Emanuele; Mucida, Daniel; Lord, Graham M; Noelle, Randolph J

    2015-03-17

    CD4(+) T cells differentiate into phenotypically distinct T helper cells upon antigenic stimulation. Regulation of plasticity between these CD4(+) T-cell lineages is critical for immune homeostasis and prevention of autoimmune disease. However, the factors that regulate lineage stability are largely unknown. Here we investigate a role for retinoic acid (RA) in the regulation of lineage stability using T helper 1 (Th1) cells, traditionally considered the most phenotypically stable Th subset. We found that RA, through its receptor RARα, sustains stable expression of Th1 lineage specifying genes, as well as repressing genes that instruct Th17-cell fate. RA signaling is essential for limiting Th1-cell conversion into Th17 effectors and for preventing pathogenic Th17 responses in vivo. Our study identifies RA-RARα as a key component of the regulatory network governing maintenance and plasticity of Th1-cell fate and defines an additional pathway for the development of Th17 cells. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Pulsed high-dose dexamethasone modulates Th1-/Th2-chemokine imbalance in immune thrombocytopenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zongtang; Wang, Meiying; Zhou, Shufen; Ma, Ji; Shi, Yan; Peng, Jun; Hou, Ming; Guo, Chengshan

    2016-10-24

    Chemokines and chemokine receptors play important roles in autoimmune diseases; however, their role in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is unclear. High-dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM) may become a first-line therapy for adult patients with ITP, but the effect of HD-DXM on chemokines in ITP patients is unknown. Our aim was to investigate the mechanism of pulsed HD-DXM for management of ITP, specifically regarding the chemokine pathways. Th1-/Th2-associated chemokine and chemokine receptor profiles in ITP patients before and after pulsed HD-DXM was studied. Plasma levels of CCL5 and CXCL11 (Th1-associated) and of CCL11 (Th2-associated) were determined by ELISA. Gene expression of these three chemokines and their corresponding receptors CCR5, CXCR3, and CCR3, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined by quantitative RT-PCR. Thirty-three of the thirty-eight ITP patients responded effectively to HD-DXM (oral, 40 mg/day, 4 days). In ITP patients, plasma CXCL11 levels increased, while CCL11 and CCL5 decreased compared to controls (P Th1-/Th2-associated chemokines and chemokine receptors may play important roles in the pathogenesis of ITP. Importantly, regulating Th1 polarization by pulsed HD-DXM may represent a novel approach for immunoregulation in ITP.

  7. IL-17/Th17 Pathway Is Activated in Acne Lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelhälä, Hanna-Leena; Palatsi, Riitta; Fyhrquist, Nanna; Lehtimäki, Sari; Väyrynen, Juha P.; Kallioinen, Matti; Kubin, Minna E.; Greco, Dario; Tasanen, Kaisa; Alenius, Harri; Bertino, Beatrice; Carlavan, Isabelle; Mehul, Bruno; Déret, Sophie; Reiniche, Pascale; Martel, Philippe; Marty, Carine; Blume-Peytavi, Ulrike; Voegel, Johannes J.; Lauerma, Antti

    2014-01-01

    The mechanisms of inflammation in acne are currently subject of intense investigation. This study focused on the activation of adaptive and innate immunity in clinically early visible inflamed acne lesions and was performed in two independent patient populations. Biopsies were collected from lesional and non-lesional skin of acne patients. Using Affymetrix Genechips, we observed significant elevation of the signature cytokines of the Th17 lineage in acne lesions compared to non-lesional skin. The increased expression of IL-17 was confirmed at the RNA and also protein level with real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Luminex technology. Cytokines involved in Th17 lineage differentiation (IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β, IL23p19) were remarkably induced at the RNA level. In addition, proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines (TNF-α, IL-8, CSF2 and CCL20), Th1 markers (IL12p40, CXCR3, T-bet, IFN-γ), T regulatory cell markers (Foxp3, IL-10, TGF-β) and IL-17 related antimicrobial peptides (S100A7, S100A9, lipocalin, hBD2, hBD3, hCAP18) were induced. Importantly, immunohistochemistry revealed significantly increased numbers of IL-17A positive T cells and CD83 dendritic cells in the acne lesions. In summary our results demonstrate the presence of IL-17A positive T cells and the activation of Th17-related cytokines in acne lesions, indicating that the Th17 pathway is activated and may play a pivotal role in the disease process, possibly offering new targets of therapy. PMID:25153527

  8. Low LDL cholesterol, PCSK9 and HMGCR genetic variation, and risk of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease: Mendelian randomisation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benn, Marianne; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Frikke-Schmidt, Ruth; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne

    2017-04-24

    Objective  To test the hypothesis that low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol due to genetic variation in the genes responsible for LDL cholesterol metabolism and biosynthesis( PCSK9 and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase ( HMGCR ), respectively) is associated with a high risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, any dementia, and Parkinson's disease in the general population. Design  Mendelian randomisation study. Setting  Copenhagen General Population Study and Copenhagen City Heart Study. Participants  111 194 individuals from the Danish general population. Main outcome measures  Risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, all dementia, and Parkinson's disease. Results  In observational analyses, the multifactorially adjusted hazard ratio for Parkinson's disease in participants with an LDL cholesterol level LDL cholesterol level. In genetic, causal analyses adjusted for age, sex, and year of birth, the risk ratios for a lifelong 1 mmol/L lower LDL cholesterol level were 0.57 (0.27 to 1.17) for Alzheimer's disease, 0.81 (0.34 to 1.89) for vascular dementia, 0.66 (0.34 to 1.26) for any dementia, and 1.02 (0.26 to 4.00) for Parkinson's disease. Summary level data from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project using Egger Mendelian randomisation analysis gave a risk ratio for Alzheimer's disease of 0.24 (0.02 to 2.79) for 26 PCSK9 and HMGCR variants, and of 0.64 (0.52 to 0.79) for 380 variants of LDL cholesterol level lowering. Conclusion  Low LDL cholesterol levels due to PCSK9 and HMGCR variants had no causal effect on high risk of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, any dementia, or Parkinson's disease; however, low LDL cholesterol levels may have a causal effect in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  9. 11th AINSE Plasma Physics Conference 1977, 7th and 8th February, 1977, Lucas Heights, NSW (Australia), 9th February, 1977, University of Sydney. Abstracts of Papers 1-54

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walsh, C. J. [ed.

    1977-02-15

    Abstracts of papers 1-54 scheduled for oral presentation at the 11th AINSE Plasma Physics Conference are included. No introductory or summary information is provided. Each page consists of the title, authors, organization affiliation, and abstract.

  10. Pattern recognition in bioinformatics : 5th IAPR international conference, PRIB 2010, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, September 22-24, 2010 : proceedings

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dijkstra, T.M.H.; Tsivtsivadze, E.; Marchiori, E.; Heskes, T.

    2010-01-01

    This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Bioinformatics, PRIB 2010, held in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in September 2010. The 38 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 46 submissions. The field of

  11. Report on the 9th workshop on the innovative water reactor for flexible fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikawa, Nobuyuki; Kobayashi, Noboru; Okubo, Tsutomu; Uchikawa, Sadao

    2006-07-01

    The research on Innovative Water Reactor for Flexible Fuel Cycle (FLWR) has been performed in JAEA for the development of future innovative reactor. The workshop on FLWRs has been held every year since 1998 aiming at information exchange with other organizations such as universities, laboratories, utilities and vendors. The 9th workshop was held on March 1, 2006 under the joint auspices of JAEA and North Kanto and Kanto-Koetsu branches of Atomic Energy Society of Japan with 64 participants. The workshop began with presentation entitled 'Activities on Nuclear Science and Engineering Research and Collaboration with Industry in JAEA', followed by presentations entitled 'Progress of Research and Development on FLWR' and 'On Final Report of Feasibility Study (phase 2) on Commercialized FBR Cycle Systems'. Then two lectures followed: 'Core and Fuel Design on Super Light Water Reactor' by Tokyo University and 'Recent trends on the Development of Next Generation Nuclear Reactor' by Institute of Applied Energy. This report summarizes the lectures of the workshop. (author)

  12. Distinct interferon-gamma and interleukin-9 expression in cutaneous and oral lichen planus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, B; Schlapbach, C; Stuck, M; Simon, H-U; Borradori, L; Beltraminelli, H; Simon, D

    2017-05-01

    Cutaneous (CLP) and oral lichen planus (OLP) as the main subtypes of lichen planus (LP) present with different clinical manifestation and disease course, although their histopathologic features such as the band-like lymphocyte infiltrate and keratinocyte apoptosis are similar. So far, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the in situ cellular infiltrates, cytokine expression profiles and apoptosis markers in CLP and OLP. Using immunofluorescence staining and laser scanning microscopy, we evaluated the cellular infiltrate (CD1a, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD21, CD57, CD123), cytokine expression (interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-17, IL-22, IL-23, tumour necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-β, interferon (IFN)-γ), and apoptosis markers (Fas, Fas ligand, cleaved caspase-3, TUNEL) of 21 anonymized biopsy specimens of LP (11 CLP, 10 OLP). Among infiltrating cells mainly T cells and natural killer (NK) cells as well as plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DC) were observed. A predominance of CD8+ T cells was noted in OLP. In both CLP and OLP, T helper (Th)1, Th9, Th17, and Th22-type cytokines were expressed. The expression of IL-9, IFN-γ and IL-22 was higher in CLP compared to that of OLP (P = 0.0165; P = 0.0016; P = 0.052 respectively). Expression of Fas and Fas ligand as well as cleaved caspase-3-positive cells was observed in the epithelium of all LP samples. The cell and cytokine patterns of CLP and OLP were partially distinct and generally resembled those reported for autoimmune diseases. The presence of CD8+ and NK cells as well as Fas/Fas ligand expression suggested that various pathways involved in keratinocyte apoptosis are relevant for LP. These results might help to establish targeted therapies for LP. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  13. Revision of ISO 15859 Aerospace Fluid Standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greene, Benjamin; McClure, Mark B.

    2012-01-01

    A detailed review of ISO 15859 "Space Systems - Fluid Characteristics, Sampling and Test Methods" was performed An approach to revising Parts 1-9 and 11-13 was developed and concurred by the NASA Technical Standards Program Office. The approach was to align them with the highest level source documents, and not to program-specific requirements. The updated documents were prepared and presented.

  14. The existence of Th22, pure Th17 and Th1 cells in CIN and Cervical Cancer along with their frequency variation in different stages of cervical cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Wenjing; Tian, Xinli; Mumtahana, Fidia; Jiao, Jun; Zhang, Teng; Croce, Kimiko Della; Ma, Daoxin; Kong, Beihua; Cui, Baoxia

    2015-01-01

    Recently, it is found that T-helper (Th) 22 cells are involved in different types of autoimmune and tumor diseases. But, till now, no study has been carried out to understand the involvement of these cells in cervical cancer (CC). Flow cytometry was used to determine the expression of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), Interleukin-22 (IL-22), IL-17 in the peripheral blood of healthy controls (HC), CIN and cervical cancer patients. From peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), mRNA expression levels of Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), RAR-related orphan receptor C (RORC), TNF-α and IL-6 were respectively determined. Using the method of ELISA, plasma concentrations of IL-22, IL-17 and TNF-α were examined. Th22 and Th17 cells were elevated in CC and CIN patients. Th1 cells and the plasma concentrations of IL-22 in CC patients were significantly increased compared with HC. In CC patients, an increased prevalence of Th22 cells was associated with lymph node metastases. There was a positive correlation between Th22 and Th17 cells, but an approximately negative correlation between Th22 and Th1 cells in CC patients. The mRNA expression of RORC, TNF-α and IL-6 was significantly high in CC patients. Our results indicate that there is a higher circulatory frequency of Th22, Th17 and Th1 cells in CC which may conjointly participate in the pathogenesis and growth of CC

  15. 9th Transgenic Technology Meeting (TT2010) in Berlin, Germany: a meeting report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Thomas L; Sobieszczuk, Peter

    2010-12-01

    The first Transgenic Technology (TT) Meeting was organized in 1999 by Johannes Wilbertz, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden as a regional meeting. The TT Meetings continued in this way, constantly gathering additional practitioners of transgenic methodologies until the breakthrough in 2005 when the 6th TT Meeting in Barcelona, Spain, hosted by Lluis Montoliu (Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, Madrid, Spain), generated the momentum to establish the International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT). Since 2006, the ISTT has continued to promote the TT Meetings and provide its membership with a forum to discuss best practices and new methods in the field. The TT2010 Meeting was held at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (Berlin, Germany). Participation at the TT2010 Meeting exceeded the registration capacity and set a new attendance record. Session topics included methods for the generation of rat and mouse models of human disease, fundamental and advanced topics in rodent embryonic stem cells, and the newest transgenic technologies. Short presentations from selected abstracts were of especial interest. Roundtable discussions on transgenic facility establishment and cryoarchiving of mouse lines were favorably received. Students, technical staff, and professors participated in numerous discussions and came away with practical methods and new ideas for research.

  16. Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease in a 9-year-old girl

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lott Pooi Wah

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Uveitis secondary to Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease is rare in children. To the best of our knowledge, this patient is the first reported case of uveitis attributed to VKH in a child in Malaysia. A 9-year-old girl complained of non-resolving painful red eyes bilaterally for 3 months. Anterior segment of right eye showed mutton fat keratic precipitates, posterior synechiae and moderate anterior chamber reaction. Anterior segment of left eye revealed mutton fat keratic precipitates, band keratopathy on peripheral 3 and 9 o' clock of the cornea, iris bombe, iris nodule and seclusio pupillae. Fundus examination of right eye revealed subretinal deposit at superior and inferior arcades with flat retina while left eye showed hazy view. Patient was then noted to have poliosis and vitiligo after 1 month from initial presentation. Mild cataract and widespread atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium accounting for the loss in vision remained. This case report is to highlight the importance of early recognition of paediatric Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada and treating it aggressively to prevent the irreversible destructive sequalae of the disease.

  17. Th17 cells transdifferentiate into regulatory T cells during resolution of inflammation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gagliani, Nicola; Vesely, Maria Carolina Amezcua; Iseppon, Andrea; Brockmann, Leonie; Xu, Hao; Palm, Noah W; de Zoete, Marcel R|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/30483419X; Licona-Limón, Paula; Paiva, Ricardo S; Ching, Travers; Weaver, Casey; Zi, Xiaoyuan; Pan, Xinghua; Fan, Rong; Garmire, Lana X; Cotton, Matthew J; Drier, Yotam; Bernstein, Bradley; Geginat, Jens; Stockinger, Brigitta; Esplugues, Enric; Huber, Samuel; Flavell, Richard A

    2015-01-01

    Inflammation is a beneficial host response to infection but can contribute to inflammatory disease if unregulated. The Th17 lineage of T helper (Th) cells can cause severe human inflammatory diseases. These cells exhibit both instability (they can cease to express their signature cytokine, IL-17A)

  18. Proceedings: 9th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry (WCPD): "Community Participation and Global Alliances for Lifelong Oral Health for All," Phuket, Thailand, September 7-10, 2009

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clarkson, J; Watt, R G; Rugg-Gunn, A J

    2010-01-01

    Information is presented about the 9th World Congress on Preventive Dentistry which was hosted by the International Association for Dental Research in Phuket, Thailand on September 7-10, 2009. The conference's theme, "Community Participation and Global Alliances for Lifelong Oral Health for All...

  19. MicroRNAs regulate T-cell production of interleukin-9 and identify hypoxia-inducible factor-2α as an important regulator of T helper 9 and regulatory T-cell differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Yogesh; Garden, Oliver A; Lang, Florian; Cobb, Bradley S

    2016-09-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many aspects of helper T cell (Th) development and function. Here we found that they are required for the suppression of interleukin-9 (IL-9) expression in Th9 cells and other Th subsets. Two highly related miRNAs (miR-15b and miR-16) that we previously found to play an important role in regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation were capable of suppressing IL-9 expression when they were over-expressed in Th9 cells. We used these miRNAs as tools to identify novel regulators of IL-9 expression and found that they could regulate the expression of Epas1, which encodes hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α. HIF proteins regulate metabolic pathway usage that is important in determining appropriate Th differentiation. The related protein, HIF-1α enhances Th17 differentiation and inhibits Treg cell differentiation. Here we found that HIF-2α was required for IL-9 expression in Th9 cells, but its expression was not sufficient in other Th subsets. Furthermore, HIF-2α suppressed Treg cell differentiation like HIF-1α, demonstrating both similar and distinct roles of the HIF proteins in Th differentiation and adding a further dimension to their function. Ironically, even though miR-15b and miR-16 suppressed HIF-2α expression in Treg cells, inhibiting their function in Treg cells did not lead to an increase in IL-9 expression. Therefore, the physiologically relevant miRNAs that regulate IL-9 expression in Treg cells and other subsets remain unknown. Nevertheless, the analysis of miR-15b and miR-16 function led to the discovery of the importance of HIF-2α so this work demonstrated the utility of studying miRNA function to identify novel regulatory pathways in helper T-cell development. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Defining delirium for the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meagher, David J; Maclullich, Alasdair M J; Laurila, Jouko V

    2008-09-01

    The development of ICD-11 provides an opportunity to update the description of delirium according to emerging data that have added to our understanding of this complex neuropsychiatric syndrome. Synthetic article based on published work considered by the authors to be relevant to the definition of delirium. The current DSM-IV definition of delirium is preferred to the ICD-10 because of its greater inclusivity. Evidence does not support major changes in the principal components of present definitions but a number of key issues for the updated definition were identified. These include better account of non-cognitive features, more guidance for rating contextual diagnostic items, clearer definition regarding the interface with dementia, and accounting for illness severity, clinical subtypes and course. Development of the ICD definition of delirium can allow for more targeted research and clinical effort.

  1. Proceedings of the 9th workshop on the mass of the electron neutrino

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasumi, Shinjiro

    1984-03-01

    The 9th workshop on the mass of electron neutrinos was held at KEK, Japan. The experimental studies concerning the M-shell of Dy atoms for the measurement of the mass of electron neutrinos were presented at the workshop. The reports included in this proceedings concern windowless Si(Li) detectors, the irradiation technique to make Ho-163 radioactive sources, high purity Ho-163 sources, the M X-ray spectra of rare earth atoms, the study on the M-shell of Dy atoms by using monochromatic X-ray from the KEK PF (Photon Factory), the absolute measurement of photon beam flux, the angular distribution of M X-ray accompanying the photoelectric effect caused by linearly polarized photons, the X-ray spectrum around the 5p to 3s peak accompanying the decay of Ho-163, and the data of nuclear matrix elements of the electron capture decay of Ho-163. The reports presented at the previous workshop are also included in this proceedings. They concern the theoretical calculation of the M X-ray spectrum of Dy, the mass measurement of electron neutrinos, the X-ray spectrum of Ho-163 sources, the amount of Dy-164 contained in Ho-163 samples, and the isotope dilution mass spectrometry. (Kato, T.)

  2. Revised dietary guidelines for Koreans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, Young Ai; Lee, Haeng Shin; Kim, Bok Hee; Lee, Yoonna; Lee, Hae Jeung; Moon, Jae Jin; Kim, Cho-il

    2008-01-01

    With rapidly changing dietary environment, dietary guidelines for Koreans were revised and relevant action guides were developed. First, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was established with experts and government officials from the fields of nutrition, preventive medicine, health promotion, agriculture, education and environment. The Committee set dietary goals for Koreans aiming for a better nutrition state of all after a thorough review and analysis of recent information related to nutritional status and/or problems of Korean population, changes in food production/supply, disease pattern, health policy and agricultural policy. Then, the revised dietary guidelines were proposed to accomplish these goals in addition to 6 different sets of dietary action guides to accommodate specific nutrition and health problems of respective age groups. Subsequently, these guidelines and guides were subjected to the focus group review, consumer perception surveys, and a public hearing for general and professional comments. Lastly, the language was clarified in terms of public understanding and phraseology. The revised Dietary guidelines for Koreans are as follows: eat a variety of grains, vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, poultry and dairy products; choose salt-preserved foods less, and use less salt when you prepare foods; increase physical activity for a healthy weight, and balance what you eat with your activity; enjoy every meal, and do not skip breakfast; if you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation; prepare foods properly, and order sensible amounts; enjoy our rice-based diet.

  3. Utility and limitations of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised for detecting mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komadina, Natalie C; Terpening, Zoe; Huang, Yue; Halliday, Glenda M; Naismith, Sharon L; Lewis, Simon J G

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate the utility of the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) as a screening tool for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI). PD patients underwent comprehensive neuropsychological and neurological evaluations and ACE-R assessment. The ACE-R was superior to the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) in detecting PD-MCI, with a cutoff score of ≤93 offering a sensitivity of 61% and a specificity of 64%. The utility of the ACE-R in detecting PD-MCI is largely influenced by the fluency sub-domain score, and has optimal discriminability when utilized in patients with lower levels of education (≤12 years of formal schooling). The ACE-R must be used cautiously as a screening tool for PD-MCI, with results being most influenced by its fluency sub-domain score and patient education levels. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  4. Th17-lineage cells in pulmonary sarcoidosis and Löfgren's syndrome: Friend or foe?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miedema, Jelle R; Kaiser, Ylva; Broos, Caroline E; Wijsenbeek, Marlies S; Grunewald, Johan; Kool, Mirjam

    2018-02-01

    Sarcoidosis, a multisystem granulomatous disorder, has historically been classified as Th1-driven disease. However, increasing data demonstrate a key role of Th17-cell plasticity in granuloma formation and maintenance. In Löfgren's syndrome (LS), an acute and distinct phenotype of sarcoidosis with a favorable outcome, differences in Th17-lineage cell subsets, cytokine expression and T-cell suppressive mechanisms may account for differences in clinical presentation as well as prognosis compared to non-LS sarcoidosis. In contrast with LS, up to 20% of non-LS sarcoidosis patients may progress to irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. In non-LS sarcoidosis patients, IFN-γ-producing Th17.1-cells appear to be more pathogenic and possibly linked to disease progression, while a broader range of cytokines is found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in LS patients. Differences in Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expression on Th17-cells and regulatory T-cells (Treg) could contribute to Th17-cell pathogenicity and consequently to either disease resolution or ongoing inflammation in sarcoidosis. Furthermore, several genes and SNPs are associated with disease susceptibility and outcome in sarcoidosis, the majority of which are involved in antigen presentation, T-cell activation or regulation of T-cell survival. Novel insights into the role of Th17-cells in the pathogenesis of both LS and non-LS sarcoidosis will unravel pathogenic and benign Th17-lineage cell function and drivers of Th17-cell plasticity. This will also help identify new treatment strategies for LS and non-LS sarcoidosis patients by altering Th17-cell activation, suppress conversion into more pathogenic subtypes, or influence cytokine signaling towards a beneficial signature of Th17-lineage cells. In this review, we summarize new insights into Th17-cell plasticity in the complex pathogenesis of sarcoidosis and connect these cells to the different disease phenotypes, discuss the role of genetic

  5. The Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm induced by stachydrine hydrochloride reduces uterine bleeding in RU486-induced abortion mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xia; Wang, Bin; Li, Yuzhu; Wang, Li; Zhao, Xiangzhong; Zhou, Xianbin; Guo, Yuqi; Jiang, Guosheng; Yao, Chengfang

    2013-01-09

    The Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm plays an important role in achieving maternal-fetal immunotolerance and participates in RU486-induced abortion. Excessive uterine bleeding is the most common side effect of RU486-induced abortion; however, its etiopathogenesis has not been fully understood. Therefore, elucidating the correlation between the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm and the volume of uterine bleeding may offer novel therapeutic target for reducing uterine bleeding in RU486-induced abortion. Leonurus sibiricus has been used in clinics to reduce postpartum hemorrhage with low toxicity and high efficiency; however, the effective constituents and therapeutic mechanism have not been described. Stachydrine hydrochloride is the main constituent of L. sibiricus, therefore L. sibiricus is regarded as a candidate for reducing uterine bleeding in RU486-induced abortion mice by regulating the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm. The purpose of this study was to determine the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm in uterine bleeding of RU486-induced abortion mice and to elucidate the immunopharmacologic effects of stachydrine hydrochloride on inducing the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm in reducing the uterine bleeding volume in RU486-induced abortion mice. To investigate the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm in uterine bleeding during RU486-induced abortion mice, pregnant BALB/c mice were treated with high- and low-dose RU486 (1.5mg/kg and 0.9 mg/kg, respectively), and the serum progesterone (P(4)) protein level, uterine bleeding volume, and proportions of Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg cells in mice at the maternal-fetal interface were detected by ELISA assay, alkaline hematin photometric assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. To determine the regulatory effect of stachydrine hydrochloride on the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm in vitro, splenocytes of non-pregnant mice were separated and treated with P(4,) RU486, and/or stachydrine hydrochloride (10(-5)M, 10(-4)M, and 10(-3)M, respectively). The proportions of Th1/Th2/Th17

  6. EFSA CEF Panel (EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids), 2016. Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 51, Revision 2 (FGE.51Rev2): Consideration of alicyclic ketones and secondary alcohols and related esters evaluated by the JECFA (59th meeting, ) structurally related to alicyclic ketones secondary alcohols and related esters in FGE.09Rev6 (2015b)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beltoft, Vibe Meister; Nørby, Karin Kristiane

    on metabolism and toxicity. The present consideration concerns a group of 24 alicyclic ketones and secondary alcohols and related esters evaluated by JECFA (59th meeting in 2002 and 63rd meeting in 2004). This revision is made due to inclusion of four additional substances cleared for genotoxicity concern...

  7. Predicting the Attitudes and Self-Esteem of the Grade 9th Lower Secondary School Students towards Mathematics from Their Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Van Dat

    2012-01-01

    This study reports the validity of the hypothesis that students' perceptions of the learning environment of mathematics classroom may predict their attitudes and self-esteem towards mathematics. It examines data from 487 grade 9th students from 14 mathematics classes in 7 Vietnamese lower secondary schools to identify how students' perceptions of…

  8. Coordination polyhedra ThOn in crystal structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shevchenko, A.P.; Serezhkin, V.N.; Mikhajlov, Yu.N.

    2000-01-01

    The environment peculiarities of Th(4) 107 atoms in 93 oxygen-containing compounds were studied using the Voronoi-Dirichlet (VD) polyhedrons. It was determined that in case of high coordination number (CN ≥ 6) of thorium atoms the volume of their VD polyhedrons did not practically depend on CN Th and constituted 11.9 (4) A 3 . The volume of the classical coordination polyhedrons, namely, ThO n , ZrO n and U 4 O n ones, was determined to depend linearly on the coordination number. It was shown that in case CN [ru

  9. The Role of Neutrophils in the Induction of Specific Th1 and Th17 during Vaccination against Tuberculosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trentini, Monalisa M; de Oliveira, Fábio M; Kipnis, André; Junqueira-Kipnis, Ana P

    2016-01-01

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis (TB), a disease that killed more than 1.5 million people worldwide in 2014, and the Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine is the only currently available vaccine against TB. However, it does not protect adults. Th1 and Th17 cells are crucial for TB control, as well as the neutrophils that are directly involved in DC trafficking to the draining lymph nodes and the activation of T lymphocytes during infection. Although several studies have shown the importance of neutrophils during M. tuberculosis infection, none have shown its role in the development of a specific response to a vaccine. The vaccine mc(2)-CMX was shown to protect mice against M. tuberculosis challenge, mainly due to specific Th1 and Th17 cells. This study evaluated the importance of neutrophils in the generation of the Th1- and Th17-specific responses elicited by this vaccine. The vaccine injection induced a neutrophil rich lesion with a necrotic central area. The IL-17 KO mice did not generate vaccine-specific Th1 cells. The vaccinated IL-22 KO mice exhibited Th1- and Th17-specific responses. Neutrophil depletion during vaccination abrogated the induction of Th1-specific responses and prohibited the bacterial load reduction observed in the vaccinated animals. The results show, for the first time, the role of neutrophils in the generation of specific Th1 and Th17 cells in response to a tuberculosis vaccine.

  10. Survey of Oral Health Awareness in Neuchâtel 9th Graders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neuhaus, Klaus W; Müller, Magali E; Lussi, Adrian

    The oral health habits of pupils had not yet been analyzed for the canton of Neuchâtel. A questionnaire was provided to 9th grade high school pupils (final year) of the three schools located in the Neuchâtel area to asses both oral health knowledge and habits in this connection. The average age was 15.5±0.8 years, and 78.1% of the questionnaires were returned. The prophylaxis program was conducted for a total of 4.5 h during pupils’ entire time at school. The results showed that both knowledge and oral health habits could be improved. As a positive outcome, 99% of the pupils brush their teeth before going to bed. Comparisons with similar 10-year-old studies from other cantons (Bern, Vaud) showed major differences in knowledge, for example on the importance of fluoridation. Only 54% of the pupils in Neuchâtel knew that fluoride offers some protection against caries, in spite of the fact that 89% thought that brushing with fluoridated toothpaste protects against caries. Most of the pupils used a fluoridated toothpaste. Furthermore, we found that self-reported sugar consumption was correlated with caries experience, but brushing frequency was not. We recommend introducing a review course for pupils in their last school year, in order to practice interdental cleaning, redefine appropriate, tooth-friendly snacks, and emphasize the importance of regular dental check-ups.

  11. Crystal structures of Th(OH)PO4, U(OH)PO4 and Th2O(PO4)2. Condensation mechanism of M(IV)(OH)PO4 (M= Th, U) into M2O(PO4)2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dacheux, N.; Clavier, N.; Wallez, G.; Quarton, M.

    2007-01-01

    Three new crystal structures, isotypic with β-Zr 2 O(PO 4 ) 2 , have been resolved by the Rietveld method. All crystallize with an orthorhombic cell (S.G.: Cmca) with a = 7.1393(2) Angstroms, b = 9.2641(2) Angstroms, c 12.5262(4) Angstroms, V = 828.46(4) (Angstroms) 3 and Z = 8 for Th(OH)PO 4 ; a = 7.0100(2) Angstroms, b = 9.1200(2) Angstroms, c = 12.3665(3) Angstroms, V 790.60(4) (Angstroms) 3 and Z = 8 for U(OH)PO 4 ; a 7.1691(3) Angstroms, b 9.2388(4) Angstroms, c = 12.8204(7) Angstroms, V 849.15(7) (Angstroms) 3 and Z = 4 for Th 2 O(PO 4 ) 2 . By heating, the M(OH)PO 4 (M Th, U) compounds condense topotactically into M 2 O(PO 4 ) 2 , with a change of the environment of the tetravalent cation that lowers from 8 to 7 oxygen atoms. The lower stability of Th 2 O(PO 4 ) 2 compared to that of U 2 O(PO 4 ) 2 seems to result from this unusual environment for tetravalent thorium. (authors)

  12. Computational science - ICCS 2008: 8th international conference, Kraków, Poland, June 23-25, 2008: Proceedings, part II

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bubak, M.; van Albada, G.D.; Dongarra, J.; Sloot, P.M.A.

    2008-01-01

    The three-volume set LNCS 5101-5103 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Computational Science, ICCS 2008, held in Krakow, Poland in June 2008. The 167 revised papers of the main conference track presented together with the abstracts of 7 keynote talks and the

  13. 4th Workshop on Combinations of Intelligent Methods and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Palade, Vasile; Prentzas, Jim

    2016-01-01

    This volume includes extended and revised versions of the papers presented at the 4th Workshop on “Combinations of Intelligent Methods and Applications” (CIMA 2014) which was intended to become a forum for exchanging experience and ideas among researchers and practitioners dealing with combinations of different intelligent methods in Artificial Intelligence. The aim is to create integrated or hybrid methods that benefit from each of their components. Some of the existing presented efforts combine soft computing methods (fuzzy logic, neural networks and genetic algorithms). Another stream of efforts integrates case-based reasoning or machine learning with soft-computing methods. Some of the combinations have been more widely explored, like neuro-symbolic methods, neuro-fuzzy methods and methods combining rule-based and case-based reasoning. CIMA 2014 was held in conjunction with the 26th IEEE International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI 2014). .

  14. Revising and editing for translators

    CERN Document Server

    Mossop, Brian

    2014-01-01

    Revising and Editing for Translators provides guidance and learning materials for translation students learning to edit texts written by others, and professional translators wishing to improve their self-revision ability or learning to revise the work of others. Editing is understood as making corrections and improvements to texts, with particular attention to tailoring them to the given readership. Revising is this same task applied to draft translations. The linguistic work of editors and revisers is related to the professional situations in which they work. Mossop offers in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics, including copyediting, style editing, structural editing, checking for consistency, revising procedures and principles, and translation quality assessment. This third edition provides extended coverage of computer aids for revisers, and of the different degrees of revision suited to different texts. The inclusion of suggested activities and exercises, numerous real-world examples, a proposed gra...

  15. Diagnosis and management of glutaric aciduria type I--revised recommendations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kölker, Stefan; Christensen, Ernst; Leonard, James V

    2011-01-01

    is often difficult to treat, and the efficacy of available drugs cannot be predicted precisely in individual patients. The major aim of this revision is to re-evaluate the previous diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations for patients with this disease and incorporate new research findings...

  16. The Relationship of Grade Span in 9th Grade to Math Achievement in High School

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, John; Miller, Mary Lou; Myers, Jim; Norton, Timothy

    2015-01-01

    Purpose, Scope, and Method of Study: The purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between grade span for ninth grade and gains in math achievement test scores in 10th grade and 12th grade. A quantitative, longitudinal, correlational research design was employed to investigate the research questions. The population was high…

  17. Experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis may occur in the context of a polarized Th1- or Th2-type immune response in rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saoudi, A; Bernard, I; Hoedemaekers, A

    1999-01-01

    Experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) is a T cell-dependent, Ab-mediated autoimmune disease induced in rats by a single immunization with acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Although polarized Th1 responses have been shown to be crucial for the development of mouse EAMG, the role of Th cell...

  18. Environmental Pollution in five floors (5th to 9th) Resulting from the use of Depleted Uranium Weaponry in the Al-Tahreer Tower Building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ameen, N.H; Al-ghirrawy, M.A; Kadhim, H.H

    2014-01-01

    The goals of this study include measuring the increase in radioactivity and removal the contamination regions to protect the population and the environment resulting from bombing the Al-Tahreer Tower Building (the Turkish restaurant previously) by the depleted uranium bullets through direct measurement and sampling of soil from five floors (Fifth,Sixth,Seventh,Eighth,and Ninth) of the building, which contains fourteen floors in addition to basement by using different types of portable monitoring equipment s.The results of radiological surveys by using the portable monitor (CAB) indicated the presence of contaminated soil reached to 55 c/sec, and small particles of depleted uranium shells has very high levels of contamination reached to 70 c /sec ,while the background level is (0.5 c/sec) ,and the higher exposure rates is 55 μR/hr when the portable monitor (Ludlum) put on the contaminated regions approximately on distance 0.5 cm), where the natural background level is 9 μR/hr in the floors of the building.The radiological analyses of the collected soil samples were done in the laboratory of the center of Radiological Researches in the Ministry of sciences and Technology by using gamma spectrometry (which contains High- purity Germanium Detector) with a efficiency of 40% and resolution 2 keV for Energy, 1.33Mev, collection, preparations and tests of soil samples were all done according to IAEA.The laboratory results indicated the presence of high concentrations of the isotopes Th-234 (1550.1) Bq/kg, and Pa-234 m (1394.8) in the soil samples taken from the floors while the concentrations of Th-234 and Pa-234 m in natural background levels are (nearly 40, nil) Bq/Kg respectively which is a clear indication of the presence of high concentrations an isotope of uranium - 238 as they are supposed to be in equilibrium radiation.

  19. The Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition (Child SCAT5): Background and rationale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Gavin A; Purcell, Laura; Schneider, Kathryn J; Yeates, Keith Owen; Gioia, Gerard A; Anderson, Vicki; Ellenbogen, Richard G; Echemendia, Ruben J; Makdissi, Michael; Sills, Allen; Iverson, Grant L; Dvořák, Jiří; McCrory, Paul; Meeuwisse, Willem; Patricios, Jon; Giza, Christopher C; Kutcher, Jeffrey S

    2017-06-01

    This article presents the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition (Child SCAT5). The Sport Concussion Assessment Tool was introduced in 2004, following the 2nd International Conference on Concussion in Sport in Prague, Czech Republic. Following the 4th International Consensus Conference, held in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2012, the SCAT 3rd edition (Child SCAT3) was developed for children aged between 5 and12 years. Research to date was reviewed and synthesised for the 5th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport in Berlin, Germany, leading to the current revision of the test, the Child SCAT5. This article describes the development of the Child SCAT5. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  20. Competition for Antigen between Th1 and Th2 Responses Determines the Timing of the Immune Response Switch during Mycobaterium avium Subspecies paratuberulosis Infection in Ruminants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magombedze, Gesham; Eda, Shigetoshi; Ganusov, Vitaly V.

    2014-01-01

    Johne's disease (JD), a persistent and slow progressing infection of ruminants such as cows and sheep, is caused by slow replicating bacilli Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infecting macrophages in the gut. Infected animals initially mount a cell-mediated CD4 T cell response against MAP which is characterized by the production of interferon (Th1 response). Over time, Th1 response diminishes in most animals and antibody response to MAP antigens becomes dominant (Th2 response). The switch from Th1 to Th2 response occurs concomitantly with disease progression and shedding of the bacteria in feces. Mechanisms controlling this Th1/Th2 switch remain poorly understood. Because Th1 and Th2 responses are known to cross-inhibit each other, it is unclear why initially strong Th1 response is lost over time. Using a novel mathematical model of the immune response to MAP infection we show that the ability of extracellular bacteria to persist outside of macrophages naturally leads to switch of the cellular response to antibody production. Several additional mechanisms may also contribute to the timing of the Th1/Th2 switch including the rate of proliferation of Th1/Th2 responses at the site of infection, efficiency at which immune responses cross-inhibit each other, and the rate at which Th1 response becomes exhausted over time. Our basic model reasonably well explains four different kinetic patterns of the Th1/Th2 responses in MAP-infected sheep by variability in the initial bacterial dose and the efficiency of the MAP-specific T cell responses. Taken together, our novel mathematical model identifies factors of bacterial and host origin that drive kinetics of the immune response to MAP and provides the basis for testing the impact of vaccination or early treatment on the duration of infection. PMID:24415928

  1. C9orf72-related disorders: expanding the clinical and genetic spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulo Victor Sgobbi de Souza

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Neurodegenerative diseases represent a heterogeneous group of neurological conditions primarily involving dementia, motor neuron disease and movement disorders. They are mostly related to different pathophysiological processes, notably in family forms in which the clinical and genetic heterogeneity are lush. In the last decade, much knowledge has been acumulated about the genetics of neurodegenerative diseases, making it essential in cases of motor neuron disease and frontotemporal dementia the repeat expansions of C9orf72 gene. This review analyzes the main clinical, radiological and genetic aspects of the phenotypes related to the hexanucleotide repeat expansions (GGGGCC of C9orf72 gene. Future studies will aim to further characterize the neuropsychological, imaging and pathological aspects of the extra-motor features of motor neuron disease, and will help to provide a new classification system that is both clinically and biologically relevant.

  2. 230,232Th in milk, meat, and grain in Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Xiujing; Choi, Minseok; Kim, Wan; Kang, Heedong; Doh, Sihhong; Kim, Dosung; Kim, Changkyu

    2004-01-01

    The concentrations of natural radioisotopes 230 Th and 232 Th in Korean foods were measured by the method of calcium oxalate co-precipitation in addition to the conventional anion-exchange method and alpha spectroscopic measurement. The 230 Th concentrations (mBq/kg-fresh) in Korean foods were found to be as follows: milk 0.14-2.45, pork 2.98-8.97, beef 1.94-9.80, chicken 1.22-13.0, rice 0.43-2.35, wheat 0.53-14.4, and soybeans, 8.44-91.6. The 232 Th concentrations (mBq/kg-fresh) in Korean foods were found to be as follows: milk 0.01-2.46, pork 0.28-9.32, beef 1.02-5.34, chicken 0.56-4.98, rice 0.32-2.54, wheat 0.53-20.0, and soybeans, 2.30-42.2. The annual internal dose of Th was also estimated. The annual internal dose of 230 Th and 232 Th in milk was about 0.006 μSv/yr and much lower than that of other countries because of the low intake of milk in Korea compared to other countries. The annual internal dose of 230 Th and 232 Th in the rice was about 0.043 μSv/yr and highest because rice is the staple food of Koreans. (author)

  3. Uniformed Services Worldwide Legal Assistance & Reserve Components Office Directory. Revised.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-11-01

    257-1829 Commander (dl) 14th Coast Guard District Prince Kalanianaole Federal Building 300 Ala Moana Blvd, 9th Floor Honolulu, Hawaii 96850-4982...a),aarons.org Practice Area: 351 - Criminal Law - Defense, 400 - General Practice Bars Admitted: NM County of Practice: Santa Fe, Rio Arriba , Los

  4. Loosening After Acetabular Revision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beckmann, Nicholas A.; Weiss, Stefan; Klotz, Matthias C.M.

    2014-01-01

    The best method of revision acetabular arthroplasty remains unclear. Consequently, we reviewed the literature on the treatment of revision acetabular arthroplasty using revision rings (1541 cases; mean follow-up (FU) 5.7 years) and Trabecular Metal, or TM, implants (1959 cases; mean FU 3.7 years...

  5. Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for Parkinson's disease and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dammann Andersen, Andreas

    the development of biomarkers for earlier and more precise diagnosis and prognosis. The purpose of this study is the development and evaluation of proposed biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of rat models of PD and LID as well as in patients with early and late stage PD with or without LID. Potential....... Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in Parkinson disease. Nature reviews Neurology. 2013;9(3):131-40. 5. Goetz CG, Tilley BC, Shaftman SR, et al. Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS): scale presentation and clinimetric testing results. Movement...

  6. 7th to 9th grade obese adolescents' perceptions about obesity in Tamaulipas, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Luz Martínez-Aguilar, Ma; Flores-Peña, Yolanda; de las Mercedes Rizo-Baeza, Ma; Aguilar-Hernández, Rosa Ma; Vázquez-Galindo, Laura; Gutiérres-Sánchez, Gustavo

    2010-01-01

    The objective was to explore obese adolescents perceptions about obesity among students in the seventh to ninth grade of a public school in Tamaulipas, Mexico. This is a qualitative study. Participants were 24 adolescents with a body mass index equal to or greater than the 95th percentile. Semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached and the meaning was understood. The adolescents defined obesity according to standards of measurement. They identified the hereditary factor as the main obesity cause, tended to underestimate obesity and had low self-esteem. They reported problems to do physical exercise and get clothes in order to improve their image, and feel rejected by their peers in school. It was identified that these adolescents have psychological defense mechanisms against obesity and that some of them are making efforts to lose weight. Obesity entails social and psychological health implications for persons suffering from this problem. Interventions should be put in practice.

  7. Nostalgia in the Army (17th-19th Centuries).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battesti, Michèle

    2016-01-01

    People died from nostalgia in the army in the 17th-19th centuries. The term 'nostalgia', created by the doctor Johannes Hofer (1669-1752), from Mulhouse, came from the Germanic Heimweh, or 'homesickness'. It affected the young people enrolled in the army, such as Swiss mercenaries. Longing for their native land, they were consumed by an ongoing desire to return home. If it was impossible to do so, they sank into 'a sadness accompanied with insomnia, anorexia and other unpleasant symptoms' that could lead to death. Nostalgia became classified as a disease during the last quarter of the 18th century and ravaged the French army during the Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. However, as soon as the wars ended, it ceased to exist in the army (except the colonial army). It was removed from the nosology in the first half of the 19th century. Rapidly explained as an example of a misdiagnosis or a confusion between 'connection and cause', nostalgia needs to be assessed in regard to the medical debate between 'alienists' and 'organicists'. Creating much concern, nostalgia needs to be considered in the historical context of a society destabilized by modernity, with some individuals uprooted by the sudden transition from civil society to military life. It raises questions about the role that the army played in the creation of the French national union. Nostalgia may have also covered psychic traumatisms later designated as combat fatigue, war neurosis, or post-traumatic stress disorder. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  8. [Experience of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in first case of imported Zika virus disease in China].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Yichu; Zeng, Liping; Bao, Wen; Xu, Pinghua; Zhong, Gongrong

    2016-02-01

    Zika virus disease is an acute infectious disease caused by Zika virus transmitted through Aedes mosquitoes. To explore the therapeutic effect of integrated traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Zika virus disease, the treatment process of the first imported case in China was reviewed. The first imported Zika virus disease in China was admitted to Ganxian People's Hospital in Jiangxi Province on February 6th, 2016, and the patient received isolation treatment for 9 days and cured later. The effect of antiviral treatments including Xiyanping injection was evaluated based on clinical diagnosis and treatment process of the patient. A 34-year old male patient was admitted with chief complaint of fever for 9 days, orbital pain and itching rash for 4 days on February 6th, 2016. (1) Epidemiological characteristics: the patient was bitted by mosquitoes during his business trip in Venezuela since January 1st, where Zika virus disease was spreading. On January 20th he had dizziness without fever, and the symptom disappeared after taking medicines without details. Paroxysmal dizziness, chills and mild fever without myalgia was experienced on January 28th. On February 3rd small red rash appeared in the neck, spreading to anterior part of chest, limbs and trunk, and the fever, fatigue, nausea was continued, and a new symptom of paroxysmal pain in back of ears and orbits appeared, during which he had not go to hospital. The symptoms relieved on February 4th. He returned to Ganxian County on February 5th, he had yellow stool 3 times with normal temperature, without abdominal pain, and red rash still appeared in the neck. He went to Ganxian People's Hospital on February 6th, 2016. (2) Clinical manifestation: the vital signs showed a temperature of 36.8?centigrade, a pulse rate of 80 bpm, a respiratory rate of 20 bpm, and a blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa). It was showed by physical examination that red rash appeared in the neck, and no superficial enlarged

  9. Fixation of revision implants is improved by new surgical technique to crack the sclerotic endosteal rim.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kold, S; Soballe, K; Mouzin, O; Chen, Xiangmei; Toft, M; Bechtold, J

    2002-01-01

    We used an experimental model producing a tissue response with a sclerotic endosteal neo-cortical rim associated with implant loosening in humans: a 6 mm PMMA cylinder pistoned 500 m concentrically in a 7.5 mm hole, with polyethylene particles. At a second operation at eight weeks, the standard revision procedure removed the fibrous membrane in one knee, and the crack revision procedure was used to crack the sclerotic endosteal rim in the contralateral knee. Once stability was achieved following the revision procedures, loaded Ti plasma sprayed implants were inserted into the revision cavities of 8 dogs for an additional 4 weeks. Revision implant fixation (ultimate shear strength and energy absorption) was significantly enhanced by cracking the sclerotic endosteal rim. In conclusion, we demonstrated a simple technique of cracking the sclerotic endosteal rim as an additional method for improving revision fixation. (Hip International 2002; 2: 77-9).

  10. Tuberculosis epidemiology and selection in an autochthonous Siberian population from the 16th-19th century.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henri Dabernat

    Full Text Available Tuberculosis is one of most ancient diseases affecting human populations. Although numerous studies have tried to detect pathogenic DNA in ancient skeletons, the successful identification of ancient tuberculosis strains remains rare. Here, we describe a study of 140 ancient subjects inhumed in Yakutia (Eastern Siberia during a tuberculosis outbreak, dating from the 16(th-19(th century. For a long time, Yakut populations had remained isolated from European populations, and it was not until the beginning of the 17(th century that first contacts were made with European settlers. Subsequently, tuberculosis spread throughout Yakutia, and the evolution of tuberculosis frequencies can be tracked until the 19(th century. This study took a multidisciplinary approach, examining historical and paleo-epidemiological data to understand the impact of tuberculosis on ancient Yakut population. In addition, molecular identification of the ancient tuberculosis strain was realized to elucidate the natural history and host-pathogen co-evolution of human tuberculosis that was present in this population. This was achieved by the molecular detection of the IS6110 sequence and SNP genotyping by the SNaPshot technique. Results demonstrated that the strain belongs to cluster PGG2-SCG-5, evocating a European origin. Our study suggests that the Yakut population may have been shaped by selection pressures, exerted by several illnesses, including tuberculosis, over several centuries. This confirms the validity and necessity of using a multidisciplinary approach to understand the natural history of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease.

  11. Proceedings of NUCLEAR 2016 the 9th annual international conference on sustainable development through nuclear research and education. Part 3/3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paraschiv, Irina Maria

    2016-01-01

    The proceedings of the NUCLEAR 2016 the 9th annual international conference on sustainable development through nuclear research and education held at INR-Pitesti on May, 18-20, contain 81 communications presented in two plenary sessions and three sections addressing the themes of Nuclear energy, Environmental protection and Sustainable development. This section (Part 3/3) is addressing the following items: Section 3.1 Education, training and knowledge management (22 papers); Section 3.2 International cooperation (5 papers); These papers are presented as abstracts in 'Nuclear 2016 - Book of Abstracts', separately processed

  12. A test of Hartnett's revisions to the pubic symphysis and fourth rib methods on a modern sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merritt, Catherine E

    2014-05-01

    Estimating age at death is one of the most important aspects of creating a biological profile. Most adult age estimation methods were developed on North American skeletal collections from the early to mid-20th century, and their applicability to modern populations has been questioned. In 2010, Hartnett used a modern skeletal collection from the Maricopia County Forensic Science Centre to revise the Suchey-Brooks pubic symphysis method and the İşcan et al. fourth rib methods. The current study tests Hartnett's revised methods as well as the original Suchey-Brooks and İşcan et al. methods on a modern sample from the William Bass Skeletal Collection (N = 313, mean age = 58.5, range 19-92). Results show that the Suchey-Brooks and İşcan et al. methods assign individuals to the correct phase 70.8% and 57.5% of the time compared with Hartnett's revised methods at 58.1% and 29.7%, respectively, with correctness scores based on one standard deviation of the mean rather than the entire age range. Accuracy and bias scores are significantly improved for Hartnett's revised pubic symphysis method and marginally better for Hartnett's revised fourth rib method, suggesting that the revised mean ages at death of Hartnett's phases better reflect this modern population. Overall, both Hartnett's revised methods are reliable age estimation methods. For the pubic symphysis, there are significant improvements in accuracy and bias scores, especially for older individuals; however, for the fourth rib, the results are comparable to the original İşcan et al. methods, with some improvement for older individuals. © 2014 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  13. Outcomes of different bearings in total hip arthroplasty - implant survival, revision causes, and patient-reported outcome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Varnum, Claus

    2017-01-01

    ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) THAs comparing them to those of "standard" metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) THAs. Study II: To compare the six-year revision risk for metal-on-metal (MoM) with that for MoP bearings in cementless stemmed THA, and further to study the revision risk for different designs of stemmed Mo...... for the outcome of THA is the type of bearings. This PhD thesis focuses on the influence of different types of bearings on implant survival, revision causes, PROMs, and noises from THA. The aims of the thesis were: Study I: To examine the revision risk and to investigate the causes of revision of cementless......M THAs and the causes of revision. Study III: To examine the association between CoC, MoM, and MoP bearings and both generic and disease-specific PROMs, and furthermore to examine the incidence and types of noises from the three types of bearings and identify the effect of noises on PROM scores. In study...

  14. Metal working fluid exposure and diseases in Switzerland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koller, Michael F; Pletscher, Claudia; Scholz, Stefan M; Schneuwly, Philippe

    2016-07-01

    Exposure to metal working fluids (MWF) is common in machining processes worldwide and may lead to diseases of the skin and the respiratory tract. The aim of the study was to investigate exposure and diseases due to MWF in Switzerland between 2004 and 2013. We performed descriptive statistics including determination of median and 90th percentile values of MWF concentrations listed in a database of Suva. Moreover, we clustered MWF-induced occupational diseases listed in a database from the Swiss Central Office for Statistics in Accident Insurance, and performed linear regression over time to investigate temporal course of the illnesses. The 90th percentile for MWF air concentration was 8.1 mg (aerosol + vapor)/m 3 and 0.9 mg aerosol/m 3 (inhalable fraction). One thousand two hundred and eighty skin diseases and 96 respiratory diseases were observed. This is the first investigation describing exposure to and diseases due to MWF in Switzerland over a timeframe of 10 years. In general, working conditions in the companies of this investigation were acceptable. Most measured MWF concentrations were below both the Swiss and most international occupational exposure limits of 2014. The percentage of workers declared unfit for work was 17% compared to the average of other occupational diseases (12%).

  15. Maysin and Its Flavonoid Derivative from Centipedegrass Attenuates Amyloid Plaques by Inducting Humoral Immune Response with Th2 Skewed Cytokine Response in the Tg (APPswe, PS1dE9 Alzheimer's Mouse Model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuno Song

    Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD is a slow, progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia in the elderly. The etiology of AD and its underlying mechanism are still not clear. In a previous study, we found that an ethyl acetate extract of Centipedegrass (CG (i.e., EA-CG contained 4 types of Maysin derivatives, including Luteolin, Isoorientin, Rhamnosylisoorientin, and Derhamnosylmaysin, and showed protective effects against Amyloid beta (Aβ by inhibiting oligomeric Aβ in cellular and in vitro models. Here, we examined the preventative effects of EA-CG treatment on the Aβ burden in the Tg (Mo/Hu APPswe PS1dE9 AD mouse model. We have investigated the EA-CG efficacy as novel anti-AD likely preventing amyloid plaques using immunofluorescence staining to visually analyze Aβ40/42 and fibril formation with Thioflavin-S or 6E10 which are the profile of immunoreactivity against epitope Aβ1-16 or neuritic plaque, the quantitation of humoral immune response against Aβ, and the inflammatory cytokine responses (Th1 and Th2 using ELISA and QRT-PCR. To minimize the toxicity of the extracted CG, we addressed the liver toxicity in response to the CG extract treatment in Tg mice using relevant markers, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST/ alanine aminotransferase (ALT measurements in serum. The EA-CG extract significantly reduced the Aβ burden, the concentration of soluble Aβ40/42 protein, and fibril formation in the hippocampus and cortex of the Tg mice treated with EA-CG (50 mg/kg BW/day for 6 months compared with the Tg mice treated with a normal diet. Additionally, the profile of anti-inflammatory cytokines revealed that the levels of Th2 (interleukin-4 (IL-4 and interleukin-10 (IL-10 cytokines are more significantly increased than Th1 (interferon-γ (IFN-γ, interleukin-2(IL-2 in the sera. These results suggest that the EA-CG fraction induces IL-4/IL-10-dependent anti-inflammatory cytokines (Th2 rather than pro

  16. Proceedings of the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) International Conference on Mobile Learning (12th, Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal, April 9-11, 2016)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, Inmaculada Arnedillo, Ed.; Isaías, Pedro, Ed.

    2016-01-01

    These proceedings contain the papers of the 12th International Conference on Mobile Learning 2016, which was organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society, in Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal, April 9-11, 2016. The Mobile Learning 2016 Conference seeks to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of…

  17. Midterm Clinical and Radiographic Results of Mobile-Bearing Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Raymond H; Martin, J Ryan; Dennis, Douglas A; Yang, Charlie C; Jennings, Jason M; Lee, Gwo-Chin

    2017-06-01

    Constrained implants are frequently required in revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and are associated with an increase in aseptic component loosening and damage or wear to the constraining mechanisms, compared with primary TKA. The purpose of the following study was to evaluate the midterm clinical and radiographic results including the incidence of bearing complications in a group of patients undergoing revision TKA using mobile-bearing revision TKA implants. We retrospectively reviewed 316 consecutive mobile-bearing revision TKAs performed at 2 centers between 2006 and 2010. There were 183 women and 133 men with a mean age of 66 years. The patients were evaluated clinically using the Knee Society scores. A radiographic analysis was performed. Bearing specific complications (ie, instability or dislocation) were recorded. Patients were followed-up for a minimum of 24 months and a median of 59.88 months (range 24-121.2). The average Knee Society knee score and function scores increased from 40.8 and 47.9 points preoperatively to 80 points and 70.3 points, respectively (P bearing complications were observed. Revision TKA using mobile-bearing revision components demonstrated favorable midterm clinical and radiographic results with no occurrence of bearing instability or dislocation. Longer follow-up is required to evaluate for potential advantages of mobile-bearings over fixed-bearing revision components in terms of polyethylene wear reduction, reduced stress transmission across fixation interfaces, and reduced stress on the polyethylene post. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. The 4th Seto congress : Värska, Estonia, 9th of October 1996

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    1996-01-01

    IV Seto kongress, 9. okt. 1996, Värska kongressi deklaratsioon; resolutsioon Eesti-Vene piirist; resolutsioon piiri ületamisest (vabast liikumisest), resolutsioon Eesti Vabariigi kodanikest Petseri regioonis, resolutsioon ühinemine kohta Esindamata Rahvaste Organisatsiooniga (ERO)

  19. Identifying Adverse Events Using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision Y Codes in Korea: A Cross-sectional Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minsu Ock

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives The use of administrative data is an affordable alternative to conducting a difficult large-scale medical-record review to estimate the scale of adverse events. We identified adverse events from 2002 to 2013 on the national level in Korea, using International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10 Y codes. Methods We used data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC. We relied on medical treatment databases to extract information on ICD-10 Y codes from each participant in the NHIS-NSC. We classified adverse events in the ICD-10 Y codes into 6 types: those related to drugs, transfusions, and fluids; those related to vaccines and immunoglobulin; those related to surgery and procedures; those related to infections; those related to devices; and others. Results Over 12 years, a total of 20 817 adverse events were identified using ICD-10 Y codes, and the estimated total adverse event rate was 0.20%. Between 2002 and 2013, the total number of such events increased by 131.3%, from 1366 in 2002 to 3159 in 2013. The total rate increased by 103.9%, from 0.17% in 2002 to 0.35% in 2013. Events related to drugs, transfusions, and fluids were the most common (19 446, 93.4%, followed by those related to surgery and procedures (1209, 5.8% and those related to vaccines and immunoglobulin (72, 0.3%. Conclusions Based on a comparison with the results of other studies, the total adverse event rate in this study was significantly underestimated. Improving coding practices for ICD-10 Y codes is necessary to precisely monitor the scale of adverse events in Korea.

  20. A revised ANS standard for decay heat from fission products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schrock, V.E.

    1978-01-01

    The draft ANS 5.1 standard on decay heat was published in 1971 and given minor revision in 1973. Its basis was the best estimate working curve developed by K. Shure in 1961. Liberal uncertainties were assigned to the standard values because of lack of data for short cooling times and large discrepancies among experimental data. Research carried out over the past few years has greatly improved the knowledge of this phenomenon and a major revision of the standard has been completed. Very accurate determination of the decay heat is now possible, expecially within the first 10 4 seconds, where the influence of neutron capture in fission products may be treated as a small correction to the idealized zero capture case. The new standard accounts for differences among fuel nuclides. It covers cooling time to 10 9 seconds, but provides only an ''upper bound'' on the capture correction in the interval 10 4 9 seconds. (author)

  1. Cardiovascular disease mortality in Asian Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jose, Powell O; Frank, Ariel T H; Kapphahn, Kristopher I; Goldstein, Benjamin A; Eggleston, Karen; Hastings, Katherine G; Cullen, Mark R; Palaniappan, Latha P

    2014-12-16

    Asian Americans are a rapidly growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. Our current understanding of Asian-American cardiovascular disease mortality patterns is distorted by the aggregation of distinct subgroups. The purpose of the study was to examine heart disease and stroke mortality rates in Asian-American subgroups to determine racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular disease mortality within the United States. We examined heart disease and stroke mortality rates for the 6 largest Asian-American subgroups (Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) from 2003 to 2010. U.S. death records were used to identify race/ethnicity and cause of death by International Classification of Diseases-10th revision coding. Using both U.S. Census data and death record data, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), relative SMRs (rSMRs), and proportional mortality ratios were calculated for each sex and ethnic group relative to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). In this study, 10,442,034 death records were examined. Whereas NHW men and women had the highest overall mortality rates, Asian Indian men and women and Filipino men had greater proportionate mortality burden from ischemic heart disease. The proportionate mortality burden of hypertensive heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, especially hemorrhagic stroke, was higher in every Asian-American subgroup compared with NHWs. The heterogeneity in cardiovascular disease mortality patterns among diverse Asian-American subgroups calls attention to the need for more research to help direct more specific treatment and prevention efforts, in particular with hypertension and stroke, to reduce health disparities for this growing population. Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Gene therapy for CNS diseases – Krabbe disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad A. Rafi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This is a brief report of the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy that took place from May 4th through May 7th, 2016 in Washington, DC, USA. While the meeting provided many symposiums, lectures, and scientific sessions this report mainly focuses on one of the sessions on the "Gene Therapy for central nervous system (CNS Diseases" and specifically on the "Gene Therapy for the globoid cell leukodystrophy or Krabbe disease. Two presentations focused on this subject utilizing two animal models of this disease: mice and dog models. Different serotypes of adeno-associate viral vectors (AAV alone or in combination with bone marrow transplantations were used in these research projects. The Meeting of the ASGCT reflected continuous growth in the fields of gene and cell therapy and brighter forecast for efficient treatment options for variety of human diseases.

  3. Restoring Lost Anti-HER-2 Th1 Immunity in Breast Cancer: A Crucial Role for Th1 Cytokines in Therapy and Prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nocera, Nadia F; Lee, M Catherine; De La Cruz, Lucy M; Rosemblit, Cinthia; Czerniecki, Brian J

    2016-01-01

    The ErbB/B2 (HER-2/neu) oncogene family plays a critical role in the development and metastatic spread of several tumor types including breast, ovarian and gastric cancer. In breast cancer, HER-2/neu is expressed in early disease development in a large percentage of DCIS lesions and its expression is associated with an increased risk of invasion and recurrence. Targeting HER-2 with antibodies such as trastuzumab or pertuzumab has improved survival, but patients with more extensive disease may develop resistance to therapy. Interestingly, response to HER-2 targeted therapies correlates with presence of immune response genes in the breast. Th1 cell production of the cytokines interferon gamma (IFNγ) and TNFα can enhance MHC class I expression, PD-L1 expression, augment apoptosis and tumor senescence, and enhances growth inhibition of many anti-breast cancer agents, including anti-estrogens and HER-2 targeted therapies. Recently, we have identified that a loss of anti-HER-2 CD4 Th1 in peripheral blood occurs during breast tumorigenesis and is dramatically diminished, even in Stage I breast cancers. The loss of anti-HER-2 Th1 response is specific and not readily reversed by standard therapies. In fact, this loss of anti-HER-2 Th1 response in peripheral blood correlates with lack of complete response to neoadjuvant therapy and diminished disease-free survival. This defect can be restored with HER-2 vaccinations in both DCIS and IBC. Correcting the anti-HER-2 Th1 response may have significant impact in improving response to HER-2 targeted therapies. Development of immune monitoring systems for anti-HER-2 Th1 to identify patients at risk for recurrence could be critical to improving outcomes, since the anti-HER-2 Th1 response can be restored by vaccination. Correction of the cellular immune response against HER-2 may prevent recurrence in high-risk patients with DCIS and IBC at risk of developing new or recurrent breast cancer.

  4. [Management of chronic heart failure - a systematic review of guidelines in the context of the DMP revision].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kötter, Thomas; Bartel, Carmen; Schramm, Susanne; Lange, Petra; Höfer, Eva; Hänsel, Michaela; Waffenschmidt, Siw; Waldt, Susanne Ein; Hoffmann-Eßer, Wiebke; Rüther, Alric; Lühmann, Dagmar; Scherer, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Disease Management Programmes (DMPs) are structured treatment programmes for chronic diseases. The DMP requirements are primarily derived from evidence-based guidelines. DMPs are regularly revised to ensure that they reflect current best practice and medical knowledge. The aim of this study was to assess the need for updating the German DMP module on heart failure by comparing it to relevant guidelines and identifying recommendations that should be revised. We systematically searched for clinical guidelines on heart failure published in German, English or French, and extracted relevant guideline recommendations. All included guidelines were assessed for methodological quality. To identify revision needs in the DMP, we performed a synoptic analysis of the extracted guideline recommendations and DMP requirements. 27 guidelines were included. The extracted recommendations covered all aspects of the management of heart failure. The comparison of guideline recommendations with DMP requirements showed that, overall, guideline recommendations were more detailed than DMP requirements, and that the guidelines covered topics not included in the DMP module. The DMP module is largely consistent with current guidelines on heart failure. We did not identify any need for significant revision of the DMP requirements. However, some specific recommendations of the DMP module could benefit from revision. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  5. Inflammation in the CNS and Th17 Responses Are Inhibited by IFN-{gamma}-Induced IL-18 Binding Protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Millward, Jason M; Pedersen, Morten Løbner; Wheeler, Rachel D

    2010-01-01

    Inflammatory responses are essential for immune protection but may also cause pathology and must be regulated. Both Th1 and Th17 cells are implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. We show in this study that IL-18-binding protein (IL-18bp......), the endogenous inhibitor of the Th1-promoting cytokine IL-18, is upregulated by IFN-gamma in resident microglial cells in the CNS during multiple sclerosis-like disease in mice. Test of function by overexpression of IL-18bp in the CNS using a viral vector led to marked reduction in Th17 responses and robust...... inhibition of incidence, severity, and histopathology of disease, independently of IFN-gamma. The disease-limiting action of IL-18bp included suppression of APC-derived Th17-polarizing cytokines. IL-18bp thus acts as a sensor for IFN-gamma and can regulate both Th1 and Th17 responses in the CNS....

  6. 17th Century Variola Virus Reveals the Recent History of Smallpox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duggan, Ana T; Perdomo, Maria F; Piombino-Mascali, Dario; Marciniak, Stephanie; Poinar, Debi; Emery, Matthew V; Buchmann, Jan P; Duchêne, Sebastian; Jankauskas, Rimantas; Humphreys, Margaret; Golding, G Brian; Southon, John; Devault, Alison; Rouillard, Jean-Marie; Sahl, Jason W; Dutour, Olivier; Hedman, Klaus; Sajantila, Antti; Smith, Geoffrey L; Holmes, Edward C; Poinar, Hendrik N

    2016-12-19

    Smallpox holds a unique position in the history of medicine. It was the first disease for which a vaccine was developed and remains the only human disease eradicated by vaccination. Although there have been claims of smallpox in Egypt, India, and China dating back millennia [1-4], the timescale of emergence of the causative agent, variola virus (VARV), and how it evolved in the context of increasingly widespread immunization, have proven controversial [4-9]. In particular, some molecular-clock-based studies have suggested that key events in VARV evolution only occurred during the last two centuries [4-6] and hence in apparent conflict with anecdotal historical reports, although it is difficult to distinguish smallpox from other pustular rashes by description alone. To address these issues, we captured, sequenced, and reconstructed a draft genome of an ancient strain of VARV, sampled from a Lithuanian child mummy dating between 1643 and 1665 and close to the time of several documented European epidemics [1, 2, 10]. When compared to vaccinia virus, this archival strain contained the same pattern of gene degradation as 20 th century VARVs, indicating that such loss of gene function had occurred before ca. 1650. Strikingly, the mummy sequence fell basal to all currently sequenced strains of VARV on phylogenetic trees. Molecular-clock analyses revealed a strong clock-like structure and that the timescale of smallpox evolution is more recent than often supposed, with the diversification of major viral lineages only occurring within the 18 th and 19 th centuries, concomitant with the development of modern vaccination. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Immune influence of pregnancy on human H7N9 infection: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Cui

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: H7N9 infection has raised serious concerns worldwide. Pregnant women were considered to be at a high risk of influenza infection. Normal pregnancy was dependent on T helper (Th 2 deviation. However, whether pregnancy influences the immune status of influenza H7N9 patients has not been reported. Case report: Here, we reported a case of pregnant woman in the first trimester with H7N9 infection compared with the two non-pregnant female H7N9 patients for clinical features and relevant immunological changes. We found that there were no differences in plasma levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines between the pregnant and non-pregnant patients, and there was no Th2 deviation in the acute phase. However, the Th2 deviation was recurrent along with the clearance of infection in the H7N9 pregnant patient. Conclusion: These cases highlighted that the pregnant patient infected with H7N9 could induce an effective Th1 immune response equal to that of non-pregnant patients with H7N9 virus infection, although the pregnancy itself could lead to a Th2 deviation. These data suggested that pregnant patients could acquire a similar antiviral response for H7N9 infection versus non-pregnant patients. Keywords: Influenza, H7N9, Pregnancy, Immunologic characteristics, Cytokines

  8. CCR5 delta32, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and disease activity in multiple sclerosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sellebjerg, Finn; Madsen, Hans O; Jensen, Claus V

    2000-01-01

    Chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) appear to be crucial in leukocyte recruitment to the central nervous system in multiple sclerosis (MS). CCR5 delta32, a truncated allele of the CC chemokine receptor CCR5 gene encoding a non-functional receptor, did not confer protection from MS. CCR5...... delta32 was, however, associated with a lower risk of recurrent clinical disease activity. High CSF levels of MMP-9 activity were also associated with recurrent disease activity. These results directly link intrathecal inflammation to disease activity in patients with MS, suggesting that treatments...... targeting CCR5 or treatment with MMP inhibitors may attenuate disease activity in MS...

  9. CA 19-9 and CA 125 as potential predictors of disease recurrence in resectable lung adenocarcinoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofi Isaksson

    Full Text Available Among patients who underwent primary surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, recurrent disease is frequent and cannot be accurately predicted solely from TNM stage and histopathological features. The aim of this study was to examine the association of tumor markers in pre-operative serum with recurrent disease.Blood samples were collected prior to lung cancer surgery from 107 patients with stage I-III lung adenocarcinoma surgically treated at Lund University hospital, Lund, Sweden, between 2005 and 2011. The serum tumor markers Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, Neuron-specific enolase (NSE, Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125, Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4 and Carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9 were analyzed retrospectively and clinical follow-up data were collected from patient charts. Forty (37% patients were diagnosed with recurrent disease.Sixty-eight (64% patients had at least one elevated tumor marker prior to surgery. In analysis of disease-free survival (DFS, CA 125 and/or CA 19-9 were significantly associated with recurrent disease adjusted to stage and adjuvant treatment (hazard ratio 2.8, 95% confidence interval 1.4-5.7, p = 0.006.High pre-operative serum CA 19-9 and/or CA 125 might indicate an increased incidence of recurrent disease in resectable lung adenocarcinomas.

  10. Revising Lecture Notes: How Revision, Pauses, and Partners Affect Note Taking and Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Linlin; Kiewra, Kenneth A.; Samuelson, Lydia

    2016-01-01

    Note taking has been categorized as a two-stage process: the recording of notes and the review of notes. We contend that note taking might best involve a three-stage process where the missing stage is revision. This study investigated the benefits of revising lecture notes and addressed two questions: First, is revision more effective than…

  11. Simultaneous analysis of multiple T helper subsets in leprosy reveals distinct patterns of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tregs markers expression in clinical forms and reactional events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azevedo, Michelle de Campos Soriani; Marques, Heloisa; Binelli, Larissa Sarri; Malange, Mariana Silva Vieira; Devides, Amanda Carreira; Silva, Eliane Aparecida; Fachin, Luciana Raquel Vincenzi; Ghidella, Cassio Cesar; Soares, Cleverson Teixeira; Garlet, Gustavo Pompermaier; Rosa, Patrícia Sammarco; Belone, Andrea de Farias Fernandes; Trombone, Ana Paula Favaro

    2017-12-01

    Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Previous studies have demonstrated that the difference among clinical forms of leprosy can be associated with the immune response of patients, mainly by T helper (Th) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Then, aiming at clarifying the immune response, the expression of cytokines related to Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tregs profiles were evaluated by qPCR in 87 skin biopsies from leprosy patients. Additionally, cytokines and anti-PGL-1 antibodies were determined in serum by ELISA. The results showed that the expression of various targets (mRNA) related to Th1, Th2, Th17 and Tregs were significantly modulated in leprosy when compared with healthy individuals, suggesting the presence of a mixed profile. In addition, the targets related to Th1 predominated in the tuberculoid pole and side and Th2 and Tregs predominated in the lepromatous pole and side; however, Th17 targets showed a mixed profile. Concerning reactional events, Tregs markers were decreased and IL-15 was increased in reversal reaction and IL-17F, CCL20 and IL-8 in erythema nodosum leprosum, when compared with the respective non-reactional leprosy patients. Additionally, ELISA analysis demonstrated that IL-22, IL-6, IL-10 and anti-PGL-1 antibody levels were significantly higher in the serum of patients when compared with healthy individuals, and IL-10 and anti-PGL-1 antibodies were also increased in the lepromatous pole and side. Together, these results indicate that Th1, Th2 and Th17 are involved in the determination of clinical forms of leprosy and suggest that decreased Tregs activity may be involved in the pathogenesis of reactional events.

  12. Revision of anastomotic stenosis after pancreatic head resection for chronic pancreatitis: is it futile?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Katherine A; Fontenot, Bennett B; Harvey, Norman R; Adams, David B

    2010-01-01

    Background: Because survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for cancer is limited, it is difficult to assess longterm pancreaticojejunal anastomotic patency. However, in patients with benign disease, pancreaticojejunal anastomotic stenosis may become problematic. What happens when pancreaticojejunal anastomosis revision is undertaken? Methods: Patients undergoing pancreatic anastomotic revision after pancreatic head resection for benign disease between 1997 and 2007 at the Medical University of South Carolina were identified. A retrospective chart review and analysis were undertaken with the approval of the Institutional Review Board for the Evaluation of Human Subjects. Longterm follow-up was obtained by patient survey at a clinic visit or by telephone. Results: During the study period, 237 patients underwent pancreatic head resection. Of these, 27 patients (17 women; median age 42 years) underwent revision of pancreaticojejunal anastomosis. Six patients (22%) had a pancreatic leak or abscess at the time of the index pancreatic head resection. The indication for revision of anastomosis was intractable pain. All patients underwent preoperative magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), which indicated anastomotic stricture in 18 patients (63%). Nine other patients underwent exploration based on clinical suspicion caused by recurrent pancreatitis and stenosis was confirmed at the time of surgery. Six patients (22%) had perioperative complications after revision. The median length of stay was 12 days. There were no perioperative deaths; however, late mortality occurred in four patients (15%). Six of 23 survivors (26%) at the time of follow-up (median 56 months) reported longterm pain relief. Conclusions: Stricture of the pancreaticojejunal anastomosis after pancreatic head resection presents with recurrent pancreatitis and pancreatic pain. MRCP has good specificity in the diagnosis of anastomotic obstruction, but lacks sensitivity. Pancreaticojejunal revision

  13. Common polymorphisms in CYP2C9, subclinical atherosclerosis and risk of ischemic vascular disease in 52 000 individuals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaur-Knudsen, D.; Bojesen, S.E.; Nordestgaard, Børge

    2009-01-01

    % power. In conclusion, in three independent studies totaling more than 52 000 individuals, we found no association between CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 polymorphisms and risk of subclinical atherosclerosis, ischemic vascular disease or death after ischemic heart disease. The Pharmacogenomics Journal (2009) 9...

  14. The Impact of CRISPR/Cas9 Technology on Cardiac Research: From Disease Modelling to Therapeutic Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pramstaller, Peter P.; Hicks, Andrew A.; Rossini, Alessandra

    2017-01-01

    Genome-editing technology has emerged as a powerful method that enables the generation of genetically modified cells and organisms necessary to elucidate gene function and mechanisms of human diseases. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats- (CRISPR-) associated 9 (Cas9) system has rapidly become one of the most popular approaches for genome editing in basic biomedical research over recent years because of its simplicity and adaptability. CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing has been used to correct DNA mutations ranging from a single base pair to large deletions in both in vitro and in vivo model systems. CRISPR/Cas9 has been used to increase the understanding of many aspects of cardiovascular disorders, including lipid metabolism, electrophysiology and genetic inheritance. The CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been proven to be effective in creating gene knockout (KO) or knockin in human cells and is particularly useful for editing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Despite these progresses, some biological, technical, and ethical issues are limiting the therapeutic potential of genome editing in cardiovascular diseases. This review will focus on various applications of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in the cardiovascular field, for both disease research and the prospect of in vivo genome-editing therapies in the future. PMID:29434642

  15. Th17 cell-mediated neuroinflammation is involved in neurodegeneration of aβ1-42-induced Alzheimer's disease model rats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Zhang

    Full Text Available Neuroinflammation, especially innate immunocyte-mediated neuroinflammation, has been reported to participate in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD. However, the involvement of adaptive immune cells, such as CD4(+ T lymphocytes, in pathogenesis of AD is not well clarified. Herein, we focus on T helper 17 (Th17 cells, a subpopulation of CD4(+ T cells with high proinflammation, and show the implication of the cells in neurodegeneration of AD. Amyloid β1-42 (Aβ1-42 was bilaterally injected into hippocampus of rats to induce AD. On days 7 and 14 following the Aβ1-42 administration, escape latency of the rats in Morris water maze was increased, expression of amyloid precursor protein was upregulated, but expression of protein phosphatase 2A was downregulated in the hippocampus, and Nissl stain showed neuronal loss and gliosis in CA1 region. Infusion of FITC-linked albumin in blood circulation and combination with immunostaining of hippocampal sections for RORγ, a specific transcriptional factor of Th17 cells, demonstrated blood-brain barrier (BBB disruption and Th17 cells' infiltration into brain parenchyma of AD rats. Expression of Th17 proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL-17 and IL-22, was increased in the hippocampus, and concentrations of the two cytokines were elevated in both the cerebrospinal fluid and the serum in AD occurrence and development. Compared with intact or saline-treated control rats, AD animals indicated an upregulated expression of Fas and FasL in the hippocampus. Further, the immunofluorescent histochemistry on AD hippocampal sections with NeuN, RORγ, Fas and FasL displayed that Fas was principally expressed by neurons and FasL was predominantly expressed by Th17 cells, and that neuronal apoptosis shown by TUNEL and NeuN double-labeled cells increased. These results suggest that Th17 cells, which were infiltrated into AD brain parenchyma, participate in neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration of AD by release of

  16. Comparative Analysis of Direct Hospital Care Costs between Aseptic and Two-Stage Septic Knee Revision

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasch, Richard; Merk, Sebastian; Assmann, Grit; Lahm, Andreas; Napp, Matthias; Merk, Harry; Flessa, Steffen

    2017-01-01

    Background The most common intermediate and long-term complications of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) include aseptic and septic failure of prosthetic joints. These complications cause suffering, and their management is expensive. In the future the number of revision TKA will increase, which involves a greater financial burden. Little concrete data about direct costs for aseptic and two-stage septic knee revisions with an in depth-analysis of septic explantation and implantation is available. Questions/Purposes A retrospective consecutive analysis of the major partial costs involved in revision TKA for aseptic and septic failure was undertaken to compare 1) demographic and clinical characteristics, and 2) variable direct costs (from a hospital department’s perspective) between patients who underwent single-stage aseptic and two-stage septic revision of TKA in a hospital providing maximum care. We separately analyze the explantation and implantation procedures in septic revision cases and identify the major cost drivers of knee revision operations. Methods A total of 106 consecutive patients (71 aseptic and 35 septic) was included. All direct costs of diagnosis, surgery, and treatment from the hospital department’s perspective were calculated as real purchase prices. Personnel involvement was calculated in units of minutes. Results Aseptic versus septic revisions differed significantly in terms of length of hospital stay (15.2 vs. 39.9 days), number of reported secondary diagnoses (6.3 vs. 9.8) and incision-suture time (108.3 min vs. 193.2 min). The management of septic revision TKA was significantly more expensive than that of aseptic failure ($12,223.79 vs. $6,749.43) (p costs of explantation stage ($4,540.46) were lower than aseptic revision TKA ($6,749.43) which were again lower than those of the septic implantation stage ($7,683.33). All mean costs of stays were not comparable as they differ significantly (p cost drivers were the cost of the implant and

  17. Outcomes of cup revision for ilio-psoas impingement after total hip arthroplasty: Retrospective study of 46 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batailler, C; Bonin, N; M Wettstein; Nogier, A; Martres, S; Ollier, E; May, O; Lustig, S

    2017-12-01

    Impingement of the ilio-psoas tendon on the acetabular component is a cause of pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Studies of cup revision for ilio-psoas impingement (IPI) are scarce and limited in size. We therefore conducted a large multicentre retrospective study with the following objectives: to assess the effectiveness of cup replacement in resolving the impingement syndrome, to determine the frequency and nature of complications after cup revision for IPI, and to identify pre-operative factors associated with good outcomes of cup revision for IPI. Cup revision is effective in resolving the pain due to IPI in selected patients. This retrospective multicentre study included 46 patients who underwent cup revision because of IPI. Before the revision, 38 (83%) patients had prominence of the anterior cup rim (mean, 9.9±4.5mm (range, 2-22mm) by radiography and 35 (76%) had cup malposition (anteversion50°). Mean follow-up was 21months (range, 6months to 6 years) and no patient was lost to follow-up. Outcomes at last follow-up were assessed based on the Oxford Hip Score (OHS), patient satisfaction index, complications, and revisions. At last follow-up, 39 (85%) patients were satisfied with the revision procedure, a significant improvement versus baseline was noted in the OHS (mean, 43±6; range, 25-48; P<0.001), and 41 patients were free of pain during hip flexion (P<0.001 versus baseline). Complications occurred in 3 (6.5%) patients, but only one complication was severe (deep infection). Recurrent groin pain was reported by 4 (8.7%) patients at last follow-up. None of the factors studied predicted the outcome of revision surgery. Cup revision for IPI after THA is effective in relieving the groin pain in 80% of patients with anterior cup rim prominence and/or cup malposition. However, complications can occur. Tenotomy may be preferable when the diagnosis is in doubt and/or cup position is acceptable. IV, retrospective observational study. Published by Elsevier

  18. Revised IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wheatley, J. S.

    2004-01-01

    The revised Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources is aimed primarily at Governments, with the objective of achieving and maintaining a high level of safety and security of radioactive sources through the development, harmonization and enforcement of national policies, laws and regulations; and through the fostering of international co-operation. It focuses on sealed radioactive sources and provides guidance on legislation, regulations and the regulatory body, and import/export controls. Nuclear materials (except for sources containing 239Pu), as defined in the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials, are not covered by the revised Code, nor are radioactive sources within military or defence programmes. An earlier version of the Code was published by IAEA in 2001. At that time, agreement was not reached on a number of issues, notably those relating to the creation of comprehensive national registries for radioactive sources, obligations of States exporting radioactive sources, and the possibility of unilateral declarations of support. The need to further consider these and other issues was highlighted by the events of 11th September 2001. Since then, the IAEA's Secretariat has been working closely with Member States and relevant International Organizations to achieve consensus. The text of the revised Code was finalized at a meeting of technical and legal experts in August 2003, and it was submitted to IAEA's Board of Governors for approval in September 2003, with a recommendation that the IAEA General Conference adopt it and encourage its wide implementation. The IAEA General Conference, in September 2003, endorsed the revised Code and urged States to work towards following the guidance contained within it. This paper summarizes the history behind the revised Code, its content and the outcome of the discussions within the IAEA Board of Governors and General Conference. (Author) 8 refs

  19. Developing and evaluating rare disease educational materials co-created by expert clinicians and patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Badiu, Corin; Bonomi, Marco; Borshchevsky, Ivan

    2017-01-01

    were conducted by clinicians and patients who are native speakers. RESULTS: Co-created patient education materials reached the target 6th grade reading level according to 2/6 (33%) algorithms (range: grade 5.9-9.7). The online survey received 164 hits in 2 months and 63/159 (40%) of eligible patients...... disease patients. Combining dissemination via traditional healthcare professional platforms as well as patient-centric sites can facilitate broad uptake of culturally adapted translations. This process may serve as a roadmap for creating patient education materials for other rare diseases....

  20. Antagonizing Arachidonic Acid-Derived Eicosanoids Reduces Inflammatory Th17 and Th1 Cell-Mediated Inflammation and Colitis Severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer M. Monk

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available During colitis, activation of two inflammatory T cell subsets, Th17 and Th1 cells, promotes ongoing intestinal inflammatory responses. n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid- (PUFA- derived eicosanoids, such as prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, promote Th17 cell-mediated inflammation, while n-3 PUFA antagonize both Th17 and Th1 cells and suppress PGE2 levels. We utilized two genetic mouse models, which differentially antagonize PGE2 levels, to examine the effect on Th17 cells and disease outcomes in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid- (TNBS- induced colitis. Fat-1 mice contain the ω3 desaturase gene from C. elegans and synthesize n-3 PUFA de novo, thereby reducing the biosynthesis of n-6 PUFA-derived eicosanoids. In contrast, Fads1 Null mice contain a disrupted Δ5 desaturase gene and produce lower levels of n-6 PUFA-derived eicosanoids. Compared to Wt littermates, Fat-1 and Fads1 Null mice exhibited a similar colitic phenotype characterized by reduced colonic mucosal inflammatory eicosanoid levels and mRNA expression of Th17 cell markers (IL-17A, RORγτ, and IL-23, decreased percentages of Th17 cells and, improved colon injury scores (P≤0.05. Thus, during colitis, similar outcomes were obtained in two genetically distinct models, both of which antagonize PGE2 levels via different mechanisms. Our data highlight the critical impact of n-6 PUFA-derived eicosanoids in the promotion of Th17 cell-mediated colonic inflammation.

  1. Effects of manganese on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity and TH-phosphorylation in a dopaminergic neural cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Danhui; Kanthasamy, Arthi; Anantharam, Vellareddy; Kanthasamy, Anumantha

    2011-01-01

    Manganese (Mn) exposure causes manganism, a neurological disorder similar to Parkinson's disease. However, the cellular mechanism by which Mn impairs the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system remains unclear. We previously demonstrated that caspase-3-dependent proteolytic activation of protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) plays a key role in Mn-induced apoptotic cell death in dopaminergic neurons. Recently, we showed that PKCδ negatively regulates tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis, by enhancing protein phosphatase-2A activity in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we report that Mn exposure can affect the enzymatic activity of TH, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis, by activating PKCδ-PP2A signaling pathway in a dopaminergic cell model. Low dose Mn (3-10 μM) exposure to differentiated mesencephalic dopaminergic neuronal cells for 3 h induced a significant increase in TH activity and phosphorylation of TH-Ser40. The PKCδ specific inhibitor rottlerin did not prevent Mn-induced TH activity or TH-Ser40 phosphorylation. On the contrary, chronic exposure to 0.1-1 μM Mn for 24 h induced a dose-dependent decrease in TH activity. Interestingly, chronic Mn treatment significantly increased PKCδ kinase activity and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) enzyme activity. Treatment with the PKCδ inhibitor rottlerin almost completely prevented chronic Mn-induced reduction in TH activity, as well as increased PP2A activity. Neither acute nor chronic Mn exposures induced any cytotoxic cell death or altered TH protein levels. Collectively, these results demonstrate that low dose Mn exposure impairs TH activity in dopaminergic cells through activation of PKCδ and PP2A activity.

  2. The Impact of a Teaching-Learning Program Based on a Brain-Based Learning on the Achievement of the Female Students of 9th Grade in Chemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shabatat, Kawthar; Al-Tarawneh, Mohammed

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed at recognizing the impact of teaching-learning program based on a brain-based learning on the achievement of female students of 9th grade in chemistry, to accomplish the goal of this study the researchers designed instruments of: instructional plans, pre achievement and past achievement exams to use them for the study-validity and…

  3. Acetabular Cup Revision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Young-Ho

    2017-09-01

    The use of acetabular cup revision arthroplasty is on the rise as demands for total hip arthroplasty, improved life expectancies, and the need for individual activity increase. For an acetabular cup revision to be successful, the cup should gain stable fixation within the remaining supportive bone of the acetabulum. Since the patient's remaining supportive acetabular bone stock plays an important role in the success of revision, accurate classification of the degree of acetabular bone defect is necessary. The Paprosky classification system is most commonly used when determining the location and degree of acetabular bone loss. Common treatment options include: acetabular liner exchange, high hip center, oblong cup, trabecular metal cup with augment, bipolar cup, bulk structural graft, cemented cup, uncemented cup including jumbo cup, acetabular reinforcement device (cage), trabecular metal cup cage. The optimal treatment option is dependent upon the degree of the discontinuity, the amount of available bone stock and the likelihood of achieving stable fixation upon supportive host bone. To achieve successful acetabular cup revision, accurate evaluation of bone defect preoperatively and intraoperatively, proper choice of method of acetabular revision according to the evaluation of acetabular bone deficiency, proper technique to get primary stability of implant such as precise grafting technique, and stable fixation of implant are mandatory.

  4. Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean) rescues motor, olfactory, mitochondrial and synaptic impairment in PINK1B9 Drosophila melanogaster genetic model of Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poddighe, Simone; De Rose, Francescaelena; Marotta, Roberto; Ruffilli, Roberta; Fanti, Maura; Secci, Pietro Paolo; Mostallino, Maria Cristina; Setzu, Maria Dolores; Zuncheddu, Maria Antonietta; Collu, Ignazio; Solla, Paolo; Marrosu, Francesco; Kasture, Sanjay; Acquas, Elio; Liscia, Anna

    2014-01-01

    The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm) mutant for PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1B9) gene is a powerful tool to investigate physiopathology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Using PINK1B9 mutant Dm we sought to explore the effects of Mucuna pruriens methanolic extract (Mpe), a L-Dopa-containing herbal remedy of PD. The effects of Mpe on PINK1B9 mutants, supplied with standard diet to larvae and adults, were assayed on 3-6 (I), 10-15 (II) and 20-25 (III) days old flies. Mpe 0.1% significantly extended lifespan of PINK1B9 and fully rescued olfactory response to 1-hexanol and improved climbing behavior of PINK1B9 of all ages; in contrast, L-Dopa (0.01%, percentage at which it is present in Mpe 0.1%) ameliorated climbing of only PINK1B9 flies of age step II. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of antennal lobes and thoracic ganglia of PINK1B9 revealed that Mpe restored to wild type (WT) levels both T-bars and damaged mitochondria. Western blot analysis of whole brain showed that Mpe, but not L-Dopa on its own, restored bruchpilot (BRP) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression to age-matched WT control levels. These results highlight multiple sites of action of Mpe, suggesting that its effects cannot only depend upon its L-Dopa content and support the clinical observation of Mpe as an effective medication with intrinsic ability of delaying the onset of chronic L-Dopa-induced long-term motor complications. Overall, this study strengthens the relevance of using PINK1B9 Dm as a translational model to study the properties of Mucuna pruriens for PD treatment.

  5. Mucuna pruriens (Velvet bean rescues motor, olfactory, mitochondrial and synaptic impairment in PINK1B9 Drosophila melanogaster genetic model of Parkinson's disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone Poddighe

    Full Text Available The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (Dm mutant for PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1B9 gene is a powerful tool to investigate physiopathology of Parkinson's disease (PD. Using PINK1B9 mutant Dm we sought to explore the effects of Mucuna pruriens methanolic extract (Mpe, a L-Dopa-containing herbal remedy of PD. The effects of Mpe on PINK1B9 mutants, supplied with standard diet to larvae and adults, were assayed on 3-6 (I, 10-15 (II and 20-25 (III days old flies. Mpe 0.1% significantly extended lifespan of PINK1B9 and fully rescued olfactory response to 1-hexanol and improved climbing behavior of PINK1B9 of all ages; in contrast, L-Dopa (0.01%, percentage at which it is present in Mpe 0.1% ameliorated climbing of only PINK1B9 flies of age step II. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of antennal lobes and thoracic ganglia of PINK1B9 revealed that Mpe restored to wild type (WT levels both T-bars and damaged mitochondria. Western blot analysis of whole brain showed that Mpe, but not L-Dopa on its own, restored bruchpilot (BRP and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH expression to age-matched WT control levels. These results highlight multiple sites of action of Mpe, suggesting that its effects cannot only depend upon its L-Dopa content and support the clinical observation of Mpe as an effective medication with intrinsic ability of delaying the onset of chronic L-Dopa-induced long-term motor complications. Overall, this study strengthens the relevance of using PINK1B9 Dm as a translational model to study the properties of Mucuna pruriens for PD treatment.

  6. Analysis of the factors associated with Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake in thyrotoxicosis and Graves' disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kidokoro-kunii, Yo; Emoto, Naoya; Cho, Keiichi; Oikawa, Shinichi

    2006-01-01

    To determine the factors associated with 20 minute Tc-99m pertechnetate thyroid uptake, we examined all patients in whom thyrotoxicosis was diagnosed at Chiba-Hokusoh Hospital, Nippon Medical School from 2001 April through 2003 March. Patients with thyrotoxicosis diagnosed during this period were 57 with Graves' disease (76%), 11 with transient hyperthyroxinemia (TH) (14.7%), and 7 with subacute thyroiditis (SAT) (9.3%). The uptake of Tc-99m ranged from 0.97% to 40.1% in Graves' disease and from 0.15% to 0.8% in TH. Although TH may include spontaneous resolution of Graves' disease as well as painless thyroiditis, no treatment was necessary for these patients. Uptake in all patients with SAT was less than 0.5%. There were significant correlations between the level of Tc-99m uptake and the levels of free triiodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII), and thyroid stimulating antibody (TSAb) in patients with Graves' disease. Older patients with Graves' disease showed lower uptake than did younger patients. Both Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake and TBII levels, but not fT3, fT4 or TSAb levels, at the beginning of antithyroid drug treatment correlated significantly with the duration of treatment until the daily dose of methimazole reached 5 mg. These data suggest that Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake reflects the severity of Graves' disease and its response to the medical treatment and that antithyroid drug therapy is not necessary when the uptake is less than 0.9%. (author)

  7. Arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the 4th and 5th finger using an interlocking screw device to treat severe recurrence of Dupuytren's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novoa-Parra, C D; Montaner-Alonso, D; Pérez-Correa, J I; Morales-Rodríguez, J; Rodrigo-Pérez, J L; Morales-Suarez-Varela, M

    2017-12-04

    To assess the radiological and functional outcome of arthrodesis of the 4th and 5th finger using the APEX™ (Extremity Medical, Parsippany,NJ)intermedullary interlocking screw system in patients with severe recurrence of Dupuytren's disease. The DASH questionnaire and the VAS scale were used to assess the clinical outcomes. The angle of arthrodesis, fusion time and implant fixation were evaluated on x-rays. The patients were monitored for complications during surgery and the follow-up period. The sample comprised 6 patients. Mean follow up was 19.6 months. All of the patients presented clinical and radiological evidence of fusion at 8 weeks, with fusion angles of 30° (3) and 45° (3). There were no complications and none of the implants had to be removed. The functional outcomes in these patients were poor. The system offers a reliable method for IPJ arthrodesis at a precise angle. It promotes stable fixation that does not require prolonged immobilisation. It can be used together with other procedures on the hand with severe recurrence of DD. The functional outcomes for this group of patients using this device were poor. Copyright © 2017 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  8. Screening of cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease: diagnostic validity of the Brazilian versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised

    OpenAIRE

    Emmanuelle Sobreira; Márcio A. Pena-Pereira; Alan L. Eckeli; Manoel A. Sobreira-Neto; Marcos H. N. Chagas; Maria P. Foss; Brenna Cholerton; Cyrus P. Zabetian; Ignacio F. Mata; Vitor Tumas

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACTObjective The aim of the present study is to examine the accuracy of the Brazilian versions of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) to screen for mild cognitive impairment (PDMCI) and dementia (PDD) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).Method Both scales were administered to a final convenience sample of 79 patients with PD. Patients were evaluated by a neurologist, a psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist using UPDRS,...

  9. Causes of mortality due to rheumatic diseases in Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) during the 19th century.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peral Pacheco, Diego; Suárez-Guzmán, Francisco Javier

    2016-01-01

    A total of 26,203 of the deaths in Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz) during the 19th century were collected and grouped according to the Bertillon's Classification, in order to study the causes of death from rheumatic diseases. An analysis was made using the Death Registers, those located in the Parish Archives, and files of the Municipal Archives. There were a total of 31 deaths due to rheumatic diseases, with the 65-74 years age group being most frequent. The lack of records may be due to the inaccuracy of the diagnoses. September was the month of increased mortality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

  10. The plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 are elevated in patients with endometriosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Haiping; Wang, Jianye; Wang, Haiyu; Tang, Ning; Li, Yunfei; Zhang, Yan; Hao, Tianyu

    2016-09-01

    Enzyme matrix metalloproteinase-9 is a member of the matrix metalloproteinase family, which is critical to normal tissue remodelling during embryogenesis and wound healing. In patients with endometriosis, increased expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 have been observed in ectopic endometrium, but the plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with endometriosis and their relation to disease severity have not been clear. The aim of the study was to investigate the concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in plasma and peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis. A prospective case-control study was conducted in Jinan Military General Hospital between January 2010 and December 2013. Fifty patients with proven endometriosis and 26 endometriosis-free controls were enrolled in this study. Patients with endometriosis were evaluated and divided into moderate/severe endometriosis group (stage I-II, n = 26) and minimal/mild endometriosis group (stage III-IV, n = 24) according to the revised criteria of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Blood samples and peritoneal fluid were obtained from both patients and controls. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in plasma and peritoneal fluid. The concentration of matrix metalloproteinase-9 between different groups was compared and its correlation to disease severity was analysed. Plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in patients with endometriosis were higher than that in controls. In addition, those patients with moderate/severe endometriosis had significantly higher plasma and peritoneal fluid concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase-9 compared to those with minimal/mild endometriosis. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 concentrations in plasma and peritoneal fluid were both positively correlated with severity of endometriosis and plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9

  11. Implementation of current NCRP and ICRP guidance and revised 10 CFR Part 20: Proceedings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jorgensen, D.B.; Seagondollar, L.W.; Watson, J.E. Jr.

    1991-01-01

    The 24th Annual Midyear Topical Meeting of the Health Physics Society, ''Implementation of Current NCRP and ICRP Guidance and Revised 10 CFR Part 20'' was held in North Carolina on January 22--January 24, 1991. The meeting featured symposia on the Basis for Change and Regulatory Implementation, Benefits and Problems in Implementation at Various Types of Facilities, Health Physics Monitoring Requirements and Record Keeping, Exposure Management, ALARA, and Dose Limit for Embryo/Fetus -- Impact on Employer and Employee. Individual papers are referenced separately

  12. Inflammasome and Fas-Mediated IL-1β Contributes to Th17/Th1 Cell Induction in Pathogenic Bacterial Infection In Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uchiyama, Ryosuke; Yonehara, Shin; Taniguchi, Shun'ichiro; Ishido, Satoshi; Ishii, Ken J; Tsutsui, Hiroko

    2017-08-01

    CD4 + Th cells play crucial roles in orchestrating immune responses against pathogenic microbes, after differentiating into effector subsets. Recent research has revealed the importance of IFN-γ and IL-17 double-producing CD4 + Th cells, termed Th17/Th1 cells, in the induction of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. In addition, Th17/Th1 cells are involved in the regulation of infection caused by the intracellular bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans. However, the precise mechanism of Th17/Th1 induction during pathogen infection is unclear. In this study, we showed that the inflammasome and Fas-dependent IL-1β induces Th17/Th1 cells in mice, in response to infection with the pathogenic intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes In the spleens of infected wild-type mice, Th17/Th1 cells were induced, and expressed T-bet and Rorγt. In Pycard -/- mice, which lack the adaptor molecule of the inflammasome (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain), Th17/Th1 induction was abolished. In addition, the Fas-mediated IL-1β production was required for Th17/Th1 induction during bacterial infection: Th17/Th1 induction was abolished in Fas -/- mice, whereas supplementation with recombinant IL-1β restored Th17/Th1 induction via IL-1 receptor 1 (IL-1R1), and rescued the mortality of Fas -/- mice infected with Listeria IL-1R1, but not apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain or Fas on T cells, was required for Th17/Th1 induction, indicating that IL-1β stimulates IL-1R1 on T cells for Th17/Th1 induction. These results indicate that IL-1β, produced by the inflammasome and Fas-dependent mechanisms, contributes cooperatively to the Th17/Th1 induction during bacterial infection. This study provides a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Th17/Th1 induction during pathogenic microbial infections in vivo. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists

  13. Low Systolic Blood Pressure and Mortality From All Causes and Vascular Diseases Among Older Middle-aged Men: Korean Veterans Health Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sang-Wook Yi

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Recently, low systolic blood pressure (SBP was found to be associated with an increased risk of death from vascular diseases in a rural elderly population in Korea. However, evidence on the association between low SBP and vascular diseases is scarce. The aim of this study was to prospectively examine the association between low SBP and mortality from all causes and vascular diseases in older middle-aged Korean men. Methods: From 2004 to 2010, 94 085 Korean Vietnam War veterans were followed-up for deaths. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHR were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard model. A stratified analysis was conducted by age at enrollment. SBP was self-reported by a postal survey in 2004. Results: Among the participants aged 60 and older, the lowest SBP (<90 mmHg category had an elevated aHR for mortality from all causes (aHR, 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 3.1 and vascular diseases (International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, I00-I99; aHR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.2 to 8.4 compared to those with an SBP of 100 to 119 mmHg. Those with an SBP below 80 mmHg (aHR, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 18.8 and those with an SBP of 80 to 89 mmHg (aHR, 3.1; 95% CI, 0.9 to 10.2 also had an increased risk of vascular mortality, compared to those with an SBP of 90 to 119 mmHg. This association was sustained when excluding the first two years of follow-up or preexisting vascular diseases. In men younger than 60 years, the association of low SBP was weaker than that in those aged 60 years or older. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that low SBP (<90 mmHg may increase vascular mortality in Korean men aged 60 years or older.

  14. Prevention of autoantibody-mediated Graves'-like hyperthyroidism in mice with IL-4, a Th2 cytokine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagayama, Yuji; Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki; Hayakawa, Takao; Niwa, Masami; McLachlan, Sandra M; Rapoport, Basil

    2003-04-01

    Graves' hyperthyroidism has long been considered to be a Th2-type autoimmune disease because it is directly mediated by autoantibodies against the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR). However, several lines of evidence have recently challenged this concept. The present study evaluated the Th1/Th2 paradigm in Graves' disease using a recently established murine model involving injection of adenovirus expressing the TSHR (AdCMVTSHR). Coinjection with adenovirus expressing IL-4 (AdRGDCMVIL-4) decreased the ratio of Th1/Th2-type anti-TSHR Ab subclasses (IgG2a/IgG1) and suppressed the production of IFN-gamma by splenocytes in response to TSHR Ag. Importantly, immune deviation toward Th2 was accompanied by significant inhibition of thyroid-stimulating Ab production and reduction in hyperthyroidism. However, in a therapeutic setting, injection of AdRGDCMVIL-4 alone or in combination with AdCMVTSHR into hyperthyroid mice had no beneficial effect. In contrast, coinjection of adenoviruses expressing IL-12 and the TSHR promoted the differentiation of Th1-type anti-TSHR immune responses as demonstrated by augmented Ag-specific IFN-gamma secretion from splenocytes without changing disease incidence. Coinjection of adenoviral vectors expressing IL-4 or IL-12 had no effect on the titers of anti-TSHR Abs determined by ELISA or thyroid-stimulating hormone-binding inhibiting Ig assays, suggesting that Ab quality, not quantity, is responsible for disease induction. Our observations demonstrate the critical role of Th1 immune responses in a murine model of Graves' hyperthyroidism. These data may raise a cautionary note for therapeutic strategies aimed at reversing Th2-mediated autoimmune responses in Graves' disease in humans.

  15. Outcomes of revision external dacryocystorhinostomy and nasal intubation by bicanalicular silicone tubing under endonasal endoscopic guidance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ari, Seyhmus; Kürşat Cingü, Abdullah; Sahin, Alparslan; Gün, Ramazan; Kiniş, Vefa; Caça, Ihsan

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the long-term treatment outcomes in patients who underwent revision of external dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and nasal intubation by bicanalicular silicone tubing (BSTI) under endonasal endoscopic guidance. Data from 28 patients with recurrent dacryocystitis were retrospectively reviewed. Revision external DCR and bicanalicular nasal intubation by silicone tubing under endonasal endoscopic guidance was performed in 28 eyes of 28 patients. The patients were evaluated with respect to the reason of recurrence, time to recurrence, time to revision, duration of follow-up and surgical success. Endoscopic endonasal examination detected an osteotomy-side obstruction by the excessive granulation tissue in 24 patients (86%), nasal septal deviation in three patients (10%) and nasal polyp in one patient (4%). Recurrence occurred after a mean duration of 5.3±3.7 months following the first operation. The mean time between the first DCR operation and the revision DCR was 11.5 ± 9.3 months. After a mean follow-up of 14.9±7.8 months, the rate of anatomic success alone was 85% (24/28); the rate of subjective success was 78% (22/28). Revision external DCR and bicanalicular nasal intubation by silicone tubing under endonasal endoscopic guidance can be recommended in patients with recurrent dacryocystitis as a surgical approach that achieves satisfactory objective and subjective success rates.

  16. Predictive Model for Anxiety and Depression in Spanish Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Gutiérrez, María Victoria; Guerrero Velázquez, José; Morales García, Concepción; Casas Maldonado, Francisco; Gómez Jiménez, Francisco Javier; González Vargas, Francisco

    2016-03-01

    The association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and anxiety and depression is not yet completely characterized, and differences between countries may exist. We used a predictive model to assess this association in a Spanish population. Prospective transversal descriptive study of 204 patients with stable COPD. Concomitant anxiety or depression were diagnosed by psychiatric assessment, using the diagnostic criteria of the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Sociodemographic, clinical and lung function parameters were analyzed. In total, 36% of stable COPD patients had psychiatric comorbidities, but 76% were unaware of their diagnosis. Nineteen percent had a pure anxiety disorder, 9.8% had isolated depression, and 7.3% had a mixed anxiety-depression disorder. Predictive variables in the multivariate analysis were younger age, higher educational level, lack of home support, higher BODE index, and greater number of exacerbations. The ROC curve of the model had an AUC of 0.765 (P<0.001). In COPD, concomitant psychiatric disorders are significantly associated with sociodemographic factors. Anxiety disorders are more common than depression. Patients with more severe COPD, according to BODE, younger patients and those with a higher educational level have a greater risk of being diagnosed with anxiety or depression in a structured psychiatric interview. In our population, most patients with psychiatric comorbidities remain unidentified. Copyright © 2015 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  17. Regulation of nasal airway homeostasis and inflammation in mice by SHP-1 and Th2/Th1 signaling pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seok Hyun Cho

    Full Text Available Allergic rhinitis is a chronic inflammatory disease orchestrated by Th2 lymphocytes. Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP-1 is known to be a negative regulator in the IL-4α/STAT-6 signaling pathway of the lung. However, the role of SHP-1 enzyme and its functional relationship with Th2 and Th1 cytokines are not known in the nasal airway. In this study, we aimed to study the nasal inflammation as a result of SHP-1 deficiency in viable motheaten (mev mice and to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved. Cytology, histology, and expression of cytokines and chemokines were analyzed to define the nature of the nasal inflammation. Targeted gene depletion of Th1 (IFN-γ and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-13 cytokines was used to identify the critical pathways involved. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs were studied to demonstrate the clearance mechanism of recruited inflammatory cells into the nasal airway. We showed here that mev mice had a spontaneous allergic rhinitis-like inflammation with eosinophilia, mucus metaplasia, up-regulation of Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13, chemokines (eotaxin, and MMPs. All of these inflammatory mediators were clearly counter-regulated by Th2 and Th1 cytokines. Deletion of IFN-γ gene induced a strong Th2-skewed inflammation with transepithelial migration of the inflammatory cells. These findings suggest that SHP-1 enzyme and Th2/Th1 paradigm may play a critical role in the maintenance of nasal immune homeostasis and in the regulation of allergic rhinitis.

  18. Beagle: an appropriate experimental animal for extrapolating the organ distribution pattern of Th in humans

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, N.P.; Zimmerman, C.J.; Taylor, G.N.; Wrenn, M.E.

    1988-01-01

    The concentrations and the organ distribution patterns of 228Th, 230Th and 232Th in two 9-y-old dogs of our beagle colony were determined. The dogs were exposed only to background environmental levels of Th isotopes through ingestion (food and water) and inhalation as are humans. The organ distribution patterns of the isotopes in the beagles were compared to the organ distribution patterns in humans to determine if it is appropriate to extrapolate the beagle organ burden data to humans. Among soft tissues, only the lungs, lymph nodes, kidney and liver, and skeleton contained measurable amounts of Th isotopes. The organ distribution pattern of Th isotopes in humans and dog are similar, the majority of Th being in the skeleton of both species. The average skeletal concentrations of 228Th in dogs were 30 to 40 times higher than the average skeletal concentrations of the parent 232Th, whereas the concentration of 228Th in human skeleton was only four to five times higher than 232Th. This suggests that dogs have a higher intake of 228Ra through food than humans. There is a similar trend in the accumulations of 232Th, 230Th and 228Th in the lungs of dog and humans. The percentages of 232Th, 230Th and 228Th in human lungs are 26, 9.7 and 4.8, respectively, compared to 4.2, 2.6 and 0.48, respectively, in dog lungs. The larger percentages of Th isotopes in human lungs may be due simply to the longer life span of humans. If the burdens of Th isotopes in human lungs are normalized to an exposure time of 9.2 y (mean age of dogs at the time of sacrifice), the percent burden of 232Th, 230Th and 228Th in human lungs are estimated to be 3.6, 1.3 and 0.66, respectively. These results suggest that the beagle may be an appropriate experimental animal for extrapolating the organ distribution pattern of Th in humans

  19. 48 CFR 9.406-1 - General.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... to institute new or revised review and control procedures and ethics training programs. (9) Whether... contractors from both acquisition contracts pursuant to this regulation and contracts for the purchase of... from the purchase of Federal personal property. (2) When debarring a contractor from the award of...

  20. Faith and Ethics, Covenant and Code: The 2015 Revision of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fowler, Marsha D

    How does and should the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements, with foundations from the late 1800s, impact today's nursing practice? How can the Code help you? The earlier 2001 Code was revised and became effective January 2015. The nine provisions received modest revision, as did the corresponding interpretive statements. However, Provisions 8 and 9 and their interpretive statements received more substantial revision. This article explains the Code and summarizes the 2015 revisions, considering points of particular interest for nurses of faith.