Impaired insulin secretion in the spontaneous diabetes rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, K; Toyota, T; Kakizaki, M; Kudo, M; Takebe, K; Goto, Y

1982-08-01

Dynamics of insulin and glucagon secretion were investigated by using a new model of spontaneous diabetes rats produced by the repetition of selective breeding in our laboratories. The perfusion experiments of the pancreas showed that the early phase of insulin secretion to continuous stimulation with glucose was specifically impaired, although the response of the early phase to arginine was preserved. The glucose-induced insulin secretion in the nineth generation (F8) which had a more remarkably impaired glucose tolerance was more reduced than in the sixth generation (F5). No significant difference of glucagon secretion in response to arginine or norepinephrine was noted between the diabetes rats and control ones. The present data indicate that the defective insulin secretion is a primary derangement in a diabetic state of the spontaneous diabetes rat. This defect in the early phase of glucose-induced insulin secretion suggests the specific impairment of the recognition of glucose by the pancreatic beta-cells. The spontaneous diabetes rats are very useful as a model of disease for investigating pathophysiology of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

Aldosterone Blockade Reduces Mortality without Changing Cardiac Remodeling in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo D.M. Cezar

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The role of aldosterone blockers during transition from long-term compensated hypertrophy to dilated failure is not completely understood. In this study we evaluated the effects of early administration of spironolactone on cardiac remodeling, myocardial function, and mortality in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR. Methods: Sixteen-month-old SHR received no treatment (SHR-C, n=72 or spironolactone (SHR-SPR, 20 mg/kg/day, n=34 for six months. Echocardiogram was performed before and after treatment. Myocardial function was analyzed in left ventricular (LV papillary muscle preparations. Myocardial collagen and hydroxyproline concentration were evaluated by morphometry and spectrophotometry, respectively. LV gene expression was assessed by real time RT-PCR. Statistics: Student's t test; Log rank test (Kaplan Meyer. Results: SHR-C and SHR-SPR presented mortality rates of 71 and 38%, respectively (p=0.004. Systolic arterial pressure did not differ between groups (SHR-C 199±43; SHR-SPR 200±35 mmHg. Initial and final echocardiograms did not show significant differences in cardiac structures or LV function between groups. Myocardial function was similar between groups at basal and after inotropic stimulation. Collagen fractional area, hydroxyproline concentration, gene expression for α- and β-myosin heavy chain, atrial natriuretic peptide, and Serca2a were not different between groups. Conclusion: Early spironolactone administration reduces mortality without changing cardiac remodeling in spontaneous hypertensive rats.

Spaced sessions of avoidance extinction reduce spontaneous recovery and promote infralimbic cortex activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tapias-Espinosa, Carles; Kádár, Elisabet; Segura-Torres, Pilar

2018-01-15

Extinction-based therapies (EBT) are the psychological treatments of choice for certain anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. However, some patients relapse and suffer spontaneous recovery (SR) of anxiety symptoms and persistence of avoidance behaviour, which underlines the need for improving EBT. In rats, recent evidence has highlighted the relevance of the temporal distribution of extinction sessions in reducing SR of auditory fear conditioning, although it has seldom been studied in procedures involving proactive avoidance responses, such as two-way active avoidance conditioning (TWAA). We examined whether the temporal distribution of two extinction sessions separated by 24h or 7days (contiguous versus spaced extinction paradigms, respectively), influences SR after 28days of a TWAA task. c-Fos expression, as a marker of neuronal activation, was also measured by immunohistochemistry 90min after the SR test in the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex. The temporal distribution of extinction sessions did not affect the degree of extinction learning. However, only the rats that underwent the 7-day spaced extinction paradigm maintained the level of extinction in the long term, showing no SR in TWAA. This behavioural finding was consistent with a greater number of c-Fos-labelled neurons in the infralimbic cortex in the 7-day group, and in the Lateral and Central nuclei of the amygdala in the 24-hour group. These findings show that a time-spaced extinction paradigm reduces the spontaneous recovery of active avoidance behaviour, and that this behavioural advantage appears to be related to the activation of the infralimbic cortex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Unexpected, spontaneous and selective formation of colloidal Pt 3Sn nanoparticles using organometallic Pt and Sn complexes

KAUST Repository

Boualleg, Malika

2010-01-01

The facile and selective synthesis of small crystalline Pt3Sn alloy nanoparticles was performed at room temperature under H2, using a colloidal approach without the use of extra-stabilizing ligands. The Pt 3Sn alloy was found to be obtained spontaneously as the unique phase regardless of the number of tin equivalents introduced. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Prospective controlled trial comparing colostomy irrigation with "spontaneous-action" method.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, N S; Johnston, D

1980-07-12

Thirty randomly selected patients with permanent colostomies entered a prospective controlled trial comparing colostomy irrigation with spontaneous action. Each patient was interviewed and examined before irrigation was begun and again after the technique had been used for three months. Each then reverted to spontaneous action for a further three months and was then reassessed. Eight patients abandoned irrigation and 22 (73%) adhered to the protocol. Irrigation caused no mishaps or complications. The mean time spent managing the stoma was 45 +/- SEM 9 min/24 hours during spontaneous action and 53 +/- 9 min/24 hours during irrigation. This difference was not significant. The numbers of bowel actions weekly were 13 +/ SEM 2 during spontaneous action and 6 +/- 1 during irrigation (p Irrigation reduced odour and flatus in 20 patients and enabled 12 out of 18 to stop using drugs and seven to discard their appliance. Irrigation also improved the social life of 18 patients and the working conditions of eight out of 14. These finding show that some patients may not be suitable for irrigation but that for many it is better than the conventional British method of colostomy management. With modern apparatus the technique is safe.

Spontaneous correction of pathologic tooth migration and reduced infrabony pockets following nonsurgical periodontal therapy: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Sato, Shuichi; Ujiie, Hisashi; Ito, Koichi

2004-10-01

This case report describes the spontaneous correction of pathologic tooth migration and reduced infrabony pockets after nonsurgical periodontal therapy. A 3-mm diastema between the maxillary incisors was closed completely, and the mandibular teeth, which had migrated pathologically, returned to the optimal position. Clinical evaluation showed a significant reduction in probing depth, with increased clinical attachment and bone deposition demonstrated radiologically.

Evidence for reduced cancellous bone mass in the spontaneously hypertensive rat

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, T. M.; Hsu, J. F.; Jee, W. S.; Matthews, J. L.

1993-01-01

The histomorphometric changes in the proximal tibial metaphysis and epiphyseal growth plate and midtibial shaft of 26-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with those of the corresponding normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied. A decrease in body weight, growth plate thickness, and longitudinal growth rate of the proximal tibial epiphysis, trabecular bone volume, trabecular thickness and number, the number of osteoblasts and osteoprogenitor cells per millimeter square surface of the proximal tibial metaphysis, periosteal and endocortical apposition rate and bone formation rate of the tibial diaphysis were observed in the SHR. Additionally, systolic blood pressure, the number of osteoclasts per millimeter square surface and average number of nuclei per osteoclast of the proximal tibial metaphysis were significantly increased. Thus, osteoclastic activity is dominant over osteoblastic and chondroblastic activity in the SHR that results in a cancellous bone deficit in the skeleton. It will require additional work to ascertain the underlying cause for this condition as several factors in the SHR with a potential for causing this change are present, including elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH), depressed 1,25-(OH)2D3, low calcium absorption, reduced body weight (reduced loading) elevated blood pressure and possibly other direct cell differences in the mutant strain. At present elevated PTH and adaptation to underloading from reduced weight are postulated to be a likely cause, but additional studies are required to test this interpretation.

The spontaneous market order and evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, Naomi

2016-08-01

Darwin's theory of natural selection and the idea of a spontaneous order share a fundamental feature: the claim that apparent design or order do not necessarily imply a designer or rational planning. But they also present important differences, which touch upon central questions such as the evolution of morality, the role of human agency in social evolution, the existence (or not) of directionality in undesigned processes, and the presence (nor not) of a providential element in evolutionary accounts. In this article, I explore these themes and probe the relationship between the notion of a spontaneous order and the theory of evolution by natural selection. The reflections of Nobel laureate in economics, F.A. von Hayek, provide the beginning and endpoint in this voyage, for they constitute the most pronounced effort to develop a full-fledged theory combining evolution and economics in recent times. But along the way, I also investigate the influence of classical political economy on Darwin's thought, primarily that of Adam Smith, and consider the reasons for which Darwin did not refer to Smith when discussing the principle of natural selection in The Origin of Species. I conclude that the spontaneous order, as understood by Hayek, and evolution by natural selection constitute two disparate concepts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous calcium waves in Bergman glia increase with age and hypoxia and may reduce tissue oxygen

OpenAIRE

Mathiesen, Claus; Brazhe, Alexey; Thomsen, Kirsten; Lauritzen, Martin

2012-01-01

Glial calcium (Ca2+) waves constitute a means to spread signals between glial cells and to neighboring neurons and blood vessels. These waves occur spontaneously in Bergmann glia (BG) of the mouse cerebellar cortex in vivo. Here, we tested three hypotheses: (1) aging and reduced blood oxygen saturation alters wave activity; (2) glial Ca2+ waves change cerebral oxygen metabolism; and (3) neuronal and glial wave activity is correlated. We used two-photon microscopy in the cerebellar cortexes of...

Reduced graphene oxide-coated hydroxyapatite composites stimulate spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jong Ho; Shin, Yong Cheol; Jin, Oh Seong; Kang, Seok Hee; Hwang, Yu-Shik; Park, Jong-Chul; Hong, Suck Won; Han, Dong-Wook

2015-07-01

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have great potential as cell sources for bone tissue engineering and regeneration, but the control and induction of their specific differentiation into bone cells remain challenging. Graphene-based nanomaterials are considered attractive candidates for biomedical applications such as scaffolds in tissue engineering, substrates for SC differentiation and components of implantable devices, due to their biocompatible and bioactive properties. Despite the potential biomedical applications of graphene and its derivatives, only limited information is available regarding their osteogenic activity. This study concentrates upon the effects of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-coated hydroxyapatite (HAp) composites on osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. The average particle sizes of HAp and rGO were 1270 +/- 476 nm and 438 +/- 180 nm, respectively. When coated on HAp particulates, rGO synergistically enhanced spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs, without hampering their proliferation. This result was confirmed by determining alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization of calcium and phosphate as early and late stage markers of osteogenic differentiation. It is suggested that rGO-coated HAp composites can be effectively utilized as dental and orthopedic bone fillers since these graphene-based particulate materials have potent effects on stimulating the spontaneous differentiation of MSCs and show superior bioactivity and osteoinductive potential.Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have great potential as cell sources for bone tissue engineering and regeneration, but the control and induction of their specific differentiation into bone cells remain challenging. Graphene-based nanomaterials are considered attractive candidates for biomedical applications such as scaffolds in tissue engineering, substrates for SC differentiation and components of implantable devices, due to their biocompatible and bioactive properties. Despite

Development of Selectable Marker-Free Transgenic Rice Plants with Enhanced Seed Tocopherol Content through FLP/FRT-Mediated Spontaneous Auto-Excision.

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Hee-Jong; Qin, Yang; Park, Soo-Yun; Park, Soon Ki; Cho, Yong-Gu; Shin, Kong-Sik; Lim, Myung-Ho; Cho, Hyun-Suk

2015-01-01

Development of marker-free transgenic plants is a technical alternative for avoiding concerns about the safety of selectable marker genes used in genetically modified (GM) crops. Here, we describe the construction of a spontaneous self-excision binary vector using an oxidative stress-inducible modified FLP/FRT system and its successful application to produce marker-free transgenic rice plants with enhanced seed tocopherol content. To generate selectable marker-free transgenic rice plants, we constructed a binary vector using the hpt selectable marker gene and the rice codon-optimized FLP (mFLP) gene under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible promoter between two FRT sites, along with multiple cloning sites for convenient cloning of genes of interest. Using this pCMF binary vector with the NtTC gene, marker-free T1 transgenic rice plants expressing NtTC were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation using hygromycin as a selective agent, followed by segregation of selectable marker genes. Furthermore, α-, γ-, and total tocopherol levels were significantly increased in seeds of the marker-free transgenic TC line compared with those of wild-type plants. Thus, this spontaneous auto-excision system, incorporating an oxidative stress-inducible mFLP/FRT system to eliminate the selectable marker gene, can be easily adopted and used to efficiently generate marker-free transgenic rice plants. Moreover, nutritional enhancement of rice seeds through elevation of tocopherol content coupled with this marker-free strategy may improve human health and public acceptance of GM rice.

Measurement of the fission yields of selected prompt and decay fission product gamma-rays of spontaneously fissioning 252Cf and 244Cm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reber, E.L.; Gehrke, R.J.; Aryaeinejad, R.; Hartwell, J.K.

2005-01-01

Gamma-ray spectrometry measurements have been made of the fission yields of selected γ -rays emitted by the spontaneously fissioning isotopes 252 Cf and 244 Cm. The measured γ-rays were selected based on their relative abundance in the spectrum and their freedom from interference or, in a few instances, ease of interference correction. From these data and the cumulative and independent yield data of England and Rider, those γ-rays that are primarily produced by radioactive decay, as opposed to direct yield, were converted into the decays per spontaneous fission expressed in percent and compared to cumulative yield values of England and Rider. For those γ-rays whose production is dominated by direct (independent) yield, the ratio of γ-rays per spontaneous fission is reported. The γ-ray yield can be compared to the independent yield values of England and Rider when 100% of the direct feeding passes through the γ-ray. In those cases where both cumulative and independent yields contribute to the observed γ-ray emission rate, a direct comparison is not possible but a method to quantify the contribution from each is proposed. (author)

Potentiation of mGlu5 receptors with the novel enhancer, VU0360172, reduces spontaneous absence seizures in WAG/Rij rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D'Amore, V.; Santolini, I.; Rijn, C.M. van; Biagioni, F.; Molinaro, G.; Prete, A.; Conn, P.J.; Lindsley, C.W.; Zhou, Y.; Vinson, P.N.; Rodriguez, A.L.; Jones, C.K.; Stauffer, S.R.; Nicoletti, F.; Luijtelaar, E.L.J.M. van; Ngomba, R.T.

2013-01-01

Absence epilepsy is generated by the cortico-thalamo-cortical network, which undergoes a finely tuned regulation by metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors. We have shown previously that potentiation of mGlu1 receptors reduces spontaneous occurring spike and wave discharges (SWDs) in the WAG/Rij rat

Will sex selection reduce fertility?

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, S F

1994-01-01

Population control is one of the primary policies applied against poverty in many low income countries. The widespread prevalence of son preference in some countries such as China and India, however, works against any reduction of fertility. This is so because parents often continue to have children until they obtain the number of sons which they desire. The bias against girls has also led to higher abortion and mortality rates of female children. It is frequently argued that if sex selection methods are made available to parents so that they can control the gender of their children, population growth would be lowered and women's welfare improved. The author investigates both theoretically and numerically the impact of sex selection on fertility. A static quantity-quality model of fertility is used to compare fertility choices when parents cannot choose the gender of children versus a situation in which parents can choose gender. Empirical data are drawn from the 1976 Malaysian Family Life Survey. Analysis found that whether sex selection reduces fertility depends upon the second and third derivatives of the utility function and the child expenditure function. A numerical dynamic analysis is also presented. The simulation shows, using empirical dynamic models of fertility and the Monte Carlo integration technique, that sex selection on the firstborn child among the Chinese in Malaysia could reduce fertility by about 3%.

Effect of calorie restriction on spontaneous physical activity and body mass in mice divergently selected for basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Science.gov (United States)

Brzęk, Paweł; Gębczyński, Andrzej K; Książek, Aneta; Konarzewski, Marek

2016-07-01

Spontaneous physical activity (SPA) represents an important component of daily energy expenditures in animals and humans. Intra-specific variation in SPA may be related to the susceptibility to metabolic disease or obesity. In particular, reduced SPA under conditions of limited food availability may conserve energy and prevent loss of body and fat mass ('thrifty genotype hypothesis'). However, both SPA and its changes during food restriction show wide inter-individual variations. We studied the effect of 30% caloric restriction (CR) on SPA in laboratory mice divergently selected for high (H-BMR) and low (L-BMR) basal metabolic rate. Selection increased SPA in the H-BMR line but did not change it in the L-BMR mice. This effect reflected changes in SPA intensity but not SPA duration. CR increased SPA intensity more strongly in the L-BMR line than in the H-BMR line and significantly modified the temporal variation of SPA. However, the initial between-line differences in SPA were not affected by CR. Loss of body mass during CR did not differ between both lines. Our results show that the H-BMR mice can maintain their genetically determined high SPA under conditions of reduced food intake without sacrificing their body mass. We hypothesize that this pattern may reflect the higher flexibility in the energy budget in the H-BMR line, as we showed previously that mice from this line reduced their BMR during CR. These energy savings may allow for the maintenance of elevated SPA in spite of reduced food intake. We conclude that the effect of CR on SPA is in large part determined by the initial level of BMR, whose variation may account for the lack of universal pattern of behavioural responses to CR. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of Selectable Marker-Free Transgenic Rice Plants with Enhanced Seed Tocopherol Content through FLP/FRT-Mediated Spontaneous Auto-Excision.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hee-Jong Woo

Full Text Available Development of marker-free transgenic plants is a technical alternative for avoiding concerns about the safety of selectable marker genes used in genetically modified (GM crops. Here, we describe the construction of a spontaneous self-excision binary vector using an oxidative stress-inducible modified FLP/FRT system and its successful application to produce marker-free transgenic rice plants with enhanced seed tocopherol content. To generate selectable marker-free transgenic rice plants, we constructed a binary vector using the hpt selectable marker gene and the rice codon-optimized FLP (mFLP gene under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible promoter between two FRT sites, along with multiple cloning sites for convenient cloning of genes of interest. Using this pCMF binary vector with the NtTC gene, marker-free T1 transgenic rice plants expressing NtTC were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation using hygromycin as a selective agent, followed by segregation of selectable marker genes. Furthermore, α-, γ-, and total tocopherol levels were significantly increased in seeds of the marker-free transgenic TC line compared with those of wild-type plants. Thus, this spontaneous auto-excision system, incorporating an oxidative stress-inducible mFLP/FRT system to eliminate the selectable marker gene, can be easily adopted and used to efficiently generate marker-free transgenic rice plants. Moreover, nutritional enhancement of rice seeds through elevation of tocopherol content coupled with this marker-free strategy may improve human health and public acceptance of GM rice.

Maternal smoking predicts the risk of spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Ann; Hannibal, Charlotte Gerd; Lindekilde, Bodil Eriksen

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined smoking prior to pregnancy and the occurrence of spontaneous abortion, as most studies have addressed the risk of spontaneous abortion in relation to smoking during pregnancy. However, results are not entirely consistent. The aim of the present study...... was to assess the risk of spontaneous abortion considering smoking prior to pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study using prospective data from a population-based cohort comprising 11,088 women aged 20-29 years. From this cohort, women who experienced either a spontaneous abortion (n=343......) or who gave birth (n=1,578) during follow-up were selected. Associations between self-reported smoking at enrollment and subsequent spontaneous abortion were analyzed by means of multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The risk of spontaneous abortion in relation to pre-pregnancy smoking showed a clear...

Sexual selection on spontaneous mutations strengthens the between-sex genetic correlation for fitness.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Scott L; McGuigan, Katrina; Connallon, Tim; Blows, Mark W; Chenoweth, Stephen F

2017-10-01

A proposed benefit to sexual selection is that it promotes purging of deleterious mutations from populations. For this benefit to be realized, sexual selection, which is usually stronger on males, must purge mutations deleterious to both sexes. Here, we experimentally test the hypothesis that sexual selection on males purges deleterious mutations that affect both male and female fitness. We measured male and female fitness in two panels of spontaneous mutation-accumulation lines of the fly, Drosophila serrata, each established from a common ancestor. One panel of mutation accumulation lines limited both natural and sexual selection (LS lines), whereas the other panel limited natural selection, but allowed sexual selection to operate (SS lines). Although mutation accumulation caused a significant reduction in male and female fitness in both the LS and SS lines, sexual selection had no detectable effect on the extent of the fitness reduction. Similarly, despite evidence of mutational variance for fitness in males and females of both treatments, sexual selection had no significant impact on the amount of mutational genetic variance for fitness. However, sexual selection did reshape the between-sex correlation for fitness: significantly strengthening it in the SS lines. After 25 generations, the between-sex correlation for fitness was positive but considerably less than one in the LS lines, suggesting that, although most mutations had sexually concordant fitness effects, sex-limited, and/or sex-biased mutations contributed substantially to the mutational variance. In the SS lines this correlation was strong and could not be distinguished from unity. Individual-based simulations that mimick the experimental setup reveal two conditions that may drive our results: (1) a modest-to-large fraction of mutations have sex-limited (or highly sex-biased) fitness effects, and (2) the average fitness effect of sex-limited mutations is larger than the average fitness effect of

Spontaneous deswelling of pNIPAM microgels at high concentrations

Science.gov (United States)

Gasser, Urs; Scotti, Andrea; Herman, Emily S.; Pelaez-Fernandez, Miguel; Han, Jun; Menzel, Andreas; Lyon, L. Andrew; Fernandez-Nieves, Alberto

Polydisperse suspensions of pNIPAM microgel particles show a unique, spontaneous particle deswelling behavior. Beyond a critical concentration, the largest microgels deswell and thereby reduce the polydispersity of the suspension. We have recently unraveled the mechanism of this spontaneous, selective deswelling. pNIPAM microgels carry charged sulfate groups originating from the ammonium persulfate starter used in particle synthesis. Most of the ammonium counterions are trapped close to the microgel surface, but a fraction of them escapes the electrostatic attraction and contributes to the osmotic pressure of the suspension. The counterion clouds of neighboring particles progressively overlap with increasing volume fraction, leading to an increase of free counterions and the osmotic pressure outside but not inside the microgel particles. We find particles to deswell when the resulting osmotic pressure difference between the inside and the outside becomes larger their bulk modulus. For pNIPAM microgels synthesized with the same protocol, the largest particles are the softest and deswell first.

Blood pressure reducing effects of Phalaris canariensis in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Passos, Clévia Santos; Carvalho, Lucimeire Nova; Pontes, Roberto Braz; Campos, Ruy Ribeiro; Ikuta, Olinda; Boim, Mirian Aparecida

2012-02-01

The birdseed Phalaris canariensis (Pc) is popularly used as an antihypertensive agent. The aqueous extract of Pc (AEPc) was administered in adult normotensive Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in prehypertensive young SHR (SHR(Y), 3 weeks old). Animals received AEPc (400 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1), by gavage) for 30 days, then groups were divided into 2 subgroups: one was treated for another 30 days and the other received water instead of AEPc for 30 days. AEPc reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) in both adult groups; however, treatment interruption was followed by a gradual return of the SBP to baseline levels. SHR(Y) became hypertensive 30 days after weaning. AEPc minimized the increase in SBP in SHR(Y), but blood pressure rose to levels similar to those in the untreated group with treatment interruption. There were no changes in renal function, diuresis, or Na(+) excretion. Pc is rich in tryptophan, and the inhibition of the metabolism of tryptophan to kynurenine, a potential vasodilator factor, prevented the blood pressure reducing effect of AEPc. Moreover, AEPc significantly reduced sympathoexcitation. Data indicate that the metabolic derivative of tryptophan, kynurenine, may be a mediator of the volume-independent antihypertensive effect of Pc, which was at least in part mediated by suppression of the sympathetic tonus.

Mechanisms of morphine enhancement of spontaneous seizure activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Saboory, Ehsan; Derchansky, Miron; Ismaili, Mohammed; Jahromi, Shokrollah S; Brull, Richard; Carlen, Peter L; El Beheiry, Hossam

2007-12-01

High-dose opioid therapy can precipitate seizures; however, the mechanism of such a dangerous adverse effect remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to determine whether the neuroexcitatory activity of high-dose morphine is mediated by selective stimulation of opioid receptors. Mice hippocampi were resected intact and bathed in low magnesium artificial cerebrospinal fluid to induce spontaneous seizure-like events recorded from CA1 neurons. Application of morphine had a biphasic effect on the recorded spontaneous seizure-like events. In a low concentration (10 microM), morphine depressed electrographic seizure activity. Higher morphine concentrations (30 and 100 microM) enhanced seizure activity in an apparent dose-dependent manner. Naloxone, a nonselective opiate antagonist blocked the proconvulsant action of morphine. Selective mu and kappa opiate receptor agonists and antagonists enhanced and suppressed the spontaneous seizure activity, respectively. On the contrary, delta opioid receptor ligands did not have an effect. The proseizure effect of morphine is mediated through selective stimulation of mu and kappa opiate receptors but not the activation of the delta receptor system. The observed dose-dependent mechanism of morphine neuroexcitation underscores careful adjustment and individualized opioid dosing in the clinical setting.

Polarization control of spontaneous emission for rapid quantum-state initialization

Science.gov (United States)

DiLoreto, C. S.; Rangan, C.

2017-04-01

We propose an efficient method to selectively enhance the spontaneous emission rate of a quantum system by changing the polarization of an incident control field, and exploiting the polarization dependence of the system's spontaneous emission rate. This differs from the usual Purcell enhancement of spontaneous emission rates as it can be selectively turned on and off. Using a three-level Λ system in a quantum dot placed in between two silver nanoparticles and a linearly polarized, monochromatic driving field, we present a protocol for rapid quantum state initialization, while maintaining long coherence times for control operations. This process increases the overall amount of time that a quantum system can be effectively utilized for quantum operations, and presents a key advance in quantum computing.

Natural Selection Reduced Diversity on Human Y Chromosomes

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson Sayres, Melissa A.; Lohmueller, Kirk E.; Nielsen, Rasmus

2014-01-01

The human Y chromosome exhibits surprisingly low levels of genetic diversity. This could result from neutral processes if the effective population size of males is reduced relative to females due to a higher variance in the number of offspring from males than from females. Alternatively, selection acting on new mutations, and affecting linked neutral sites, could reduce variability on the Y chromosome. Here, using genome-wide analyses of X, Y, autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, in combination with extensive population genetic simulations, we show that low observed Y chromosome variability is not consistent with a purely neutral model. Instead, we show that models of purifying selection are consistent with observed Y diversity. Further, the number of sites estimated to be under purifying selection greatly exceeds the number of Y-linked coding sites, suggesting the importance of the highly repetitive ampliconic regions. While we show that purifying selection removing deleterious mutations can explain the low diversity on the Y chromosome, we cannot exclude the possibility that positive selection acting on beneficial mutations could have also reduced diversity in linked neutral regions, and may have contributed to lowering human Y chromosome diversity. Because the functional significance of the ampliconic regions is poorly understood, our findings should motivate future research in this area. PMID:24415951

Distinct spontaneous shrinkage of a sporadic vestibular schwannoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huang, Xiaowen; Cayé-Thomasen, Per; Stangerup, Sven-Eric

2013-01-01

on "shrinkage" or "negative growth" or "regression" or "involution" of the tumor were selected, and the contents on the rate, extent and mechanism of spontaneous tumor shrinkage were extracted and reviewed. The reported rate of spontaneous shrinkage of vestibular schwannoma is 5-10% of patients managed......We present a case with outspoken spontaneous vestibular schwannoma shrinkage and review the related literature. The patient was initially diagnosed with a left-sided, intrameatal vestibular schwannoma, which subsequently grew into the cerebello-pontine angle (CPA), followed by total shrinkage...... of the CPA component without any intervention over a 12-year observation period. The literature on spontaneous tumor shrinkage was retrieved by searching the subject terms "vestibular schwannoma, conservative management" in PubMed/MEDLINE database, without a time limit. Of the published data, the articles...

Spontaneous condensation of CHF2Cl vapour at high reduced pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bier, K.; Ehrler, F.; Kissau, G.; Lippig, V.; Schorsch, R.

1977-01-01

Spontaneous condensation at high reduced pressures was investigated in stationary jets of difluoromonochlormethane vapour (refrigerant R 22) expanding within an annular Laval nozzle. The onset of condensation in the so-called Wilson point was determined by measuring the static pressure along the nozzle axis. For 33 expansions carried out with the same nozzle geometry at different stagnation conditions - with dew points ranging from 32 to 64 per cent of the critical pressure - the Wilson points can be represented by a common Wilson line, which can be extended to the critical point. Considering the real gas properties of the supersaturated vapour, one obtains nucleation rates for the states on the measured Wilson line, which are considerably lower than those resulting from the usual ideal-gas calculation, the difference amounting from 4 to 9 orders of magnitude in the investigated region. A comparison with the collision rate of single molecules shows that the nucleation rates calculated for the real gas according to the classical Volmer-Frenkel thoery are plausible. An adequate interpretation of the experimental results on CHF 2 Cl with the Lothe-Pound theory, however, seems not possible, since the nucleation rate due to that theory would nearly attain and - at higher densities - even exceed the molecular collision rate. (orig.) [de

A low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet reduces blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats without deleterious changes in insulin resistance

OpenAIRE

Bosse, John D.; Lin, Han Yi; Sloan, Crystal; Zhang, Quan-Jiang; Abel, E. Dale; Pereira, Troy J.; Dolinsky, Vernon W.; Symons, J. David; Jalili, Thunder

2013-01-01

Previous studies reported that diets high in simple carbohydrates could increase blood pressure in rodents. We hypothesized that the converse, a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet, might reduce blood pressure. Six-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; n = 54) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY; n = 53, normotensive control) were fed either a control diet (C; 10% fat, 70% carbohydrate, 20% protein) or a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet (HF; 20% carbohydrate, 60% fat, 20% protein). After 10 wk, SHR-...

Effects of met-enkephalin on GABAergic spontaneous miniature IPSPs in organotypic slice cultures of the rat hippocampus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rekling, J C

1993-01-01

The action of met-enkephalin on GABAergic spontaneous miniature IPSPs (smIPSPs) was investigated in CA1 neurons from hippocampal slice cultures. In the presence of excitatory amino acid blockers (2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulphamoyl-benzo(F)quinoxaline, DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid) and TTX...... the amplitude distribution of the smIPSPs. The proportion of "large" smIPSPs was reduced, but a loss of "small" smIPSPs also contributed to the reduction in smIPSP frequency. The selective mu-receptor agonist DAGO mimicked the effect of met-enkephalin and naloxone blocked the effect of DAGO. Hyperpolarization......IPSP frequency, nor did it block the effect of DAGO. These results suggest that CA1 pyramidal cells of hippocampal organotypic cultures are tonically inhibited by spontaneous release of GABA, through a release mechanism that is independent of propagated sodium action potentials. Met-enkephalin and DAGO reduce...

Selection dramatically reduces effective population size in HIV-1 infection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mittler John E

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In HIV-1 evolution, a 100–100,000 fold discrepancy between census size and effective population size (Ne has been noted. Although it is well known that selection can reduce Ne, high in vivo mutation and recombination rates complicate attempts to quantify the effects of selection on HIV-1 effective size. Results We use the inbreeding coefficient and the variance in allele frequency at a linked neutral locus to estimate the reduction in Ne due to selection in the presence of mutation and recombination. With biologically realistic mutation rates, the reduction in Ne due to selection is determined by the strength of selection, i.e., the stronger the selection, the greater the reduction. However, the dependence of Ne on selection can break down if recombination rates are very high (e.g., r ≥ 0.1. With biologically likely recombination rates, our model suggests that recurrent selective sweeps similar to those observed in vivo can reduce within-host HIV-1 effective population sizes by a factor of 300 or more. Conclusion Although other factors, such as unequal viral reproduction rates and limited migration between tissue compartments contribute to reductions in Ne, our model suggests that recurrent selection plays a significant role in reducing HIV-1 effective population sizes in vivo.

Characterisation of lactic acid bacteria in spontaneously fermented camel milk and selection of strains for fermentation of camel milk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fugl, Angelina June Brandt; Berhe, Tesfemariam; Kiran, Anil

2017-01-01

The microbial communities in spontaneously fermented camel milk from Ethiopia were characterised through metagenomic 16S rRNA sequencing and lactic acid bacteria were isolated with the goal of selecting strains suitable as starter cultures. The fermented camel milk microbiota was dominated either...... by Lactobacillales or by Enterobacteriaceae, depending on incubation temperature and the provider of the milk. Strains of species with a potential use as starter cultures i.e., Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Pediococcus acidilactici, were isolated. Fast acidifiers of camel milk have been isolated...

Spontaneous generation in medieval Jewish philosophy and theology.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaziel, Ahuva

2012-01-01

The concept of life forms emerging from inanimate matter--spontaneous generation--was widely accepted until the nineteenth century. Several medieval Jewish scholars acknowledged this scientific theory in their philosophical and religious contemplations. Quite interestingly, it served to reinforce diverse, or even opposite, theological conclusions. One approach excluded spontaneously-generated living beings form the biblical account of creation or the story of the Deluge. Underlying this view is an understanding that organisms that generate spontaneously evolve continuously in nature and, therefore, do not require divine intervention in their formation or survival during disastrous events. This naturalistic position reduces the miraculous dimension of reality. Others were of the opinion that spontaneous generation is one of the extraordinary marvels exhibited in this world and, accordingly, this interpretation served to accentuate the divine aspect of nature. References to spontaneous generation also appear in legal writings, influencing practical applications such as dietary laws and actions forbidden on the Sabbath.

Intake of probiotic food and risk of spontaneous preterm delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Myhre, Ronny; Brantsæter, Anne Lise; Myking, Solveig; Gjessing, Håkon Kristian; Sengpiel, Verena; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Haugen, Margaretha; Jacobsson, Bo

2011-01-01

Preterm delivery represents a substantial problem in perinatal medicine worldwide. Current knowledge on potential influences of probiotics in food on pregnancy complications caused by microbes is limited. We hypothesized that intake of food with probiotics might reduce pregnancy complications caused by pathogenic microorganisms and, through this, reduce the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery. This study was performed in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort on the basis of answers to a food-frequency questionnaire. We studied intake of milk-based products containing probiotic lactobacilli and spontaneous preterm delivery by using a prospective cohort study design (n = 950 cases and 17,938 controls) for the pregnancy outcome of spontaneous preterm delivery (delivery were associated with any intake of milk-based probiotic products in an adjusted model [odds ratio (OR): 0.857; 95% CI: 0.741, 0.992]. By categorizing intake into none, low, and high intakes of the milk-based probiotic products, a significant association was observed for high intake (OR: 0.820; 95% CI: 0.681, 0.986). Women who reported habitual intake of probiotic dairy products had a reduced risk of spontaneous preterm delivery.

Intake of probiotic food and risk of spontaneous preterm delivery123

Science.gov (United States)

Myhre, Ronny; Brantsæter, Anne Lise; Myking, Solveig; Gjessing, Håkon Kristian; Sengpiel, Verena; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Haugen, Margaretha; Jacobsson, Bo

2011-01-01

Background: Preterm delivery represents a substantial problem in perinatal medicine worldwide. Current knowledge on potential influences of probiotics in food on pregnancy complications caused by microbes is limited. Objective: We hypothesized that intake of food with probiotics might reduce pregnancy complications caused by pathogenic microorganisms and, through this, reduce the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery. Design: This study was performed in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort on the basis of answers to a food-frequency questionnaire. We studied intake of milk-based products containing probiotic lactobacilli and spontaneous preterm delivery by using a prospective cohort study design (n = 950 cases and 17,938 controls) for the pregnancy outcome of spontaneous preterm delivery (<37 gestational weeks). Analyses were adjusted for the covariates of parity, maternal educational level, and physical activity. Results: Pregnancies that resulted in spontaneous preterm delivery were associated with any intake of milk-based probiotic products in an adjusted model [odds ratio (OR): 0.857; 95% CI: 0.741, 0.992]. By categorizing intake into none, low, and high intakes of the milk-based probiotic products, a significant association was observed for high intake (OR: 0.820; 95% CI: 0.681, 0.986). Conclusion: Women who reported habitual intake of probiotic dairy products had a reduced risk of spontaneous preterm delivery. PMID:20980489

Radiologic findings of acute spontaneous subdural hematomas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyun Jung; Bae, Won Kyong; Gyu, Cha Jang; Kim, Gun Woo; Cho, Won Su; Kim, Il Young; Lee, Kyung Suk [Soonchunhyang University, Chonan (Korea, Republic of). Chonan Hospital

1998-03-01

To evaluate the characteristic CT and cerebral angiographic findings in patients with acute spontaneous subdural hematomas and correlate these imaging findings with causes of bleeding and clinical outcome. Twenty-one patients with nontraumatic acute spontaneous subdural hematoma presenting during the last five years underwent CT scanning and cerebral angiography was performed in twelve. To determine the cause of bleedings, CT and angiographic findings were retrospectively analysed. Clinical history, laboratory and operative findings, and final clinical outcome were reviewed. Acute spontaneous subdural hematoma is a rare condition, and the mortality rate is high. In patients with acute spontaneous subdural hematoma, as seen on CT, associated subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage is strongly indicative of intracerebral vascular abnormalities such as aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation, and cerebral angiography is necessary. To ensure proper treatment and thus markedly reduce mortality, the causes of bleedings should be prompty determined by means of cerebral angiography. (author). 20 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs.

Spontaneous mutation by mutagenic repair of spontaneous lesions in DNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hastings, P.J.; Quah, S.-K.; Borstel, R.C. von

1976-01-01

It is stated that strains of yeast carrying mutations in many of the steps in pathways repairing radiation-induced damage to DNA have enhanced spontaneous mutation rates. Most strains isolated because they have enhanced spontaneous mutation carry mutations in DNA repair systems. This suggests that much spontaneous mutation arises by mutagenic repair of spontaneous lesions. (author)

Spontaneous aorto-cisterna chyli anastomosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vlahos, L.; Gouliamos, A.; Nikolaidis, I.; Dimakakos, P.

1986-01-01

A case of a spontaneous aorto-cisterna chyli communication is presented in a 65 year old patient who was admitted to the Hospital with severe abdominal pain simulating a dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. The diagnosis was suspected on a CT examination and established by a free flow aortogram and selective catheterization of the cisterna chyli through the aorta. (orig.)

Spontaneous aorto-cisterna chyli anastomosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vlahos, L.; Gouliamos, A.; Nikolaidis, I.; Dimakakos, P.

1986-02-01

A case of a spontaneous aorto-cisterna chyli communication is presented in a 65 year old patient who was admitted to the Hospital with severe abdominal pain simulating a dissecting aneurysm of the aorta. The diagnosis was suspected on a CT examination and established by a free flow aortogram and selective catheterization of the cisterna chyli through the aorta. (orig.).

Endobronchial angiofibroma in the aberrant tracheal bronchus presenting as spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyung Soo; Moon, Young Kyu; Jeon, Hyun Woo; Park, Chan Beom; Ahn, Myeong Im; Lee, Kyo Young; Park, Jae Kil

2015-07-22

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a self-limiting benign disease but abnormal bronchial lesions can be rarely found incidentally, and in selected cases will require surgical resection. A 38-year-old man presented with a spontaneous pneumomediastinum. Chest computed tomography revealed an incidental linear endobronchial tumour in the aberrant tracheal bronchus. The tumour was removed surgically and diagnosed with a rare benign tumour of endobronchial angiofibroma. We report a rare case of endobronchial angiofibroma in the aberrant tracheal bronchus which was detected during the evaluation of a spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Reduced auditory efferent activity in childhood selective mutism.

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Haim, Yair; Henkin, Yael; Ari-Even-Roth, Daphne; Tetin-Schneider, Simona; Hildesheimer, Minka; Muchnik, Chava

2004-06-01

Selective mutism is a psychiatric disorder of childhood characterized by consistent inability to speak in specific situations despite the ability to speak normally in others. The objective of this study was to test whether reduced auditory efferent activity, which may have direct bearings on speaking behavior, is compromised in selectively mute children. Participants were 16 children with selective mutism and 16 normally developing control children matched for age and gender. All children were tested for pure-tone audiometry, speech reception thresholds, speech discrimination, middle-ear acoustic reflex thresholds and decay function, transient evoked otoacoustic emission, suppression of transient evoked otoacoustic emission, and auditory brainstem response. Compared with control children, selectively mute children displayed specific deficiencies in auditory efferent activity. These aberrations in efferent activity appear along with normal pure-tone and speech audiometry and normal brainstem transmission as indicated by auditory brainstem response latencies. The diminished auditory efferent activity detected in some children with SM may result in desensitization of their auditory pathways by self-vocalization and in reduced control of masking and distortion of incoming speech sounds. These children may gradually learn to restrict vocalization to the minimal amount possible in contexts that require complex auditory processing.

Prospective controlled trial comparing colostomy irrigation with "spontaneous-action" method.

OpenAIRE

Williams, N S; Johnston, D

1980-01-01

Thirty randomly selected patients with permanent colostomies entered a prospective controlled trial comparing colostomy irrigation with spontaneous action. Each patient was interviewed and examined before irrigation was begun and again after the technique had been used for three months. Each then reverted to spontaneous action for a further three months and was then reassessed. Eight patients abandoned irrigation and 22 (73%) adhered to the protocol. Irrigation caused no mishaps or complicati...

Spontaneous high frequency diameter oscillations of larger retinal arterioles are reduced in type 2 diabetes mellitus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bek, Toke; Jeppesen, Peter; Kanters, Jørgen K.

2013-01-01

Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by morphological changes in the retina secondary to disturbances in retinal blood flow. Vasomotion is a mechanism for regulating blood flow by spontaneous oscillations in the diameter of retinal resistance arterioles, and has been shown to be disturbed outside...... the eye in diabetic patients. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to characterize spontaneous oscillations in the diameter of retinal arterioles in normal persons and in persons with different severity of diabetic retinopathy....

Spontaneous and X-ray induced chromosomal aberrations in selected connective tissue diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkhardt, W.C.; Jackson, J.F.; Songcharoen, S.; Meydrech, E.F.

1980-01-01

Chromosome studies were performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes of 28 patients with connective tissue disease (6 with progressive systemic sclerosis, 6 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody positive rheumatoid arthritis, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody negative rheumatoid arthritis, and 4 with mixed connective tissue disease) and on 17 controls to determine the frequency of spontaneous as well as X-ray (75 rads) induced aberrations. The mean spontaneous chromosomal aberration frequency for the 28 patients (9.1%) was significantly (P=0.038) greater than that of controls (6.4%). When patients were categorized into specific clinically designated connective tissue disease subdivisions for comparison with the controls, only X-irradiated cells from the progressive systemic sclerosis group displayed significantly elevated levels of total chromosomal aberrations over those of the control group. The X-irradiated lymphocytes from these patients had an average of 23.6% aberrations per patient, while those of the control group showed an average of 14.9% per patient (P<0.05). (author)

Spontaneous and X-ray induced chromosomal aberrations in selected connective tissue diseases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burkhardt, W C; Jackson, J F; Songcharoen, S; Meydrech, E F [Mississippi Univ., Jackson (USA). Medical Center

1980-01-01

Chromosome studies were performed on peripheral blood lymphocytes of 28 patients with connective tissue disease (6 with progressive systemic sclerosis, 6 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody positive rheumatoid arthritis, 6 with anti-nuclear antibody negative rheumatoid arthritis, and 4 with mixed connective tissue disease) and on 17 controls to determine the frequency of spontaneous as well as X-ray (75 rads) induced aberrations. The mean spontaneous chromosomal aberration frequency for the 28 patients (9.1%) was significantly (P=0.038) greater than that of controls (6.4%). When patients were categorized into specific clinically designated connective tissue disease subdivisions for comparison with the controls, only X-irradiated cells from the progressive systemic sclerosis group displayed significantly elevated levels of total chromosomal aberrations over those of the control group. The X-irradiated lymphocytes from these patients had an average of 23.6% aberrations per patient, while those of the control group showed an average of 14.9% per patient (P<0.05).

Does Spontaneous Favorability to Power (vs. Universalism) Values Predict Spontaneous Prejudice and Discrimination?

Science.gov (United States)

Souchon, Nicolas; Maio, Gregory R; Hanel, Paul H P; Bardin, Brigitte

2017-10-01

We conducted five studies testing whether an implicit measure of favorability toward power over universalism values predicts spontaneous prejudice and discrimination. Studies 1 (N = 192) and 2 (N = 86) examined correlations between spontaneous favorability toward power (vs. universalism) values, achievement (vs. benevolence) values, and a spontaneous measure of prejudice toward ethnic minorities. Study 3 (N = 159) tested whether conditioning participants to associate power values with positive adjectives and universalism values with negative adjectives (or inversely) affects spontaneous prejudice. Study 4 (N = 95) tested whether decision bias toward female handball players could be predicted by spontaneous attitude toward power (vs. universalism) values. Study 5 (N = 123) examined correlations between spontaneous attitude toward power (vs. universalism) values, spontaneous importance toward power (vs. universalism) values, and spontaneous prejudice toward Black African people. Spontaneous positivity toward power (vs. universalism) values was associated with spontaneous negativity toward minorities and predicted gender bias in a decision task, whereas the explicit measures did not. These results indicate that the implicit assessment of evaluative responses attached to human values helps to model value-attitude-behavior relations. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Personality Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Yeast hulls: effect on spontaneous fermentation in different vinification conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa López

2000-09-01

Full Text Available The effect of the addition of yeast hulls in vinification was investigated during three consecutive years. The study was carried out in the experimental winery of C.I.D.A in La Rioja (Spain with free running white grape juice of the Viura variety. Four different vinifications were studied. In two of these vinifications, stuck fermentations were detected. In all the studies, the addition of yeast hulls (yeast ghosts improved the fermentation kinetics, increasing the number of viable yeasts at the end of the exponential stage and decreasing the final content of reducing sugars. This work revealed a new effect of yeast hull addition which had not been identified previously; their selection effect on the wild yeast strain in spontaneous fermentation.

Perinatal L-arginine and antioxidant supplements reduce adult blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Racasan, S; Braam, B; van der Giezen, DM; Goldschmeding, R; Boer, P; Koomans, HA; Joles, JA

Embryo cross-transplantation and cross-fostering between spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive rats (WKY) suggest that perinatal environment modulates the genetically determined phenotype. In SHR the balance between NO and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is disturbed. We hypothesized

Embolization of Spontaneous Hemarthrosis Post Total Knee Replacement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Given, M. F.; Smith, P.; Lyon, S. M.; Robertson, D.; Thomson, K. R.

2008-01-01

Spontaneous nonhemophiliac hemarthrosis is an unusual entity, which has been little described. We present three cases of spontaneous recurrent hemarthrosis post total knee replacement (TKR) and successful management with embolization. Three male patients were referred to our service for angiography and treatment of recurrent hemarthrosis post TKR. In all three patients antegrade ipsilateral common femoral artery punctures and selective angiography of the geniculate branches were performed with a microcatheter. Abnormal vasculature was noted in all cases. Subsequent embolization was performed with Contour (Boston Scientific, Target Vascular, Cork, Ireland) embolization particles (150-250 and 250-355 μm) in two patients and microcoils in the third (TornadoR; Cook Inc., Bloomington, IN, USA). Technical success was 100%. One patient had a recurrence of symptoms requiring a repeat procedure 6 months later. No complications were encountered. Selective angiography and particle embolization is an effective technique for management of this unusual but problematic postoperative sequelae.

Sparse Reduced-Rank Regression for Simultaneous Dimension Reduction and Variable Selection

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lisha

2012-12-01

The reduced-rank regression is an effective method in predicting multiple response variables from the same set of predictor variables. It reduces the number of model parameters and takes advantage of interrelations between the response variables and hence improves predictive accuracy. We propose to select relevant variables for reduced-rank regression by using a sparsity-inducing penalty. We apply a group-lasso type penalty that treats each row of the matrix of the regression coefficients as a group and show that this penalty satisfies certain desirable invariance properties. We develop two numerical algorithms to solve the penalized regression problem and establish the asymptotic consistency of the proposed method. In particular, the manifold structure of the reduced-rank regression coefficient matrix is considered and studied in our theoretical analysis. In our simulation study and real data analysis, the new method is compared with several existing variable selection methods for multivariate regression and exhibits competitive performance in prediction and variable selection. © 2012 American Statistical Association.

Long-term treatment with nebivolol improves arterial reactivity and reduces ventricular hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, Estela; Voces, Felipe; Ardanaz, Noelia; Montero, María José; Arévalo, Miguel; Sevilla, María Angeles

2003-09-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of long-term nebivolol therapy on high blood pressure, impaired endothelial function in aorta, and damage observed in heart and conductance arteries in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). For this purpose, SHR were treated for 9 weeks with nebivolol (8 mg/kg per day). Untreated SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats were used as hypertensive and normotensive controls, respectively. The left ventricle/body weight ratio was used as an index of cardiac hypertrophy, and to evaluate vascular function, responses induced by potassium chloride, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, and sodium nitroprusside were tested on aortic rings. Aortic morphometry and fibrosis were determined in parallel by a quantitative technique. Systolic blood pressure, measured by the tail-cuff method, was lower in treated SHR than in the untreated group (194 +/- 3 versus 150 +/- 4 mm Hg). The cardiac hypertrophy index was significantly reduced by the treatment. In aortic rings, treatment with nebivolol significantly reduced the maximal response to both KCl and NA in SHR. In vessels precontracted with phenylephrine relaxant, activity due to acetylcholine was higher in normotensive rats than in SHR and the treatment significantly improved this response. The effect of sodium nitroprusside on aortic rings was similar in all groups. Medial thickness and collagen content were significantly reduced in comparison with SHR. In conclusion, the chronic antihypertensive effect of nebivolol in SHR was accompanied by an improvement in vascular structure and function and in the cardiac hypertrophy index.

Age-related changes of the dental aesthetic zone at rest and during spontaneous smiling and speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Geld, Pieter; Oosterveld, Paul; Kuijpers-Jagtman, Anne Marie

2008-08-01

The aims of this study were to analyse lip line heights and age effects in an adult male population during spontaneous smiling, speech, and tooth display in the natural rest position and to determine whether lip line height follows a consistent pattern during these different functions. The sample consisted of 122 randomly selected male participants from three age cohorts (20-25 years, 35-40 years, and 50-55 years). Lip line heights were measured with a digital videographic method for smile analysis, which had previously been tested and found reliable. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using correlation analysis, analysis of variance, and Tukey's post hoc tests. Maxillary lip line heights during spontaneous smiling were generally higher in the premolar area than at the anterior teeth. The aesthetic zone in 75 per cent of the participants included all maxillary teeth up to the first molar. Coherence in lip line heights during spontaneous smiling, speech, and tooth display in the natural rest position was confirmed by significant correlations. In older subjects, maxillary lip line heights decreased significantly in all situations. Lip line heights during spontaneous smiling were reduced by approximately 2 mm. In older participants, the mandibular lip line heights also changed significantly and teeth were displayed less during spontaneous smiling. Mandibular tooth display in the rest position increased significantly. Upper lip length increased significantly by almost 4 mm in older subjects, whereas upper lip elevation did not change significantly. The significant increasing lip coverage of the maxillary teeth indicates that the effects of age should be included in orthodontic treatment planning.

Progesterone to prevent spontaneous preterm birth

Science.gov (United States)

Romero, Roberto; Yeo, Lami; Chaemsaithong, Piya; Chaiworapongsa, Tinnakorn; Hassan, Sonia

2014-01-01

Summary Preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its prevention is an important healthcare priority. Preterm parturition is one of the ‘great obstetrical syndromes’ and is caused by multiple etiologies. One of the mechanisms of disease is the untimely decline in progesterone action, which can be manifested by a sonographic short cervix in the midtrimester. The detection of a short cervix in the midtrimester is a powerful risk factor for preterm delivery. Vaginal progesterone can reduce the rate of preterm delivery by 45%, and the rate of neonatal morbidity (admission to neonatal intensive care unit, respiratory distress syndrome, need for mechanical ventilation, etc.). To prevent one case of spontaneous preterm birth birth in women with a short cervix both with and without a prior history of preterm birth. In patients with a prior history of preterm birth, vaginal progesterone is as effective as cervical cerclage to prevent preterm delivery. 17α-Hydroxyprogesterone caproate has not been shown to be effective in reducing the rate of spontaneous preterm birth in women with a short cervix. PMID:24315687

Frequency of microbial spectrum of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in established cirrhosis liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaman, A.; Kareem, R.; Khan, E.M.

2011-01-01

Background: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is one of the most frequent and serious complication in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites associated with high mortality. Empiric antibiotic therapy should be initiated before the results of ascitic fluid cultures are available, guided by knowledge of the microbial spectrum of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in a particular population. Methods: This is a descriptive study which was carried out in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Postgraduate Medical Institute Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar from January 2007 to December 2007. Fifty consecutive patients of established cirrhosis liver with ascites presenting with suspicion and or risk factors for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis were included in the study after informed consent. All selected patients were subjected to ascitic fluid tap. Twenty ml of ascitic fluid was aspirated in a heparinised disposable syringe; out of it 10 ml was immediately inoculated into blood culture bottle at bedside and sent for bacterial culture along with the remaining 10 ml for routine biochemical and cytological examination. Results: Out of 50 patients, 28 (56%) were diagnosed to have spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or its variants. Classic spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was present in 11 patients (39.28%), 16 (57.14%) patients were found to have culture negative neutrocytic ascites and one patient (3.57%) had bacterascites. Out of 28 cases of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis 12 samples of ascitic fluid showed positive culture reports. E. coli was the most frequently cultured organism isolated in 8 (66.66%) cases, Streptococcus pneumonae in 2 patients (16.66%), Staphylococcus aurus and Klebsiella each in 1 case (8.33%). Conclusion: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and its variants is a common complication of liver cirrhosis with ascites. E. coli is the most frequent offending organism in these cases. Knowledge of the microbial spectrum of spontaneous

Spontaneous pushing to prevent postpartum urinary incontinence: a randomized, controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Lisa Kane; Miller, Janis M; Guo, Ying; Ashton-Miller, James A; DeLancey, John O L; Sampselle, Carolyn M

2013-03-01

The risk for urinary incontinence can be 2.6-fold greater in women after pregnancy and childbirth compared with their never-pregnant counterparts, with the incidence increasing with parity. We tested the hypothesis that the incidence of de novo postpartum urinary incontinence in primiparous women is reduced with the use of spontaneous pushing alone or in combination with perineal massage compared with women who experienced traditional directed pushing for second-stage management. This was a prospective clinical trial enrolling and randomizing 249 women into a four-group design: (1) routine care with coached or directed pushing, (2) spontaneous self-directed pushing, (3) prenatal perineal massage initiated in the third trimester, and (4) the combination of spontaneous pushing plus perineal massage. Self-report of incontinence was assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) models in 145 remaining women at 12 months postpartum using the Leakage Index, which is sensitive to minor leakage. No statistical difference in the incidence of de novo postpartum incontinence was found based on method of pushing (spontaneous/directed) (P value = 0.57) or in combination with prenatal perineal massage (P value = 0.57). Fidelity to pushing treatment of type was assessed and between-groups crossover detected. Spontaneous pushing did not reduce the incidence of postpartum incontinence experienced by women 1 year after their first birth due to high cross-over between randomization groups.

Shared risk aversion in spontaneous and induced abortion.

Science.gov (United States)

Catalano, Ralph; Bruckner, Tim A; Karasek, Deborah; Adler, Nancy E; Mortensen, Laust H

2016-05-01

Does the incidence of spontaneous abortion correlate positively over conception cohorts with the incidence of non-clinically indicated induced abortion as predicted by shared risk aversion? We find that the number of spontaneous and non-clinically indicated induced abortions correlates in conception cohorts, suggesting that risk aversion affects both the conscious and non-conscious mechanisms that control parturition. Much literature speculates that natural selection conserved risk aversion because the trait enhanced Darwinian fitness. Risk aversion, moreover, supposedly influences all decisions including those that individuals can and cannot report making. We argue that these circumstances, if real, would manifest in conscious and non-conscious decisions to invest in prospective offspring, and therefore affect incidence of induced and spontaneous abortion over time. Using data from Denmark, we test the hypothesis that monthly conception cohorts yielding unexpectedly many non-clinically indicated induced abortions also yield unexpectedly many spontaneous abortions. The 180 month test period (January 1995 through December 2009), yielded 1 351 800 gestations including 156 780 spontaneous as well as 233 280 induced abortions 9100 of which were clinically indicated. We use Box-Jenkins transfer functions to adjust the incidence of spontaneous and non-clinically indicated induced abortions for autocorrelation (including seasonality), cohort size, and fetal as well as gestational anomalies over the 180-month test period. We use cross-correlation to test our hypothesized association. We find a positive association between spontaneous and non-clinically indicated induced abortions. This suggests, consistent with our theory, that mothers of conception cohorts that yielded more spontaneous abortions than expected opted more frequently than expected for non-clinically indicated induced abortion. Limitations of our work include that even the world's best registration system

Spontaneous Retroperitoneal Hemorrhage from Adrenal Artery Aneurysm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gonzalez Valverde, F.M.; Balsalobre, M.; Torregrosa, N.; Molto, M.; Gomez Ramos, M.J.; Vazquez Rojas, J.L.

2007-01-01

Spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage is a very rare but serious disorder of the adrenal gland that can require emergent treatment. We report on a 42-year-old man who underwent selective angiography for diagnosis and treatment of retroperitoneal hemorrhage from small adrenal artery aneurysm. This case gives further details about the value of transluminal artery embolization in the management of visceral aneurysm rupture

Male Factors and socioeconomic indicators correlate with the risk of spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Jørn; Basso, Olga; Christensen, Kaare

1999-01-01

and environmental factors by studying reproductive histories in population based cohorts. We based the study upon two cohorts. The 'abortion cohort' consisted of 55 259 women who had a hospitalised spontaneous abortion in Denmark between 1980 and 1992 and who had a subsequent non-terminated pregnancy. The 'birth...... the municipality of residence to a low risk area (based upon the geographical distribution of spontaneous abortions) reduced the risk of spontaneous abortion in both cohorts. A paternal effect on the recurrence risk of spontaneous abortion cannot be ruled out but environmental factors also play a role.......No less than 10% of clinically recognised pregnancies end as spontaneous abortions and the recurrence risk is high. Due to lack of data and appropriate study design only little is known about preventable causes of miscarriage. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of paternal...

Aspirin attenuates spontaneous recurrent seizures in the chronically epileptic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Kun; Hu, Ming; Yuan, Bo; Liu, Jian-Xin; Liu, Yong

2017-08-01

Neuroinflammatory processes are pathologic hallmarks of both experimental and human epilepsy, and could be implicated in the neuronal hyperexcitability. Aspirin represents one of the non-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with fewer side effects in long-term application. This study was carried out to assess the anti-epileptic effects of aspirin when administered during the chronic stage of temporal lobe epilepsy [TLE] in mice. The alteration of hippocampal neurogenesis was also examined for raising a possible mechanism underlying the protective effect of anti-inflammatory treatment in the TLE. Two months after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus, the chronically epileptic mice were treated with aspirin (20 mg, 60 mg or 80 mg/kg) once a day for 10 weeks. Spontaneous recurrent seizures were monitored by video camera for 2 weeks. To evaluate the profile of hippocampal neurogenesis, the newly generated cells in the dentate gyrus were labeled by the proliferation marker BrdU. The newborn neurons that extended axons to CA3 area were visualized by cholera toxin B subunit retrograde tracing. Administration of aspirin with a dosage of 60 mg or 80 mg/kg initiated at 2 months after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus significantly reduced the frequency and duration of spontaneous recurrent seizures. Aspirin treatment also increased the number of newborn neurons with anatomic integration through improving the survival of the newly generated cells. Aspirin treatment during the chronic stage of TLE could attenuate the spontaneous recurrent seizures in mice. Promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis and inhibition of COX-PGE2 pathway might partly contribute to this anti-epileptic effect. Highlights • Aspirin attenuates spontaneous recurrent seizures of chronically epileptic mice • Aspirin increases neurogenesis of chronically epileptic hippocampus by improving the survival of newly generated cells • Promotion of hippocampal neurogenesis and inhibition

Social polyandry, parental investment, sexual selection, and evolution of reduced female gamete size.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, Malte

2004-01-01

Sexual selection in the form of sperm competition is a major explanation for small size of male gametes. Can sexual selection in polyandrous species with reversed sex roles also lead to reduced female gamete size? Comparative studies show that egg size in birds tends to decrease as a lineage evolves social polyandry. Here, a quantitative genetic model predicts that female scrambles over mates lead to evolution of reduced female gamete size. Increased female mating success drives the evolution of smaller eggs, which take less time to produce, until balanced by lowered offspring survival. Mean egg size is usually reduced and polyandry increased by increasing sex ratio (male bias) and maximum possible number of mates. Polyandry also increases with the asynchrony (variance) in female breeding start. Opportunity for sexual selection increases with the maximum number of mates but decreases with increasing sex ratio. It is well known that parental investment can affect sexual selection. The model suggests that the influence is mutual: owing to a coevolutionary feedback loop, sexual selection in females also shapes initial parental investment by reducing egg size. Feedback between sexual selection and parental investment may be common.

Spontaneous fission of 259Md

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hulet, E.K.; Wild, J.F.; Lougheed, R.W.; Baisden, P.A.; Landrum, J.H.; Dougan, R.J.; Mustafa, M.; Ghiorso, A.; Nitschke, J.M.

1979-01-01

The mass and kinetic energy distributions of fission fragments from the spontaneous fission of th newly discovered nuclide 259 Md were obtained. 259 Md was identified as the E. C. daughter of 259 No, and was found to decay entirely (> 95%) by spontaneous fission with a 95-min half-life. From the kinetic energies measured for 397 pairs of coincident fragments, a mass distribution was derived that is symmetric with sigma = 13 amu. 259 Md, together with 258 Fm and 259 Fm, form a select group of three nuclides whose mass division in spontaneous fission is highly symmetric. Unlike the total-kinetic-energy (TKE) distributions of 258 Fm and 259 Fm, which peak at approx. = to 240 MeV, this distribution for 259 Md is broad and is 50 MeV lower in energy. Analysis of the mass and energy distributions shows that events near mass symmetry also exhibit a broad TKE distribution, with one-third of the symmetric events having TKEs less than 200 MeV. The associated of low TKEs with symmetric mass division in the fission of very heavy actinides is anomalous and inconsistent with theories based upon the emergence of fragment shells near the scission point. Either three-body fragmentation or peculiar fragment shapes are assumed as the cause for the large consumption of Coulomb energy observed for a significant fraction of symmetric fissions in 259 Md. 6 figures

Tooth display and lip position during spontaneous and posed smiling in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Der Geld, Pieter; Oosterveld, Paul; Berge, Stefaan J; Kuijpers-Jagtman, Anne M

2008-08-01

To analyze differences in tooth display, lip-line height, and smile width between the posed smiling record, traditionally produced for orthodontic diagnosis, and the spontaneous (Duchenne) smile of joy. The faces of 122 male participants were each filmed during spontaneous and posed smiling. Spontaneous smiles were elicited through the participants watching a comical movie. Maxillary and mandibular lip-line heights, tooth display, and smile width were measured using a digital videographic method for smile analysis. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare measurements of posed and spontaneous smiling. Maxillary lip-line heights during spontaneous smiling were significantly higher than during posed smiling. Compared to spontaneous smiling, tooth display in the (pre)molar area during posed smiling decreased by up to 30%, along with a significant reduction of smile width. During posed smiling, also mandibular lip-line heights changed and the teeth were more covered by the lower lip than during spontaneous smiling. Reduced lip-line heights, tooth display, and smile width on a posed smiling record can have implications for the diagnostics of lip-line height, smile arc, buccal corridors, and plane of occlusion. Spontaneous smiling records next to posed smiling records are therefore recommended for diagnostic purposes. Because of the dynamic nature of spontaneous smiling, it is proposed to switch to dynamic video recording of the smile.

Spontaneous acute spinal subdural hematoma: spontaneous recovery from severe paraparesis--case report and review.

Science.gov (United States)

Payer, Michael; Agosti, Reto

2010-11-01

Spontaneous idiopathic acute spinal subdural hematomas are highly exceptional. Neurological symptoms are usually severe, and rapid diagnosis with MRI is mandatory. Surgical evacuation has frequently been used therapeutically; however, spontaneous recovery in mild cases has also been reported. We present a case of spontaneous recovery from severe paraparesis after spontaneous acute SSDH, and review the English-speaking literature.

Management of intractable spontaneous epistaxis

Science.gov (United States)

Rudmik, Luke

2012-01-01

Background: Epistaxis is a common otolaryngology emergency and is often controlled with first-line interventions such as cautery, hemostatic agents, or anterior nasal packing. A subset of patients will continue to bleed and require more aggressive therapy. Methods: Intractable spontaneous epistaxis was traditionally managed with posterior nasal packing and prolonged hospital admission. In an effort to reduce patient morbidity and shorten hospital stay, surgical and endovascular techniques have gained popularity. A literature review was conducted. Results: Transnasal endoscopic sphenopalatine artery ligation and arterial embolization provide excellent control rates but the decision to choose one over the other can be challenging. The role of transnasal endoscopic anterior ethmoid artery ligation is unclear but may be considered in certain cases when bleeding localizes to the ethmoid region. Conclusion: This article will focus on the management of intractable spontaneous epistaxis and discuss the role of endoscopic arterial ligation and embolization as it pertains to this challenging clinical scenario. PMID:22391084

Postcopulatory sexual selection is associated with reduced variation in sperm morphology.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Calhim

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The evolutionary role of postcopulatory sexual selection in shaping male reproductive traits, including sperm morphology, is well documented in several taxa. However, previous studies have focused almost exclusively on the influence of sperm competition on variation among species. In this study we tested the hypothesis that intraspecific variation in sperm morphology is driven by the level of postcopulatory sexual selection in passerine birds.Using two proxy measures of sperm competition level, (i relative testes size and (ii extrapair paternity level, we found strong evidence that intermale variation in sperm morphology is negatively associated with the degree of postcopulatory sexual selection, independently of phylogeny.Our results show that the role of postcopulatory sexual selection in the evolution of sperm morphology extends to an intraspecific level, reducing the variation towards what might be a species-specific 'optimum' sperm phenotype. This finding suggests that while postcopulatory selection is generally directional (e.g., favouring longer sperm across avian species, it also acts as a stabilising evolutionary force within species under intense selection, resulting in reduced variation in sperm morphology traits. We discuss some potential evolutionary mechanisms for this pattern.

Spontaneous calcium transients in human neural progenitor cells mediated by transient receptor potential channels.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Peter J; Hübner, Rayk; Rolfs, Arndt; Frech, Moritz J

2013-09-15

Calcium signals affect many developmental processes, including proliferation, migration, survival, and apoptosis, processes that are of particular importance in stem cells intended for cell replacement therapies. The mechanisms underlying Ca(2+) signals, therefore, have a role in determining how stem cells respond to their environment, and how these responses might be controlled in vitro. In this study, we examined the spontaneous Ca(2+) activity in human neural progenitor cells during proliferation and differentiation. Pharmacological characterization indicates that in proliferating cells, most activity is the result of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels that are sensitive to Gd(3+) and La(3+), with the more subtype selective antagonist Ruthenium red also reducing activity, suggesting the involvement of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels. In differentiating cells, Gd(3+) and La(3+)-sensitive TRP channels also appear to underlie the spontaneous activity; however, no sub-type-specific antagonists had any effect. Protein levels of TRPV2 and TRPV3 decreased in differentiated cells, which is demonstrated by western blot. Thus, it appears that TRP channels represent the main route of Ca(2+) entry in human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs), but the responsible channel types are subject to substitution under differentiating conditions. The level of spontaneous activity could be increased and decreased by lowering and raising the extracellular K(+) concentration. Proliferating cells in low K(+) slowed the cell cycle, with a disproportionate increased percentage of cells in G1 phase and a reduction in S phase. Taken together, these results suggest a link between external K(+) concentration, spontaneous Ca(2+) transients, and cell cycle distribution, which is able to influence the fate of stem and progenitor cells.

Changes of imidazoline receptors in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Science.gov (United States)

Mar, Guang-Yuan; Chou, Ming-Ting; Chung, Hsien-Hui; Chiu, Nien-Hua; Chen, Mei-Fen; Cheng, Juei-Tang

2013-01-01

The role of imidazoline receptors in the regulation of vascular function remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the effect of agmatine, an imidazoline receptor agonist, on systolic blood pressure (SBP) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and investigated the expressions of imidazoline receptors by Western blot. The isometric tension of aortic rings isolated from male SHRs was also estimated. Agmatine decreased SBP in a dose-dependent manner in SHRs but not in the normal group [Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats]. This reduction in SBP in SHRs was abolished by BU224, a selective antagonist of imidazoline I2-receptors. Higher expression of imidazoline receptors in SHR was observed. Moreover, agmatine-induced relaxation in isolated aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine or KCl. This relaxation was also abolished by BU224 but was not modified by efaroxan, an imidazoline I1-receptor antagonist. Agmatine-induced relaxation was also attenuated by PNU 37883, a selective blocker of vascular ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Additionally, vasodilatation by agmatine was reduced by an inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA). We suggest that agmatine can lower blood pressure in SHRs through activation of the peripheral imidazoline I2-receptor, which is expressed more highly in SHRs. PMID:23176371

Treatment with non-selective beta blockers is associated with reduced severity of systemic inflammation and improved survival of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mookerjee, Rajeshwar P; Pavesi, Marco; Thomsen, Karen Louise

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) have been shown to have deleterious outcomes in patients with refractory ascites, alcoholic hepatitis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis leading many physicians to stop the drug in these cases. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF......) is characterized by systemic inflammation and high mortality. As NSBBs may have beneficial effects on gut motility and permeability and, systemic inflammation, the aims of this prospective, observational study were to determine whether ongoing use of NSBBs reduced 28-day mortality in ACLF patients. METHODS...... at enrollment significantly associated with treatment and mortality were taken into account as potential confounders to adjust for treatment effect. A logistic regression model was fitted. RESULTS: 164 (47%) ACLF patients received NSBBs whereas 185 patients did not. Although the CLIF-C ACLF scores were similar...

INHIBITION OF SPONTANEOUS MUTAGENESIS BY VANILLIN AND CINNAMALDEHYDE IN ESCHERICHIA COLI: DEPENDENCE ON RECOMBINATIONAL REPAIR

Science.gov (United States)

Vanillin (VAN) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) are dietary antimutagens that effectively inhibit both induced and spontaneous mutations. We have shown previously that VAN and CIN reduced the spontaneous mutant frequency in Salmonella TA104 (hisG428, rfa, ¿uvrB, pKM101) by approximately...

Antiplatelet Agents and the Prevention of Spontaneous Preterm Birth A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vliet, Elvira O. G.; Askie, Lisa A.; Mol, Ben W. J.; Oudijk, Martijn A.

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Spontaneous preterm birth is an important cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. An increasing body of evidence suggests that uteroplacental ischemia plays an important role in the etiology of spontaneous preterm birth. We aimed to study whether antiplatelet agents reduce the risk of

Characteristics of transonic moist air flows around butterfly valves with spontaneous condensation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.B.M. Toufique Hasan

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Effects of spontaneous condensation of moist air on the shock wave dynamics around butterfly valves in transonic flows are investigated by experimental and numerical simulations. Two symmetric valve disk shapes namely- a flat rectangular plate and a mid-plane cross-section of a prototype butterfly valve have been studied in the present research. Results showed that in case with spontaneous condensation, the root mean square of pressure oscillation (induced by shock dynamics is reduced significantly with those without condensation for both shapes of the valves. Moreover, local aerodynamic moments were reduced in case with condensation which is considered to be beneficial in torque requirement in case of on/off applications of valves as flow control devices. However, total pressure loss was increased with spontaneous condensation in both the valves. Furthermore, the disk shape of a prototype butterfly valve showed better aerodynamic performances compared to flat rectangular plate profile in respect of total pressure loss and vortex shedding frequency in the wake region.

EFFECT OF THE ANTIMUTAGENS VANILLIN AND CINNAMALDEHYDE ON THE SPONTANEOUS MUTATION SPECTRA OF SALMONELLA TA104

Science.gov (United States)

Effect of the Antimutagens Vanillin and Cinnamaldehyde on the / Spontaneous Mutation Spectra of Salmonella TAlO4 Vanillin (VAN) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) are dietary antimutagens that, when added to assay plates, reduced the spontaneous mutant frequency in Salmonella typhi...

Evolutionary Feature Selection for Big Data Classification: A MapReduce Approach

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Daniel Peralta

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, many disciplines have to deal with big datasets that additionally involve a high number of features. Feature selection methods aim at eliminating noisy, redundant, or irrelevant features that may deteriorate the classification performance. However, traditional methods lack enough scalability to cope with datasets of millions of instances and extract successful results in a delimited time. This paper presents a feature selection algorithm based on evolutionary computation that uses the MapReduce paradigm to obtain subsets of features from big datasets. The algorithm decomposes the original dataset in blocks of instances to learn from them in the map phase; then, the reduce phase merges the obtained partial results into a final vector of feature weights, which allows a flexible application of the feature selection procedure using a threshold to determine the selected subset of features. The feature selection method is evaluated by using three well-known classifiers (SVM, Logistic Regression, and Naive Bayes implemented within the Spark framework to address big data problems. In the experiments, datasets up to 67 millions of instances and up to 2000 attributes have been managed, showing that this is a suitable framework to perform evolutionary feature selection, improving both the classification accuracy and its runtime when dealing with big data problems.

Aripiprazole Selectively Reduces Motor Tics in a Young Animal Model for Tourette’s Syndrome and Comorbid Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

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Francesca Rizzo

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Tourette’s syndrome (TS is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized primarily by motor and vocal tics. Comorbidities such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD are observed in over 50% of TS patients. We applied aripiprazole in a juvenile rat model that displays motor tics and hyperactivity. We additionally assessed the amount of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs as an indicator for the presence of vocal tics and evaluated the changes in the striatal neurometabolism using in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS at 11.7T. Thirty-one juvenile spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs underwent bicuculline striatal microinjection and treatment with either aripiprazole or vehicle. Control groups were sham operated and sham injected. Behavior, USVs, and striatal neurochemical profile were analyzed at early, middle, and late adolescence (postnatal days 35 to 50. Bicuculline microinjections in the dorsolateral striatum induced motor tics in SHR juvenile rats. Acute aripiprazole administration selectively reduced both tic frequency and latency, whereas stereotypies, USVs, and hyperactivity remained unaltered. The striatal neurochemical profile was only moderately altered after tic-induction and was not affected by systemic drug treatment. When applied to a young rat model that provides high degrees of construct, face, and predictive validity for TS and comorbid ADHD, aripiprazole selectively reduces motor tics, revealing that tics and stereotypies are distinct phenomena in line with clinical treatment of patients. Finally, our 1H-MRS results suggest a critical revision of the striatal role in the hypothesized cortico-striatal dysregulation in TS pathophysiology.

Do static atoms outside a Schwarzschild black hole spontaneously excite?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Hongwei; Zhou Wenting

2007-01-01

The spontaneous excitation of a two-level atom held static outside a four dimensional Schwarzschild black hole and in interaction with a massless scalar field in the Boulware, Unruh, and Hartle-Hawking vacuums is investigated, and the contributions of the vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction to the rate of change of the mean atomic energy are calculated separately. We find that, for the Boulware vacuum, the spontaneous excitation does not occur and the ground-state atoms are stable, while the spontaneous emission rate for excited atoms in the Boulware vacuum, which is well behaved at the event horizon, is not the same as that in the usual Minkowski vacuum. However, for both the Unruh vacuum and the Hartle-Hawking vacuum, our results show that the atom would spontaneously excite, as if there were an outgoing thermal flux of radiation or as if it were in a thermal bath of radiation at a proper temperature which reduces to the Hawking temperature in the spatial asymptotic region, depending on whether the scalar field is in the Unruh or Hartle-Hawking vacuum

Spontaneous external gallbladder perforation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noeldge, G.; Wimmer, B.; Kirchner, R.

1981-01-01

Spontaneous perforation of the gallbladder is one complication of cholelithiasis. There is a greater occurence of free perforation in the peritoneal cavity with bilary pertonitis, followed by the perforation into the stomach, small intestine and colon. A single case of the nowadays rare spontaneous perforation in and through the abdominal wall will be reported. Spontaneous gallbladder perforation appears nearly asymptomatic in its clinical course because of absent biliary peritonitis. (orig.) [de

A Novel Hemp Seed Meal Protein Hydrolysate Reduces Oxidative Stress Factors in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

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Abraham T. Girgih

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This report shows the antioxidant effects of a hemp seed meal protein hydrolysate (HMH in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR. Defatted hemp seed meal was hydrolyzed consecutively with pepsin and pancreatin to yield HMH, which was incorporated into rat feed as a source of antioxidant peptides. Young (8-week old SHRs were divided into three groups (8 rats/group and fed diets that contained 0.0%, 0.5% or 1.0% (w/w HMH for eight weeks; half of the rats were sacrificed for blood collection. After a 4-week washout period, the remaining 20-week old SHRs were fed for an additional four weeks and sacrificed for blood collection. Plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC and superoxide dismutase (SOD, catalase (CAT and total peroxides (TPx levels were determined. Results showed that plasma TAC, CAT and SOD levels decreased in the older 20-week old SHRs when compared to the young SHRs. The presence of HMH in the diets led to significant (p < 0.05 increases in plasma SOD and CAT levels in both young and adult SHR groups; these increases were accompanied by decreases in TPx levels. The results suggest that HMH contained antioxidant peptides that reduced the rate of lipid peroxidation in SHRs with enhanced antioxidant enzyme levels and total antioxidant capacity.

Definition of spontaneous reconnection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schindler, K.

1984-01-01

The author discusses his view of driven versus spontaneous. There is a close link between ''spontaneous'' and ''instability.'' One of the prominent examples for instability is the thermal convection instability. Just to remind you, if you heat a fluid layer from below, it takes a certain Rayleigh number to make it unstable. Beyond the onset point you find qualitatively new features. That is called ''spontaneous,'' and this is a bit more than semantics. It's a new qualitative property that appears and it is spontaneous although we have an energy flux through the system. It's a misconception, to call this ''driven'' pointing at the energy flux through it. Of course, the convection would not exist without this energy flux. But what makes it ''spontaneous'' is that without any particular external signal, a new qualitative feature appears. And this is what is called an ''instability'' and ''spontaneous.'' From these considerations the author got a little reassured of what distinction should be made in the field of the magnetosphere. If we have a smooth energy transport into the magnetosphere and suddenly we have this qualitatively new feature (change of B-topology) coming up; then, using this terminology we don't have a choice other than calling this spontaneous or unstable, if you like. If we ''tell'' the system where it should make its neutral line and where it should make its plasmoids, then, it is driven. And this provides a very clear-cut observational distinction. The author emphasizes the difference he sees is a qualitative difference, not only a quantitative one

Study and application of measures for prevention of spontaneous combustion of coal in goaf induced by air leakage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Y.; Tang, H.; Zou, S.; Shi, S. [Xiangtan Mining Institute (China)

1996-12-01

To prevent spontaneous ignition of coal due to air leakage in the goaf, air stoppings were built periodically in a U-shaped air leakage area based on computer simulation and site experience. The measure had reduced remarkably the quantity and extent of air leakage in the mined-out area and expanded the extent of non-spontaneous combustion area, thus prevented effectively the risk of spontaneous ignition and gas explosion. Application of this method in Mugang Mine of Liuzhi Bureau for more than two years had reduced the economic loss by over 3 million Yuan RMB. This method is characterized by simple operation, low cost, etc. It is suitable for mines in under developed area and mines with complicated conditions which are prone to spontaneous ignition. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.

[Bacterial vaginosis and spontaneous preterm birth].

Science.gov (United States)

Brabant, G

2016-12-01

To determine if bacterial vaginosis is a marker for risk of spontaneous preterm delivery and if its detection and treatment can reduce this risk. Consultation of the database Pubmed/Medline, Science Direct, and international guidelines of medical societies. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a dysbiosis resulting in an imbalance in the vaginal flora through the multiplication of anaerobic bacteria and jointly of a disappearance of well-known protective Lactobacilli. His diagnosis is based on clinical Amsel criteria and/or a Gram stain with establishment of the Nugent score. The prevalence of the BV extraordinarily varies according to ethnic and/or geographical origin (4-58 %), in France, it is close to 7 % in the first trimester of pregnancy (EL2). The link between BV and spontaneous premature delivery is low with an odds ratio between 1.5 and 2 in the most recent studies (EL3). Metronidazole or clindamycin is effective to treat BV (EL3). It is recommended to prescribe one of these antibiotics in the case of symptomatic BV (Professional Consensus). The testing associated with the treatment of BV in the global population showed no benefit in the prevention of the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery (EL2). Concerning low-risk asymptomatic population (defined by the absence of antecedent of premature delivery), it has been failed profit to track and treat the BV in the prevention of the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery (EL1). Concerning the high-risk population (defined by a history of preterm delivery), it has been failed profit to track and treat the VB in the prevention of the risk of spontaneous preterm delivery (EL3). However, in the sub population of patients with a history of preterm delivery occurred in a context of materno-fetal bacterial infection, there may be a benefit to detect and treat early and systematically genital infection, and in particular the BV (Professional Consensus). The screening and treatment of BV during pregnancy in asymptomatic low

Laser-induced electron--ion recombination used to study enhanced spontaneous recombination during electron cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, U.; Wolf, A.; Schuess ler, T.; Habs, D.; Schwalm, D.; Uwira, O.; Linkemann, J.; Mueller, A.

1997-01-01

Spontaneous recombination of highly charged ions with free electrons in merged velocity matched electron and ion beams has been observed in earlier experiments to occur at rates significantly higher than predicted by theoretical estimates. To study this enhanced spontaneous recombination, laser induced recombination spectra were measured both in velocity matched beams and in beams with well defined relative velocities, corresponding to relative electron-ion detuning energies ranging from 1 meV up to 6.5 meV where the spontaneous recombination enhancement was found to be strongly reduced. Based on a comparison with simplified calculations, the development of the recombination spectra for decreasing detuning energies indicates additional contributions at matched velocities which could be related to the energy distribution of electrons causing the spontaneous recombination rate enhancement

Non-selective beta-blockers may reduce risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thiele, Maja; Albillos, Agustín; Abazi, Rozeta

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Non-selective beta-blockers (NSBB) are used in patients with cirrhosis and oesophageal varices. Experimental data suggest that NSBB inhibit angiogenesis and reduce bacterial translocation, which may prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We therefore assessed the effect of NSBB...

Selected metabolic and hormonal profiles during maintenance of spontaneous ovarian cysts in dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Probo, M; Comin, A; Cairoli, F; Faustini, M; Kindahl, H; De Amicis, I; Veronesi, M C

2011-06-01

Information is lacking regarding the relationship between metabolic and hormonal profiles and the maintenance of spontaneous ovarian cyst disease in dairy cows. For this reason, the concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and cortisol (C) were investigated during the spontaneous course of ovarian cyst disease in dairy cows (n=6) between the 7th and 16th weeks post-partum (PP). The control group consisted of normally cycling cows (n=6). Blood samples were collected twice a day, and plasma was analysed using different techniques. Progesterone and 15-ketodihydro-PGF(2α) plasma profiles were investigated to confirm the ovulatory or anovulatory conditions of the cows. Cortisol plasma levels were not significantly different among sampling times within each group or between the two groups. NEFA plasma levels were significantly higher in cycling cows compared to cystic cows at the 16th week PP (pcows during the 8th, 10th, 11th (pdisease in cattle. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Tamsulosin modulates, but does not abolish the spontaneous activity in the guinea pig prostate gland.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakrabarty, Basu; Dey, Anupa; Lam, Michelle; Ventura, Sabatino; Exintaris, Betty

2015-06-01

To examine the effects of the α1A -adrenoceptor antagonist, tamsulosin, on spontaneous contractile and electrical activity in the guinea-pig prostate gland. The effects of tamsulosin (0.1 and 0.3 nM) were investigated in adult and ageing male guinea pig prostate glands using conventional tension recording and electrophysiological intracellular microelectrode recording techniques. Tamsulosin reduced spontaneous activity, and had different age-dependent effects on adult and ageing guinea pigs at different concentrations. 0.1 nM tamsulosin caused a significantly greater reduction of spontaneous contractile and electrical activity in ageing guinea pigs in comparison to adult guinea pigs. In contrast, 0.3 nM tamsulosin had a significantly greater reduction of spontaneous contractile and electrical activity in adult guinea pigs in comparison to ageing guinea pigs. This study demonstrates that tamsulosin can modulate spontaneous myogenic stromal contractility and the underlying spontaneous electrical activity; tamsulosin does not block spontaneous activity. This reduction in spontaneous activity suggests that downstream cellular mechanisms underlying smooth muscle tone are being targeted, and these may represent novel therapeutic targets to better treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Balanced Chromosomal Translocation of Chromosomes 6 and 7: A Rare Male Factor of Spontaneous Abortions

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Sefa Resim

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Carriers of structural chromosomal rearrangements such as Robertsonian or reciprocal translocations have an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and producing offspring with genetic abnormalities. Case Report: We report a man with balanced chromosomal translocations located at 6p22, and 7q22. His wife has a history of four spontaneous abortions. Conclusion: Couples with a history of abortions should be investigated cytogenetically, after other causes of miscarriages are excluded. The possibility of spontaneous abortions can be reduced with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD before embryo transfer.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Fullam, L

2012-01-31

INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous\\/primary intracranial hypotension is characterised by orthostatic headache and is associated with characteristic magnetic resonance imaging findings. CASE REPORT: We present a case report of a patient with typical symptoms and classical radiological images. DISCUSSION: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is an under-recognised cause of headache and can be diagnosed by history of typical orthostatic headache and findings on MRI brain.

Gene expression profiling distinguishes between spontaneous and radiation-induced rat mammary carcinomas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imaoka, Tatsuhiko; Nishimura, Mayumi; Kakinuma, Shizuko; Shimada, Yoshiya; Yamashita, Satoshi; Ushijima, Toshikazu

2008-01-01

The ability to distinguish between spontaneous and radiation-induced cancers in humans is expected to improve the resolution of estimated risk from low dose radiation. Mammary carcinomas were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats that were either untreated (n=45) or acutely γ-irradiated (1 Gy; n=20) at seven weeks of age. Gene expression profiles of three spontaneous and four radiation-induced carcinomas, as well as those of normal mammary glands, were analyzed by microarrays. Differential expression of identified genes of interest was then verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cluster analysis of global gene expression suggested that spontaneous carcinomas were distinguished from a heterogeneous population of radiation-induced carcinomas, though most gene expressions were common. We identified 50 genes that had different expression levels between spontaneous and radiogenic carcinomas. We then selected 18 genes for confirmation of the microarray data by qPCR analysis and obtained the following results: high expression of Plg, Pgr and Wnt4 was characteristic to all spontaneous carcinomas; Tnfsf11, Fgf10, Agtr1a, S100A9 and Pou3f3 showed high expression in a subset of radiation-induced carcinomas; and increased Gp2, Areg and Igf2 expression, as well as decreased expression of Ca3 and noncoding RNA Mg1, were common to all carcinomas. Thus, gene expression analysis distinguished between spontaneous and radiogenic carcinomas, suggesting possible differences in their carcinogenic mechanism. (author)

[Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis].

Science.gov (United States)

Velkey, Bálint; Vitális, Eszter; Vitális, Zsuzsanna

2017-01-01

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis occurs most commonly in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Pathogens get into the circulation by intestinal translocation and colonize in peritoneal fluid. Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is based on elevated polymorphonuclear leukocyte count in the ascites (>0,25 G/L). Ascites culture is often negative but aids to get information about antibiotic sensitivity in positive cases. Treatment in stable patient can be intravenous then orally administrated ciprofloxacin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, while in severe cases intravenous III. generation cephalosporin. Nosocomial spontaneous bacterial peritonitis often caused by Gram-positive bacteria and multi-resistant pathogens can also be expected thus carbapenem should be the choice of the empiric treatment. Antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered. Norfloxacin is used most commonly, but changes are expected due to increase in quinolone resistance. As a primary prophylaxis, a short-term antibiotic treatment is recommended after gastrointestinal bleeding for 5 days, while long-term prophylaxis is for patients with low ascites protein, and advanced disease (400 mg/day). Secondary prophylaxis is recommended for all patients recovered from spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Due to increasing antibiotic use of antibiotics prophylaxis is debated to some degree. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(2), 50-57.

Spontaneous vascular flora of selected cemeteries in Lublin and the surrounding area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Trzaskowska

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The experiment was conducted in 2011–2012. It included an analysis of the spontaneous flora of 7 cemeteries: 3 cemeteries located in the centre of Lublin (Lipowa Street, Unicka Street, and Kalina Street, 1 on the outskirts of the city (Majdanek, 1 located in a small town (Łęczna, 2 sites are rural cemeteries (Łuszczów, Ostrówek. An inventory was made of spontaneous vascular flora present at the investigated sites. The plants were described in respect of their affiliation to geographical-historical groups, life forms as well as the presence of honey species (polleniferous and nectariferous and protected species. Within the area of these 7 necropolises, the presence of 382 taxa was found. The number of taxa observed at the individual sites varied between 124 and 274 in the metropolitan zone, 146 in the urban zone, and between 110 and 146 in the rural areas. The area richest in terms of flora was Majdanek where 274 species of plants were found, while the cemetery in Łuszczów was the least rich – 110 species. The highest precentage of hemicryptophytes was observed in Ostrówek (50.7%, the lowest in Lublin – Kalina (40.3%. In the case of therophytes, the greatest variation was observed in the urban cemetery in Unicka Street (32.6%, while the least varied site was the cemetery in Ostrówek (23.3%. The average precentage of geophytes was 12.1%, with the greatest number in Łuszczów (16.4%, and the smallest one in Majdanek (8.4%. Chamaephytes were characterised by a small percentage (between 5.1% and 4.4 %, similarly to nanophanerophytes (6.2% to 2.7%, and megaphanerophytes (9.6%–1.8%. The investigated sites were dominated by apophytes, the percentage of which varied between 52.3% in the Lublin cemeteries on Lipowa and Unicka Streets, and 44.5% in Ostrówek. Among anthropophytes, there were mostly archeophytes (between 26.3% in Łuszczów and 13.1% on Lipowa St. in Lublin. The percentage of diaphytes varied between 16.5% in Ostrówek and

Genetics Home Reference: primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Science.gov (United States)

... Home Health Conditions Primary spontaneous pneumothorax Primary spontaneous pneumothorax Printable PDF Open All Close All Enable Javascript ... view the expand/collapse boxes. Description Primary spontaneous pneumothorax is an abnormal accumulation of air in the ...

A low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet reduces blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats without deleterious changes in insulin resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosse, John D; Lin, Han Yi; Sloan, Crystal; Zhang, Quan-Jiang; Abel, E Dale; Pereira, Troy J; Dolinsky, Vernon W; Symons, J David; Jalili, Thunder

2013-06-15

Previous studies reported that diets high in simple carbohydrates could increase blood pressure in rodents. We hypothesized that the converse, a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet, might reduce blood pressure. Six-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; n = 54) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY; n = 53, normotensive control) were fed either a control diet (C; 10% fat, 70% carbohydrate, 20% protein) or a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet (HF; 20% carbohydrate, 60% fat, 20% protein). After 10 wk, SHR-HF had lower (P vs. 159 ± 3 mmHg) but a similar degree of cardiac hypertrophy (33.4 ± 0.4 vs. 33.1 ± 0.4 heart weight/tibia length, mg/mm). Mesenteric arteries and the entire aorta were used to assess vascular function and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling, respectively. Endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) relaxation of mesenteric arteries was improved (P vs. SHR-C, whereas contraction (potassium chloride, phenylephrine) was reduced (P vs. SHR-C. Plasma glucose, insulin, and homoeostatic model of insulin assessment were lower (P vs. SHR-C, whereas peripheral insulin sensitivity (insulin tolerance test) was similar. After a 10-h fast, insulin stimulation (2 U/kg ip) increased (P vs. SHR-HF. In conclusion, a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet reduced blood pressure and improved arterial function in SHR without producing signs of insulin resistance or altering insulin-mediated signaling in the heart, skeletal muscle, or vasculature.

Reformulation od spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Weinberg-Salam model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawat, A.S.; Rawat, S.; Negi, O.P.S.

1999-01-01

Spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Weinberg-Salam model have been reformulated in terms of quaternion-valued field variables. The quaternion-valued scalar Lagrangian reduces to four different field equations associated with the scalar quartet of a quaternion field φ φ 0 +e 1φ1 +e 2φ2 +e 3φ3 . It has been shown that the quaternion gauge group SO(4) is spontaneously broken to two gauge groups of SU(2) non Abelian gauge fields. The Weinberg-Salam model of electroweak interaction has been extensively studied to enlarge the gauge group structure SU(2) L xSU(2) R xU(1)

Spontaneous Uterine Perforation of Pyometra Presenting as Acute Abdomen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toshihiro Kitai

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Pyometra is the accumulation of pus in the uterine cavity, and spontaneous perforation of pyometra resulting in generalized diffuse peritonitis is extremely uncommon. We report a rare case of diffuse peritonitis caused by spontaneous perforation of pyometra. A 66-year-old postmenopausal woman with diffuse abdominal pain and vomiting was admitted to our institution. She had a history of mixed connective-tissue disease and had been taking steroids for 20 years. Under a diagnosis of generalized peritonitis secondary to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract or uterus, supravaginal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. Unfortunately, wound dehiscence and infection occurred during the postoperative course, which were exacerbated by her immunocompromised state. Despite intensive care and a course of antibiotics, the patient died of multiple organ failure resulting from sepsis on the 36th postoperative day. Although correct diagnosis, early intervention, and proper treatment can reduce morbidity and mortality of spontaneous perforation of pyometra, if severe infection occurs, this disease can be life threatening for immunocompromised hosts.

Ziprasidone-induced spontaneous orgasm.

Science.gov (United States)

Boora, K; Chiappone, K; Dubovsky, S; Xu, J

2010-06-01

Neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenic patients has been associated with sexual dysfunction, including impotence and decreased libido. Spontaneous ejaculation without sexual arousal during typical antipsychotic treatment is a rare condition that has been described with zuclopentixol, trifluoperazine, and thiothixene. Here, we are reporting a case of spontaneous orgasm with ziprasidone in a bipolar patient. This patient began to repeatedly experience spontaneous sexual arousal and orgasm, which she had never experienced in the past. Ziprasidone might be causing an increase in sexual orgasm by 5-HT2 receptor antagonism, which preclinical evidence suggests that it facilitates dopamine release in the cortex.

Long term selection for reduced or increased pecking behaviour in laying hens

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buitenhuis, A J; Kjaer, J B

2008-01-01

Feather pecking in laying hens is an important issue in animal welfare. Four studies in laying hens were selected which investigated increased or reduced pecking behaviour using direct or indirect measures of feather pecking behaviour. Direct comparison of the selected experiments is difficult......, as the selection criteria and even the selection procedures varied. Keeping these differences in mind, the results of the experiments showed that a) It is possible to change pecking behaviour in the desired direction using selection, b) Aggressive pecking is not related to feather pecking, c) There is no clear...... that dopamine also plays a role in the regulation of pecking behaviour, and finally e) There are differences between the selected lines and their control lines with regard to the immune parameters both in the individual selected lines as the group selected lines, indicating that direct as well as indirect...

Planning in deep coal mines prone to spontaneous combustion. Planificacion de explotaciones subterraneas de carbon con propension a fuegos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leon Marco, P

1991-03-01

During the planning process, analysis and assessment of criteria which contribute to spontaneous combustion are used to forecast the level of risk. This information is then used to determine what action should be taken to eliminate or reduce spontaneous combustion. The measures taken involve varying the factors which affect spontaneous combustion in order to make conditions unfavourable to the occurrence of the phenomenon. 1 fig.

The Application for a Prediction of the Coal Spontaneous Ignition - Predisam

Science.gov (United States)

Moni, Vlastimil; Klouda, Petr; Blata, Jan; Helebrant, František

2017-06-01

The article follows the research of the project number TA01020351 called "The research of possibilities when predicting steam origin and consequent spontaneous ignition of brown coal fuels" which was researched with the support of the Technological Agency in the Czech Republic in 2011-2014 in the connection with a realized technical research. Therefore, it gives a summary information about the evaluation of the risk degree for the origin of spontaneous ignitions of the brown coal. The presented way of evaluation is based on a numeric expression of a value for MHU criteria - the point load of particular indicators is added together with other results gained from this research project. Then, more information is taken from companies running the dumps of brown coal products - both for suppliers (mining companies) and big consumers (power engineering). The complex knowledge about prediction of the origin of the spontaneous ignition enables to make an early response to eliminate a threat of mining fire in open pit mines or on the dumps of coal products. Consequently, it reduces the risk of fire and breakdowns of transportation means DPD, heavy machines and preparation plants. The working injuries are reduced as well - burns by coal in fire or inhalation of gas products from imperfect combustion.

[Mechanisms of endogenous drug resistance acquisition by spontaneous chromosomal gene mutation].

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, H; Hiramatsu, K

1997-05-01

Endogenous resistance in bacteria is caused by a change or loss of function and generally genetically recessive. However, this type of resistance acquisition are now prevalent in clinical setting. Chromosomal genes that afford endogenous resistance are the genes correlated with the target of the drug, the drug inactivating enzymes, and permeability of the molecules including the antibacterial agents. Endogenous alteration of the drug target are mediated by the spontaneous mutation of their structural gene. This mutation provides much lower affinity of the drugs for the target. Gene expression of the inactivating enzymes, such as class C beta-lactamase, is generally regulated by regulatory genes. Spontaneous mutations in the regulatory genes cause constitutive enzyme production and provides the resistant to the agent which is usually stable for such enzymes. Spontaneous mutation in the structural gene gives the enzyme extra-spectrum substrate specificity, like ESBL (Extra-Spectrum-beta-Lactamase). Expression of structural genes encoding the permeability systems are also regulated by some regulatory genes. The spontaneous mutation of the regulatory genes reduce an amount of porin protein. This mutation causes much lower influx of the drug in the cell. Spontaneous mutation in promoter region of the structural gene of efflux protein was observed. This mutation raised the gene transcription and overproduced efflux protein. This protein progresses the drug efflux from the cell.

Two-dimensional sub-half-wavelength atom localization via controlled spontaneous emission.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Ren-Gang; Zhang, Tong-Yi

2011-12-05

We propose a scheme for two-dimensional (2D) atom localization based on the controlled spontaneous emission, in which the atom interacts with two orthogonal standing-wave fields. Due to the spatially dependent atom-field interaction, the position probability distribution of the atom can be directly determined by measuring the resulting spontaneously emission spectrum. The phase sensitive property of the atomic system leads to quenching of the spontaneous emission in some regions of the standing-waves, which significantly reduces the uncertainty in the position measurement of the atom. We find that the frequency measurement of the emitted light localizes the atom in half-wavelength domain. Especially the probability of finding the atom at a particular position can reach 100% when a photon with certain frequency is detected. By increasing the Rabi frequencies of the driving fields, such 2D sub-half-wavelength atom localization can acquire high spatial resolution.

Density dependence triggers runaway selection of reduced senescence.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert M Seymour

2007-12-01

Full Text Available In the presence of exogenous mortality risks, future reproduction by an individual is worth less than present reproduction to its fitness. Senescent aging thus results inevitably from transferring net fertility into younger ages. Some long-lived organisms appear to defy theory, however, presenting negligible senescence (e.g., hydra and extended lifespans (e.g., Bristlecone Pine. Here, we investigate the possibility that the onset of vitality loss can be delayed indefinitely, even accepting the abundant evidence that reproduction is intrinsically costly to survival. For an environment with constant hazard, we establish that natural selection itself contributes to increasing density-dependent recruitment losses. We then develop a generalized model of accelerating vitality loss for analyzing fitness optima as a tradeoff between compression and spread in the age profile of net fertility. Across a realistic spectrum of senescent age profiles, density regulation of recruitment can trigger runaway selection for ever-reducing senescence. This novel prediction applies without requirement for special life-history characteristics such as indeterminate somatic growth or increasing fecundity with age. The evolution of nonsenescence from senescence is robust to the presence of exogenous adult mortality, which tends instead to increase the age-independent component of vitality loss. We simulate examples of runaway selection leading to negligible senescence and even intrinsic immortality.

Marker Assisted Selection can Reduce True as well as Pedigree Estimated Inbreeding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, L D; Sørensen, A C; Berg, P

2009-01-01

This study investigated whether selection using genotype information reduced the rate and level of true inbreeding, that is, identity by descent, at a selectively neutral locus as well as a locus under selection compared with traditional BLUP selection. In addition, the founder representation...... each of 40 herds. Selection was performed using BLUP, marker-assisted, or gene-assisted selection for a trait with low heritability (h2 = 0.04) only expressed in females, mimicking a health trait. The simulated genome consisted of 2 chromosomes. One biallelic quantitative trait loci (QTL......) with an initial frequency of the favorable allele of 0.1, and initially explaining 25% of the genetic variance as well as 4 markers were simulated in linkage disequilibrium, all positioned at chromosome 1. Chromosome 2 was selectively neutral, and consisted of a single neutral locus. The results showed...

Spontaneous Gamma Activity in Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirano, Yoji; Oribe, Naoya; Kanba, Shigenobu; Onitsuka, Toshiaki; Nestor, Paul G; Spencer, Kevin M

2015-08-01

A major goal of translational neuroscience is to identify neural circuit abnormalities in neuropsychiatric disorders that can be studied in animal models to facilitate the development of new treatments. Oscillations in the gamma band (30-100 Hz) of the electroencephalogram have received considerable interest as the basic mechanisms underlying these oscillations are understood, and gamma abnormalities have been found in schizophrenia (SZ). Animal models of SZ based on hypofunction of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) demonstrate increased spontaneous broadband gamma power, but this phenomenon has not been identified clearly in patients with SZ. To examine spontaneous gamma power and its relationship to evoked gamma oscillations in the auditory cortex of patients with SZ. We performed a cross-sectional study including 24 patients with chronic SZ and 24 matched healthy control participants at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System from January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2012. Electroencephalograms were obtained during auditory steady-state stimulation at multiple frequencies (20, 30, and 40 Hz) and during a resting state in 18 participants in each group. Electroencephalographic activity in the auditory cortex was estimated using dipole source localization. Auditory steady-state response (ASSR) measures included the phase-locking factor and evoked power. Spontaneous gamma power was measured as induced (non-phase-locked) gamma power in the ASSR data and as total gamma power in the resting-state data. The ASSR phase-locking factor was reduced significantly in patients with SZ compared with controls for the 40-Hz stimulation (mean [SD], 0.075 [0.028] vs 0.113 [0.065]; F1,46 = 6.79 [P = .012]) but not the 20- or the 30-Hz stimulation (0.042 [0.038] vs 0.043 [0.034]; F1,46 = 0.006 [P = .938] and 0.084 [0.040] vs 0.098 [0.050]; F1,46 = 1.605 [P = .212], respectively), repeating previous findings. The mean [SD] broadband-induced (30

The Spontaneous Combustion of Railway Ties and Asphalt Shingles

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Geoffrey

Many Low Carbon Fuels (LCFs) present unknown spontaneous combustion risks, which must be quantified before their use as fossil fuel replacements. Wood and coal spontaneous combustion is well understood; however, LCFs weather, and subsequent chemical changes could affect their spontaneous combustion properties. LCF spontaneous combustion could lead to accidental fires with possible loss of life, limb and property. The spontaneous combustion risks of two LCFs, discarded creosote-treated wooden railway ties and roofing asphalt shingles, were investigated with calorimetry and heat transfer experiments. Chemical changes due to weathering were studied with pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (py-GC/MS). Creosote-treated wooden railway tie dust, roofing asphalt shingle particles, poplar wood pellets, and petroleum coke self-heating were studied with isothermal calorimetry. Railway tie dust and asphalt shingle heat transfer were characterized with a guarded hot plate. Petroleum coke self-heating was consistent with coal, while both poplar pellets and railway tie dust were found to be more reactive compared to oven test results of similar materials. The observed increase in reactivity was probably a result of significant moisture contenint in the pellet and railway tie dust. Critical conditions for spontaneous combustion were evaluated with the Frank-Kamenetskii parameter, assuming an ambient temperature of 40°C and constant moisture content. Kamenetskii calculations indicate that a 1.6 m cube of railway tie dust, or a 58 m cube of asphalt particles, would be unstable and combust. LCF chemistry may have been affected by weathering, which would cause chemical changes that affect their spontaneous combustion properties. Therefore, railway tie wood and roofing asphalt shingle chemistry were investigated by identifying products of 250° and 550°C pyrolysis with py-GC/MS. Railway tie wood pyrolyzates did not show signs of weathering; in contrast, asphalt pyrolysis

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in the $S_3$-symmetric scalar sector

CERN Document Server

Emmanuel-Costa, D.; Osland, P.; Rebelo, M.N.

2016-02-23

We present a detailed study of the vacua of the $S_3$-symmetric three-Higgs-doublet potential, specifying the region of parameters where these minimisation solutions occur. We work with a CP conserving scalar potential and analyse the possible real and complex vacua with emphasis on the cases in which the CP symmetry can be spontaneously broken. Results are presented both in the reducible-representation framework of Derman, and in the irreducible-representation framework. Mappings between these are given. Some of these implementations can in principle accommodate dark matter and for that purpose it is important to identify the residual symmetries of the potential after spontaneous symmetry breakdown. We are also concerned with constraints from vacuum stability.

Spontaneous rib fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

Katrancioglu, Ozgur; Akkas, Yucel; Arslan, Sulhattin; Sahin, Ekber

2015-07-01

Other than trauma, rib fracture can occur spontaneously due to a severe cough or sneeze. In this study, patients with spontaneous rib fractures were analyzed according to age, sex, underlying pathology, treatment, and complications. Twelve patients who presented between February 2009 and February 2011 with spontaneous rib fracture were reviewed retrospectively. The patients' data were evaluated according to anamnesis, physical examination, and chest radiographs. The ages of the patients ranged from 34 to 77 years (mean 55.91 ± 12.20 years), and 7 (58.4%) were male. All patients had severe cough and chest pain. The fractures were most frequently between 4th and 9th ribs; multiple rib fractures were detected in 5 (41.7%) patients. Eight (66.7%) patients had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 2 (16.7%) had bronchial asthma, and 2 (16.7%) had osteoporosis. Bone densitometry revealed a high risk of bone fracture in all patients. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchial asthma had been treated with high-dose steroids for over a year. Spontaneous rib fracture due to severe cough may occur in patients with osteoporosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or bronchial asthma, receiving long-term steroid therapy. If these patients have severe chest pain, chest radiography should be performed to check for bone lesions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Arctigenin reduces blood pressure by modulation of nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ying; Wang, Guoyuan; Yang, Mingguang; Chen, Haining; zhao, Yan; Yang, Shucai; Sun, Changhao

2015-12-25

Arctigenin is a bioactive constituent from dried seeds of Arctium lappa L., which was traditionally used as medicine. Arctigenin exhibits various bioactivities, but its effects on blood pressure regulation are still not widely studied. In this study, we investigated antihypertensive effects of arctigenin by long-term treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Arctigenin (50 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered to SHRs or Wistar rats as negative control by oral gavage once a day for total 8 weeks. Nifedipine (3 mg/kg) was used as a positive drug control. After treatment, hemodynamic and physical parameters, vascular reactivity in aorta, the concentration of plasma arctigenin and serum thromboxane B2, NO release and vascular p-eNOS, p-Akt, caveolin-1 protein expression, and vascular superoxide anion generation and p47phox protein expression were detected and analyzed. The results showed that arctigenin significantly reduced systolic blood pressure and ameliorated endothelial dysfunction of SHRs. Arctigenin reduced the levels of thromboxane B2 in plasma and superoxide anion in thoracic aorta of SHRs. Furthermore, arctigenin increased the NO production by enhancing the phosphorylation of Akt and eNOS (Ser 1177), and inhibiting the expression of NADPH oxidase in thoracic aorta of SHRs. Our data suggested that antihypertensive mechanisms of arctigenin were associated with enhanced eNOS phosphorylation and decreased NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide anion generation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The usefulness of two-port video-assisted thoracosopic surgery in low-risk patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax compared with open thoracotomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Kyoung Taek

2014-01-01

Secondary spontaneous pneumothorax is difficult to treat and has been thought to have high morbidity and mortality rate due to the underlying diseases and presence of comorbidities in the patients. However, early surgical intervention will be beneficial if it is tolerable by the patient. In the surgical approach for treating pneumothorax, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) may reduce the postoperative drainage period and hospital stay compared with open thoracotomy. A retrospective review of the clinical data of 40 patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax who underwent open thoracotomy (n = 20) or two-port VATS (n = 20) between January 2008 and December 2012 was performed. Postoperative drainage period of open thoracotomy group and two-port VATS group was 9.85 ± 5.28 and 6.75 ± 2.45, respectively, with a significant inter-group difference. Postoperative hospital stay was 11.8 ± 5.12 in the open thoracotomy group and 8.25 ± 2.88 in the two-port VATS group, with a significant inter-group difference. Recurrence rate and postoperative complication rate were not significant between the two groups. In selected patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax treated with surgical approach, two-port VATS resulted in shorter postoperative drainage period and hospital stay compared with open thoracotomy.

Sparse Reduced-Rank Regression for Simultaneous Dimension Reduction and Variable Selection

KAUST Repository

Chen, Lisha; Huang, Jianhua Z.

2012-01-01

and hence improves predictive accuracy. We propose to select relevant variables for reduced-rank regression by using a sparsity-inducing penalty. We apply a group-lasso type penalty that treats each row of the matrix of the regression coefficients as a group

Top 100 Most-Cited Articles on Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasir, Syed Ali Raza; Gilani, Jaleed Ahmed; Fatima, Kaneez; Faheem, Urooba; Kazmi, Omar; Siddiqi, Javed; Khosa, Faisal

2018-02-01

A bibliometric uses the citation count of an article to determine its impact on the clinical world. There is a paucity of literature concerning top article citations on spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The main objective of this investigation was to bridge this gap and to provide understanding of the trends on the most influential articles written on this subject. The Scopus Library database was searched to determine the citations of all articles published on spontaneous ICH. Articles that focused on other forms of ICH, such as trauma-related hemorrhages, subarachnoid hemorrhages, or hemorrhages caused by anticoagulation, vascular malformations, or cavernomas, were excluded from our list. The articles were divided into 2 groups: "specific" articles, which focused specifically on spontaneous ICH, and "generalized" articles, which were about ICH in general, including spontaneous as well as other forms of ICH. We did not apply any time or study-type restriction in our search. The top 100 cited articles were selected and analyzed by 2 independent investigators. J. Broderick was the author with most publications in the list (n = 21). The largest subset of spontaneous ICH articles was published in the 5-year periods from 1996 to 2000 and 2001 to 2005 (n = 27 each). The United States had the highest number of articles (n = 49). The journal with the highest number of top 100 cited articles was Stroke, with 39, followed by Neurology with 16. Our study identifies the trends related to spontaneous ICH by analyzing the citation frequency of the most-cited articles in the field. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous tension haemopneumothorax.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Benjamin Oliver; Itam, Sarah; Probst, Fey

2008-10-31

We present a patient with sudden onset progressive shortness of breath and no history of trauma, who rapidly became haemodynamically compromised with a pneumothorax and pleural effusion seen on chest radiograph. He was treated for spontaneous tension pneumothorax but this was soon revealed to be a tension haemopneumothorax. He underwent urgent thoracotomy after persistent bleeding to explore an apical vascular abnormality seen on CT scanning. To our knowledge this is the first such case reported.Aetiology and current approach to spontaneous haemothorax are discussed briefly.

THE APPLICATION FOR A PREDICTION OF THE COAL SPONTANEOUS IGNITION – PREDISAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlastimil MONI

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article follows the research of the project number TA01020351 called “The research of possibilities when predicting steam origin and consequent spontaneous ignition of brown coal fuels” which was researched with the support of the Technological Agency in the Czech Republic in 2011-2014 in the connection with a realized technical research. Therefore, it gives a summary information about the evaluation of the risk degree for the origin of spontaneous ignitions of the brown coal. The presented way of evaluation is based on a numeric expression of a value for MHU criteria – the point load of particular indicators is added together with other results gained from this research project. Then, more information is taken from companies running the dumps of brown coal products – both for suppliers (mining companies and big consumers (power engineering. The complex knowledge about prediction of the origin of the spontaneous ignition enables to make an early response to eliminate a threat of mining fire in open pit mines or on the dumps of coal products. Consequently, it reduces the risk of fire and breakdowns of transportation means DPD, heavy machines and preparation plants. The working injuries are reduced as well – burns by coal in fire or inhalation of gas products from imperfect combustion.

Control technique of spontaneous combustion in fully mechan ized stope during period of end caving under complex mining influence

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Benqing

2018-01-01

In view of the phenomenon of spontaneous combustion of coal seam occurring during the period of end caving under complex mining conditions, taking the 1116 (3) stope of Guqiao mine as the object of study, the causes of spontaneous combustion during the period of end caving are analyzed, according to the specific geological conditions of the stope to develop corresponding fire prevention measures, including the reduction of air supply and air leakage in goaf, reduce the amount of coal left, reasonable drainage, nitrogen injection for spontaneous combustion prevention, grouting for spontaneous combustion prevention and permanent closure, fundamentally eliminates the potential for spontaneous combustion during the period of 1116(3) stope end caving. The engineering practice shows that this kind of measure has reference value for the prevention and control of spontaneous combustion during the period of stope end caving.

Spontaneous tension haemopneumothorax

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Itam Sarah

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract We present a patient with sudden onset progressive shortness of breath and no history of trauma, who rapidly became haemodynamically compromised with a pneumothorax and pleural effusion seen on chest radiograph. He was treated for spontaneous tension pneumothorax but this was soon revealed to be a tension haemopneumothorax. He underwent urgent thoracotomy after persistent bleeding to explore an apical vascular abnormality seen on CT scanning. To our knowledge this is the first such case reported. Aetiology and current approach to spontaneous haemothorax are discussed briefly.

Spontaneous compactification to homogeneous spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mourao, J.M.

1988-01-01

The spontaneous compactification of extra dimensions to compact homogeneous spaces is studied. The methods developed within the framework of coset space dimensional reduction scheme and the most general form of invariant metrics are used to find solutions of spontaneous compactification equations

Activation of KCNQ Channels Suppresses Spontaneous Activity in Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons and Reduces Chronic Pain after Spinal Cord Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zizhen; Li, Lin; Xie, Fuhua; Du, Junhui; Zuo, Yan; Frost, Jeffrey A; Carlton, Susan M; Walters, Edgar T; Yang, Qing

2017-03-15

A majority of people who have sustained spinal cord injury (SCI) experience chronic pain after injury, and this pain is highly resistant to available treatments. Contusive SCI in rats at T10 results in hyperexcitability of primary sensory neurons, which contributes to chronic pain. KCNQ channels are widely expressed in nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, are important for controlling their excitability, and their activation has proven effective in reducing pain in peripheral nerve injury and inflammation models. The possibility that activators of KCNQ channels could be useful for treating SCI-induced chronic pain is strongly supported by the following findings. First, SCI, unlike peripheral nerve injury, failed to decrease the functional or biochemical expression of KCNQ channels in DRG as revealed by electrophysiology, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot; therefore, these channels remain available for pharmacological targeting of SCI pain. Second, treatment with retigabine, a specific KCNQ channel opener, profoundly decreased spontaneous activity in primary sensory neurons of SCI animals both in vitro and in vivo without changing the peripheral mechanical threshold. Third, retigabine reversed SCI-induced reflex hypersensitivity, adding to our previous demonstration that retigabine supports the conditioning of place preference after SCI (an operant measure of spontaneous pain). In contrast to SCI animals, naïve animals showed no effects of retigabine on reflex sensitivity or conditioned place preference by pairing with retigabine, indicating that a dose that blocks chronic pain-related behavior has no effect on normal pain sensitivity or motivational state. These results encourage the further exploration of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved KCNQ activators for treating SCI pain, as well as efforts to develop a new generation of KCNQ activators that lack central side effects.

Case of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamane, Kanji; Yoshimoto, Hisanori; Harada, Kiyoshi; Uozumi, Tohru [Hiroshima Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine; Kuwabara, Satoshi

1983-05-01

The authors experienced a case of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy diagnosed by CT scan with metrizamide and Conray. Patient was 23-year-old male who had been in good health until one month before admission, when he began to have headache and tinnitus. He noticed bilateral visual acuity was decreased about one week before admission and vomiting appeared two days before admission. He was admitted to our hospital because of bilateral papilledema and remarkable hydrocephalus diagnosed by CT scan. On admission, no abnormal neurological signs except for bilateral papilledema were noted. Immediately, right ventricular drainage was performed. Pressure of the ventricle was over 300mmH/sub 2/O and CSF was clear. PVG and PEG disclosed an another cavity behind the third ventricle, which was communicated with the third ventricle, and occlusion of aqueduct of Sylvius. Metrizamide CT scan and Conray CT scan showed a communication between this cavity and quadrigeminal and supracerebellar cisterns. On these neuroradiological findings, the diagnosis of obstructive hydrocephalus due to benign aqueduct stenosis accompanied with spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy was obtained. Spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy was noticed to produce arrest of hydrocephalus, but with our case, spontaneous regression of such symptoms did not appeared. By surgical ventriculocisternostomy (method by Torkildsen, Dandy, or Scarff), arrest of hydrocephalus was seen in about 50 to 70 per cent, which was the same results as those of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy. It is concluded that VP shunt or VA shunt is thought to be better treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus than the various kinds of surgical ventriculocisternostomy.

Spontaneous unscheduled DNA synthesis in human lymphocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forell, B.; Myers, L.S. Jr.; Norman, A.

1979-01-01

The rate of spontaneous unscheduled DNA synthesis in human lymphocytes was estimated from measurements of tritiated thymidine incorporation into double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) during incubation of cells in vitro. The contribution of scheduled DNA synthesis to the observed incorporation was reduced by inhibiting replication with hydroxyurea and by separating freshly replicated single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) from repaired ds-DNA by column chromatography. The residual contribution of scheduled DNA synthesis was estimated by observing effects on thymidine incorporation of: (a) increasing the rate of production of apurinic sites, and alternatively, (b) increasing the number of cells in S-phase. Corrections based on estimates of endogenous pool size were also made. The rate of spontaneous unscheduled DNA synthesis is estimated to be 490 +- 120 thymidine molecules incorporated per cell per hour. These results compare favorably with estimates made from rates of depurination and depyrimidination of DNA, measured in molecular systems if we assume thymidine is incorporated by a short patch mechanism which incorporates an average of four bases per lesion

Ulcerogenicity of piroxicam: an analysis of spontaneously reported data.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, A C; Hsu, J P; Faich, G A

1987-01-01

Previous reports have suggested that piroxicam may be more ulcerogenic than other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in use. Critics have attributed this putative relation to flawed comparisons of spontaneously reported data. In this study cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, and ulcer reported to the Food and Drug Administration's spontaneous reporting system over 12 years were examined. Reporting rates for eight NSAIDs were compared over identical periods of their marketing life cycles. After adjustments were made for the heterogeneity in the underlying reporting rates the difference in rates between piroxicam and the other drugs was considerably reduced but piroxicam retained its top ranking among the drugs; however, large and clinically important differences in the frequency of cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation, and ulcer between piroxicam and the rest of the NSAIDs compared probably do not exist. PMID:3109543

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension without Orthostatic Headache

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Tülay Kansu

2009-03-01

Full Text Available We report 2 cases of spontaneous intracranial hypotension that presented with unilateral abducens nerve palsy, without orthostatic headache. While sixth nerve palsies improved without any intervention, subdural hematoma was detected with magnetic resonance imaging. We conclude that headache may be absent in spontaneous intracranial hypotension and spontaneous improvement of sixth nerve palsy can occur, even after the development of a subdural hematoma

Spontaneous intraorbital hematoma: case report

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Vinodan Paramanathan

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Vinodan Paramanathan, Ardalan ZolnourianQueen's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire DE13 0RB, UKAbstract: Spontaneous intraorbital hematoma is an uncommon clinical entity seen in ophthalmology practice. It is poorly represented in the literature. Current evidence attributes it to orbital trauma, neoplasm, vascular malformations, acute sinusitis, and systemic abnormalities. A 65-year-old female presented with spontaneous intraorbital hematoma manifesting as severe ocular pains, eyelid edema, proptosis, and diplopia, without a history of trauma. Computer tomography demonstrated a fairly well defined extraconal lesion with opacification of the paranasal sinuses. The principal differential based on all findings was that of a spreading sinus infection and an extraconal tumor. An unprecedented finding of a spontaneous orbital hematoma was discovered when the patient was taken to theater. We discuss the rarity of this condition and its management.Keywords: hemorrhage, ophthalmology, spontaneous, intra-orbital, hematoma

Spectrally pure heralded single photons by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a fiber: reducing impact of dispersion fluctuations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koefoed, Jacob Gade; Friis, Søren Michael Mørk; Christensen, Jesper Bjerge

2017-01-01

We model the spectral quantum-mechanical purity of heralded single photons from a photon-pair source based on nondegenerate spontaneous four-wave mixing taking the impact of distributed dispersion fluctuations into account. The considered photon-pair-generation scheme utilizes pump-pulse walk...

Screening for spontaneous preterm birth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Os, M.A.; van Dam, A.J.E.M.

2015-01-01

Preterm birth is the most important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. In this thesis studies on spontaneous preterm birth are presented. The main objective was to investigate the predictive capacity of mid-trimester cervical length measurement for spontaneous preterm birth in a

Early pregnancy angiogenic markers and spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Louise B; Dechend, Ralf; Karumanchi, S Ananth

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous abortion is the most commonly observed adverse pregnancy outcome. The angiogenic factors soluble Fms-like kinase 1 and placental growth factor are critical for normal pregnancy and may be associated to spontaneous abortion. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between...... maternal serum concentrations of soluble Fms-like kinase 1 and placental growth factor, and subsequent spontaneous abortion. STUDY DESIGN: In the prospective observational Odense Child Cohort, 1676 pregnant women donated serum in early pregnancy, gestational week ..., interquartile range 71-103). Concentrations of soluble Fms-like kinase 1 and placental growth factor were determined with novel automated assays. Spontaneous abortion was defined as complete or incomplete spontaneous abortion, missed abortion, or blighted ovum

Age-ordered shirt numbering reduces the selection bias associated with the relative age effect.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, David L; van Ginneken, Pleun J M A

2017-04-01

When placed into age groups for junior sporting competition, the relative differences in age between children leads to a bias in who is evaluated as being talented. While the impact of this relative age effect (RAE) is clear, until now there has been no evidence to show how to reduce it. The aim of this study was to determine whether the selection bias associated with the RAE could be reduced. Talent scouts from an elite football club watched junior games and ranked players on the basis of their potential. Scouts were allocated to one of three groups provided with contrasting information about the age of the players: (1) no age information, (2) players' birthdates or (3) knowledge that the numbers on the playing shirts corresponded to the relative age of the players. Results revealed a significant selection bias for the scouts in the no-age information group, and that bias remained when scouts knew the players' dates-of-birth. Strikingly though, the selection bias was eliminated when scouts watched the games knowing the shirt numbers corresponded to the relative ages of the players. The selection bias associated with the RAE can be reduced if information about age is presented appropriately.

Trex2 enables spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges without facilitating DNA double-strand break repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumitrache, Lavinia C; Hu, Lingchuan; Son, Mi Young; Li, Han; Wesevich, Austin; Scully, Ralph; Stark, Jeremy; Hasty, Paul

2011-08-01

Trex2 is a 3' → 5' exonuclease that removes 3'-mismatched sequences in a biochemical assay; however, its biological function remains unclear. To address biology we previously generated trex2(null) mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and expressed in these cells wild-type human TREX2 cDNA (Trex2(hTX2)) or cDNA with a single-amino-acid change in the catalytic domain (Trex2(H188A)) or in the DNA-binding domain (Trex2(R167A)). We found the trex2(null) and Trex2(H188A) cells exhibited spontaneous broken chromosomes and trex2(null) cells exhibited spontaneous chromosomal rearrangements. We also found ectopically expressed human TREX2 was active at the 3' ends of I-SceI-induced chromosomal double-strand breaks (DSBs). Therefore, we hypothesized Trex2 participates in DNA DSB repair by modifying 3' ends. This may be especially important for ends with damaged nucleotides. Here we present data that are unexpected and prompt a new model. We found Trex2-altered cells (null, H188A, and R167A) were not hypersensitive to camptothecin, a type-1 topoisomerase inhibitor that induces DSBs at replication forks. In addition, Trex2-altered cells were not hypersensitive to γ-radiation, an agent that causes DSBs throughout the cell cycle. This observation held true even in cells compromised for one of the two major DSB repair pathways: homology-directed repair (HDR) or nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). Trex2 deletion also enhanced repair of an I-SceI-induced DSB by both HDR and NHEJ without affecting pathway choice. Interestingly, however, trex2(null) cells exhibited reduced spontaneous sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) but this was not due to a defect in HDR-mediated crossing over. Therefore, reduced spontaneous SCE could be a manifestation of the same defect that caused spontaneous broken chromosomes and spontaneous chromosomal rearrangements. These unexpected data suggest Trex2 does not enable DSB repair and prompt a new model that posits Trex2 suppresses the formation of broken

Spontaneous recovery of effects of contrast adaptation without awareness

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Gaoxing eMei

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Prolonged exposure to a high contrast stimulus reduces the neural sensitivity to subsequent similar patterns. Recent work has disclosed that contrast adaptation is controlled by multiple mechanisms operating over differing timescales. Adaptation to high contrast for a relatively longer period can be rapidly eliminated by adaptation to a lower contrast (or meanfield in the present study. Such rapid deadaptation presumably causes a short-term mechanism to signal for a sensitivity increase, cancelling ongoing signals from long-term mechanisms. Once deadaptation ends, the short-term mechanism rapidly returns to baseline, and the slowly decaying effects in the long-term mechanisms reemerge, allowing the perceptual aftereffects to recover during continued testing. Although this spontaneous recovery effect is considered strong evidence supporting the multiple mechanisms theory, it remains controversial whether the effect is mainly driven by visual memory established during the initial longer-term adaptation period. To resolve this debate, we used a modified Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS and visual crowding paradigms to render the adapting stimuli invisible, but still observed the spontaneous recovery phenomenon. These results exclude the possibility that spontaneous recovery found in the previous work was merely the consequence of explicit visual memory. Our findings also demonstrate that contrast adaptation, even at the unconscious processing levels, is controlled by multiple mechanisms.

Spontaneous emission by moving atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meystre, P.; Wilkens, M.

1994-01-01

It is well known that spontaneous emission is not an intrinsic atomic property, but rather results from the coupling of the atom to the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. As such, it can be modified by tailoring the electromagnetic environment into which the atom can radiate. This was already realized by Purcell, who noted that the spontaneous emission rate can be enhanced if the atom placed inside a cavity is resonant with one of the cavity is resonant with one of the cavity modes, and by Kleppner, who discussed the opposite case of inhibited spontaneous emission. It has also been recognized that spontaneous emission need not be an irreversible process. Indeed, a system consisting of a single atom coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field undergoes a periodic exchange of excitation between the atom and the field. This periodic exchange remains dominant as long as the strength of the coupling between the atom and a cavity mode is itself dominant. 23 refs., 6 figs

The changes of spontaneous motility in chick embryos after blockade of NO-synthase.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedlácek, J

1996-01-01

The consequences of the blockade of NO-synthase (NOS) for the development, frequency and reactivity of spontaneous motility were investigated in chick embryos aged 4-19 day of incubation. 1. Acute NOS blockade evoked by N-nitro-L-arginine- methylester (L-NAME) (20 mg/kg egg weight-e.w.) caused on day 17 of incubation the short-lasting depression of spontaneous motility to 50% of resting motor activity. L-NAME was in spinal embryos without any effect. Chronic application of L-NAME (1.70 mg/kg e.w./24 h) from day 4 of incubation led after the first 4 days of continual supply to the development of reduced spontaneous motility on one hand, on the other hand it changed the efficacy of central activatory (NMDA, pentylenetetrazole) and inhibitory drugs (ketamine, glycine). L-NAME and L-arginine in different mutual combinations manifested in 17-day-old embryos their typical effect, though the depressory effect of L-NAME took a swifter course than the activatory effect of L-arginine. 2. Aminoguanidine (AmG) (9.8 and 20 mg/kg e.w.) evoked from day 17 of incubation the significant biphasic change of spontaneous motility only: initial depression was replaced by later activation. AmG was in spinal embryos without effect again. Chronic application of AmG (5.29 +/- 0.51 mg/kg e.w./24 h) showed in 17-day-old embryos a reduction of resting motility dependent on the duration of AmG influence during incubation. Another expression was the changed reactivity of spontaneous motility to some centrally effective drugs (ketamine, NMDA, D-cycloserine, glycine, pentylenetetrazole). 3. 7-nitroindazole (7-NIZ) (15 and 30 mg/kg e.w.) caused the significant decrease of spontaneous motility in chick embryos already from day 15 of incubation; the depression after the lower dosis had an interrupted course, whereas after the higher dosis it was a continuous one. 7-NIZ blocked in 17-day-old embryos the activatory effect of L-arginine, reduced the paroxysmal activation of motility evoked by NMDA and

A Case of Multiple Spontaneous Keloid Scars

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Abdulhadi Jfri

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Keloid scars result from an abnormal healing response to cutaneous injury or inflammation that extends beyond the borders of the original wound. Spontaneous keloid scars forming in the absence of any previous trauma or surgical procedure are rare. Certain syndromes have been associated with this phenomenon, and few reports have discussed the evidence of single spontaneous keloid scar, which raises the question whether they are really spontaneous. Here, we present a 27-year-old mentally retarded single female with orbital hypertelorism, broad nasal bridge, repaired cleft lip and high-arched palate who presented with progressive multiple spontaneous keloid scars in different parts of her body which were confirmed histologically by the presence of typical keloidal collagen. This report supports the fact that keloid scars can appear spontaneously and are possibly linked to a genetic factor. Furthermore, it describes a new presentation of spontaneous keloid scars in the form of multiple large lesions in different sites of the body.

Alcohol Ataxia Tolerance: Extinction Cues, Spontaneous Recovery, and Relapse

OpenAIRE

Brooks, Douglas C.

2005-01-01

This article reviews ethanol ataxic tolerance experiments with rats that investigate spontaneous recovery after extinction and how extinction-related cues reduce this recovery. Tolerance to the effects of many drugs including ethanol is partly the result of Pavlovian conditioning. Tolerance to the ataxic (and other) effects of ethanol depends critically upon the circumstances in which the drug is administered. Tolerance shows other characteristics common in Pavlovian conditioning, e.g.,. it c...

An investigation into the cognition behind spontaneous string pulling in New Caledonian crows.

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Alex H Taylor

Full Text Available The ability of some bird species to pull up meat hung on a string is a famous example of spontaneous animal problem solving. The "insight" hypothesis claims that this complex behaviour is based on cognitive abilities such as mental scenario building and imagination. An operant conditioning account, in contrast, would claim that this spontaneity is due to each action in string pulling being reinforced by the meat moving closer and remaining closer to the bird on the perch. We presented experienced and naïve New Caledonian crows with a novel, visually restricted string-pulling problem that reduced the quality of visual feedback during string pulling. Experienced crows solved this problem with reduced efficiency and increased errors compared to their performance in standard string pulling. Naïve crows either failed or solved the problem by trial and error learning. However, when visual feedback was available via a mirror mounted next to the apparatus, two naïve crows were able to perform at the same level as the experienced group. Our results raise the possibility that spontaneous string pulling in New Caledonian crows may not be based on insight but on operant conditioning mediated by a perceptual-motor feedback cycle.

Compound Stimulus Extinction Reduces Spontaneous Recovery in Humans

Science.gov (United States)

Coelho, Cesar A. O.; Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Fear-related behaviors are prone to relapse following extinction. We tested in humans a compound extinction design ("deepened extinction") shown in animal studies to reduce post-extinction fear recovery. Adult subjects underwent fear conditioning to a visual and an auditory conditioned stimulus (CSA and CSB, respectively) separately…

Spontaneous pneumothorax in silicotuberculosis of lung

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolenic, J.; Jurgova, T.; Zimacek, J.; Vajo, J.; Krchnavy, M.

1995-01-01

The authors describe the case of 62 years old man with the appearance of spontaneous pneumothorax, in whom the basic pulmonary disease was silicotuberculosis of the lung. At clinic of occupational diseases in Kosice have been evidence 965 cases of silicosis and silicotuberculosis. From 1971 they have now the first case of spontaneous pneumothorax. The authors make discussion about possible mechanical and biochemical factors, which cause relatively low incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax in silicosis of the lung. (authors)

Spontaneous Recovery After Extinction of the Conditioned Proboscis Extension Response in the Honeybee

Science.gov (United States)

Sandoz, Jean-Christophe; Pham-Delègue, Minh-Hà

2004-01-01

In honeybees, the proboscis extension response (PER) can be conditioned by associating an odor stimulus (CS) to a sucrose reward (US). Conditioned responses to the CS, which are acquired by most bees after a single CS-US pairing, disappear after repeated unrewarded presentations of the CS, a process called extinction. Extinction is usually thought to be based either on (1) the disruption of the stored CS-US association, or (2) the formation of an inhibitory “CS-no US” association that is better retrieved than the initial CS-US association. The observation of spontaneous recovery, i.e., the reappearance of responses to the CS after time passes following extinction, is traditionally interpreted as a proof for the formation of a transient inhibitory association. To provide a better understanding of extinction in honeybees, we examined whether time intervals during training and extinction or the number of conditioning and extinction trials have an effect on the occurrence of spontaneous recovery. We found that spontaneous recovery mostly occurs when conditioning and testing took place in a massed fashion (1-min intertrial intervals). Moreover, spontaneous recovery depended on the time elapsed since extinction, 1 h being an optimum. Increasing the number of conditioning trials improved the spontaneous recovery level, whereas increasing the number of extinction trials reduced it. Lastly, we show that after single-trial conditioning, spontaneous recovery appears only once after extinction. These elements suggest that in honeybees extinction of the PER actually reflects the impairment of the CS-US association, but that depending on training parameters different memory substrates are affected. PMID:15466313

Spontaneous body movements in spatial cognition

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Sergiu eTcaci Popescu

2012-05-01

Full Text Available People often perform spontaneous body movements during spatial tasks such as giving complex directions or orienting themselves on maps. How are these spontaneous gestures related to spatial problem-solving? We measured spontaneous movements during a perspective-taking task inspired by map reading. Analyzing the motion data to isolate rotation and translation components of motion in specific geometric relation to the task, we found out that most participants executed spontaneous miniature rotations of the head that were significantly related to the main task parameter. These head rotations were as if participants were trying to align themselves with the orientation on the map either in the image plane or on the ground plane, but with tiny amplitudes, typically below 1% of the actual movements. Our results are consistent with a model of sensorimotor prediction driving spatial reasoning. The efference copy of planned movements triggers this prediction mechanism. The movements themselves may then be mostly inhibited; the small spontaneous gestures that we measure are the visible traces of these planned but inhibited actions.

Spontaneous pneumothorax in diffuse cystic lung diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooley, Joseph; Lee, Yun Chor Gary; Gupta, Nishant

2017-07-01

Diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders with varying pathophysiologic mechanisms that are characterized by the presence of air-filled lung cysts. These cysts are prone to rupture, leading to the development of recurrent spontaneous pneumothoraces. In this article, we review the epidemiology, clinical features, and management DCLD-associated spontaneous pneumothorax, with a focus on lymphangioleiomyomatosis, Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, and pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis. DCLDs are responsible for approximately 10% of apparent primary spontaneous pneumothoraces. Computed tomography screening for DCLDs (Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis) following the first spontaneous pneumothorax has recently been shown to be cost-effective and can help facilitate early diagnosis of the underlying disorders. Patients with DCLD-associated spontaneous pneumothorax have a very high rate of recurrence, and thus pleurodesis should be considered following the first episode of spontaneous pneumothorax in these patients, rather than waiting for a recurrent episode. Prior pleurodesis is not a contraindication to future lung transplant. Although DCLDs are uncommon, spontaneous pneumothorax is often the sentinel event that provides an opportunity for diagnosis. By understanding the burden and implications of pneumothoraces in DCLDs, clinicians can facilitate early diagnosis and appropriate management of the underlying disorders.

Involvement of cyclic nucleotide-gated channels in spontaneous activity generated in isolated interstitial cells of Cajal from the rabbit urethra.

Science.gov (United States)

Sancho, Maria; Bradley, Eamonn; Garcia-Pascual, Angeles; Triguero, Domingo; Thornbury, Keith D; Hollywood, Mark A; Sergeant, Gerard P

2017-11-05

Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels are non-selective cation channels that mediate influx of extracellular Na + and Ca 2+ in various cell types. L-cis-Diltiazem, a CNG channel blocker, inhibits contraction of urethral smooth muscle (USM), however the mechanisms underlying this effect are still unclear. We investigated the possibility that CNG channels contribute to spontaneous pacemaker activity in freshly isolated interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) isolated from the rabbit urethra (RUICC). Using immunocytochemistry, we found intense CNG1-immunoreactivity in vimentin-immunoreactive RUICC, mainly within patches of the cellular body and processes. In contrast, α-actin immunoreactive smooth muscle cells (SMC) did not show significant reactivity to a specific CNGA1 antibody. Freshly isolated RUICC, voltage clamped at -60mV, developed spontaneous transient inward currents (STICs) that were inhibited by L-cis-Diltiazem (50µM). Similarly, L-cis-Diltiazem (50µM) also inhibited Ca 2+ waves in isolated RUICC, recorded using a Nipkow spinning disk confocal microscope. L-cis-Diltiazem (50µM) did not affect caffeine (10mM)-induced Ca 2+ transients, but significantly reduced phenylephrine-evoked Ca 2+ oscillations and inward currents in in RUICC. L-type Ca 2+ current amplitude in isolated SMC was reduced by ~18% in the presence of L-cis-Diltiazem (50µM), however D-cis-Diltiazem, a recognised L-type Ca 2+ channel blocker, abolished L-type Ca 2+ current but did not affect Ca 2+ waves or STICs in RUICC. These results indicate that the effects of L-cis-diltiazem on rabbit USM could be mediated by inhibition of CNG1 channels that are present in urethral ICC and therefore CNG channels contribute to spontaneous activity in these cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

FEL gain optimisation and spontaneous radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bali, L.M.; Srivastava, A.; Pandya, T.P. [Lucknow Univ. (India)] [and others

1995-12-31

Colson have evaluated FEL gains for small deviations from perfect electron beam injection, with radiation of the same polarisation as that of the wiggler fields. We find that for optimum gain the polarisation of the optical field should be the same as that of the spontaneous emission under these conditions. With a helical wiggler the axial oscillations resulting from small departures from perfect electron beam injection lead to injection dependent unequal amplitudes and phases of the spontaneous radiation in the two transverse directions. Viewed along the axis therefore the spontaneous emission is elliptically polarised. The azimuth of the ellipse varies with the difference of phase of the two transverse components of spontaneous emission but the eccentricity remains the same. With planar wigglers the spontaneous emission viewed in the axial direction is linearly polarised, again with an injection dependent azimuth. For optimum coherent gain of a radiation field its polarisation characteristics must be the same as those of the spontaneous radiation with both types of wiggler. Thus, with a helical wiggler and the data reported earlier, an increase of 10% in the FEL gain at the fundamental frequency and of 11% at the fifth harmonic has been calculated in the small gain per pass limit. Larger enhancements in gain may result from more favourable values of input parameters.

Spontaneous correction of coronal imbalance after selective thoracolumbar-lumbar fusion in patients with Lenke-5C adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Chang Ju; Lee, Choon Sung; Kim, Hyojune; Lee, Dong-Ho; Cho, Jae Hwan

2018-03-22

Coronal imbalance is a complication of corrective surgeries in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, few studies about immediate coronal decompensation in Lenke-5C curves have reported its incidence, prognosis, and related factors. To evaluate the development of coronal imbalance after selective thoracolumbar-lumbar (TL/L) fusion (SLF) in Lenke-5C AIS, and to reveal related factors. Retrospective comparative study. This study included 50 consecutive patients with Lenke-5C AIS who underwent SLF at a single center. Whole-spine anteroposterior and lateral radiographs were used to measure radiological parameters. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of coronal imbalance (distance between C7 plumb line and central sacral vertical line >2 cm) in the early (1 month) postoperative period. Various radiological parameters were statistically compared between groups. Of the patients, 28% (14 of 50) showed coronal imbalance in the early postoperative period; however, most of them (13 of 14) showed spontaneous correction during follow-up. The development of coronal imbalance was related to less flexibility of the TL/L curve (51.3% vs. 52.6%, p=.040), greater T10-L2 kyphosis (11.7° vs. 6.4°, p=.034), and greater distal junctional angle (6.0° vs. 3.7°, p=.025) in preoperative radiographs. Lowermost instrumented vertebra (LIV) tilt was greater in the decompensation [+] group in the early postoperative period (8.8° vs. 4.4°, p=.009). However, this difference disappeared in final follow-up with the decrease of LIV tilt in the decompensation [+] group. Less flexibility of the TL/L curve, greater TL kyphosis, and greater distal junctional angle preoperatively were predictive factors for immediate coronal imbalance in Lenke-5C curves. Although coronal imbalance was frequently detected in the early postoperative period after SLF, it was mostly corrected spontaneously with a decrease of LIV tilt. Thus, SLF for Lenke-5C curves can be

Immunoexpression of CD30 and CD30 ligand in deciduas from spontaneous abortions

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M Trovato

2009-06-01

Full Text Available In the present study, using immunohistochemistry, we studied the expression of CD30 and CD30-L in 35 deciduas obtained from women following elective abortion during normal physiological gestation and in 60 deciduas obtained from women after spontaneous abortion with or without signs of inflammation. The main difference was noticed in the first trimester of gestation in which was found a decrease in CD30/CD30-L-positive decidual glandular and stromal cells in a greater number of cases of spontaneous abortions with respect to cases of physiological pregnancies (70% vs 50%, p<0.05. In addition, deciduas from spontaneous abortions with inflammation and without inflammation reacted similarly. The reduced expression of CD30 and CD30-L and their cellular pattern detected in the deciduas from spontaneous abortions suggest that the CD30/CD30-L system is crucial for preventing abortions in the first trimester. And furthermore, the distinctive expression of CD30/CD30- L in deciduas from physiological pregnancies may indicate that the CD30/CD30-L system exerts its main role in the first trimester.

Uptake of Au(III) Ions by Aluminum Hydroxide and Their Spontaneous Reduction to Elemental Gold (Au(0)).

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama; Matsukado; Uchida; Motomura; Watanabe; Izawa

2001-01-01

The behavior of AuCl(4)(-) ions during the formation of aluminum hydroxide at pH 6 was examined. With an increase in NaCl concentration, the content of gold taken up by aluminum hydroxide decreased, suggesting that chloro-hydroxy complexes of Au(III) ion were taken up due to the formation of Al-O-Au bonds. It was found unexpectedly that the Au(III) ions taken up were spontaneously reduced to elemental gold without addition of a specific reducing reagent and then colloidal gold particles were formed. The mechanisms for the uptake of Au(III) ions by aluminum hydroxide and for their spontaneous reduction are discussed. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis in Subclinical Hypothyroidism

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Dalip Gupta

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Hypothyroidism is an uncommon cause of ascites. Here we describe a case of a 75 year-old female patient with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and subclinical hypothyroidism that resolved with thyroid replacement and antibiotic therapy respectively. Ascitic fluid analysis revealed a gram-positive bacterium on gram staining. A review of the literature revealed just one other reported case of myxoedema ascites with concomitant spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and no case has till been reported of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in subclinical hypothyroidism.

Effects of voluntary exercise on spontaneous physical activity and food consumption in mice: Results from an artificial selection experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Copes, Lynn E; Schutz, Heidi; Dlugosz, Elizabeth M; Acosta, Wendy; Chappell, Mark A; Garland, Theodore

2015-10-01

We evaluated the effect of voluntary exercise on spontaneous physical activity (SPA) and food consumption in mice from 4 replicate lines bred for 57 generations for high voluntary wheel running (HR) and from 4 non-selected control (C) lines. Beginning at ~24 days of age, mice were housed in standard cages or in cages with attached wheels. Wheel activity and SPA were monitored in 1-min intervals. Data from the 8th week of the experiment were analyzed because mice were sexually mature and had plateaued in body mass, weekly wheel running distance, SPA, and food consumption. Body mass, length, and masses of the retroperitoneal fat pad, liver, and heart were recorded after the 13th week. SPA of both HR and C mice decreased with wheel access, due to reductions in both duration and average intensity of SPA. However, total activity duration (SPA+wheel running; min/day) was ~1/3 greater when mice were housed with wheels, and food consumption was significantly increased. Overall, food consumption in both HR and C mice was more strongly affected by wheel running than by SPA. Duration of wheel running had a stronger effect than average speed, but the opposite was true for SPA. With body mass as a covariate, chronic wheel access significantly reduced fat pad mass and increased heart mass in both HR and C mice. Given that both HR and C mice housed with wheels had increased food consumption, the energetic cost of wheel running was not fully compensated by concomitant reductions in SPA. The experiment demonstrates that both duration and intensity of both wheel running and SPA were significant predictors of food consumption. This sort of detailed analysis of the effects of different aspects of physical activity on food consumption has not previously been reported for a non-human animal, and it sets the stage for longitudinal examination of energy balance and its components in rodent models. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous mutation rates and the rate-doubling dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Borstel, R.C.; Moustaccki, E.; Latarjet, R.

1978-01-01

The amount of radiation required to double the frequency of mutations or tumours over the rate of those that occur spontaneously is called the rate-doubling dose. An equivalent concept has been proposed for exposure to other environmental mutagens. The doubling dose concept is predicated on the assumption that all human populations have the same spontaneous mutation rate, and that this spontaneous mutation rate is known. It is now established for prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes that numerous genes control the spontaneous mutation rate, and it is likely that the same is true for human cells as well. Given that the accepted mode of evolution of human populatons is from small, isolated groups of individuals, it seems likely that each population would have a different spontaneous mutation rate. Given that a minimum of twenty genes control or affect the spontaneous mutation rate, and that each of these in turn is susceptible to spontaneously arising or environmentally induced mutations, it seems likely that every individual within a population (except for siblings from identical multiple births) will have a unique spontaneous mutation rate. If each individual in a population does have a different spontaneous mutation rate, the doubling dose concept, in rigorous terms, is fallacious. Therefore, as with other concepts of risk evaluation, the doubling dose concept is subject to criticism. Nevertheless, until we know individual spontaneous mutation rates with precision, and can evaluate risks based on this information, the doubling dose concept has a heuristic value and is needed for practical assessment of risks for defined populations. (author)

Biodistribution of p-borophenylalanine (BPA) in dogs with spontaneous undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dagrosa, M.A.; Viaggi, M.; Rebagliati, R. Jimenez; Castillo, V.A.; Batistoni, D.; Cabrini, R.L.; Castiglia, S.; Juvenal, G.J.; Pisarev, M.A.

2004-01-01

Human undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC) is a very aggressive tumor which lacks an adequate treatment. The UTC human cell line ARO has a selective uptake of BPA in vitro and after transplanting into nude mice. Applications of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to mice showed a 100% control of growth and a 50% histological cure of tumors with an initial volume of 50 mm 3 or less. As a further step towards the potential application in humans we have performed the present studies. Four dogs with diagnosis of spontaneous UTC were studied. A BPA-fructose solution was infused during 60 min and dogs were submitted to thyroidectomy. Samples of blood and from different areas of the tumors (and in one dog from normal thyroid) were obtained and the boron was determined by ICP-OES. Selective BPA uptake by the tumor was found in all animals, the tumor/blood ratios ranged between 2.02 and 3.76, while the tumor/normal thyroid ratio was 6.78. Individual samples had tumor/blood ratios between 8.36 and 0.33. These ratios were related to the two histological patterns observed: homogeneous and heterogeneous tumors. We confirm the selective uptake of BPA by spontaneous UTC in dogs and plan to apply BNCT in the future

Biodistribution of p-borophenylalanine (BPA) in dogs with spontaneous undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagrosa, M.A. E-mail: aledagrosa@fibertel.com.ar; Viaggi, M.; Rebagliati, R. Jimenez; Castillo, V.A.; Batistoni, D.; Cabrini, R.L.; Castiglia, S.; Juvenal, G.J.; Pisarev, M.A

2004-11-01

Human undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC) is a very aggressive tumor which lacks an adequate treatment. The UTC human cell line ARO has a selective uptake of BPA in vitro and after transplanting into nude mice. Applications of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to mice showed a 100% control of growth and a 50% histological cure of tumors with an initial volume of 50 mm{sup 3} or less. As a further step towards the potential application in humans we have performed the present studies. Four dogs with diagnosis of spontaneous UTC were studied. A BPA-fructose solution was infused during 60 min and dogs were submitted to thyroidectomy. Samples of blood and from different areas of the tumors (and in one dog from normal thyroid) were obtained and the boron was determined by ICP-OES. Selective BPA uptake by the tumor was found in all animals, the tumor/blood ratios ranged between 2.02 and 3.76, while the tumor/normal thyroid ratio was 6.78. Individual samples had tumor/blood ratios between 8.36 and 0.33. These ratios were related to the two histological patterns observed: homogeneous and heterogeneous tumors. We confirm the selective uptake of BPA by spontaneous UTC in dogs and plan to apply BNCT in the future.

Visually Evoked Spiking Evolves While Spontaneous Ongoing Dynamics Persist

Science.gov (United States)

Huys, Raoul; Jirsa, Viktor K.; Darokhan, Ziauddin; Valentiniene, Sonata; Roland, Per E.

2016-01-01

Neurons in the primary visual cortex spontaneously spike even when there are no visual stimuli. It is unknown whether the spiking evoked by visual stimuli is just a modification of the spontaneous ongoing cortical spiking dynamics or whether the spontaneous spiking state disappears and is replaced by evoked spiking. This study of laminar recordings of spontaneous spiking and visually evoked spiking of neurons in the ferret primary visual cortex shows that the spiking dynamics does not change: the spontaneous spiking as well as evoked spiking is controlled by a stable and persisting fixed point attractor. Its existence guarantees that evoked spiking return to the spontaneous state. However, the spontaneous ongoing spiking state and the visual evoked spiking states are qualitatively different and are separated by a threshold (separatrix). The functional advantage of this organization is that it avoids the need for a system reorganization following visual stimulation, and impedes the transition of spontaneous spiking to evoked spiking and the propagation of spontaneous spiking from layer 4 to layers 2–3. PMID:26778982

Evaluation of mass distribution data from 252Cf spontaneous fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Tingjin

2003-01-01

The mass distribution data of 252 Cf spontaneous fission were evaluated based on 7 sets of available experimental data. The measured data were corrected for the standards and γ intensity used by using the new evaluated ones. The errors were made necessary adjusting. The evaluated experimental data were fitted with spline function without any restriction and with symmetric restriction. These two sets of fit data were recommended as reference data of the mass distribution of 252 Cf spontaneous fission. The errors of the recommended data were considerably reduced comparing with the measured ones. The light and heavy peaks are not completely symmetric. Also there are fine structures on the right side of the light peak at A=109-111 and left side of the heavy peak at A=137-139. These should be paid attention and studied further. (author)

Pharmacogenetics of drug-induced arrhythmias : a feasibility study using spontaneous adverse drug reactions reporting data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Bruin, Marie L; van Puijenbroek, Eugene P; Bracke, Madelon; Hoes, Arno W; Leufkens, Hubert G M

PURPOSE: The bottleneck in pharmacogenetic research on rare adverse drug reactions (ADR) is retrieval of patients. Spontaneous reports of ADRs may form a useful source of patients. We investigated the feasibility of a pharmacogenetic study, in which cases were selected from the database of a

Peritonitis - spontaneous bacterial

Science.gov (United States)

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP); Ascites - peritonitis; Cirrhosis - peritonitis ... who are on peritoneal dialysis for kidney failure. Peritonitis may have other causes . These include infection from ...

Conservative treatment of idiopathic spontaneous pneumoperitoneum in a bedridden patient: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Ryo; Kameyama, Hitoshi; Nagahashi, Masayuki; Kanda, Tatsuo; Ichikawa, Hiroshi; Hanyu, Takaaki; Ishikawa, Takashi; Kobayashi, Takashi; Sakata, Jun; Kosugi, Shin-Ichi; Wakai, Toshifumi

2015-01-01

Idiopathic spontaneous pneumoperitoneum is a rare condition that is characterized by intraperitoneal gas for which no clear etiology has been identified. We report here a case of idiopathic spontaneous pneumoperitoneum, which was successfully managed by conservative treatment. A 77-year-old woman who was bedridden with speech disability as a sequela of brain hemorrhage presented at our hospital with a 1-day history of abdominal distention. On physical examination, she had stable vital signs and slight epigastric tenderness on deep palpation without any other signs of peritonitis. A chest radiograph and computed tomography showed that a large amount of free gas extended into the upper abdominal cavity. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed no perforation of the upper gastrointestinal tract. The patient was diagnosed with idiopathic spontaneous pneumoperitoneum, and conservative treatment was selected. The abdominal distension rapidly disappeared, and the patient resumed oral intake on the 5th hospital day without deterioration of symptoms. Knowledge of this rare disease and accurate diagnosis with findings of clinical imaging might contribute towards refraining from unnecessary laparotomy.

Search for spontaneous fission of 226Ra and systematics of the spontaneous fission, α-decay and cluster decay probabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikheev, V.L.; Tret'yakova, S.P.; Golovchenko, A.N.; Timofeeva, O.V.; Hussonnois, M.; Le Naour, C.

1998-01-01

The low limit of the 226 Ra spontaneous fission half-life corresponding to T 1/2 ≥ 4 · 10 18 years is measured. The 226 Ra spontaneous fission probability proved to be about 50 times less than the value expected from the known systematics, connecting the ratios of theα-decay and spontaneous fission probabilities with the fissility parameter Z 2 /A. It is shown that the probabilities of spontaneous fission, α-decay and cluster decay can be systematized in the same way according to the difference between the decay products Coulomb energy near the scission point and decay energy Q

Dorsomedial prefontal cortex supports spontaneous thinking per se.

Science.gov (United States)

Raij, T T; Riekki, T J J

2017-06-01

Spontaneous thinking, an action to produce, consider, integrate, and reason through mental representations, is central to our daily experience and has been suggested to serve crucial adaptive purposes. Such thinking occurs among other experiences during mind wandering that is associated with activation of the default mode network among other brain circuitries. Whether and how such brain activation is linked to the experience of spontaneous thinking per se remains poorly known. We studied 51 healthy subjects using a comprehensive experience-sampling paradigm during 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging. In comparison with fixation, the experiences of spontaneous thinking and spontaneous perception were related to activation of wide-spread brain circuitries, including the cortical midline structures, the anterior cingulate cortex and the visual cortex. In direct comparison of the spontaneous thinking versus spontaneous perception, activation was observed in the anterior dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Modality congruence of spontaneous-experience-related brain activation was suggested by several findings, including association of the lingual gyrus with visual in comparison with non-verbal-non-visual thinking. In the context of current literature, these findings suggest that the cortical midline structures are involved in the integrative core substrate of spontaneous thinking that is coupled with other brain systems depending on the characteristics of thinking. Furthermore, involvement of the anterior dorsomedial prefrontal cortex suggests the control of high-order abstract functions to characterize spontaneous thinking per se. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3277-3288, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Noncomplementing diploidy resulting from spontaneous zygogenesis in Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Gratia, Jean-Pierre

2005-09-01

With the aim of understanding sexual reproduction and phenotypic expression, a novel type of mating recently discovered in Escherichia coli was investigated. Termed spontaneous zygogenesis (or Z-mating), it differs from F-mediated conjugation. Its products proved phenotypically unstable, losing part of the phenotype for which they were selected. Inactivation of a parental chromosome in the zygote is strongly suggested by fluctuation tests, respreading experiments, analysis of reisolates, and segregation of non-viable cells detected by epifluorescence staining. Some phenotypically haploid subclones were interpreted as stable noncomplementing diploids carrying an inactivated co-replicating chromosome. Pedigree analysis indicated that the genetic composition of such cells consisted of parental genomes or one parental plus a recombinant genome. Inactivation of a chromosome carrying a prophage resulted in the disappearance of both the ability to produce phage particles and the immunity to superinfection. Phage production signalled transient reactivation of such a chromosome and constituted a sensitive test for stable noncomplementing diploidy. Chromosome inactivation thus appears to be a spontaneous event in bacteria.

Hydroxyapatite induces spontaneous polymerization of model self-etch dental adhesives.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Wu, Ningjing; Bai, Xinyan; Xu, Changqi; Liu, Yi; Wang, Yong

2013-10-01

The objective of this study is to report for the first time the spontaneous polymerization phenomenon of self-etch dental adhesives induced by hydroxylapatite (HAp). Model self-etch adhesives were prepared by using a monomer mixture of bis[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] phosphate (2MP) with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The initiator system consisted of camphorquinone (CQ, 0.022 mmol/g) and ethyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate (4E, 0.022-0.088 mmol/g). HAp (2-8 wt.%) was added to the neat model adhesive. In a dark environment, the polymerization was monitored in-situ using ATR/FT-IR, and the mechanical properties of the polymerized adhesives were evaluated using nanoindentation technique. Results indicated that spontaneous polymerization was not observed in the absence of HAp. However, as different amounts of HAp were incorporated into the adhesives, spontaneous polymerization was induced. Higher HAp content led to higher degree of conversion (DC), higher rate of polymerization (RP) and shorter induction period (IP). In addition, higher 4E content also elevated DC and RP and reduced IP of the adhesives. Nanoindentation result suggested that the Young's modulus of the polymerized adhesives showed similar dependence on HAp and 4E contents. In summary, interaction with HAp could induce spontaneous polymerization of the model self-etch adhesives. This result provides important information for understanding the initiation mechanism of the self-etch adhesives, and may be of clinical significance to strengthen the adhesive/dentin interface based on the finding. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous emission spectra from a staggered-array undulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, Shigeki; Okada, Kouji; Masuda, Kai; Sobajima, Masaaki; Yoshikawa, Kiyoshi; Ohnishi, Masami; Yamamoto, Yasushi; Toku, Hisayuki

1997-01-01

A staggered-array undulator set inside the superconducting solenoid coils is shown to be able to provide high undulator fields larger than the longitudinal magnetic fields, a small undulator period, easy tunability through the solenoid coil current, and compact and easy fabrication. The overall performance characteristics of this undulator were studied mainly with respect to iron and aluminum disk widths, and spontaneous emission spectra through the numerical calculations. The maximum undulator field is found to be obtained for the ratio of the aluminum disk width to the undulator period of 0.45. The line widths (FWHM) of the spontaneous emission spectra, however, do not show N w -1 dependence on the number of the undulator period N w for practical beams with a Gaussian distribution, compared with for a single electron. The energy spread among various parameters is seen to play an important role in reducing the FWHM with increase of N w . The large tunability of the wavelength is proved to cover 6-10 mm by changing the solenoid magnetic field from 0.4 T to 1.6 T. (author)

Supplementation of Nucleosides During Selection can Reduce Sequence Variant Levels in CHO Cells Using GS/MSX Selection System.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Danming; Lam, Cynthia; Louie, Salina; Hoi, Kam Hon; Shaw, David; Yim, Mandy; Snedecor, Brad; Misaghi, Shahram

2018-01-01

In the process of generating stable monoclonal antibody (mAb) producing cell lines, reagents such as methotrexate (MTX) or methionine sulfoximine (MSX) are often used. However, using such selection reagent(s) increases the possibility of having higher occurrence of sequence variants in the expressed antibody molecules due to the effects of MTX or MSX on de novo nucleotide synthesis. Since MSX inhibits glutamine synthase (GS) and results in both amino acid and nucleoside starvation, it is questioned whether supplementing nucleosides into the media could lower sequence variant levels without affecting titer. The results show that the supplementation of nucleosides to the media during MSX selection decreased genomic DNA mutagenesis rates in the selected cells, probably by reducing nucleotide mis-incorporation into the DNA. Furthermore, addition of nucleosides enhance clone recovery post selection and does not affect antibody expression. It is further observed that nucleoside supplements lowered DNA mutagenesis rates only at the initial stage of the clone selection and do not have any effect on DNA mutagenesis rates after stable cell lines are established. Therefore, the data suggests that addition of nucleosides during early stages of MSX selection can lower sequence variant levels without affecting titer or clone stability in antibody expression. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Reducing wrong patient selection errors: exploring the design space of user interface techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Sopan, Awalin; Plaisant, Catherine; Powsner, Seth; Shneiderman, Ben

2014-01-01

Wrong patient selection errors are a major issue for patient safety; from ordering medication to performing surgery, the stakes are high. Widespread adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems makes patient selection using a computer screen a frequent task for clinicians. Careful design of the user interface can help mitigate the problem by helping providers recall their patients' identities, accurately select their names, and spot errors before orders are submitted. We propose a catalog of twenty seven distinct user interface techniques, organized according to a task analysis. An associated video demonstrates eighteen of those techniques. EHR designers who consider a wider range of human-computer interaction techniques could reduce selection errors, but verification of efficacy is still needed.

Osteonecrosis or spontaneous fractures following renal transplantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andresen, J.; Nielsen, H.E.; Aarhus Univ.

1981-01-01

31 renal transplant recipients with posttransplant development of osteonecrosis or spontaneous fractures were evaluated with regard to age, duration of dialysis before transplantation. Determination of metacarpal bone mass at the time of transplantation and registration of bone resorption and soft tissue calcification at the time of transplantation and at the time of onset of osteonecrosis and spontaneous fractures were made. Apart from the increased mean age in patients with spontaneous fractures no difference was seen between the groups. Osteonecrosis and spontaneous fractures occurred in areas of trabecular bone. It seems most likely that after renal transplantation the patients show bone complications of different localization. (orig.) [de

Increase of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 expression in women with unexplained early spontaneous abortion

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YAN Chun-fang; YU Xue-wen; JIN Hui; LI Xu

2004-01-01

To investigate membrane tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 protein expression level in decidua andconcentration of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 in serum in women with unexplained early spontaneous abortion,threatened abortion, and compare the levels with healthy pregnant women. Methods: Thirty-seven women with unexplainedearly spontaneous abortion, 27 women with threatened abortion, and 34 healthy pregnant women undergoing artificial abortionof pregnancy at 6 - 10 weeks of gestation were selected. Decidual samples were collected when women were undergoing arti-ficial abortion, and blood samples were collected at the same time. The level of membrane tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 indecidua was detected by flow cytometer, and the concentration of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 in sera was mea-sured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The ercentages of membrane tumor necrosis factor receptor 1positive decidual cells were 16.42 ± 7.10 Mean ± SD for women with unexplained early spontaneous abortion and 13.14 ±6.30 for healthy pregnant women ( P ＜ 0.05). Serum oncentration of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 was signifi-cantly higher in women with unexplained early spontaneous abortion than in healthy pregnant women and in women withthreatened abortion, and no difference was found between healthy pregnant women and women with threatened abortion.Conclusion: Women with unexplained early spontaneous abortion present significantly higher expression of tumor necrosisfactor receptor 1 than healthy pregnant women, suggesting that over-expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 may cont-ribute to the development of early spontaneous abortion.

Spontaneous harm reduction: a barrier for substance-dependent individuals seeking treatment?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fontanella Bruno José Barcellos

2005-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVE: Greater information regarding motivations and treatment barriers faced by substance-dependent individuals has clinical and public health implications. This study aimed to formulate hypotheses regarding psychological, social and family variables that can be constructed as motivations or subjective barriers for the early seeking of formal treatment. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in an intentional sample (selected through saturation and variety of types of 13 substance-dependent individuals who sought treatment. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted using open questions, and the transcribed data were subjected to qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Four types of spontaneous harm reduction measures were identified, according to the subjective logic of each participant: having some periods at rest (not using and recovering from adverse effects; caretaking by close acquaintances (relatives, partners, drug dealers and alcoholic beverage sellers; selectivity regarding substance source, type and means of administration; establishing "healthy" limits of ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: The measures identified might represent barriers to the early seeking of treatment but might also represent spontaneous learning of abilities beneficial to future treatment. Health care professionals should take into consideration their existence and should address them in clinical settings. Issues representative of the formulated categories should be presented in structured questionnaires used in future quantitative studies of barriers to treatment in this population.

Spontaneous harm reduction: a barrier for substance-dependent individuals seeking treatment?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno José Barcellos Fontanella

2005-12-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVE: Greater information regarding motivations and treatment barriers faced by substance-dependent individuals has clinical and public health implications. This study aimed to formulate hypotheses regarding psychological, social and family variables that can be constructed as motivations or subjective barriers for the early seeking of formal treatment. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in an intentional sample (selected through saturation and variety of types of 13 substance-dependent individuals who sought treatment. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted using open questions, and the transcribed data were subjected to qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Four types of spontaneous harm reduction measures were identified, according to the subjective logic of each participant: having some periods at rest (not using and recovering from adverse effects; caretaking by close acquaintances (relatives, partners, drug dealers and alcoholic beverage sellers; selectivity regarding substance source, type and means of administration; establishing "healthy" limits of ingestion. CONCLUSIONS: The measures identified might represent barriers to the early seeking of treatment but might also represent spontaneous learning of abilities beneficial to future treatment. Health care professionals should take into consideration their existence and should address them in clinical settings. Issues representative of the formulated categories should be presented in structured questionnaires used in future quantitative studies of barriers to treatment in this population.

High-Resolution Electronics: Spontaneous Patterning of High-Resolution Electronics via Parallel Vacuum Ultraviolet (Adv. Mater. 31/2016).

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xuying; Kanehara, Masayuki; Liu, Chuan; Sakamoto, Kenji; Yasuda, Takeshi; Takeya, Jun; Minari, Takeo

2016-08-01

On page 6568, T. Minari and co-workers describe spontaneous patterning based on the parallel vacuum ultraviolet (PVUV) technique, enabling the homogeneous integration of complex, high-resolution electronic circuits, even on large-scale, flexible, transparent substrates. Irradiation of PVUV to the hydrophobic polymer surface precisely renders the selected surface into highly wettable regions with sharply defined boundaries, which spontaneously guides a metal nanoparticle ink into a series of circuit lines and gaps with the widths down to a resolution of 1 μm. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mitochondrial Mutation Rate, Spectrum and Heteroplasmy in Caenorhabditis elegans Spontaneous Mutation Accumulation Lines of Differing Population Size.

Science.gov (United States)

Konrad, Anke; Thompson, Owen; Waterston, Robert H; Moerman, Donald G; Keightley, Peter D; Bergthorsson, Ulfar; Katju, Vaishali

2017-06-01

Mitochondrial genomes of metazoans, given their elevated rates of evolution, have served as pivotal markers for phylogeographic studies and recent phylogenetic events. In order to determine the dynamics of spontaneous mitochondrial mutations in small populations in the absence and presence of selection, we evolved mutation accumulation (MA) lines of Caenorhabditis elegans in parallel over 409 consecutive generations at three varying population sizes of N = 1, 10, and 100 hermaphrodites. The N =1 populations should have a minimal influence of natural selection to provide the spontaneous mutation rate and the expected rate of neutral evolution, whereas larger population sizes should experience increasing intensity of selection. New mutations were identified by Illumina paired-end sequencing of 86 mtDNA genomes across 35 experimental lines and compared with published genomes of natural isolates. The spontaneous mitochondrial mutation rate was estimated at 1.05 × 10-7/site/generation. A strong G/C→A/T mutational bias was observed in both the MA lines and the natural isolates. This suggests that the low G + C content at synonymous sites is the product of mutation bias rather than selection as previously proposed. The mitochondrial effective population size per worm generation was estimated to be 62. Although it was previously concluded that heteroplasmy was rare in C. elegans, the vast majority of mutations in this study were heteroplasmic despite an experimental regime exceeding 400 generations. The frequencies of frameshift and nonsynonymous mutations were negatively correlated with population size, which suggests their deleterious effects on fitness and a potent role for selection in their eradication. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Case of Spontaneously Resolved Bilateral Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan Kahraman

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A condition of intrapleural air-space accumulation in individuals without any history of trauma or lung disease is called as primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP. Sixteen-years-old male patient admitted with complains of chest pain and dyspnea beginning 3 day ago. On physical examination, severity of breath sounds decreased on right side. Chest radiograph was taken and right-sided pneumothorax was detected and tube thoracostomy was inserted. Two months ago the patient referred to a doctor with similar complaints and physical examination and chest radiograph were reported as normal. The radiograph was retrospectively examined and bilateral PSP was detected. We presented the case duo to spontaneous recovery of bilateral PSP is seen very rarely and so contributes data to the literature. In patients admitted to the clinic with chest pain and shortness of breath, pneumothorax should be considered at differential diagnosis.

Maternal underweight and the risk of spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helgstrand, Stine; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo

2005-01-01

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the risk of spontaneous abortion in relation to maternal pre-pregnant underweight. METHODS: The study was designed as a cohort study within the framework of the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC). The participants were a total of 23 821 women recruited consecutively...... spontaneous abortion. Relative risk of spontaneous abortion was calculated as Hazard Ratios using Cox regression with delayed entry. RESULTS: The outcome measure was spontaneous abortion. The hazard ratio for spontaneous abortion in women with a pre-pregnant body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 was 1.24 (95......% confidence limits 0.95-1.63) compared to women with pre-pregnant BMI 18.5-24.9. Women with a BMI of 25 or more had a smaller increase in risk of spontaneous abortion. Adjustment for maternal age, parity, previous miscarriages, and lifestyle factors did not affect the estimates substantially, neither did...

Spontaneous human combustion in the light of the 21st century.

Science.gov (United States)

Koljonen, Virve; Kluger, Nicolas

2012-01-01

The term "spontaneous human combustion" refers to a situation when a human body is found with significant portions of the middle parts of the body reduced to ashes, much less damage to the head and extremities, and minimal damage to the direct surroundings of the body. Typically, no observable source of ignition is found in the vicinity of the victim and a bad smelling oily substance is noted. In the past, such a situation was erroneously attributed to supernatural powers, as such phenomenon occurs in the absence of any witness. The purpose of this review article was to analyze articles published from January 1, 2000, on this unique type of burn injury. Further aims were to gather and present data on the causes and events leading to this situation. The literature was reviewed with PubMed interface using the key words spontaneous human combustion and preternatural combustion. Specific inclusion criteria resulted in 12 patients. A unique sequence of events takes place for the human body to incinerate to ashes. The flame burn victim has to die for the body fat to start melting. A tear in the skin has to occur for the melted fat to impregnate the charred clothes, igniting a wick effect that produces localized heat for extended period. A phenomenon called spontaneous human combustion is reality. The term "spontaneous human combustion" has nuances which are not applicable to this situation or to these modern times, therefore we suggest a new term "fat wick burns."

Spontaneous deregulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Edelman, Benjamin; Geradin, Damien

Platform businesses such as Airbnb and Uber have risen to success partly by sidestepping laws and regulations that encumber their traditional competitors. Such rule flouting is what the authors call “spontaneous private deregulation,” and it’s happening in a growing number of industries. The authors

Analysis of SOS-Induced Spontaneous Prophage Induction in Corynebacterium glutamicum at the Single-Cell Level

Science.gov (United States)

Nanda, Arun M.; Heyer, Antonia; Krämer, Christina; Grünberger, Alexander; Kohlheyer, Dietrich

2014-01-01

The genome of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 contains three integrated prophage elements (CGP1 to -3). Recently, it was shown that the large lysogenic prophage CGP3 (∼187 kbp) is excised spontaneously in a small number of cells. In this study, we provide evidence that a spontaneously induced SOS response is partly responsible for the observed spontaneous CGP3 induction. Whereas previous studies focused mainly on the induction of prophages at the population level, we analyzed the spontaneous CGP3 induction at the single-cell level using promoters of phage genes (Pint2 and Plysin) fused to reporter genes encoding fluorescent proteins. Flow-cytometric analysis revealed a spontaneous CGP3 activity in about 0.01 to 0.08% of the cells grown in standard minimal medium, which displayed a significantly reduced viability. A PrecA-eyfp promoter fusion revealed that a small fraction of C. glutamicum cells (∼0.2%) exhibited a spontaneous induction of the SOS response. Correlation of PrecA to the activity of downstream SOS genes (PdivS and PrecN) confirmed a bona fide induction of this stress response rather than stochastic gene expression. Interestingly, the reporter output of PrecA and CGP3 promoter fusions displayed a positive correlation at the single-cell level (ρ = 0.44 to 0.77). Furthermore, analysis of the PrecA-eyfp/Pint2-e2-crimson strain during growth revealed the highest percentage of spontaneous PrecA and Pint2 activity in the early exponential phase, when fast replication occurs. Based on these studies, we postulate that spontaneously occurring DNA damage induces the SOS response, which in turn triggers the induction of lysogenic prophages. PMID:24163339

Spontaneous plant colonization of brownfield soil and sludges and effects on substrate properties and pollutants mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Rocco, Claudia; Agrelli, Diana; Gonzalez, Maria Isabel; Mingo, Antonio; Motti, Riccardo; Stinca, Adriano; Coppola, Ida; Adamo, Paola

2017-04-01

This work was done on brownfield soil and sludges from a dismantled steel plant, moderately polluted by heavy metals (mainly Pb and Zn), 1) to analyzed the effects of substrate properties and environmental conditions on spontaneous vegetation; 2) to assess changes in the chemical properties of soils and sludges, with particular reference to the mobility and bioavailability of pollutants, induced by spontaneous plants revegetation. From 2006 to 2011, spontaneous plant colonization was monitored in the presence or absence of acidic peat both inside the degraded brownfield site and after transferal into a nearby Oak Park environment. During the five experimental years the vegetation growth was monitored using phytosociological method and data analyzed statistically. Both substrates, before and after plant growth, were analyzed for main chemical properties. Metals mobility and bioavailability was assessed using single (H2O; DTPA) and sequential extractions (EU-BCR). At the end of the experiment, plant ability to uptake metal was evaluated on selected species. Overall, 57 plant species grew healthily on the substrates. The combination of soil and sludges with peat resulted in an effective revegetation with a sensible increasing of plants biomass. Most of the species were found in the park (91%), showing plant colonization was mainly affected by the immediate environment rather than by substrate properties. Furthermore, after the five years, the substrate properties (pH, O.C.) were slightly affected by plant growth and, although metal pollutants in both substrates are characterized by low water solubility and DTPA availability, after plants growth an increase (even if not significant) of rhizospheric Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn solubility in H2O was detected. Metals speciation indicated a low risk of Pb and Zn mobility being either largely trapped in the mineralogical structure of oxides and silicates and occluded in easily reducible manganese or iron oxides. Restricted metal

A case of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamane, Kanji; Yoshimoto, Hisanori; Harada, Kiyoshi; Uozumi, Tohru; Kuwabara, Satoshi.

1983-01-01

The authors experienced a case of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy diagnosed by CT scan with metrizamide and Conray. Patient was 23-year-old male who had been in good health until one month before admission, when he began to have headache and tinnitus. He noticed bilateral visual acuity was decreased about one week before admission and vomiting appeared two days before admission. He was admitted to our hospital because of bilateral papilledema and remarkable hydrocephalus diagnosed by CT scan. On admission, no abnormal neurological signs except for bilateral papilledema were noted. Immediately, right ventricular drainage was performed. Pressure of the ventricle was over 300mmH 2 O and CSF was clear. PVG and PEG disclosed an another cavity behind the third ventricle, which was communicated with the third ventricle, and occlusion of aqueduct of Sylvius. Metrizamide CT scan and Conray CT scan showed a communication between this cavity and quadrigeminal and supracerebellar cisterns. On these neuroradiological findings, the diagnosis of obstructive hydrocephalus due to benign aqueduct stenosis accompanied with spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy was obtained. Spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy was noticed to produce arrest of hydrocephalus, but with our case, spontaneous regression of such symptoms did not appeared. By surgical ventriculocisternostomy (method by Torkildsen, Dandy, or Scarff), arrest of hydrocephalus was seen in about 50 to 70 per cent, which was the same results as those of spontaneous ventriculocisternostomy. It is concluded that VP shunt or VA shunt is thought to be better treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus than the various kinds of surgical ventriculocisternostomy. (J.P.N.)

Selective chloroform sensor using thiol functionalized reduced graphene oxide at room temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Midya, Anupam; Mukherjee, Subhrajit; Roy, Shreyasee; Santra, Sumita; Manna, Nilotpal; Ray, Samit K.

2018-02-01

This paper presents a highly selective chloroform sensor using functionalised reduced graphene oxide (RGO) as a sensing layer. Thiol group is covalently attached on the basal plan of RGO film by a simple one-step aryl diazonium chemistry to improve its selectivity. Several spectroscopic techniques like X-ray photoelectron, Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm successful thiol functionalization of RGO. Finally, the fabricated chemiresistor type sensor is exposed to chloroform in the concentration range 200-800 ppm (parts per million). The sensor shows a 4.3% of response towards 800 ppm chloroform. The selectivity of the sensor is analyzed using various volatile organic compounds as well. The devices show enhanced response and faster recovery attributed to the physiosorption of chloroform onto thiol functionalized graphene making them attractive for 2D materials based sensing applications.

Molecular alterations underlying the spontaneous and γ-ray-induced point mutations at the white locus of Drosophila Melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrova, M.V.; Lapidus, I.L.; Aleksandrov, I.D.; Karpovskij, A.L.

1996-01-01

The white locus in D.Melanogaster was selected as a target gene for the study of the mutational spectra of spontaneously arising and radiation-induced gene mutations in a whole organism. Analysis of 6 spontaneous and 73 γ-ray-induced white mutations by a combination of cytological, genetic and molecular techniques revealed that on the chromosomal and genetic levels all spontaneous mutations showed themselves to be point mutants. The share of such mutants among all heritable radiation-induced gene mutations is about 40%, whereas the rest ones are due to exchange breaks (8%) as well as multilocus, single-locus or partial-locus (intragenic) deletions (52%). The DNAs from 4 spontaneous and 17 γ-ray-induced point mutants were analysed by Southern blot-hybridization. The three spontaneous and 7 radiation mutants showed an altered DNA sequence at the left (distal) half of the white gene due to insertion or DNA rearrangement. The rest (58%) of the radiation-induced point mutations did not indicate any alternations in this part of the gene as detected by this technique and probes employed. 15 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Compound stimulus extinction reduces spontaneous recovery in humans

OpenAIRE

Coelho, Cesar A.O.; Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Phelps, Elizabeth A.

2015-01-01

Fear-related behaviors are prone to relapse following extinction. We tested in humans a compound extinction design (“deepened extinction”) shown in animal studies to reduce post-extinction fear recovery. Adult subjects underwent fear conditioning to a visual and an auditory conditioned stimulus (CSA and CSB, respectively) separately paired with an electric shock. The target CS (CSA) was extinguished alone followed by compound presentations of the extinguished CSA and nonextinguished CSB. Reco...

Tigecycline reduced tumor necrosis factor alpha level and inhospital mortality in spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad Saekhu

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background: The outcome of patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (SSICH is unsatisfactory. Inflammatory response secondary to brain injury as well as those resulted from surgical procedure were considered responsible of this outcome. This study was intended to elucidate the anti-inflammatory activity of tigecycline by measuring TNF-α level and its neuroprotective effect as represented by inhospital mortality rate.Methods: Patients with SSICH who were prepared for hematoma evacuation were randomized to receive either tigecycline (n=35 or fosfomycine (n=37 as prophylactic antibiotic. TNF-α level was measured in all subjects before surgery and postoperatively on day-1 and day-7. A repeated brain CT Scan was performed on postoperative day-7. The Glasgow outcome scale (GOS and length of stay (LOS were recorded at the time of hospital discharge. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Chi square test. Relative clinical effectiveness was measured by calculating the number needed to treat (NNT.Results: There was a significant difference regarding the proportion of subject who had  reduced TNF-α level on postoperative day-7 between the groups receiving tigecycline and fosfomycine (62% vs 29%, p=0.022. Decrease brain edema on CT control (86% vs 80%, p=0.580. Tigecycline administration showed a tendency of better clinical effectiveness in lowering inhospital mortality (17% vs 35%; p=0.083; OR=0.49; NNT=5 and worse clinical outcome / GOS ≤ 2 (20% vs 38% ; p=0.096; OR=0.41; NNT=6. LOS ≥ 15 hari ( 40% vs 27%; p=0.243; OR=1.81; NNT=8.Conclusion: Tigecycline showed anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities. These activities were associated with improved clinical outcome in patients with SSICH after hematoma evacuation.

Quantifying emissions from spontaneous combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-09-01

Spontaneous combustion can be a significant problem in the coal industry, not only due to the obvious safety hazard and the potential loss of valuable assets, but also with respect to the release of gaseous pollutants, especially CO2, from uncontrolled coal fires. This report reviews methodologies for measuring emissions from spontaneous combustion and discusses methods for quantifying, estimating and accounting for the purpose of preparing emission inventories.

Proteomic Analysis of Early Mid-Trimester Amniotic Fluid Does Not Predict Spontaneous Preterm Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Lenco, Juraj; Vajrychova, Marie; Link, Marek; Tambor, Vojtech; Liman, Victor; Bullarbo, Maria; Nilsson, Staffan; Tsiartas, Panagiotis; Cobo, Teresa; Kacerovsky, Marian; Jacobsson, Bo

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to identify early proteomic biomarkers of spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD) in mid-trimester amniotic fluid from asymptomatic women. Methods This is a case-cohort study. Amniotic fluid from mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis (14–19 weeks of gestation) was collected from 2008 to 2011. The analysis was conducted in 24 healthy women with subsequent spontaneous PTD (cases) and 40 randomly selected healthy women delivering at term (controls). An exploratory phase with proteomics analysis of pooled samples was followed by a verification phase with ELISA of individual case and control samples. Results The median (interquartile range (IQR: 25th; 75th percentiles) gestational age at delivery was 35+5 (33+6–36+6) weeks in women with spontaneous PTD and 40+0 (39+1–40+5) weeks in women who delivered at term. In the exploratory phase, the most pronounced differences were found in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, that were approximately two-fold higher in the pooled case samples than in the pooled control samples. However, we could not verify these differences with ELISA. The median (25th; 75th IQR) CRP level was 95.2 ng/mL (64.3; 163.5) in women with spontaneous PTD and 86.0 ng/mL (51.2; 145.8) in women delivering at term (p = 0.37; t-test). Conclusions Proteomic analysis with mass spectrometry of mid-trimester amniotic fluid suggests CRP as a potential marker of spontaneous preterm delivery, but this prognostic potential was not verified with ELISA. PMID:27214132

Resection of pulmonary nodule in a patient with subglottic stenosis under modified spontaneous ventilation anesthesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shen, Jianfei; Chen, Xuewei; Liang, Lixia

2017-01-01

. Here we present a case of pulmonary nodule resection in a patient with subglottic stenosis using uniportal thoracoscopy under spontaneous ventilation anesthesia (SVA). Compared with traditional double lumen endotracheal intubation, we believe this modified technique can significantly reduce airway...

Spontaneous calf haematoma: case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Zubaidah, N H; Liew, N C

2014-02-01

Spontaneous calf haematoma is a rare condition and few case reports have been published in the English literature. Common conditions like deep vein thrombosis and traumatic gastrocnemius muscle tear need to be considered when a patient presents with unilateral calf swelling and tenderness. Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are essential for confirmation of diagnosis. The purpose of this paper is to report on a rare case of spontaneous calf hematoma and its diagnosis and management.

[Epidemiologic findings on the spontaneous long-term course of psychogenic disease over 10 years].

Science.gov (United States)

Franz, M; Schepank, H; Reister, G; Schellberg, D

1994-01-01

207 individuals were selected from a random sample of the adult urban population of Mannheim according to the criterion of medium psychogenic impairment (high-risk population) and investigated three times between 1979 and 1991 with regard to prevalence and severity of psychogenic disorders. In contrast to clinical investigations, the present data render statements on the spontaneous course of psychogenic disorders in the general population. The existing psychogenic impairment was determined by means of various operationalizations (symptomatology, ICD-diagnoses, severity of impairment). The available data indicate a high stability of psychogenic impairment in the spontaneous course. Group statistically the severity of impairment even increases in the long term course. However, different subtypes of course in the investigated high-risk population can be identified by a cluster analysis.

F. VON HAYEK’S THEORY OF SPONTANEOUS ORDER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

О. Nesterenko

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The essence and the genesis of spontaneous order are disclosed in the context of critical analysis of constructivism. The author’s approach to the definition of the characteristic features of the spontaneous order is proposed. The dichotomy of the order is revealed towards the economic sphere in form of spontaneous order and organization.

Spontaneous Resolution of Chronic Subdural Hematoma : Close Observation as a Treatment Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyung Chan; Yoo, Dong Soo; Lee, Sang-Koo

2016-01-01

Objective Chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH) is common condition in neurosurgical field. It is difficult to select the treatment modality between the surgical method and the conservative method when patients have no or mild symptoms. The purpose of this study is to provide a suggestion that the patients could be cured with conservative treatment modality. Methods We enrolled 16 patients who had received conservative treatment for cSDH without special medications which could affect hematoma resolution such as mannitol, steroids, tranexamic acid and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. The patients were classified according to the Markwalder's Grading Scale. Results Among these 16 patients, 13 (81.3%) patients showed spontaneously resolved cSDH and 3 (18.7%) patients received surgery due to symptom aggravation and growing hematoma. They were categorized into two groups based on whether they were cured with conservative treatment or not. The first group was the spontaneous resolution group. The second group was the progression-surgery group. The mean hematoma volume in the spontaneous resolution group was 43.1 mL. The mean degree of midline shift in the spontaneous resolution group was 5.3 mm. The mean hematoma volume in the progression-surgery group was 62.0 mL. The mean degree of midline shift in the second group was 6 mm. Conclusion We suggest that the treatment modality should be determined according to the patient's symptoms and clinical condition and close observation could be performed in patients who do not have any symptoms or in patients who have mild to moderate headache without neurological deterioration. PMID:27847578

An N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor mediated large, low-frequency, spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current in neonatal rat spinal dorsal horn neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomson, L M; Zeng, J; Terman, G W

2006-09-01

Examples of spontaneous oscillating neural activity contributing to both pathological and physiological states are abundant throughout the CNS. Here we report a spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current located in lamina I of the neonatal rat spinal cord dorsal horn. The spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current is characterized by its large amplitude, slow decay time, and low-frequency. We demonstrate that post-synaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) mediate the spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current, as it is inhibited by magnesium, bath-applied d-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), or intracellular MK-801. The NR2B subunit of the NMDAR appears important to this phenomenon, as the NR2B subunit selective NMDAR antagonist, alpha-(4-hydroxphenyl)-beta-methyl-4-benzyl-1-piperidineethanol tartrate (ifenprodil), also partially inhibited the spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current. Inhibition of spontaneous glutamate release by the AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) or the mu-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2, N-Me-Phe4, Gly5] enkephalin-ol (DAMGO) inhibited the spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current frequency. Marked inhibition of spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current frequency by tetrodotoxin (TTX), but not post-synaptic N-(2,6-dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)triethylammonium bromide (QX-314), suggests that the glutamate release important to the spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current is dependent on active neural processes. Conversely, increasing dorsal horn synaptic glutamate release by GABAA or glycine inhibition increased spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current frequency. Moreover, inhibiting glutamate transporters with threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartic acid (DL-TBOA) increased spontaneous oscillating intermittent synaptic current frequency and decay time. A possible functional role of this spontaneous NMDAR

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum after bench press training.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishino, Tomoya

2017-04-01

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is often associated with asthma and mainly affects adolescent males with a tall, thin body habitus. A 17-year-old man complained of chest and pharyngeal pain after bench press training and spontaneous pneumomediastinum was diagnosed. It should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chest pain of uncertain cause.

Spontaneous cooperation for prosocials, but not for proselfs: Social value orientation moderates spontaneous cooperation behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Mischkowski, Dorothee; Glöckner, Andreas

2016-01-01

Cooperation is essential for the success of societies and there is an ongoing debate whether individuals have therefore developed a general spontaneous tendency to cooperate or not. Findings that cooperative behavior is related to shorter decision times provide support for the spontaneous cooperation effect, although contrary results have also been reported. We show that cooperative behavior is better described as person × situation interaction, in that there is a spontaneous cooperation effect for prosocial but not for proself persons. In three studies, one involving population representative samples from the US and Germany, we found that cooperation in a public good game is dependent on an interaction between individuals’ social value orientation and decision time. Increasing deliberation about the dilemma situation does not affect persons that are selfish to begin with, but it is related to decreasing cooperation for prosocial persons that gain positive utility from outcomes of others and score high on the related general personality trait honesty/humility. Our results demonstrate that the spontaneous cooperation hypothesis has to be qualified in that it is limited to persons with a specific personality and social values. Furthermore, they allow reconciling conflicting previous findings by identifying an important moderator for the effect. PMID:26876773

Highly selective gas sensor arrays based on thermally reduced graphene oxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipatov, Alexey; Varezhnikov, Alexey; Wilson, Peter; Sysoev, Victor; Kolmakov, Andrei; Sinitskii, Alexander

2013-06-21

The electrical properties of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been previously shown to be very sensitive to surface adsorbates, thus making rGO a very promising platform for highly sensitive gas sensors. However, poor selectivity of rGO-based gas sensors remains a major problem for their practical use. In this paper, we address the selectivity problem by employing an array of rGO-based integrated sensors instead of focusing on the performance of a single sensing element. Each rGO-based device in such an array has a unique sensor response due to the irregular structure of rGO films at different levels of organization, ranging from nanoscale to macroscale. The resulting rGO-based gas sensing system could reliably recognize analytes of nearly the same chemical nature. In our experiments rGO-based sensor arrays demonstrated a high selectivity that was sufficient to discriminate between different alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol and isopropanol, at a 100% success rate. We also discuss a possible sensing mechanism that provides the basis for analyte differentiation.

Can a central blood volume deficit be detected by systolic pressure variation during spontaneous breathing?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Michael; Hayes, Chris; Steen Rasmussen, Bodil

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Whether during spontaneous breathing arterial pressure variations (APV) can detect a volume deficit is not established. We hypothesized that amplification of intra-thoracic pressure oscillations by breathing through resistors would enhance APV to allow identification of a reduced card...

Review of pump suction reducer selection: Eccentric or concentric reducers

OpenAIRE

Mahaffey, R M; van Vuuren, S J

2014-01-01

Eccentric reducers are traditionally recommended for the pump suction reducer fitting to allow for transportation of air through the fitting to the pump. The ability of a concentric reducer to provide an improved approach flow to the pump while still allowing air to be transported through the fitting is investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were utilised to analyse six concentric and six eccentric reducer geometries at four different inlet velocities to determine the flow velocity ...

Acute, but not chronic, exposure to d-cycloserine facilitates extinction and modulates spontaneous recovery of a conditioned taste aversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Mickley, G Andrew; Remus, Jennifer L; Ramos, Linnet; Wilson, Gina N; Biesan, Orion R; Ketchesin, Kyle D

2012-01-18

opportunity to drink saccharin was provided (spontaneous recovery test). Saline-treated control rats that went through the EU-EXT procedure achieved asymptotic extinction more quickly than did the CSO-EXT rats and did not exhibit a spontaneous recovery of the CTA. Chronic DCS treatments did not significantly reduce the time to achieve asymptotic CTA extinction in rats exposed to either CSO or EU extinction methods. Further, animals treated with DCS throughout EU-EXT exhibited a spontaneous recovery of the CTA whereas the saline-treated, EU-EXT rats did not. Thus, chronic DCS treatment did not shorten the time to extinguish a CTA and this treatment eliminated the ability of EU-EXT to block spontaneous recovery of the CTA. Acute DCS treatments were more effective in reducing the time required to extinguish a CTA than were chronic drug treatments. Moreover, the timing of these acute DCS treatments affected spontaneous recovery of the CTA depending on the extinction method employed. Acute DCS administrations later in extinction were more effective in reducing spontaneous recovery than were early administrations if the rats went through the CSO-EXT procedure. However, late-in-extinction administrations of DCS facilitated spontaneous recovery of the CTA in rats that experienced the EU-EXT method. These data agree with other findings suggesting that DCS treatments are more effective when administered a limited number of times. Our data extend these findings to the CTA paradigm and further suggest that, depending on the extinction paradigm employed, acute exposure to DCS can speed up CTA extinction and reduce spontaneous recovery of the aversion. The timing of the acute DCS treatment during extinction is generally less important than its duration in predicting the rate of CTA extinction. However, the timing of acute DCS treatments during extinction and the method of extinction employed can interact to affect spontaneous recovery of a CTA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights

Spontaneous insertion of GPI anchors into cholesterol-rich membrane domains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available GPI-Anchored proteins (GPI-APs can be exogenously transferred onto bilayer membranes both in vivo and in vitro, while the mechanism by which this transfer process occurs is unknown. In this work, we used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations to characterize the essential influence of cholesterol on insertion of the GPI anchors into plasma membranes. We demonstrate, both dynamically and energetically, that in the presence of cholesterol, the tails of GPI anchors are able to penetrate inside the core of the lipid membrane spontaneously with a three-step mechanism, while in the absence of cholesterol no spontaneous insertion was observed. We ascribe the failure of insertion to the strong thermal fluctuation of lipid molecules in cholesterol-free bilayer, which generates a repulsive force in entropic origin. In the presence of cholesterol, however, the fluctuation of lipids is strongly reduced, thus decreasing the barrier for the anchor insertion. Based on this observation, we propose a hypothesis that addition of cholesterol creates vertical creases in membranes for the insertion of acyl chains. Moreover, we find that the GPI anchor could also spontaneously inserted into the boundary between cholesterol-rich and cholesterol-depleted domains. Our results shed light on the mechanism of cholesterol-mediated interaction between membrane proteins with acyl chain and plasma membranes in living cells.

Spontaneous insertion of GPI anchors into cholesterol-rich membrane domains

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jing; Liu, Xiuhua; Tian, Falin; Yue, Tongtao; Zhang, Xianren; Cao, Dapeng

2018-05-01

GPI-Anchored proteins (GPI-APs) can be exogenously transferred onto bilayer membranes both in vivo and in vitro, while the mechanism by which this transfer process occurs is unknown. In this work, we used atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations to characterize the essential influence of cholesterol on insertion of the GPI anchors into plasma membranes. We demonstrate, both dynamically and energetically, that in the presence of cholesterol, the tails of GPI anchors are able to penetrate inside the core of the lipid membrane spontaneously with a three-step mechanism, while in the absence of cholesterol no spontaneous insertion was observed. We ascribe the failure of insertion to the strong thermal fluctuation of lipid molecules in cholesterol-free bilayer, which generates a repulsive force in entropic origin. In the presence of cholesterol, however, the fluctuation of lipids is strongly reduced, thus decreasing the barrier for the anchor insertion. Based on this observation, we propose a hypothesis that addition of cholesterol creates vertical creases in membranes for the insertion of acyl chains. Moreover, we find that the GPI anchor could also spontaneously inserted into the boundary between cholesterol-rich and cholesterol-depleted domains. Our results shed light on the mechanism of cholesterol-mediated interaction between membrane proteins with acyl chain and plasma membranes in living cells.

Spontaneous ischaemic stroke in dogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gredal, Hanne Birgit; Skerritt, G. C.; Gideon, P.

2013-01-01

Translation of experimental stroke research into the clinical setting is often unsuccessful. Novel approaches are therefore desirable. As humans, pet dogs suffer from spontaneous ischaemic stroke and may hence offer new ways of studying genuine stroke injury mechanisms.......Translation of experimental stroke research into the clinical setting is often unsuccessful. Novel approaches are therefore desirable. As humans, pet dogs suffer from spontaneous ischaemic stroke and may hence offer new ways of studying genuine stroke injury mechanisms....

Spontaneity and international marketing performance

OpenAIRE

Souchon, Anne L.; Hughes, Paul; Farrell, Andrew M.; Nemkova, Ekaterina; Oliveira, Joao S.

2016-01-01

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ascertain how today’s international marketers can perform better on the global scene by harnessing spontaneity. Design/methodology/approach – The authors draw on contingency theory to develop a model of the spontaneity – international marketing performance relationship, and identify three potential m...

Preclinical study of selective thermal neutron capture treatment of pigs having spontaneous melanoma using melanin productive activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyashita, Ichiro; Sawaya, Hiroshi; Nomura, Toyoichiro

1980-01-01

Four pigs having spontaneous melanoma were irradiated with 0.5 - 2 x 10 13 n/cm 2 of thermal neutron under remote anesthesia. Compounds of 10 B used in this experiment were 10 B 12 -chlorpromazine ( 10 B 12 -CPZ), 10 B-dopa, and 10 B 1 -para-boronophenylalanine ( 10 B 1 -BPA), and they were injected into melanoma or regions around melanoma. After irradiation of thermal neutron, melanoma tended to reduce in four pigs, and melanoma cells in white fur and hair bulb disappeared in 3 of 4 pigs. Hematological examinations and blood chemistry tests did not show any changes in blood findings both before and after the irradiation, and white blood cell counts were within a normal range. Dermatitis following the irradiation disappeared one week later. Histological changes one month after the irradiation indicated that many melanophages feeding melanosome replaced melanoma cells, which suggested disintegration of melanoma cells. Marked effectiveness of this treatment was recognized in each pig. 10 B-BPA.HCI was injected into one pig twice, and its accumulation in melanoma and normal regions around melanoma was expressed as boron concentrations. As a result, the accumulation in melanoma (6.6 μg/g wet tissue) was 3.1 times as much as that in normal regions around melanoma (2.1 μg/g wet tissue). (Tsunoda, M.)

Aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Botao; Ma, Dong; Li, Fanglei; Li, Yong

2017-11-01

We have developed aqueous clay suspensions stabilized by alginate fluid gels (AFG) for coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control. Specially, this study aimed to characterize the effect of AFG on the microstructure, static and dynamic stability, and coal fire inhibition performances of the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions. Compared with aqueous clay suspensions, the AFG-stabilized clay suspensions manifest high static and dynamic stability, which can be ascribed to the formation of a robust three-dimensional gel network by AFG. The coal acceleration oxidation experimental results show that the prepared AFG-stabilized clay suspensions can improve the coal thermal stability and effectively inhibit the coal spontaneous oxidation process by increasing crossing point temperature (CPT) and reducing CO emission. The prepared low-cost and nontoxic AFG-stabilized clay suspensions, exhibiting excellent coal fire extinguishing performances, indicate great application potentials in coal spontaneous combustion prevention and control.

Inhibition of Inactive States of Tetrodotoxin-Sensitive Sodium Channels Reduces Spontaneous Firing of C-Fiber Nociceptors and Produces Analgesia in Formalin and Complete Freund's Adjuvant Models of Pain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J Matson

Full Text Available While genetic evidence shows that the Nav1.7 voltage-gated sodium ion channel is a key regulator of pain, it is unclear exactly how Nav1.7 governs neuronal firing and what biophysical, physiological, and distribution properties of a pharmacological Nav1.7 inhibitor are required to produce analgesia. Here we characterize a series of aminotriazine inhibitors of Nav1.7 in vitro and in rodent models of pain and test the effects of the previously reported "compound 52" aminotriazine inhibitor on the spiking properties of nociceptors in vivo. Multiple aminotriazines, including some with low terminal brain to plasma concentration ratios, showed analgesic efficacy in the formalin model of pain. Effective concentrations were consistent with the in vitro potency as measured on partially-inactivated Nav1.7 but were far below concentrations required to inhibit non-inactivated Nav1.7. Compound 52 also reversed thermal hyperalgesia in the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA model of pain. To study neuronal mechanisms, electrophysiological recordings were made in vivo from single nociceptive fibers from the rat tibial nerve one day after CFA injection. Compound 52 reduced the spontaneous firing of C-fiber nociceptors from approximately 0.7 Hz to 0.2 Hz and decreased the number of action potentials evoked by suprathreshold tactile and heat stimuli. It did not, however, appreciably alter the C-fiber thresholds for response to tactile or thermal stimuli. Surprisingly, compound 52 did not affect spontaneous activity or evoked responses of Aδ-fiber nociceptors. Results suggest that inhibition of inactivated states of TTX-S channels, mostly likely Nav1.7, in the peripheral nervous system produces analgesia by regulating the spontaneous discharge of C-fiber nociceptors.

Analysis of the Spontaneous Abortion in Chinese Married Women

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

高尔生; 邓新清; 何更生; 方可娟; 唐威; 楼超华

1994-01-01

The spontaneous abortion is a common type of pregnant outcomes. The spontaneous abortion rate can be used to indicate the women's fecundity and the level of the reproductive health. It is also a sensitive indicator for determing the social, economic, and health status and prenatal care. To explore the preventive method for spontaneous abortion and improve women's health level, it is important to evaluate the status of spontaneous abortion and to determine the factors affecting

Spontaneous Food Fermentations and Potential Risks for Human Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vittorio Capozzi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Fermented foods and beverages are a heterogeneous class of products with a relevant worldwide significance for human economy, nutrition and health for millennia. A huge diversity of microorganisms is associated with the enormous variety in terms of raw materials, fermentative behavior and obtained products. In this wide microbiodiversity it is possible that the presence of microbial pathogens and toxic by-products of microbial origin, including mycotoxins, ethyl carbamate and biogenic amines, are aspects liable to reduce the safety of the consumed product. Together with other approaches (e.g., use of preservatives, respect of specific physico-chemical parameters, starter cultures technology has been conceived to successfully dominate indigenous microflora and to drive fermentation to foresee the desired attributes of the matrix, assuring quality and safety. Recent trends indicate a general return to spontaneous food fermentation. In this review, we point out the potential risks for human health associated with uncontrolled (uninoculated food fermentation and we discuss biotechnological approaches susceptible to conciliate fermented food safety, with instances of an enhanced contribution of microbes associated to spontaneous fermentation.

Cerebrovascular gene expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grell, Anne-Sofie; Frederiksen, Simona Denise; Edvinsson, Lars

2017-01-01

Hypertension is a hemodynamic disorder and one of the most important and well-established risk factors for vascular diseases such as stroke. Blood vessels exposed to chronic shear stress develop structural changes and remodeling of the vascular wall through many complex mechanisms. However......, the molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Hypertension-susceptible genes may provide a novel insight into potential molecular mechanisms of hypertension and secondary complications associated with hypertension. The aim of this exploratory study was to identify gene expression differences......, the identified genes in the middle cerebral arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats could be possible mediators of the vascular changes and secondary complications associated with hypertension. This study supports the selection of key genes to investigate in the future research of hypertension-induced end...

Selective pruning in pineapple plants as means to reduce heterogeneity in fruit quality

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fassinou Hotegni, V.N.; Lommen, W.J.M.; Struik, P.C.; Agbossou, E.K.

2015-01-01

Heterogeneity in fruit quality (size and taste) is a major problem in pineapple production chains. The possibilities were investigated of reducing the heterogeneity in pineapple in the field by pruning slips on selected plants, in order to promote the fruit growth on these plants. Slips are side

The usefulness of two-port video-assisted thoracosopic surgery in low-risk patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax compared with open thoracotomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoung Taek Park

2014-01-01

Conclusion: In selected patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax treated with surgical approach, two-port VATS resulted in shorter postoperative drainage period and hospital stay compared with open thoracotomy.

Spontaneous Vesicle Recycling in the Synaptic Bouton

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Sven eTruckenbrodt

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The trigger for synaptic vesicle exocytosis is Ca2+, which enters the synaptic bouton following action potential stimulation. However, spontaneous release of neurotransmitter also occurs in the absence of stimulation in virtually all synaptic boutons. It has long been thought that this represents exocytosis driven by fluctuations in local Ca2+ levels. The vesicles responding to these fluctuations are thought to be the same ones that release upon stimulation, albeit potentially triggered by different Ca2+ sensors. This view has been challenged by several recent works, which have suggested that spontaneous release is driven by a separate pool of synaptic vesicles. Numerous articles appeared during the last few years in support of each of these hypotheses, and it has been challenging to bring them into accord. We speculate here on the origins of this controversy, and propose a solution that is related to developmental effects. Constitutive membrane traffic, needed for the biogenesis of vesicles and synapses, is responsible for high levels of spontaneous membrane fusion in young neurons, probably independent of Ca2+. The vesicles releasing spontaneously in such neurons are not related to other synaptic vesicle pools and may represent constitutively releasing vesicles (CRVs rather than bona fide synaptic vesicles. In mature neurons, constitutive traffic is much dampened, and the few remaining spontaneous release events probably represent bona fide spontaneously releasing synaptic vesicles (SRSVs responding to Ca2+ fluctuations, along with a handful of CRVs that participate in synaptic vesicle turnover.

Spontaneous Atraumatic Mediastinal Hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morkos Iskander BSc, BMBS, MRCS, PGCertMedEd

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous atraumatic mediastinal hematomas are rare. We present a case of a previously fit and well middle-aged lady who presented with acute breathlessness and an increasing neck swelling and spontaneous neck bruising. On plain chest radiograph, widening of the mediastinum was noted. The bruising was later confirmed to be secondary to mediastinal hematoma. This life-threatening diagnostic conundrum was managed conservatively with a multidisciplinary team approach involving upper gastrointestinal and thoracic surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, intensivists, and hematologists along with a variety of diagnostic modalities. A review of literature is also presented to help surgeons manage such challenging and complicated cases.

Spontaneous Retropharyngeal Emphysema: A Case Report | Chi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... is a rare clinical condition in pediatric otolaryngology. The predominant symptoms are sore throat, odynophagia, dysphagia, and neck pain. Here, we report a case of spontaneous retropharyngeal emphysema. Keywords: Iatrogenic injury, retropharyngeal emphysema, spontaneous retropharyngeal emphysem, trauma ...

Spontaneous regression of pulmonary bullae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, H.; Ishikawa, H.; Ohtsuka, M.; Sekizawa, K.

2002-01-01

The natural history of pulmonary bullae is often characterized by gradual, progressive enlargement. Spontaneous regression of bullae is, however, very rare. We report a case in which complete resolution of pulmonary bullae in the left upper lung occurred spontaneously. The management of pulmonary bullae is occasionally made difficult because of gradual progressive enlargement associated with abnormal pulmonary function. Some patients have multiple bulla in both lungs and/or have a history of pulmonary emphysema. Others have a giant bulla without emphysematous change in the lungs. Our present case had treated lung cancer with no evidence of local recurrence. He had no emphysematous change in lung function test and had no complaints, although the high resolution CT scan shows evidence of underlying minimal changes of emphysema. Ortin and Gurney presented three cases of spontaneous reduction in size of bulla. Interestingly, one of them had a marked decrease in the size of a bulla in association with thickening of the wall of the bulla, which was observed in our patient. This case we describe is of interest, not only because of the rarity with which regression of pulmonary bulla has been reported in the literature, but also because of the spontaneous improvements in the radiological picture in the absence of overt infection or tumor. Copyright (2002) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

Uniportal versus three-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax: a meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Shi-Lei; Huang, Jin-Bo; Yang, Yan-Long

2015-01-01

Background Whether or not uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is beneficial for spontaneous pneumothorax remains inconclusive. This meta-analysis aimed to summarize the available evidence to assess the feasibility and advantages of uniportal VATS for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax compared with three-port VATS. Methods Eligible publications were identified by searching the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data databases and CQVIP. Odds ratios (OR) and standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to compare dichotomous and continuous variables, respectively. Results This meta-analysis was based on 17 studies and included a total of 988 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax. No death was reported during the perioperative period. Compared with three-port VATS groups, there was a statistically significant difference in uniportal VATS groups regarding postoperative hospital stay (SMD= −0.58; 95% CI: −1.04 to −0.12; P=0.01), paresthesia (OR=0.13; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.24; Pparesthesia as well as an improvement in patients’ satisfaction. This meta-analysis indicated that using uniportal VATS to treat spontaneous pneumothorax was safe and feasible, and it may be a better alternative procedure because of its advantage in reducing postoperative pain and paresthesia. PMID:26793349

Video-assisted thoracoscopy treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Haitao; Ren Jian; Che Jiaming; Hang Junbiao; Qiu Weicheng; Chen Zhongyuan

2002-01-01

Objective: To propose a treatment protocol by video thoracoscopy in spontaneous pneumothorax. Methods: One hundred and three patients underwent Video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS) treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax and hemothorax. Indications included recurrent pneumothorax, persistent air leakage following conservative therapy, complicated hemothorax and CT scan identified bullae formation. Results: No operative deaths occurred, conversion rate was 2.91%, recurrence rate was 0.97%, complication rate was 3.81% and mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.6 days. Conclusions: VATS treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax is better than open chest surgery and also superior than conservative therapy

Spontaneous Dissection of the Superior Mesenteric Artery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheldon, Patrick J.; Esther, James B.; Sheldon, Elana L.; Sparks, Steven R.; Brophy, David P.; Oglevie, Steven B.

2001-01-01

Spontaneous dissection of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is a rare occurrence, especially when not associated with aortic dissection. Currently, only 28 cases appear to have been reported. Due to the scarcity of cases in the literature, the natural history of isolated, spontaneous SMA dissection is unclear. CT has been reported to be useful for the initial diagnosis of SMA dissection [2-5]. We present two recent cases of spontaneous SMA dissection in which enhanced spiral CT was instrumental in following the disease process and guiding clinical decision making

Endometriosis-related spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Triponez, Frédéric; Alifano, Marco; Bobbio, Antonio; Regnard, Jean-François

2010-10-01

Non-traumatic, spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture is a rare event whose pathophysiology is not known. We report the case of endometriosis-related spontaneous rupture of the right diaphragm with intrathoracic herniation of the liver, gallbladder and colon. We hypothesize that the invasiveness of endometriotic tissue caused diaphragm fragility, which finally lead to its complete rupture without traumatic event. The treatment consisted of a classical management of diaphragmatic rupture, with excision of the endometriotic nodule followed by medical ovarian suppression for six months.

Tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children: a multi-institutional cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tasian, Gregory E; Cost, Nicholas G; Granberg, Candace F; Pulido, Jose E; Rivera, Marcelino; Schwen, Zeyad; Schulte, Marion; Fox, Janelle A

2014-08-01

Tamsulosin is associated with increased passage of ureteral stones in adults but its effectiveness in children is uncertain. We determined the association between tamsulosin and the spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children. We performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of patients 18 years or younger who presented between 2007 and 2012 with ureteral stones up to 10 mm and who were treated with tamsulosin or oral analgesics alone. The outcome was spontaneous stone passage, defined as radiographic clearance and/or patient report of passage. Subjects prescribed tamsulosin were matched with subjects prescribed analgesics alone, using nearest neighbor propensity score matching to adjust for treatment selection. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones, adjusting for stone size and location. Of 449 children with ureteral stones 334 were eligible for inclusion, and complete data were available for 274 patients from 4 institutions (99 receiving tamsulosin, 175 receiving analgesics alone). Following case matching, there were no differences in age, gender, weight, height, stone size or stone location between the 99 subjects prescribed tamsulosin and the 99 propensity score matched subjects prescribed analgesics alone. In the tamsulosin cohort 55% of ureteral stones passed, compared to 44% in the analgesics alone cohort (p=0.03). In multivariate analysis adjusting for stone size and location tamsulosin was associated with spontaneous passage of ureteral stones (OR 3.31, 95% CI 1.49-7.34). The odds of spontaneous passage of ureteral stones were greater in children prescribed tamsulosin vs analgesics alone. Copyright © 2014 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optical properties of spontaneous lateral composition modulation in AlAs/InAs short-period superlattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francoeur, S.; Zhang, Yong; Norman, A. G.; Alsina, F.; Mascarenhas, A.; Reno, J. L.; Jones, E. D.; Lee, S. R.; Follstaedt, D. M.

2000-01-01

The effect of lateral composition modulation, spontaneously generated during the epitaxial growth of an AlAs/InAs short-period superlattice, on the electronic band structure is investigated using phototransmission and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Compared with uniform layers of identical average composition, the presence of the composition modulation considerably reduces the band-gap energy and produces strongly polarized emission and absorption spectra. We demonstrate that the dominant polarization direction can selectively be aligned along the [1(bar sign)10] or [010] crystallographic directions. In compressively strained samples, the use of (001) InP substrates slightly miscut toward (111)A or (101) resulted in modulation directions along [110] or [100], respectively, and dominant polarization directions along a direction orthogonal to the respective composition modulation. Band-gap reductions as high as 350 and 310 meV are obtained for samples with composition modulation along [110] and [100], respectively. Ratios of polarized intensities up to 26 are observed in transmission spectra. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

Spontaneous Scalarization: Dead or Alive?

Science.gov (United States)

Berti, Emanuele; Crispino, Luis; Gerosa, Davide; Gualtieri, Leonardo; Horbatsch, Michael; Macedo, Caio; Okada da Silva, Hector; Pani, Paolo; Sotani, Hajime; Sperhake, Ulrich

2015-04-01

In 1993, Damour and Esposito-Farese showed that a wide class of scalar-tensor theories can pass weak-field gravitational tests and exhibit nonperturbative strong-field deviations away from General Relativity in systems involving neutron stars. These deviations are possible in the presence of ``spontaneous scalarization,'' a phase transition similar in nature to spontaneous magnetization in ferromagnets. More than twenty years after the original proposal, binary pulsar experiments have severely constrained the possibility of spontaneous scalarization occurring in nature. I will show that these experimental constraints have important implications for the torsional oscillation frequencies of neutron stars and for the so-called ``I-Love-Q'' relations in scalar-tensor theories. I will also argue that there is still hope to observe strong scalarization effects, despite the strong experimental bounds on the original mechanism. In particular, I will discuss two mechanisms that could produce strong scalarization in neutron stars: anisotropy and multiscalarization. This work was supported by NSF CAREER Award PHY-1055103.

Computational Account of Spontaneous Activity as a Signature of Predictive Coding.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronika Koren

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous activity is commonly observed in a variety of cortical states. Experimental evidence suggested that neural assemblies undergo slow oscillations with Up ad Down states even when the network is isolated from the rest of the brain. Here we show that these spontaneous events can be generated by the recurrent connections within the network and understood as signatures of neural circuits that are correcting their internal representation. A noiseless spiking neural network can represent its input signals most accurately when excitatory and inhibitory currents are as strong and as tightly balanced as possible. However, in the presence of realistic neural noise and synaptic delays, this may result in prohibitively large spike counts. An optimal working regime can be found by considering terms that control firing rates in the objective function from which the network is derived and then minimizing simultaneously the coding error and the cost of neural activity. In biological terms, this is equivalent to tuning neural thresholds and after-spike hyperpolarization. In suboptimal working regimes, we observe spontaneous activity even in the absence of feed-forward inputs. In an all-to-all randomly connected network, the entire population is involved in Up states. In spatially organized networks with local connectivity, Up states spread through local connections between neurons of similar selectivity and take the form of a traveling wave. Up states are observed for a wide range of parameters and have similar statistical properties in both active and quiescent state. In the optimal working regime, Up states are vanishing, leaving place to asynchronous activity, suggesting that this working regime is a signature of maximally efficient coding. Although they result in a massive increase in the firing activity, the read-out of spontaneous Up states is in fact orthogonal to the stimulus representation, therefore interfering minimally with the network

Detection of target phonemes in spontaneous and read speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, G; Cutler, A

1988-01-01

Although spontaneous speech occurs more frequently in most listeners' experience than read speech, laboratory studies of human speech recognition typically use carefully controlled materials read from a script. The phonological and prosodic characteristics of spontaneous and read speech differ considerably, however, which suggests that laboratory results may not generalise to the recognition of spontaneous speech. In the present study listeners were presented with both spontaneous and read speech materials, and their response time to detect word-initial target phonemes was measured. Responses were, overall, equally fast in each speech mode. However, analysis of effects previously reported in phoneme detection studies revealed significant differences between speech modes. In read speech but not in spontaneous speech, later targets were detected more rapidly than targets preceded by short words. In contrast, in spontaneous speech but not in read speech, targets were detected more rapidly in accented than in unaccented words and in strong than in weak syllables. An explanation for this pattern is offered in terms of characteristic prosodic differences between spontaneous and read speech. The results support claims from previous work that listeners pay great attention to prosodic information in the process of recognising speech.

Spontaneous CP violation on the lattice

CERN Document Server

Laine, Mikko

2000-01-01

At finite temperatures around the electroweak phase transition, the thermodynamics of the MSSM can be described by a three-dimensional two Higgs doublet effective theory. This effective theory has a phase where CP is spontaneously violated. We study spontaneous CP violation with non-perturbative lattice simulations, and analyse whether one could end up in this phase for any physical MSSM parameter values.

Reduced and selective integration techniques in the finite element analysis of plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, T.J.R.; Cohen, M.; Haroun, M.

1978-01-01

Efforts to develop effective plate bending finite elements by reduced integration techniques are described. The basis for the development is a 'thick' plate theory in which transverse shear strains are accounted for. The variables in the theory are all kinematic, namely, displacements and independent rotations. As only C 0 continuity is required, isoparametric elements may be employed, which result in several advantages over thin plate elements. It is shown that the avoidance of shear 'locking' may be facilitated by reduced integration techniques. Both uniform and selective schemes are considered. Conditions under which selective schemes are invariant are identified, and they are found to have an advantage over uniform schemes in the present situation. It is pointed out that the present elements are not subject to the difficulties encountered by thin plate theory elements, concerning boundary conditions. For example, the polygonal approximation of curved, simply supported edges is convergent. Other topics discussed are the equivalence with mixed methods, rank deficiency, convergence criteria and useful mass 'lumping' schemes for dynamics. Numerical results for several thin plate problems indicate the high degree of accuracy attainable by the present elements. (Auth.)

Tamsulosin and the spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children: A multi-institutional cohort study

Science.gov (United States)

Tasian, Gregory E.; Cost, Nicholas G.; Granberg, Candace F.; Pulido, Jose E.; Rivera, Marcelino; Schwen, Zeyad; Schulte, Marion; Fox, Janelle A.

2014-01-01

Purpose Tamsulosin is associated with increased passage of ureteral stones in adults, but its effectiveness in children is uncertain. We determined the association between tamsulosin and the spontaneous passage of ureteral stones in children. Methods We performed a multi-institutional retrospective cohort study of children ≤ 18 years who presented between 2007 and 2012 with a ureteral stone ≤ 10 mm and were managed with tamsulosin or oral analgesics alone. The outcome was spontaneous stone passage defined as radiographic clearance and/or patient report of passage. Subjects prescribed tamsulosin were matched with subjects prescribed analgesics alone using nearest neighbor propensity score matching to adjust for treatment selection. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between tamsulosin and spontaneous passage of ureteral stones, adjusting for stone size and location. Results Of 449 children with ureteral stones, 334 were eligible for inclusion, and complete data were available for 274 children from 4 institutions (99 tamsulosin; 175 analgesics alone). Following case matching, there were no differences in patient age, gender, weight, height, stone size, or stone location between the 99 subjects prescribed tamsulosin and the 99 propensity-score matched subjects prescribed analgesics alone. In the tamsulosin cohort, 55% of ureteral stones passed versus 44% in the analgesics alone cohort (p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis adjusting for stone size and location, tamsulosin was associated with spontaneous passage of ureteral stones (OR 3.31; 95% CI 1.49–7.34). Conclusions The odds of spontaneous passage of ureteral stones were higher in children prescribed tamsulosin versus analgesics alone. PMID:24518765

Spontaneous pneumothorax associated with lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sung, Dong Wook; Jung, Seung Hyae; Yoon, Yup; Lim, Jae Hoon; Cho, Kyu Soek; Yang, Moon Ho

1991-01-01

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a rare manifestation of lung cancer. Eight cases of pneumothorax found in 1648 patients with lung cancer from 1979-1990 are reported. Histopathologic types of cancer were adenocarcinoma in three cases, squamous cell carcinoma in two cases, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in two cases, and metastatic renal cell carcinoma in one case. The primary tumor mass was not found even after thoracotomy in two cases. Spontaneous pneumothorax occurred on the ipsilateral side of the cancer. All the patients were more than 40 years old with a history of smoking 1-2 packs a day for 20 to 50 years, and had chronic lung diseases. The authors emphasize that bronchogenic carcinoma may be one of the causes of spontaneous pneumothorax in appropriate clinical settings

Spatiotemporal stability of neonatal rat cardiomyocyte monolayers spontaneous activity is dependent on the culture substrate.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Boudreau-Béland

Full Text Available In native conditions, cardiac cells must continuously comply with diverse stimuli necessitating a perpetual adaptation. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS is commonly used in cell culture to study cellular response to changes in the mechanical environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of using PDMS substrates on the properties of spontaneous activity of cardiomyocyte monolayer cultures. We compared PDMS to the gold standard normally used in culture: a glass substrate. Although mean frequency of spontaneous activity remained unaltered, incidence of reentrant activity was significantly higher in samples cultured on glass compared to PDMS substrates. Higher spatial and temporal instability of the spontaneous rate activation was found when cardiomyocytes were cultured on PDMS, and correlated with decreased connexin-43 and increased CaV3.1 and HCN2 mRNA levels. Compared to cultures on glass, cultures on PDMS were associated with the strongest response to isoproterenol and acetylcholine. These results reveal the importance of carefully selecting the culture substrate for studies involving mechanical stimulation, especially for tissue engineering or pharmacological high-throughput screening of cardiac tissue analog.

Unmet clinical needs in chronic spontaneous urticaria. A GA(2) LEN task force report(1)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maurer, M; Weller, K; Bindslev-Jensen, Carsten

2011-01-01

autologous serum skin test (autoreactivity). Chronic spontaneous urticaria has major detrimental effects on quality of life, with sleep deprivation and psychiatric comorbidity being frequent. It also has a large impact on society in terms of direct and indirect health care costs as well as reduced...

Spontaneous low-frequency oscillations in cerebral vessels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schytz, Henrik W; Hansson, Andreas; Phillip, Dorte

2010-01-01

). Analysis of CA by measurement of spontaneous oscillations in the low-frequency spectrum in cerebral vessels might be a useful tool for assessing risk and investigating different treatment strategies in carotid artery disease (CAD) and stroke. We reviewed studies exploring spontaneous oscillations...

Reduced spontaneous neuronal activity in the insular cortex and thalamus in healthy adults with insomnia symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chun-Hong; Liu, Cun-Zhi; Zhang, Jihui; Yuan, Zhen; Tang, Li-Rong; Tie, Chang-Le; Fan, Jin; Liu, Qing-Quan

2016-10-01

Poor sleep and insomnia have been recognized to be strongly correlated with the development of depression. The exploration of the basic mechanism of sleep disturbance could provide the basis for improved understanding and treatment of insomnia and prevention of depression. In this study, 31 subjects with insomnia symptoms as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and 71 age- and gender-matched subjects without insomnia symptoms were recruited to participate in a clinical trial. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), we examined the alterations in spontaneous brain activity between the two groups. Correlations between the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and clinical measurements (e.g., insomnia severity and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD] scores) were also tested in all subjects. Compared to healthy participants without insomnia symptoms, participants with insomnia symptoms showed a decreased fALFF in the left ventral anterior insula, bilateral posterior insula, left thalamus, and pons but an increased fALFF in the bilateral middle occipital gyrus and right precentral gyrus. More specifically, a significant, negative correlation of fALFF in the left thalamus with early morning awakening scores and HAMD scores in the overall sample was identified. These results suggest that insomnia symptoms are associated with altered spontaneous activity in the brain regions of several important functional networks, including the insular cortex of the salience and the thalamus of the hyperarousal network. The altered fALFF in the left thalamus supports the "hyperarousal theory" of insomnia symptoms, which could serve as a biomarker for insomnia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous rupture of vaginal enterocele

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, J H; Galatius, H; Hansen, P K

1985-01-01

Spontaneous rupture of an enterocele is a rare complication. Only 24 cases including the present case have been reported in the literature. The patients were elderly and had had at least one vaginal operation. The patients were remarkably unaffected symptomatically on admission.......Spontaneous rupture of an enterocele is a rare complication. Only 24 cases including the present case have been reported in the literature. The patients were elderly and had had at least one vaginal operation. The patients were remarkably unaffected symptomatically on admission....

Spontaneous CP violation from a quaternionic Kaluza-Klein theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanlon, B.E.; Joshi, G.C.

1991-01-01

Motivated by the isomorphism between the universal covering group of the six dimensional Lorentz group and the special linear group over the quaternions, a locally quaternionic covariant quantum mechanics is postulated to exist in six space-time dimensions. Compactifying onto the space-time M 4 x S 2 complex theory is retrieved on the four dimensional Minkowski space with the essential quaternionic nature confined to S 2 . Quaternionic spinors are introduced and a dimensionally reduced theory recovered which exhibits a CP violating effect via spontaneous symmetry breaking. 20 refs

Depressed glucose utilization in lungs of BB wistar spontaneously diabetic rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uhal, B.D.; Moxley, M.A.; Longmore, W.J.

1986-01-01

Lungs of BB wistar spontaneously diabetic rats were perfused with [ 14 C(U)]glucose in modified Krebs Ringer bicarbonate medium for 1.5 hours. Lungs from non-diabetic BB Wistar rats were perfused simultaneously and served as controls. The perfusions were terminated by rapid freezing of the tissue in liquid N 2 followed by separation of surfactant and residual lung fractions. The rates of glucose incorporation into surfactant DSPC, PG, and PE were decreased 4.7, 2.4 and 2.5-fold, respectively, in lungs of spontaneously diabetic rats when expressed as final product specific activities. The rate of glucose incorporation into residual PC was also reduced by 2.3-fold. Expressed as moles incorporated per gram wet weight of lung, incorporations into surfactant DSPC, PG and residual PC were also reduced by 4.1, 6.3 and 3.8-fold respectively. These data; (1) agree with previous studies of the lungs of streptozotocin and alloxan-diabetic rats; (2) show that the depressed glucose utilization for lipid synthesis observed previously is not due to streptozotocin or alloxan toxicity; (3) suggest that the BB Wistar rat will provide a useful model for the study of the effects of insulin-dependent diabetes on lung metabolism

Spontaneous emission spectra and simulating multiple spontaneous generation coherence in a five-level atomic medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Jiahua; Liu Jibing; Qi Chunchao; Chen Aixi

2006-01-01

We investigate the features of the spontaneous emission spectra in a coherently driven cold five-level atomic system by means of a radio frequency (rf) or microwave field driving a hyperfine transition within the ground state. It is shown that a few interesting phenomena such as spectral-line narrowing, spectral-line enhancement, spectral-line suppression, and spontaneous emission quenching can be realized by modulating the frequency and intensity of the rf-driving field in our system. In the dressed-state picture of the coupling and rf-driving fields, we find that this coherently driven atomic system has three close-lying levels so that multiple spontaneously generated coherence (SGC) arises. Our considered atomic model can be found in real atoms, such as rubidium or sodium, so a corresponding experiment can be done to observe the expected phenomena related to SGC reported by Fountoulakis et al. [Phys. Rev. A 73, 033811 (2006)], since no rigorous conditions are required

Enhanced and selective ammonia sensing of reduced graphene oxide based chemo resistive sensor at room temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ramesh; Kaur, Amarjeet

2016-05-01

The reduced graphene oxide thin films were fabricated by using the spin coating method. The reduced graphene oxide samples were characterised by Raman studies to obtain corresponding D and G bands at 1360 and 1590 cm-1 respectively. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra consists of peak corresponds to sp2 hybridisation of carbon atoms at 1560 cm-1. The reduced graphene oxide based chemoresistive sensor exhibited a p-type semiconductor behaviour in ambient conditions and showed good sensitivity to different concentration of ammonia from 25 ppm to 500 ppm and excellent selectivity at room temperature. The sensor displays selectivity to several hazardous vapours such as methanol, ethanol, acetone and hydrazine hydrate. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 9.8 at 25 ppm concentration of ammonia with response time of 163 seconds.

A new class of spontaneously polarized materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Field, David; Plekan, Oksana; Cassidy, Andrew

2011-01-01

Very large electric fields form spontaneously within films of seemingly prosaic chemicals such as nitrous oxide or propane.We describe how the discovery of this unexpected phenomenon took place and how we attempt to understand the nature of the new class of spontaneously polarized materials...

Spontaneous rupture of choledochal cyst: case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Ho Seob; Nam, Kyung Jin; Lee, Jin Hwa; Kim, Chan Sung; Choi, Jong Cheol; Oh, Jong Young

2002-01-01

Spontaneous rupture of a choledochal cyst leading to biliary peritonitis is a rare complication which can be fatal if not promptly diagnosed. The authors report the ultrasound and CT findings of two cases of spontaneous choledochal cystic rupture and the biliary peritonitis which ensued

Spontaneous rupture of choledochal cyst: case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Ho Seob; Nam, Kyung Jin; Lee, Jin Hwa; Kim, Chan Sung; Choi, Jong Cheol; Oh, Jong Young [Dong-a University College of Medicine, Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

2002-11-01

Spontaneous rupture of a choledochal cyst leading to biliary peritonitis is a rare complication which can be fatal if not promptly diagnosed. The authors report the ultrasound and CT findings of two cases of spontaneous choledochal cystic rupture and the biliary peritonitis which ensued.

Spontaneous symmetry breaking and its cosmological consequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobzarev, I.Yu.

1975-01-01

The concept of symmetry and of the spontaneous symmetry breaking are presented in popular form as applied to quantum physics. Though the presence of the spontaneous symmetry breaking is not proved directly for interactions of elementary particles, on considering the hypothesis of its presence as applied to the hot Universe theory a possibility of obtaining rather uncommon cosmological consequences is discussed. In particular, spontaneous symmetry breaking of vacuum and the rather hot Universe lead necessarily to the presence of the domain structure of the Universe with the surfase energy at the domain interface in the form of a real physical object

Factors that influence the timing of spontaneous labor at term.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogleman, Kelly A; Herring, Amy H; Kaczor, Diane; Pusek, Susan N; Jo, Hyejin; Thorp, John M

2007-11-01

Whether pre-term birth culminates as a result of a de novo pathologic process or is more simply early activation of physiologic mechanisms is unknown. Exploration of the onset of labor in term women with classical risk factors for early delivery might provide insights into the mechanisms leading to pre-term birth. This study examines whether sociodemographic factors known to increase the risk of pre-term birth also affect the length of term gestations. From a large prospective cohort composed of women delivering from 1995-2000, a sample was selected of 441 women from Central North Carolina, US, who delivered singletons after 37 weeks gestation. An algorithm was designed to identify induced labors and gestational age was censored at the time of induction. Gestational age was assigned by sonography and menstrual dating. Data were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model. The main outcome measure was time to spontaneous labor. Women with 12 years of education had longer periods of gestation than women with less than 12 years of education, HR = 0.57 [0.39, 0.84]. Shorter gestational periods were found for women with pre-term premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) in a previous pregnancy, HR = 3.70 [1.60, 8.52], even after adjusting for confounders. Smoking was not associated (p > 0.1) with the timing of labor at term. By studying the timing of spontaneous parturition at term we identified that there is little overlap in risk factors that affect timing of delivery between spontaneous term and pre-term births.

Group theory of spontaneous symmetry breaking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghaboussi, F.

1987-01-01

The connection between the minimality of the Higgs field potential and the maximal little groups of its representation obtained by spontaneous symmetry breaking is analyzed. It is shown that for several representations the lowest minimum of the potential is related to the maximal little group of those representations. Furthermore, a practical necessity criterion is given for the representation of the Higgs field needed for spontaneous symmetry breaking

Spontaneous polyploidization in cucumber.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez-Madera, Axel O; Miller, Nathan D; Spalding, Edgar P; Weng, Yiqun; Havey, Michael J

2017-07-01

This is the first quantitative estimation of spontaneous polyploidy in cucumber and we detected 2.2% polyploids in a greenhouse study. We provide evidence that polyploidization is consistent with endoreduplication and is an on-going process during plant growth. Cucumber occasionally produces polyploid plants, which are problematic for growers because these plants produce misshaped fruits with non-viable seeds. In this study, we undertook the first quantitative study to estimate the relative frequency of spontaneous polyploids in cucumber. Seeds of recombinant inbred lines were produced in different environments, plants were grown in the field and greenhouse, and flow cytometry was used to establish ploidies. From 1422 greenhouse-grown plants, the overall relative frequency of spontaneous polyploidy was 2.2%. Plants possessed nuclei of different ploidies in the same leaves (mosaic) and on different parts of the same plant (chimeric). Our results provide evidence of endoreduplication and polysomaty in cucumber, and that it is an on-going and dynamic process. There was a significant effect (p = 0.018) of seed production environment on the occurrence of polyploid plants. Seed and seedling traits were not accurate predictors of eventual polyploids, and we recommend that cucumber producers rogue plants based on stature and leaf serration to remove potential polyploids.

Educational Research with Real-World Data: Reducing Selection Bias with Propensity Scores

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jill L. Adelson

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Often it is infeasible or unethical to use random assignment in educational settings to study important constructs and questions. Hence, educational research often uses observational data, such as large-scale secondary data sets and state and school district data, and quasi-experimental designs. One method of reducing selection bias in estimations of treatment effects is propensity score analysis. This method reduces a large number of pretreatment covariates to a single scalar function and allows researchers to compare subjects with similar probability to receive the treatment. This article provides an introduction to propensity score analysis and stratification, an example illustrating its use, and suggestions for using propensity score analysis in educational research.

Spontaneous Achilles tendon rupture in alkaptonuria | Mohammed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Spontaneous Achilles tendon ruptures are uncommon. We present a 46-year-old man with spontaneous Achilles tendon rupture due to ochronosis. To our knowledge, this has not been previously reported in Sudan literature. The tendon of the reported patient healed well after debridement and primary repairs.

Spontaneous magnetization in high-density quark matter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tsue, Yasuhiko; da Providência, João; Providência, Constanca

2015-01-01

It is shown that spontaneous magnetization occurs due to the anomalous magnetic moments of quarks in high-density quark matter under the tensor-type four-point interaction. The spin polarized condensate for each flavor of quark appears at high baryon density, which leads to the spontaneous magnet...

Children's Spontaneous Vocalisations during Play: Aesthetic Dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Countryman, June; Gabriel, Martha; Thompson, Katherine

2016-01-01

This paper explores the phenomenon of spontaneous vocalisations in the self-chosen, unstructured outdoor play of children aged 3-12. Spontaneous vocalisations encompass the whole range of children's unprompted, natural, expressive vocal soundings beyond spoken language. Non-participant observations at childcare centres and on elementary school…

Hemodynamic Effect of Laser Therapy in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tomimura, Suely, E-mail: suelytomimura@uol.com.br [Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biofotônica em Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE) (Brazil); Silva, Bianca Passos Assumpção [Programa de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Medicina da UNINOVE (Brazil); Sanches, Iris Callado [Laboratório de Fisiologia Translacional da UNINOVE (Brazil); Canal, Marina [Programa de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Medicina da UNINOVE (Brazil); Consolim-Colombo, Fernanda [Programa de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Medicina da UNINOVE (Brazil); Unidade de Hipertensão e Central Médica de Laser do Instituto do Coração - Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (InCor/HC-FMUSP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Conti, Felipe Fernandes; Angelis, Katia De [Laboratório de Fisiologia Translacional da UNINOVE (Brazil); Chavantes, Maria Cristina [Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biofotônica em Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE) (Brazil); Programa de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Medicina da UNINOVE (Brazil); Unidade de Hipertensão e Central Médica de Laser do Instituto do Coração - Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (InCor/HC-FMUSP), São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2014-08-15

Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is considered to be the greatest risk factor for the development of neuro-cardiovascular pathologies, thus constituting a severe Public Health issue in the world. The Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), or laser therapy, activates components of the cellular structure, therefore converting luminous energy into photochemical energy and leading to biophysical and biochemical reactions in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The LLLT promotes cellular and tissue photobiomodulation by means of changes in metabolism, leading to molecular, cellular and systemic changes. The objective of this study was to analyze the action of low-level laser in the hemodynamic modulation of spontaneously hypertensive rats, in the long term. Animals (n = 16) were randomly divided into the Laser Group (n = 8), which received three weekly LLLT irradiations for seven weeks, and into the Sham Group (n = 8), which received three weekly simulations of laser for seven weeks, accounting for 21 applications in each group. After seven weeks, animals were cannulated by the implantation of a catheter in the left carotid artery. On the following day, the systemic arterial pressure was recorded. The Laser Group showed reduced levels of mean blood pressure, with statistically significant reduction (169 ± 4 mmHg* vs. 182 ± 4 mmHg from the Sham Group) and reduced levels of diastolic pressure (143 ± 4 mmHg* vs. 157 ± 3 mmHg from the Sham Group), revealing a 13 and 14 mmHg decrease, respectively. Besides, there was a concomitant important decline in heart rate (312 ± 14 bpm vs. 361 ± 13 bpm from the Sham Group). Therefore, laser therapy was able to produce hemodynamic changes, thus reducing pressure levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Hemodynamic Effect of Laser Therapy in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suely Tomimura

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH is considered to be the greatest risk factor for the development of neuro-cardiovascular pathologies, thus constituting a severe Public Health issue in the world. The Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT, or laser therapy, activates components of the cellular structure, therefore converting luminous energy into photochemical energy and leading to biophysical and biochemical reactions in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The LLLT promotes cellular and tissue photobiomodulation by means of changes in metabolism, leading to molecular, cellular and systemic changes. The objective of this study was to analyze the action of low-level laser in the hemodynamic modulation of spontaneously hypertensive rats, in the long term. Animals (n = 16 were randomly divided into the Laser Group (n = 8, which received three weekly LLLT irradiations for seven weeks, and into the Sham Group (n = 8, which received three weekly simulations of laser for seven weeks, accounting for 21 applications in each group. After seven weeks, animals were cannulated by the implantation of a catheter in the left carotid artery. On the following day, the systemic arterial pressure was recorded. The Laser Group showed reduced levels of mean blood pressure, with statistically significant reduction (169 ± 4 mmHg* vs. 182 ± 4 mmHg from the Sham Group and reduced levels of diastolic pressure (143 ± 4 mmHg* vs. 157 ± 3 mmHg from the Sham Group, revealing a 13 and 14 mmHg decrease, respectively. Besides, there was a concomitant important decline in heart rate (312 ± 14 bpm vs. 361 ± 13 bpm from the Sham Group. Therefore, laser therapy was able to produce hemodynamic changes, thus reducing pressure levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Spontaneous baryogenesis from asymmetric inflaton

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Fuminobu

2015-10-01

We propose a variant scenario of spontaneous baryogenesis from asymmetric inflaton based on current-current interactions between the inflaton and matter fields with a non-zero B-L charge. When the inflaton starts to oscillate around the minimum after inflation, it may lead to excitation of a CP-odd component, which induces an effective chemical potential for the B-L number through the current-current interactions. We study concrete inflation models and show that the spontaneous baryogenesis scenario can be naturally implemented in the chaotic inflation in supergravity.

Spontaneous onset of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Rooij, A.M.; Perez, R.S.G.M.; Huygen, F.J.; van Eijs, F.; van Kleef, M.; Bauer, M.C.R.; van Hilten, J.J.; Marinus, J.

2010-01-01

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) usually develops after a noxious event, but spontaneous onsets have been described in 3-11% of the cases. The existence of spontaneous-onset CRPS is highly debated and the aim of the present study was therefore to compare the phenotypic characteristics of CRPS

Spatial diversity of spontaneous activity in the cortex

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Andrew Yong-Yi Tan

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The neocortex is a layered sheet across which a basic organization is thought to widely apply. The variety of spontaneous activity patterns is similar throughout the cortex, consistent with the notion of a basic cortical organization. However, the basic organization is only an outline which needs adjustments and additions to account for the structural and functional diversity across cortical layers and areas. Such diversity suggests that spontaneous activity is spatially diverse in any particular behavioral state. Accordingly, this review summarizes the laminar and areal diversity in cortical activity during fixation and slow oscillations, and the effects of attention, anesthesia and plasticity on the cortical distribution of spontaneous activity. Among questions that remain open, characterizing the spatial diversity in spontaneous membrane potential may help elucidate how differences in circuitry among cortical regions supports their varied functions. More work is also needed to understand whether cortical spontaneous activity not only reflects cortical circuitry, but also contributes to determining the outcome of plasticity, so that it is itself a factor shaping the functional diversity of the cortex.

Socioeconomic position and the risk of spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Norsker, Filippa Nyboe; Espenhain, Laura; rogvi, Sofie

2012-01-01

To investigate the relationship between different indicators of socioeconomic position and the risk of spontaneous abortion.......To investigate the relationship between different indicators of socioeconomic position and the risk of spontaneous abortion....

Tinnitus perception and distress is related to abnormal spontaneous brain activity as measured by magnetoencephalography.

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2005-06-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying tinnitus perception are not well understood. Surprisingly, there have been no group studies comparing abnormalities in ongoing, spontaneous neuronal activity in individuals with and without tinnitus perception. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here, we show that the spontaneous neuronal activity of a group of individuals with tinnitus (n = 17 is characterised by a marked reduction in alpha (8-12 Hz power together with an enhancement in delta (1.5-4 Hz as compared to a normal hearing control group (n = 16. This pattern was especially pronounced for temporal regions. Moreover, correlations with tinnitus-related distress revealed strong associations with this abnormal spontaneous activity pattern, particularly in right temporal and left frontal areas. Overall, effects were stronger for the alpha than for the delta frequency band. A data stream of 5 min, recorded with a whole-head neuromagnetometer under a resting condition, was sufficient to extract the marked differences. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some limitations, there are arguments that the regional pattern of abnormal spontaneous activity we found could reflect a tinnitus-related cortical network. This finding, which suggests that a neurofeedback approach could reduce the adverse effects of this disturbing condition, could have important implications for the treatment of tinnitus.

Does caffeine and alcohol intake before pregnancy predict the occurrence of spontaneous abortion?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tolstrup, J S; Kjær, S. K.; Munk, C

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND: Consumption of caffeine and alcohol is suspected to affect pregnancy outcome. Use of both stimulants is widespread and even minor effects on fetal viability are of public health interest. METHODS: We performed a nested case-control study using prospective data from a population.......72 (1.00-2.96) for a pre-pregnancy intake on 75-300, 301-500, 501-900 and >900 mg caffeine per day respectively (P = 0.05 for trend). A pre-pregnancy intake of alcohol was not a predictor for spontaneous abortion. CONCLUSIONS: A high intake of caffeine prior to pregnancy seems to be associated......-based cohort comprising 11088 women aged 20-29 years. From this cohort, women who experienced either a spontaneous abortion (n = 303) or who gave birth (n = 1381) during follow-up [mean time: 2.1 years (range: 1.6-3.4)] were selected. Associations between self-reported exposures to caffeine and/or alcohol...

Enhanced and selective ammonia sensing of reduced graphene oxide based chemo resistive sensor at room temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Ramesh, E-mail: rameshphysicsdu@gmail.com; Kaur, Amarjeet, E-mail: amarkaur@physics.du.ac.in [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India)

2016-05-06

The reduced graphene oxide thin films were fabricated by using the spin coating method. The reduced graphene oxide samples were characterised by Raman studies to obtain corresponding D and G bands at 1360 and 1590 cm{sup −1} respectively. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra consists of peak corresponds to sp{sup 2} hybridisation of carbon atoms at 1560 cm{sup −1}. The reduced graphene oxide based chemoresistive sensor exhibited a p-type semiconductor behaviour in ambient conditions and showed good sensitivity to different concentration of ammonia from 25 ppm to 500 ppm and excellent selectivity at room temperature. The sensor displays selectivity to several hazardous vapours such as methanol, ethanol, acetone and hydrazine hydrate. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 9.8 at 25 ppm concentration of ammonia with response time of 163 seconds.

Spontaneous indices are inconsistent with arterial baroreflex gain.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipman, Ruth D; Salisbury, Julie K; Taylor, J Andrew

2003-10-01

Spontaneously occurring, parallel fluctuations in arterial pressure and heart period are frequently used as indices of baroreflex function. Despite the convenience of spontaneous indices, their relation to the arterial baroreflex remains unclear. Therefore, in 97 volunteers, we derived 5 proposed indices (sequence method, alpha-index, transfer function, low-frequency transfer function, and impulse response function), compared them with arterial baroreflex gain (by the modified Oxford pharmacologic technique), and examined their relation to carotid distensibility and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. The subjects comprised men and women (n=41) aged 25 to 86 years, 30% of whom had established coronary artery disease. Generally, the indices were correlated with each other (except alpha-index and low-frequency transfer function) and with baroreflex gain. However, the Bland-Altman method demonstrated that the spontaneous indices had limits of agreement as large as the baroreflex gain itself. Even in individuals within the lowest tertile of baroreflex gain for whom baroreflex gain appears to be the most clinically relevant, spontaneous indices failed to relate to baroreflex gain. In fact, for these individuals, there was no correlation between any index and baroreflex gain. Forward stepwise linear regression showed that all spontaneous indices and baroreflex gain were related to respiratory sinus arrhythmia, but only baroreflex gain was related to carotid distensibility. Therefore, these data suggest that spontaneous indices are inadequate estimates of gain and are inconsistent with arterial baroreflex function.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil lower anxiety, improve cognitive functions and reduce spontaneous locomotor activity in a non-human primate.

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Nina Vinot

Full Text Available Omega-3 (ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA are major components of brain cells membranes. ω3 PUFA-deficient rodents exhibit severe cognitive impairments (learning, memory that have been linked to alteration of brain glucose utilization or to changes in neurotransmission processes. ω3 PUFA supplementation has been shown to lower anxiety and to improve several cognitive parameters in rodents, while very few data are available in primates. In humans, little is known about the association between anxiety and ω3 fatty acids supplementation and data are divergent about their impact on cognitive functions. Therefore, the development of nutritional studies in non-human primates is needed to disclose whether a long-term supplementation with long-chain ω3 PUFA has an impact on behavioural and cognitive parameters, differently or not from rodents. We address the hypothesis that ω3 PUFA supplementation could lower anxiety and improve cognitive performances of the Grey Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus, a nocturnal Malagasy prosimian primate. Adult male mouse lemurs were fed for 5 months on a control diet or on a diet supplemented with long-chain ω3 PUFA (n = 6 per group. Behavioural, cognitive and motor performances were measured using an open field test to evaluate anxiety, a circular platform test to evaluate reference spatial memory, a spontaneous locomotor activity monitoring and a sensory-motor test. ω3-supplemented animals exhibited lower anxiety level compared to control animals, what was accompanied by better performances in a reference spatial memory task (80% of successful trials vs 35% in controls, p<0.05, while the spontaneous locomotor activity was reduced by 31% in ω3-supplemented animals (p<0.001, a parameter that can be linked with lowered anxiety. The long-term dietary ω3 PUFA supplementation positively impacts on anxiety and cognitive performances in the adult mouse lemur. The supplementation of human food with ω3 fatty

Powerful vascular protection by combining cilnidipine with valsartan in stroke-prone, spontaneously hypertensive rats

OpenAIRE

Takai, Shinji; Jin, Denan; Aritomi, Shizuka; Niinuma, Kazumi; Miyazaki, Mizuo

2012-01-01

Cilnidipine is an L- and N-type calcium channel blocker (CCB), and amlodipine is an L-type CCB. Valsartan (10?mg?kg?1), valsartan (10?mg?kg?1) and amlodipine (1?mg kg?1), and valsartan (10?mg?kg?1) and cilnidipine (1?mg?kg?1) were administered once daily for 2 weeks to stroke-prone, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-SPs). Blood pressure was significantly reduced by valsartan, and it was further reduced by the combination therapies. Vascular endothelial dysfunction was significantly attenua...

Assessment of baroreflex sensitivity from spontaneous oscillations of blood pressure and heart rate: proven clinical value?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinna, Gian Domenico; Maestri, Roberto; La Rovere, Maria Teresa

2015-01-01

The baroreceptor-heart rate reflex (baroreflex sensitivity, BRS) is a key mechanism contributing to the neural regulation of the cardiovascular system. Several methods have been proposed so far to assess BRS by analyzing the spontaneous beat-to-beat fluctuations of arterial blood pressure and heart rate. These methods are inherently simple, non-invasive and low-cost. This study is an attempt to address the question of whether spontaneous baroreflex methods have proven to be of value in the clinical setting. In the first part of this article, we critically review most representative clinical studies using spontaneous BRS techniques either for risk stratification or treatment evaluation, these being major issues in the clinical management of the patients. In the second part, we address two important aspects of spontaneous BRS measurements: measurability and reliability. Estimation of BRS in the studies selected for the review was performed according to the sequence, transfer function, alpha-index and phase-rectified signal averaging method. Arterial blood pressure was recorded non-invasively during supine, short-term (<30 min) laboratory recordings. The conclusion from this review is that spontaneous BRS techniques have been shown to be of great value in clinical practice but further work is needed to confirm the validity of previous findings and to widen the field of clinical applications. Measurability and reliability can be a major issue in the measurement of spontaneous BRS, particularly in some patient populations like post-myocardial infarction and heart failure patents. Main causes of poor measurability are: non-sinus rhythm, a high rate of ectopic beats and the need for recorded time series of RR interval and arterial blood pressure to satisfy the constraints of the different BRS estimation algorithms. As for reliability, within-subject variability is rather high in the measurements of spontaneous BRS and, therefore, should be carefully taken into account

Kindled seizures selectively reduce a subpopulation of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in rat dentate gyrus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savage, D.D.; McNamara, J.O.

1982-01-01

Amygdala-kindled seizures reduced significantly the total number of [ 3 H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in both dentate and hippocampal gyri compared to electrode implanted unstimulated controls. Both high and low affinity carbachol displaceable binding site populations were significantly reduced in hippocampal gyrus. By contrast, a selective decline of low affinity sites was found in dentate gyrus membranes. The selectivity of the decline in dentate but not hippocampus gyrus underscores the specificity of this molecular response to amygdala-kindled seizures. We suggest that these receptor alterations underlie adaptive mechanisms which antagonize kindled epileptogenesis

When Is the Optimal Timing of the Surgical Treatment for Secondary Spontaneous Pneumothorax?

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Hyun Woo; Kim, Young-Du; Choi, Si Young; Park, Jae Kil

2017-01-01

Objectives  The definition of spontaneous pneumothorax is accumulation of air in the pleural space, resulting in dyspnea or chest pain. Unlike primary spontaneous pneumothorax, secondary pneumothorax can be a life-threatening condition and spontaneous healing rate is uncommon. Although surgery is the most effective treatment modality for pneumothorax, surgical management and timing is difficult where there is underlying lung disease and/or medical comorbidities. Prolonged air leakage increases the morbidity and mortality in thoracic surgery. We hypothesized that duration of air leakage before operation may lead to increase in complications. Methods  This study is a retrospective review of 155 consecutive patients with air leakage who underwent bullectomy for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax from January 2005 to July 2013. The patients were divided according to the duration of preoperative air leakage. The patients were followed-up until the time of last visit or death. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were assessed and the risk factors for complications were analyzed. Results  The median age was 65 years (range, 52-88) with male predominance (96.13%). The median duration of preoperative air leakage was 6 days (range, 1-30). The median surgery time was 90 minutes (range, 25-300) and median hospital stay after operation was 7 days (range, 3-75). Postoperative complications occurred in 38 patients (24.52%) and postoperative recurrence was shown to have occurred in 8 patients (5.16%). With multivariate analysis, risk factors for postoperative complications were: underlying interstitial lung disease and air leakage > 5 days before operation. Conclusion  Persistent air leakage was a major surgical indication for pneumothorax. Early surgical treatment reduced postoperative complications for secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Quantitative criterion for quantum interference within spontaneous emission modification of a driven ladder atom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jiaren; Zhang Zhiyi; Xiao George; Grover, C P

2003-01-01

The spontaneous emission spectrum of a ladder three-level atom with an upper transition driven by a coherent field is calculated under a universal model where various decays, any incoherent pumping and coherent driving are taken into account. The analytical expression for the spectrum profile is given on the basis of the quantum regression theorem. To our knowledge, it is the first time that the quantitative criterion condition Ω ab - γ ac vertical bar, under which quantum destructive interference induced by the coherent driving field occurs, is deduced for the modification of spontaneous emission from the middle level to the ground level. The roles and limits of incoherent pumping, coherent driving and experimental configuration are discussed for realizing the quantum interference and reducing the Doppler effects

Spontaneous breathing during lung-protective ventilation in an experimental acute lung injury model: high transpulmonary pressure associated with strong spontaneous breathing effort may worsen lung injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Takeshi; Uchiyama, Akinori; Matsuura, Nariaki; Mashimo, Takashi; Fujino, Yuji

2012-05-01

We investigated whether potentially injurious transpulmonary pressure could be generated by strong spontaneous breathing and exacerbate lung injury even when plateau pressure is limited to ventilation, each combined with weak or strong spontaneous breathing effort. Inspiratory pressure for low tidal volume ventilation was set at 10 cm H2O and tidal volume at 6 mL/kg. For moderate tidal volume ventilation, the values were 20 cm H2O and 7-9 mL/kg. The groups were: low tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingweak, low tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingstrong, moderate tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingweak, and moderate tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingstrong. Each group had the same settings for positive end-expiratory pressure of 8 cm H2O. Respiratory variables were measured every 60 mins. Distribution of lung aeration and alveolar collapse were histologically evaluated. Low tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingstrong showed the most favorable oxygenation and compliance of respiratory system, and the best lung aeration. By contrast, in moderate tidal volume ventilation+spontaneous breathingstrong, the greatest atelectasis with numerous neutrophils was observed. While we applied settings to maintain plateau pressure at ventilation+spontaneous breathingstrong, transpulmonary pressure rose >33 cm H2O. Both minute ventilation and respiratory rate were higher in the strong spontaneous breathing groups. Even when plateau pressure is limited to mechanical ventilation, transpulmonary pressure and tidal volume should be strictly controlled to prevent further lung injury.

Spontaneous Self-Formation of 3D Plasmonic Optical Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Inhee; Shin, Yonghee; Song, Jihwan; Hong, SoonGweon; Park, Younggeun; Kim, Dongchoul; Kang, Taewook; Lee, Luke P

2016-08-23

Self-formation of colloidal oil droplets in water or water droplets in oil not only has been regarded as fascinating fundamental science but also has been utilized in an enormous number of applications in everyday life. However, the creation of three-dimensional (3D) architectures by a liquid droplet and an immiscible liquid interface has been less investigated than other applications. Here, we report interfacial energy-driven spontaneous self-formation of a 3D plasmonic optical structure at room temperature without an external force. Based on the densities and interfacial energies of two liquids, we simulated the spontaneous formation of a plasmonic optical structure when a water droplet containing metal ions meets an immiscible liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) interface. At the interface, the metal ions in the droplet are automatically reduced to form an interfacial plasmonic layer as the liquid PDMS cures. The self-formation of both an optical cavity and integrated plasmonic nanostructure significantly enhances the fluorescence by a magnitude of 1000. Our findings will have a huge impact on the development of various photonic and plasmonic materials as well as metamaterials and devices.

Outcomes after endoscopic port surgery for spontaneous intracerebral hematomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Ochalski, Pawel; Chivukula, Srinivas; Shin, Samuel; Prevedello, Daniel; Engh, Johnathan

2014-05-01

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) cause significant morbidity and mortality. Traditional open surgical management strategies offer limited benefit except for the most superficial hemorrhages in select patients. Recent reports suggest that endoscopic approaches may improve outcomes, particularly for deep subcortical hemorrhages. However, the management of these patients remains controversial. We reviewed our experience using endoscopic port surgery to identify characteristics that may predict acceptable outcomes. We completed a retrospective chart and imaging review of patients who underwent endoscopic port surgery for evacuation of spontaneous ICH at a single center. Data were gathered regarding patient demographics, hemorrhage locations, operative findings, and clinical outcomes. From 2007 to 2011, 18 patients underwent evacuation of spontaneous intracerebral hematomas using an endoscopic port. The mean age in years was 62 years (range, 43-84 years). Six of 18 patients (33%) died before discharge, and 2 others (11%) died after at least 1 month of survival. Of 12 initial survivors, all were discharged to a rehabilitation or nursing facility. Complete hematoma evacuation was achieved in 7 of 18 patients, with the remaining 11 having a partial evacuation. The patients who died (n = 6) before discharge were statistically more likely to have a left-sided hemorrhage, partial evacuation, or older age than the survivors; death at least 1  month after evacuation was additionally associated with greater preoperative hematoma volumes. Our series demonstrates that endoscopic port surgery for acute intracerebral hematoma evacuation has the ability to achieve significant decompression of large and deep-seated hematomas. Patient age, extent of evacuation, laterality, and preoperative hematoma volume appear to influence patient outcome. Most overall outcomes remain poor. Future studies are necessary to determine if surgical evacuation is in fact superior to best

Runoff and sediment yield of tilled and spontaneous grass-covered olive groves grown on sloping land

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Palese, A.M.; Ringersma, Jacquelijn; Baartman, J.E.M.; Peters, P.; Xiloyannis, C.

2015-01-01

Soil erosion in olive groves is a widespread phenomenon in the Mediterranean Basin. Many studies have investigated the effects of tillage and herbaceous ground cover (spontaneous or seeded) in their effectiveness to reduce soil erosion in a wide range of Mediterranean sites under different

Cigarette, alcohol, and caffeine consumption: risk factors for spontaneous abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasch, Vibeke

2003-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between cigarette, alcohol, and caffeine consumption and the occurrence of spontaneous abortion. METHODS: The study population consisted of 330 women with spontaneous abortion and 1168 pregnant women receiving antenatal care. A case-control design was utilized;...... units alcohol per week and 375 mg or more caffeine per day during pregnancy may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion.......OBJECTIVE: To study the association between cigarette, alcohol, and caffeine consumption and the occurrence of spontaneous abortion. METHODS: The study population consisted of 330 women with spontaneous abortion and 1168 pregnant women receiving antenatal care. A case-control design was utilized......; cases were defined as women with a spontaneous abortion in gestational week 6-16 and controls as women with a live fetus in gestational week 6-16. The variables studied comprise age, parity, occupational situation, cigarette, alcohol, and caffeine consumption. The association between cigarette, alcohol...

Spontaneous Hedonic Reactions to Social Media Cues.

Science.gov (United States)

van Koningsbruggen, Guido M; Hartmann, Tilo; Eden, Allison; Veling, Harm

2017-05-01

Why is it so difficult to resist the desire to use social media? One possibility is that frequent social media users possess strong and spontaneous hedonic reactions to social media cues, which, in turn, makes it difficult to resist social media temptations. In two studies (total N = 200), we investigated less-frequent and frequent social media users' spontaneous hedonic reactions to social media cues using the Affect Misattribution Procedure-an implicit measure of affective reactions. Results demonstrated that frequent social media users showed more favorable affective reactions in response to social media (vs. control) cues, whereas less-frequent social media users' affective reactions did not differ between social media and control cues (Studies 1 and 2). Moreover, the spontaneous hedonic reactions to social media (vs. control) cues were related to self-reported cravings to use social media and partially accounted for the link between social media use and social media cravings (Study 2). These findings suggest that frequent social media users' spontaneous hedonic reactions in response to social media cues might contribute to their difficulties in resisting desires to use social media.

Change of T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Shi-Hua Zhou

2016-01-01

Objective:To analyze and investigate the change state of T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion. Methods: A total of 92 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion in our hospital from June 2013 to July 2015 were selected as the observation group and 92 women with health delivery history at the same time were selected as the control group,then the peripheral blood T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of two groups were detected and compared and the peripheral blood T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of patients with different gestational age at abortion and abortion times were compared too. Results:The peripheral blood T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of observation group and control group all had obvious differences,and those blood indexes levels' differences of patients with different gestational age at abortion and abortion times were obvious too, all P<0.05 and the differences were significant. Conclusions: The T, B lymphocyte subsets and Th1/Th2 indexes of patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion show abnormal state and the differences of detection results of patients with different gestational age at abortion and abortion times are relatively obvious,so those indexes should be monitored and improved intentinonally.

Spontaneous globe luxation associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Ashok Kumar

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous globe luxation is a rarely reported condition which can lead to complications like optic neuropathy. Common causes are thyroid eye disease, shallow orbit and floppy eyelid syndrome. We report a case of spontaneous globe luxation with the onset and severity associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. To our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous globe luxation associated with COPD.

Selective cognitive deficits and reduced hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in small-conductance calcium-activated K+ channel deficient mice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, J P R; Redrobe, J P; Hansen, H H

2009-01-01

performed equally well in passive avoidance, object recognition and the Morris water maze. Thus, some aspects of working/short-term memory are disrupted in T/T mice. Using in situ hybridization, we further found the cognitive deficits in T/T mice to be paralleled by reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor...... the brain following doxycycline treatment. We tested T/T and wild type (WT) littermate mice in five distinct learning and memory paradigms. In Y-maze spontaneous alternations and five-trial inhibitory avoidance the performance of T/T mice was markedly inferior to WT mice. In contrast, T/T and WT mice...

Mandibular dental arch short and long-term spontaneous dentoalveolar changes after slow or rapid maxillary expansion: a systematic review

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Arthur César de Medeiros Alves

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the short and long-term spontaneous dentoalveolar changes of the mandibular dental arch after slow (SME or rapid (RME maxillary expansion in the mixed and early permanent dentitions. Methods: An electronic search was performed in the following databases: PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for article selection included randomized controlled trials and prospective studies written in English, with no restriction of year of publication, involving patients who underwent SME or RME during the mixed or early permanent dentitions. A double-blind search of articles was performed by two reviewers. Initially, the title and the abstract of the studies were read, and their references were also hand-searched for possible missing studies. A methodological quality scoring scale was used to analyze the selected articles. Results: The search retrieved 373 articles, but only 6 were selected for review after application of the eligibility and exclusion criteria. Non-clinically significant spontaneous dentoalveolar changes of approximately 1mm were found in the mandibular dental arch in the short and long-term, after slow or rapid maxillary expansions. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between treated and control groups. Conclusions: There is enough evidence to conclude that negligible short and long-term spontaneous dentoalveolar changes tend to occur in the mandibular dental arch after SME or RME in the mixed and early permanent dentitions. More randomized studies with appropriate control group are required to better evaluate this issue.

RESULTS OBTAINED FROM RESEARCH ON SWEET CHESTNUT FROM THE SEMI-SPONTANEOUS FLORA OF NORTHERN OLTENIA

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Alecu Anca

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill. is present into the semi-spontaneous flora of Northern Oltenia, around old monasteries from Vâlcea County (Horezu, Bistrita, and Turnu and Gorj (Tismana and Polovragi or in the forest fund. Present study was conducted in order to improve knowledge about sweet chestnut present in this area and assess its qualities aimed at preserving indigenous genetic resources, away from genetic erosion and promoting valuable genotypes on local market, which can be used for chestnut crop recovery. 70 biotypes from Horezu, Bistrita and Dăeşti (Valcea County and Polovragi (Gorj County were taken into study. Out of these, 16 biotypes were selected. Selections were carried out based on morphological and quality characteristics of fruits from trees with large fruits (8 selections, on those with medium fruits (5 selections and with small fruits (3 selections.

An expiratory assist during spontaneous breathing can compensate for endotracheal tube resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Uchiyama, Akinori; Chang, Cheng; Suzuki, Shinya; Mashimo, Takashi; Fujino, Yuji

2009-08-01

Although inspiratory assist of spontaneous breathing in intubated patients is common, expiratory assist functions have rarely been reported. Effective expiratory support (ES) could be used to compensate for endotracheal tube (ETT) resistance during spontaneous breathing. In this study, we examined the performance of a new system designed to provide both inspiratory support (IS) and ES during spontaneous breathing with the goal of reducing the effective resistance of the ETT. The ES system consisted of a ventilator demand valve and a computer-controlled piston cylinder, which aspirated gas from the respiratory circuit during the expiratory phase. The movement of the piston was synchronized with spontaneous breathing. We compared the pressures at the tip of the ETT and in the breathing circuit during spontaneous breathing through an ETT of internal diameter (ID) 5 mm with that of an ETT with ID 8 mm in nine healthy adult male volunteers. The ventilatory mode was set to maintain a continuous airway pressure of 0 cm H(2)O. Three ventilator settings (no support, IS only, and IS plus ES) were compared using ID 5 mm ETT. We monitored pressure in the breathing circuit (P(aw)), ETT tip pressure (P(tip)), and respiratory flow. The P(tip) of the ID 5 mm ETT showed a large negative deflection during inspiration and a positive deflection during expiration without support. IS alone did not improve the respiratory pattern through the small ETT. However, IS plus ES resulted in negative P(aw) during expiration in addition to positive deflection of P(aw) during inspiration, making the pressure characteristics of P(tip) similar to those of ID 8 mm ETT. Moreover, IS plus ES produced a respiratory pattern through the ID 5 mm ETT that was similar to that through the ID 8 mm ETT. In this study of healthy volunteers, IS plus ES compensated for the airway resistance imposed by a ID 5.0 mm ETT to create pressure changes at the tip of the ETT similar to those of an ID 8.0 mm ETT.

Surgical management of spontaneous hypertensive brainstem hemorrhage

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Bal Krishna Shrestha

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous hypertensive brainstem hemorrhage is the spontaneous brainstem hemorrhage associated with long term hypertension but not having definite focal or objective lesion. It is a catastrophic event which has a poor prognosis and usually managed conservatively. It is not uncommon, especially in eastern Asian populations, accounting approximately for 10% of the intracerebral hemorrhage. Before the advent of computed tomography, the diagnosis of brainstem hemorrhage was usually based on the clinical picture or by autopsy and believed to be untreatable via surgery. The introduction of computed tomography permitted to categorize the subtypes of brainstem hemorrhage with more predicted outcome. Continuous ongoing developments in the stereotactic surgery and microsurgery have added more specific surgical management in these patients. However, whether to manage conservatively or promptly with surgical evacuation of hematoma is still a controversy. Studies have shown that an accurate prognostic assessment based on clinical and radiological features on admission is critical for establishing a reasonable therapeutic approach. Some authors have advocate conservative management, whereas others have suggested the efficacy of surgical treatment in brainstem hemorrhage. With the widening knowledge in microsurgical techniques as well as neuroimaging technology, there seems to have more optimistic hope of surgical management of spontaneous hypertensive brainstem hemorrhage for better prognosis. Here we present five cases of severe spontaneous hypertensive brainstem hemorrhage patients who had undergone surgery; and explore the possibilities of surgical management in patients with the spontaneous hypertensive brainstem hemorrhage.

Active hippocampal networks undergo spontaneous synaptic modification.

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Masako Tsukamoto-Yasui

Full Text Available The brain is self-writable; as the brain voluntarily adapts itself to a changing environment, the neural circuitry rearranges its functional connectivity by referring to its own activity. How the internal activity modifies synaptic weights is largely unknown, however. Here we report that spontaneous activity causes complex reorganization of synaptic connectivity without any external (or artificial stimuli. Under physiologically relevant ionic conditions, CA3 pyramidal cells in hippocampal slices displayed spontaneous spikes with bistable slow oscillations of membrane potential, alternating between the so-called UP and DOWN states. The generation of slow oscillations did not require fast synaptic transmission, but their patterns were coordinated by local circuit activity. In the course of generating spontaneous activity, individual neurons acquired bidirectional long-lasting synaptic modification. The spontaneous synaptic plasticity depended on a rise in intracellular calcium concentrations of postsynaptic cells, but not on NMDA receptor activity. The direction and amount of the plasticity varied depending on slow oscillation patterns and synapse locations, and thus, they were diverse in a network. Once this global synaptic refinement occurred, the same neurons now displayed different patterns of spontaneous activity, which in turn exhibited different levels of synaptic plasticity. Thus, active networks continuously update their internal states through ongoing synaptic plasticity. With computational simulations, we suggest that with this slow oscillation-induced plasticity, a recurrent network converges on a more specific state, compared to that with spike timing-dependent plasticity alone.

Shared risk aversion in spontaneous and induced abortion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Catalano, Ralph; Bruckner, Tim A.; Karasek, Deborah

2016-01-01

spontaneous and non-clinically indicated induced abortions. This suggests, consistent with our theory, that mothers of conception cohorts that yielded more spontaneous abortions than expected opted more frequently than expected for non-clinically indicated induced abortion. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION...

Spontaneous passage of long, sharp gastrointestinal foreign body in a child.

Science.gov (United States)

Karthikeyan, Vilvapathy Senguttuvan; Ansari, Mohammed Gaffoor; Suresh, Ramasamy; Easwaran, Bettaiyagowder

2015-01-19

Foreign body (FB) ingestion is a common problem in children. Up to 90% of these FBs pass spontaneously. FBs reaching the stomach usually pass out spontaneously. Exceptions to this spontaneous passage include a long FB that cannot cross the pylorus, duodenum or ileocaecal junction. We present a case of a 9-year boy who accidentally ingested a long paper pin, which spontaneously passed in 26 h. This case is being reported to highlight the successful spontaneous passage of a 4 cm long sharp foreign body in a child. 2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Quantitative analysis of directional spontaneous emission spectra from light sources in photonic crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolaev, Ivan S.; Lodahl, Peter; Vos, Willem L.

2005-01-01

We have performed angle-resolved measurements of spontaneous-emission spectra from laser dyes and quantum dots in opal and inverse opal photonic crystals. Pronounced directional dependencies of the emission spectra are observed: angular ranges of strongly reduced emission adjoin with angular ranges of enhanced emission. It appears that emission from embedded light sources is affected both by the periodicity and by the structural imperfections of the crystals: the photons are Bragg diffracted by lattice planes and scattered by unavoidable structural disorder. Using a model comprising diffuse light transport and photonic band structure, we quantitatively explain the directional emission spectra. This work provides detailed understanding of the transport of spontaneously emitted light in real photonic crystals, which is essential in the interpretation of quantum optics in photonic-band-gap crystals and for applications wherein directional emission and total emission power are controlled

Endoscopic hematoma evacuation in patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Hsin Wang

2015-02-01

Conclusion: With the introduction of the minimally invasive techniques and the evolution of the neuroendoscope and hemostatic agents, the median operative time and blood loss have been significantly decreased. Although the hematoma evacuation rates were similar between the endoscope (90% and craniotomy (85% groups, the median intensive care unit stay was decreased from 11 days to 6 days due to reduced surgical invasiveness. This represents an important advancement in treating spontaneous supratentorial ICH, and provides a measured preview of the promising results that can be expected in the future.

Detection of target phonemes in spontaneous and read speech

OpenAIRE

Mehta, G.; Cutler, A.

1988-01-01

Although spontaneous speech occurs more frequently in most listeners’ experience than read speech, laboratory studies of human speech recognition typically use carefully controlled materials read from a script. The phonological and prosodic characteristics of spontaneous and read speech differ considerably, however, which suggests that laboratory results may not generalize to the recognition of spontaneous and read speech materials, and their response time to detect word-initial target phonem...

Microbubble-Triggered Spontaneous Separation of Transparent Thin Films from Substrates Using Evaporable Core-Shell Nanocapsules.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Intae; Lee, Byungsun; Kim, Jae Hong; Kim, Chunho; Yoo, Ji Yong; Ahn, Byung Wook; Hwang, Jeongho; Lee, Jonghyuk; Lee, Jun Hyup

2018-05-23

The spontaneous separation of a polymer thin film from a substrate is an innovative technology that will enable material recycling and reduce manufacturing cost in the film industry, and this can be applied in a wide range of applications, from optical films to wearable devices. Here, we present an unprecedented spontaneous strategy for separating transparent polymer films from substrates on the basis of microbubble generation using nanocapsules containing an evaporable material. The core-shell nanocapsules are prepared from poly(methyl methacrylate)-polyethyleneimine nanoparticles via the encapsulation of methylcyclohexane (MCH). A spherical nanostructure with a vaporizable core is obtained, with the heat-triggered gas release ability leading to the formation of microbubbles. Our separation method applied to transparent polymer films doped with a small amount of the nanocapsules encapsulating evaporable MCH enables spontaneous detachment of thin films from substrates via vacuum-assisted rapid vaporization of MCH over a short separation time, and clear detachment of the film is achieved with no deterioration of the inherent optical transparency and adhesive property compared to a pristine film.

Spontaneous Splenic Rupture in Melanoma

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Hadi Mirfazaelian

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous rupture of spleen due to malignant melanoma is a rare situation, with only a few case reports in the literature. This study reports a previously healthy, 30-year-old man who came with chief complaint of acute abdominal pain to emergency room. On physical examination, abdominal tenderness and guarding were detected to be coincident with hypotension. Ultrasonography revealed mild splenomegaly with moderate free fluid in abdominopelvic cavity. Considering acute abdominal pain and hemodynamic instability, he underwent splenectomy with splenic rupture as the source of bleeding. Histologic examination showed diffuse infiltration by tumor. Immunohistochemical study (positive for S100, HMB45, and vimentin and negative for CK, CD10, CK20, CK7, CD30, LCA, EMA, and chromogranin confirmed metastatic malignant melanoma. On further questioning, there was a past history of a nasal dark skin lesion which was removed two years ago with no pathologic examination. Spontaneous (nontraumatic rupture of spleen is an uncommon situation and it happens very rarely due to neoplastic metastasis. Metastasis of malignant melanoma is one of the rare causes of the spontaneous rupture of spleen.

Spontaneous abortions and malformations in the offspring of nurses exposed to anaesthetic gases, cytostatic drugs, and other potential hazards in hospitals, based on registered information of outcome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hemminki, K; Kyyroenen, P L; Lindbohm, M L

1985-06-01

Nurses working in selected departments of general hospitals in Finland were collected from a central register on health personnel in Finland. Using the Hospital Discharge Register and the Register of Congenital Malformations, case nurses were selected who had had a spontaneous abortion (N = 217) or a malformed child (N = 46) between the years 1973 and 1979. Controls consisted of three nurses who had had a normal birth; the control nurses were matched for age and hospital of employment. Information on exposure in the first trimester of pregnancy was sought through the head nurses of the hospitals. No significant increase in risk of spontaneous abortion or of malformation was observed after exposure to anaesthetic gases (odds ratio for spontaneous abortion 1.2), sterilizing gases and soaps, or x-rays. Handling of cytostatic drugs did not affect the frequency of spontaneous abortion but was associated with malformations in the offspring. The odds ratio, based on eight cases, was 4.7 (p = 0.02) when the logistic model was adopted. The results suggest that the exposures investigated, other than cytostatic drugs, do not cause a strong reproductive risk. Further studies are needed, particularly on cytostatic drugs.

Q-feber som årsag til spontan abort

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Stine Yde; Mølbak, Kåre; Hjøllund, Niels Henrik

2011-01-01

Q-fever is a zoonotic infection. Pregnant women constitute a specific risk group as the infection may cause spontaneous abortion, intrauterine death, growth retardation, oligohydramnios and premature birth. A 39 year-old veterinarian had a spontaneous abortion in pregnancy week seven. During the ...

Spontaneously broken global symmetries and cosmology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafi, Q.; Vilenkin, A.

1984-01-01

Phase transitions associated with spontaneously broken global symmetries, in case these occur in nature, can have important cosmological implications. This is illustrated through two examples. The first one shows how the spontaneous breaking of a global U(1) symmetry, present, for instance, in the minimal SU(5) model, can lead to an inflationary phase. The second example illustrates how topologically stable strings associated with the breaking of U(1) symmetry make an appearance at (or near) the end of the inflationary era

Flow Friction or Spontaneous Ignition?

Science.gov (United States)

Stoltzfus, Joel M.; Gallus, Timothy D.; Sparks, Kyle

2012-01-01

"Flow friction," a proposed ignition mechanism in oxygen systems, has proved elusive in attempts at experimental verification. In this paper, the literature regarding flow friction is reviewed and the experimental verification attempts are briefly discussed. Another ignition mechanism, a form of spontaneous combustion, is proposed as an explanation for at least some of the fire events that have been attributed to flow friction in the literature. In addition, the results of a failure analysis performed at NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility are presented, and the observations indicate that spontaneous combustion was the most likely cause of the fire in this 2000 psig (14 MPa) oxygen-enriched system.

Spontaneously broken abelian gauge invariant supersymmetric model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mainland, G.B.; Tanaka, K.

A model is presented that is invariant under an Abelian gauge transformation and a modified supersymmetry transformation. This model is broken spontaneously, and the interplay between symmetry breaking, Goldstone particles, and mass breaking is studied. In the present model, spontaneously breaking the Abelian symmetry of the vacuum restores the invariance of the vacuum under a modified supersymmetry transformation. (U.S.)

Screening to prevent spontaneous preterm birth: systematic reviews of accuracy and effectiveness literature with economic modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Honest, H; Forbes, C A; Durée, K H; Norman, G; Duffy, S B; Tsourapas, A; Roberts, T E; Barton, P M; Jowett, S M; Hyde, C J; Khan, K S

2009-09-01

To identify combinations of tests and treatments to predict and prevent spontaneous preterm birth. Searches were run on the following databases up to September 2005 inclusive: MEDLINE, EMBASE, DARE, the Cochrane Library (CENTRAL and Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register) and MEDION. We also contacted experts including the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group and checked reference lists of review articles and papers that were eligible for inclusion. Two series of systematic reviews were performed: (1) accuracy of tests for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women in early pregnancy and in women symptomatic with threatened preterm labour in later pregnancy; (2) effectiveness of interventions with potential to reduce cases of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women in early pregnancy and to reduce spontaneous preterm birth or improve neonatal outcome in women with a viable pregnancy symptomatic of threatened preterm labour. For the health economic evaluation, a model-based analysis incorporated the combined effect of tests and treatments and their cost-effectiveness. Of the 22 tests reviewed for accuracy, the quality of studies and accuracy of tests was generally poor. Only a few tests had LR+ > 5. In asymptomatic women these were ultrasonographic cervical length measurement and cervicovaginal prolactin and fetal fibronectin screening for predicting spontaneous preterm birth before 34 weeks. In this group, tests with LR- 5 were absence of fetal breathing movements, cervical length and funnelling, amniotic fluid interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum CRP for predicting birth within 2-7 days of testing, and matrix metalloprotease-9, amniotic fluid IL-6, cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin and cervicovaginal human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) for predicting birth before 34 or 37 weeks. In this group, tests with LR- asymptomatic women. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents were the most effective tocolytic agent for reducing

Spontaneous Perforation of Pyometra: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Pyometra is the accumulation of purulent material in the uterine cavity. Its reported incidence is 0.01–0.5% in gynecologic patients; however, as far as elderly patients are concerned, its incidence is 13.6% [3]. The most common cause of pyometra is malignant diseases of genital tract and the consequences of their treatment (radiotherapy. Other causes are benign tumors like leiomyoma, endometrial polyps, senile cervicitis, cervical occlusion after surgery, puerperal infections, and congenital cervical anomalies. Spontaneous rupture of the uterus is an extremely rare complication of pyometra. To our knowledge, only 21 cases of spontaneous perforation of pyometra have been reported in English literature since 1980. This paper reports an additional case of spontaneous uterine rupture.

Utterance independent bimodal emotion recognition in spontaneous communication

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Jianhua; Pan, Shifeng; Yang, Minghao; Li, Ya; Mu, Kaihui; Che, Jianfeng

2011-12-01

Emotion expressions sometimes are mixed with the utterance expression in spontaneous face-to-face communication, which makes difficulties for emotion recognition. This article introduces the methods of reducing the utterance influences in visual parameters for the audio-visual-based emotion recognition. The audio and visual channels are first combined under a Multistream Hidden Markov Model (MHMM). Then, the utterance reduction is finished by finding the residual between the real visual parameters and the outputs of the utterance related visual parameters. This article introduces the Fused Hidden Markov Model Inversion method which is trained in the neutral expressed audio-visual corpus to solve the problem. To reduce the computing complexity the inversion model is further simplified to a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) mapping. Compared with traditional bimodal emotion recognition methods (e.g., SVM, CART, Boosting), the utterance reduction method can give better results of emotion recognition. The experiments also show the effectiveness of our emotion recognition system when it was used in a live environment.

Sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 overexpression is associated with reduced adipogenesis and ectopic fat accumulation in transgenic spontaneously hypertensive rats

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Landa, Vladimír; Zídek, Václav; Mlejnek, Petr; Šimáková, Miroslava; Šilhavý, Jan; Trnovská, J.; Kazdová, L.; Pravenec, Michal

2014-01-01

Roč. 63, č. 5 (2014), s. 587-590 ISSN 0862-8408 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH12061 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 * transgenic * spontaneously hypertensive rat * lipid metabolism Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 1.293, year: 2014

Spontaneous regression of metastases from malignant melanoma: a case report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalialis, Louise V; Drzewiecki, Krzysztof T; Mohammadi, Mahin

2008-01-01

A case of a 61-year-old male with widespread metastatic melanoma is presented 5 years after complete spontaneous cure. Spontaneous regression occurred in cutaneous, pulmonary, hepatic and cerebral metastases. A review of the literature reveals seven cases of regression of cerebral metastases......; this report is the first to document complete spontaneous regression of cerebral metastases from malignant melanoma by means of computed tomography scans. Spontaneous regression is defined as the partial or complete disappearance of a malignant tumour in the absence of all treatment or in the presence...

Spontaneous traumatic macular hole closure in a 50-year-old woman: a case report

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Rotsos Tryfon

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Traumatic macular holes (TMH are well-known complications of ocular contusion injury. Spontaneous closure occurs in approximately 50% of cases, but rarely after the age of thirty. We report a case of spontaneous closure of a full thickness macular hole due to a blunt trauma and we suggest possible mechanisms for this closure. Case presentation A 50-year-old Greek woman was referred with a history of reduced best-corrected visual acuity after blunt trauma to her right eye. Diagnosis was based on fundoscopic, optical coherence tomography as well as fluorescein angiography findings with follow-up visits at two days, 20 days and five months. Fundoscopy revealed a full-thickness TMH with a minor sub-retinal hemorrhage and posterior vitreous detachment. The presence of a coagulum in the TMH base was observed. Subsequently, TMH closure was observed. Conclusion The clot in the TMH base, potentially a hemorrhage by-product containing a significant quantity of platelets, may have simulated the clot observed after autologous serum use, thus facilitating a similar effect. This may have stimulated glial cell migration and proliferation, thus contributing to spontaneous hole closure.

Phenotypic selection in natural populations: what limits directional selection?

Science.gov (United States)

Kingsolver, Joel G; Diamond, Sarah E

2011-03-01

Studies of phenotypic selection document directional selection in many natural populations. What factors reduce total directional selection and the cumulative evolutionary responses to selection? We combine two data sets for phenotypic selection, representing more than 4,600 distinct estimates of selection from 143 studies, to evaluate the potential roles of fitness trade-offs, indirect (correlated) selection, temporally varying selection, and stabilizing selection for reducing net directional selection and cumulative responses to selection. We detected little evidence that trade-offs among different fitness components reduced total directional selection in most study systems. Comparisons of selection gradients and selection differentials suggest that correlated selection frequently reduced total selection on size but not on other types of traits. The direction of selection on a trait often changes over time in many temporally replicated studies, but these fluctuations have limited impact in reducing cumulative directional selection in most study systems. Analyses of quadratic selection gradients indicated stabilizing selection on body size in at least some studies but provided little evidence that stabilizing selection is more common than disruptive selection for most traits or study systems. Our analyses provide little evidence that fitness trade-offs, correlated selection, or stabilizing selection strongly constrains the directional selection reported for most quantitative traits.

Novel folliculin (FLCN) mutation and familial spontaneous pneumothorax.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, J-F; Shen, X-Q; Zhu, F; Tian, L

2017-01-01

Familial spontaneous pneumothorax is one of the characteristics of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHDS), which is an autosomal dominant disease caused by the mutation of folliculin (FLCN). To investigate the mutation of FLCN gene in a familial spontaneous pneumothorax. Prospective case study. Clinical and genetic data of a Chinese family with four patients who presented spontaneous pneumothorax in the absence of skin lesions or renal tumors were collected. CT scan of patient's lung was applied for observation of pneumothorax. DNA sequencing of the coding exons (4-14 exons) of FLCN was performed for all 11 members of the family and 100 unrelated healthy controls. CT scan of patient's lung showed spontaneous pneumothorax. A mutation (c. 510C > G) that leads to a premature stop codon (p. Y170X) was found in the proband using DNA sequencing of coding exons (4-14 exons) of FLCN. This mutation was also observed in the other affected members of the family. A nonsense mutation of FLCN was found in a spontaneous pneumothorax family. Our results expand the mutational spectrum of FLCN in patients with BHDS. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Lymphocytes from wasted mice express enhanced spontaneous and {gamma}-ray-induced apoptosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woloschak, G.E. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)]|[Loyola Univ. Medical Center, Maywood, IL (United States); Chang-Liu, Chin-Mei [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Chung, Jen; Libertin, C.R. [Loyola Univ. Medical Center, Maywood, IL (United States)

1993-09-01

Mice bearing the autosomal recessive mutation wasted (wst/wst) display a disease pattern including faulty repair of DNA damage in lymphocytes after radiation exposure, neurologic abnormalities, and immunodeficiency. Many of the features of this mouse model have suggested a premature or increased spontaneous frequency of apoptosis in thymocytes; past work has shown an inability to establish cultured T cell lines, an abnormally high death rate of stimulated T cells in culture, and an increased sensitivity of T cells to the killing effects of ionizing radiations in wst/wst mice relative to controls. The experiments reported here were designed to examine splenic and thymic lymphocytes from wasted and control mice for signs of early apoptosis. Our results revealed enhanced expression of Rp-8 mRNA (associated with apoptosis) in thymic lymphocytes and reduced expression in splenic lymphocytes of wst/wst mice relative to controls; expression of Rp-2 and Td-30 mRNA (induced during apoptosis) were not detectable in spleen or thymus. Higher spontaneous DNA fragmentation was observed in wasted mice than in controls; however, {gamma}-ray-induced DNA fragmentation peaked at a lower dose and occurred to a greater extent in wasted mice relative to controls. These results provide evidence for high spontaneous and {gamma}-ray-induced apoptosis in T cells of wasted mice as a mechanism underlying the observed lymphocyte and DNA repair abnormalities.

Imaging of early spontaneous osteonecrosis and osteoarthritis of the knee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusayama, Takeshi; Tomatsu, Taisuke

1999-01-01

In this paper, the available of MRI in diagnosis on early spontaneous osteonecrosis and osteoarthritis was investigated. Subjects were 5 cases (5 knees) with spontaneous osteonecrosis (stage 1 in Koshino's classification) and 96 cases (104 knees) in osteoarthritis who were more than 50 years old. Patients with an early spontaneous osteonecrosis were elderly females and had night pain and severe spontaneous pain. On MRI, lesions of all cases were clearly detected in early stage. On the other hand, only 47 of 104 knees (45%) were detected in patients with osteoarthritis, and mirror lesions at shank sides were detected in 45 of 47 knees. These results suggest that it is possible to diagnose early spontaneous osteonecrosis from osteoarthritis by MRI image with the clue to mirror lesion at shank sides, incidence, stage, etc. On the diagnosis of early spontaneous osteonecrosis, MRI image should be performed as soon as possible if a patient was older, had no anamnesis of lesions, and no changes by the X-ray radiography in spite of severe pain of the knee joints. (K.H.)

Spontaneous infected biloma: case report | Kimani | East African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Biloma is defined as any collection of bile outside the biliary tree. It mainly results from surgical complications and abdominal trauma. Spontaneous biloma is extremely rare and is occasionally associated with choledocholithiasis. This report describes a case of spontaneous biloma diagnosed radiologically and confirmed at ...

Spontaneous resolution of post-traumatic chronic subdural hematoma

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Here, we present a case of spontaneously resolved post-traumatic bilateral chronic subdural hematoma within a period of one month in a 55-year-old male and we discuss the probable mechanisms of pathophysiology in the spontaneous resolution of chronic subdural hematoma. Keywords: Antiaggregation therapy, chronic ...

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in N=3 supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinov'ev, Yu.M.

1986-01-01

The possibility of the spontaneous symmetry breaking without a cosmological term in N=3 supergravity is investigated. A new, dual version of N=3 supergravity - U(3)-supergravity is constructed. Such a theory is shown to admit a spontaneous supersymmetry breaking without a cosmological term and with three arbitrary scales, including partial super-Higgs effect N=3 → N=2 and N=3 → N=1

Symmetry restoration in spontaneously broken induced gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amati, D.; Russo, J.

1990-01-01

We investigate the recuperation of expected invariant behaviours in a non-metric gravity theory in which the full general relativistic invariance is broken spontaneously. We show how dangerous increasing energy behaviours of physical amplitudes cancel in a highly non-trivial way. This evidences the expected loss of the vacuum generated scale in the UV regime and gives support for the consistency of spontaneously broken gravity theories. (orig.)

Reducing cardiovascular risk factors in non-selected outpatients with schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Mette Vinther; Hjorth, Peter; Kristiansen, Christina Blanner; Vandborg, Kirsten; Gustafsson, Lea Nørgaard; Munk-Jørgensen, Povl

2016-06-01

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of premature death in patients with schizophrenia. We aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk factors in non-selected outpatients with schizophrenia using methods proven effective in short-term trials. Furthermore, we examined whether any baseline characteristics were associated with positive outcomes. All outpatients treated for schizophrenia at two Danish hospitals were included in this 1-year follow-up study. The patients were offered health interventions both individually and in groups. Weight, waist circumference, blood glucose, serum lipids, and information on smoking and alcohol were obtained. On average, small significant increases in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumferences were observed while small non-significant improvements in other cardiovascular risk factors were seen. Patients with high baseline BMI and patients with duration of treated illness beyond 2 years had significantly better intervention outcomes. Our results show that it was difficult to improve physical health in a group of non-selected patients with schizophrenia as part of routine care. The patients were not easily motivated to participate in the interventions, and it was difficult to monitor the recommended metabolic risk measures in the patient group. Future research should focus on simple strategies in health promotion that can be integrated into routine care. © The Author(s) 2016.

Fluorescence and amplified spontaneous emission of glass forming compounds containing styryl-4H-pyran-4-ylidene fragment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vembris, Aivars, E-mail: aivars.vembris@cfi.lu.lv [Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, 8 Kengaraga Street, Riga LV-1063 (Latvia); Muzikante, Inta [Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, 8 Kengaraga Street, Riga LV-1063 (Latvia); Karpicz, Renata; Sliauzys, Gytis [Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, A. Gostauto 11, LT-01108 Vilnius (Lithuania); Miasojedovas, Arunas; Jursenas, Saulius [Institute of Applied Research, Vilnius University, Sauletekio 9-III, LT-10222 Vilnius (Lithuania); Gulbinas, Vidmantas [Institute of Physics, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, A. Gostauto 11, LT-01108 Vilnius (Lithuania)

2012-09-15

Potential of glassy films of newly synthesised low molecular weight organic molecules for light amplification and lasing applications has been investigated by analysing fluorescence, transient differential absorption and amplified spontaneous emission properties. These non-symmetric and symmetric molecules contain styryl-4H-pyran-4-ylidene fragment with three different electron acceptor groups: dicyanomethylene, barbituric acid, indene-1,3-dione. Fluorescence quantum yields of the investigated compounds in solutions are between 0.32 and 0.54, while they drop down by an order of magnitude in thin solid films. Incorporation of bulky side groups reduced excitonic interactions enabling manifestation of amplified spontaneous emission in the neat films of the investigated derivatives. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bulky substituents attached to DCM dye enable formation of neat glassy films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Investigated dyes show amplified spontaneous emission in neat films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Two electron donor groups negatively influence light amplification.

Thoracoscopic modified pleural tent for spontaneous pneumothorax.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawachi, Riken; Matsuwaki, Rie; Tachibana, Keisei; Karita, Shin; Nakazato, Yoko; Tanaka, Ryota; Nagashima, Yasushi; Takei, Hidefumi; Kondo, Haruhiko

2016-08-01

We developed a modified pleural tent (m-tent) procedure and used it in our hospital in almost 30 consecutive patients with spontaneous pneumothorax. The objective of this study was to clarify the feasibility and effectiveness of a thoracoscopic m-tent for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. From July 2013 to November 2014, 107 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were treated in our institution. Eighty-nine of these patients were analysed retrospectively. The inclusion criteria for thoracoscopic m-tent for spontaneous pneumothorax were multiple and widespread bullae, postoperative relapse and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. The surgical procedures were usually performed through three ports. After bullectomy, an m-tent is made to strip the parietal pleura off the chest wall from about the level of the fourth or fifth rib to the apex, and two or three ligations are then applied to fix the pleural tent and lung parenchyma. Patients in whom an m-tent was not indicated underwent bullectomy plus coverage using absorbable materials. Twenty-seven patients underwent bullectomy plus m-tent (m-tent group) and 62 underwent bullectomy plus coverage over a staple line using an absorbable material such as a polyglycolic acid sheet or nitrocellulose sheet (coverage group). No severe postoperative complications were observed in either group. The m-tent and coverage groups showed significant differences in operation time (129 vs 86 min, mean), haemorrhage (12.8 vs 7.2 ml), postoperative hospital stay (3.7 vs 2.9 days) and postoperative painkiller intake (8.6 vs 6.8 days). Recurrence was observed in 1 (3.7%) and 2 patients (3.2%), respectively. The thoracoscopic m-tent procedure requires a longer operation, a longer hospital stay and greater painkiller intake. However, these differences are acceptable, and an m-tent should be considered as an option for pleural reinforcement in spontaneous pneumothorax, especially in patients who are complicated with severe pulmonary

Effect of PKC412, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, on spontaneous metastatic model mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Kazuki; Yoshikawa, Noriko; Yamaguchi, Yu; Kagota, Satomi; Shinozuka, Kazumasa; Kunitomo, Masaru

2003-01-01

We investigated the anti-metastatic effect of PKC412, a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC), on a spontaneous metastatic mouse model, which was prepared by inoculation with B16-BL6 mouse melanoma cells into the footpad of the right hind leg. At two weeks after inoculation, the primary tumor was amputated completely. PKC412 (200 mg/kg) administered orally for four weeks after the tumor inoculation, significantly prolonged survival compared with the control. Furthermore, to elucidate the mechanism of the anti-metastatic effect of PKC412, we examined the growth rate of B16-BL6 cells premixed with Matrigel in vivo and the invasiveness of B16-BL6 cells using a chemo-invasion chamber in vitro. PKC412 significantly reduced the growth rate of cells in vivo (100 and 200 mg/kg) and the invading cells in vitro (10, 30 and 100 nM) in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, PKC412 exerts an anti-metastatic action through inhibition of the invasiveness of melanoma cells in the extracellular matrix.

Kindled seizures selectively reduce a subpopulation of (/sup 3/H)quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in rat dentate gyrus

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Savage, D.D.; McNamara, J.O.

1982-09-01

Amygdala-kindled seizures reduced significantly the total number of (/sup 3/H)quinuclidinyl benzilate binding sites in both dentate and hippocampal gyri compared to electrode implanted unstimulated controls. Both high and low affinity carbachol displaceable binding site populations were significantly reduced in hippocampal gyrus. By contrast, a selective decline of low affinity sites was found in dentate gyrus membranes. The selectivity of the decline in dentate but not hippocampus gyrus underscores the specificity of this molecular response to amygdala-kindled seizures. We suggest that these receptor alterations underlie adaptive mechanisms which antagonize kindled epileptogenesis.

TRPM5 mediates acidic extracellular pH signaling and TRPM5 inhibition reduces spontaneous metastasis in mouse B16-BL6 melanoma cells.

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Maeda, Toyonobu; Suzuki, Atsuko; Koga, Kaori; Miyamoto, Chihiro; Maehata, Yojiro; Ozawa, Shigeyuki; Hata, Ryu-Ichiro; Nagashima, Yoji; Nabeshima, Kazuki; Miyazaki, Kaoru; Kato, Yasumasa

2017-10-03

Extracellular acidity is a hallmark of solid tumors and is associated with metastasis in the tumor microenvironment. Acidic extracellular pH (pH e ) has been found to increase intracellular Ca 2+ and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression by activating NF-κB in the mouse B16 melanoma model. The present study assessed whether TRPM5, an intracellular Ca 2+ -dependent monovalent cation channel, is associated with acidic pH e signaling and induction of MMP-9 expression in this mouse melanoma model. Treatment of B16 cells with Trpm5 siRNA reduced acidic pH e -induced MMP-9 expression. Enforced expression of Trpm5 increased the rate of acidic pH e -induced MMP-9 expression, as well as increasing experimental lung metastasis. This genetic manipulation did not alter the pH e critical for MMP-9 induction but simply amplified the percentage of inducible MMP-9 at each pH e . Treatment of tumor bearing mice with triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), an inhibitor of TRPM5, significantly reduced spontaneous lung metastasis. In silico analysis of clinical samples showed that high TRPM5 mRNA expression correlated with poor overall survival rate in patients with melanoma and gastric cancer but not in patients with cancers of the ovary, lung, breast, and rectum. These results showed that TRPM5 amplifies acidic pH e signaling and may be a promising target for preventing metastasis of some types of tumor.

Spontaneous Lorentz violation and the long-range gravitational preferred-frame effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graesser, Michael L.; Jenkins, Alejandro; Wise, Mark B.

2005-01-01

Lorentz-violating operators involving Standard Model fields are tightly constrained by experimental data. However, bounds are more model-independent for Lorentz violation appearing in purely gravitational couplings. The spontaneous breaking of Lorentz invariance by the vacuum expectation value of a vector field selects a universal rest frame. This affects the propagation of the graviton, leading to a modification of Newton's law of gravity. We compute the size of the long-range preferred-frame effect in terms of the coefficients of the two-derivative operators in the low-energy effective theory that involves only the graviton and the Goldstone bosons

Recycling Frank: Spontaneous emergence of homochirality in noncatalytic systems

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Plasson, Raphaël; Bersini, Hugues; Commeyras, Auguste

2004-01-01

In this work, we introduce a prebiotically relevant protometabolic pattern corresponding to an engine of deracemization by using an external energy source. The spontaneous formation of a nonracemic mixture of chiral compounds can be observed in out-of-equilibrium systems via a symmetry-breaking phenomenon. This observation is possible thanks to chirally selective autocatalytic reactions (Frank's model) [Frank, F. C. (1953) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 11, 459–463]. We show that the use of a Frank-like model in a recycled system composed of reversible chemical reactions, rather than the classical irreversible system, allows for the emergence of a synergetic autoinduction from simple reactions, without any autocatalytic or even catalytic reaction. This model is described as a theoretical framework, based on the stereoselective reactivity of preexisting chiral monomeric building blocks (polymerization, epimerization, and depolymerization) maintained out of equilibrium by a continuous energy income, via an activation reaction. It permits the self-conversion of all monomeric subunits into a single chiral configuration. Real prebiotic systems of amino acid derivatives can be described on this basis. They are shown to be able to spontaneously reach a stable nonracemic state in a few centuries. In such systems, the presence of epimerization reactions is no more destructive, but in contrast is the central driving force of the unstabilization of the racemic state. PMID:15548617

Merkel Cell Carcinoma with Spontaneous Regression: A Case Report and Immunohistochemical Study

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Hitoshi Terui

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC is an aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma that only rarely regresses spontaneously. Since little is known about the immunological mechanisms involved in the spontaneous regression of MCC, we describe a case of MCC with spontaneous regression and employed immunohistochemical staining for cytotoxic and immunosuppressive molecules to investigate possible mechanisms involved in the spontaneous regression of MCC. Interestingly, compared to conventional MCC, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in MCC with spontaneous regression contained higher numbers of CD8+ cells and granulysin-bearing cells and lower numbers of CD206+ cells. Our present study suggests one of the possible reasons for the spontaneous regression of MCC.

Spontaneous poisoning by Prosopis juliflora (Leguminosae) in sheep

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The aim of this paper is to describe the first report of clinical, epidemiological and pathological aspects of spontaneous poisoning by Prosopis juliflora in sheep. Of a total of 500 sheep at risk, two adult male sheep were affected; one died spontaneously and the other animal was examined, euthaniz...

Progesterone reduces erectile dysfunction in sleep-deprived spontaneously hypertensive rats

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Tufik Sergio

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD associated with cocaine has been shown to enhance genital reflexes (penile erection-PE and ejaculation-EJ in Wistar rats. Since hypertension predisposes males to erectile dysfunction, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of PSD on genital reflexes in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR compared to the Wistar strain. We also extended our study to examine how PSD affect steroid hormone concentrations involved in genital events in both experimental models. Methods The first experiment investigated the effects of PSD on genital reflexes of Wistar and SHR rats challenged by saline and cocaine (n = 10/group. To further examine the impact of the PSD on concentrations of sexual hormones, we performed a hormonal analysis of testosterone and progesterone in the Wistar and in SHR strains. Since after PSD progesterone concentrations decreased in the SHR compared to the Wistar PSD group we extended our study by investigating whether progesterone (25 mg/kg or 50 mg/kg or testosterone (0.5 mg/kg or 1.0 mg/kg administration during PSD would have a facilitator effect on the occurrence of genital reflexes in this hypertensive strain. Results A 4-day period of PSD induced PE in 50% of the Wistar rats against 10% for the SHR. These genital reflexes was potentiated by cocaine in Wistar rats whereas this scenario did not promote significant enhancement in PE and EJ in hypertensive rats, and the percentage of SHR displaying genital reflexes still figured significantly lower than that of the Wistar strain. As for hormone concentrations, both sleep-deprived Wistar and SHR showed lower testosterone concentrations than their respective controls. Sleep deprivation promoted an increase in concentrations of progesterone in Wistar rats, whereas no significant alterations were found after PSD in the SHR strain, which did not present enhancement in erectile responses. In order to explore the role

Spontaneous Hypoglycemia After Islet Autotransplantation for Chronic Pancreatitis.

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Lin, Yu Kuei; Faiman, Charles; Johnston, Philip C; Walsh, R Matthew; Stevens, Tyler; Bottino, Rita; Hatipoglu, Betul A

2016-10-01

Spontaneous hypoglycemia has been reported in patients after total pancreatectomy (TP) and islet autotransplantation (IAT) with maintained insulin independence. Details surrounding these events have not been well described. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency and characteristics of spontaneous hypoglycemia in patients undergoing TP-IAT and/or to ascertain predictive or protective factors of its development. This was an observational cohort study in 40 patients who underwent TP-IAT from August 2008 to May 2014, with a median follow-up of 34 months. The study was conducted at a single institution (Cleveland Clinic). Patients included recipients of TP-IAT. The intervention included small, frequent meals in those patients who developed spontaneous hypoglycemia. Incidence of spontaneous hypoglycemia development, characteristics of the patients developing hypoglycemia, and their response to small, frequent meals were measured. Six of 12 patients, who maintained insulin independence, developed spontaneous hypoglycemia. The episodes could be fasting, postprandial, and/or exercise associated, with the frequency ranging from two to three times daily to once every 1-2 weeks. All patients experienced at least one episode that required external assistance, glucagon administration, and/or emergent medical attention. Patients who developed hypoglycemia had a lower median age and tended to have a lower median islet equivalent/kg body weight but a higher median total islet equivalent, body mass index, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance score. All patients who received small, frequent meal intervention had improvement in severity and/or frequency of the hypoglycemic episodes. Spontaneous hypoglycemia is prevalent after TP-IAT. Although the underlying pathophysiology responsible for these hypoglycemia events remains to be elucidated, small, frequent meal intervention is helpful in ameliorating this condition.

Spontaneous rapid reduction of a large acute subdural hematoma.

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Lee, Chul-Hee; Kang, Dong Ho; Hwang, Soo Hyun; Park, In Sung; Jung, Jin-Myung; Han, Jong Woo

2009-12-01

The majority of acute post-traumatic subdural hematomas (ASDH) require urgent surgical evacuation. Spontaneous resolution of ASDH has been reported in some cases. We report here on a case of a patient with a large amount of ASDH that was rapidly reduced. A 61-yr-old man was found unconscious following a high speed motor vehicle accident. On initial examination, his Glasgow Coma Score scale was 4/15. His pupils were fully dilated and non-reactive to bright light. Brain computed tomography (CT) showed a massive right-sided ASDH. The decision was made to treat him conservatively because of his poor clinical condition. Another brain CT approximately 14 hr after the initial scan demonstrated a remarkable reduction of the previous ASDH and there was the new appearance of high density in the subdural space adjacent to the falx and the tentorium. Thirty days after his admission, brain CT revealed chronic SDH and the patient underwent surgery. The patient is currently able to obey simple commands. In conclusion, spontaneous rapid resolution/reduction of ASDH may occur in some patients. The mechanisms are most likely the result of dilution by cerebrospinal fluid and the redistribution of hematoma especially in patients with brain atrophy.

On spontaneous breakdown in Σ-models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, E.A.

1975-01-01

The group theory aspects of spontaneous breakdown in linear Σ-models are discussed. General conditions are formulated under which multiplet of group G (compact or noncompact) is suitable for constructing the Σ-model with a given subgroup of stability of vacuum. It is shown that the Σ-models of spontaneously broken space-time symmetries can be constructed in general only if some extra coordinates are introduced in addition to an ordinary 4-coordinate xsub(μ). The connection between Σ-models of internal symmetries and appropriate nonlinear realizations has also been investigated

Cavity enhanced rephased amplified spontaneous emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A Williamson, Lewis; J Longdell, Jevon

2014-01-01

Amplified spontaneous emission is usually treated as an incoherent noise process. Recent theoretical and experimental work using rephasing optical pulses has shown that rephased amplified spontaneous emission (RASE) is a potential source of wide bandwidth time-delayed entanglement. Due to poor echo efficiency the plain RASE protocol does not in theory achieve perfect entanglement. Experiments done to date show a very small amount of entanglement at best. Here we show that RASE can, in principle, produce perfect multimode time-delayed two mode squeezing when the active medium is placed inside a Q-switched cavity. (paper)

Spontaneous 8bp Deletion in Nbeal2 Recapitulates the Gray Platelet Syndrome in Mice

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Tomberg, Kärt; Khoriaty, Rami; Westrick, Randal J.; Fairfield, Heather E.; Reinholdt, Laura G.; Brodsky, Gary L.; Davizon-Castillo, Pavel; Ginsburg, David; Di Paola, Jorge

2016-01-01

During the analysis of a whole genome ENU mutagenesis screen for thrombosis modifiers, a spontaneous 8 base pair (bp) deletion causing a frameshift in exon 27 of the Nbeal2 gene was identified. Though initially considered as a plausible thrombosis modifier, this Nbeal2 mutation failed to suppress the synthetic lethal thrombosis on which the original ENU screen was based. Mutations in NBEAL2 cause Gray Platelet Syndrome (GPS), an autosomal recessive bleeding disorder characterized by macrothrombocytopenia and gray-appearing platelets due to lack of platelet alpha granules. Mice homozygous for the Nbeal2 8 bp deletion (Nbeal2gps/gps) exhibit a phenotype similar to human GPS, with significantly reduced platelet counts compared to littermate controls (p = 1.63 x 10−7). Nbeal2gps/gps mice also have markedly reduced numbers of platelet alpha granules and an increased level of emperipolesis, consistent with previously characterized mice carrying targeted Nbeal2 null alleles. These findings confirm previous reports, provide an additional mouse model for GPS, and highlight the potentially confounding effect of background spontaneous mutation events in well-characterized mouse strains. PMID:26950939

Spontaneous 8bp Deletion in Nbeal2 Recapitulates the Gray Platelet Syndrome in Mice.

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Kärt Tomberg

Full Text Available During the analysis of a whole genome ENU mutagenesis screen for thrombosis modifiers, a spontaneous 8 base pair (bp deletion causing a frameshift in exon 27 of the Nbeal2 gene was identified. Though initially considered as a plausible thrombosis modifier, this Nbeal2 mutation failed to suppress the synthetic lethal thrombosis on which the original ENU screen was based. Mutations in NBEAL2 cause Gray Platelet Syndrome (GPS, an autosomal recessive bleeding disorder characterized by macrothrombocytopenia and gray-appearing platelets due to lack of platelet alpha granules. Mice homozygous for the Nbeal2 8 bp deletion (Nbeal2gps/gps exhibit a phenotype similar to human GPS, with significantly reduced platelet counts compared to littermate controls (p = 1.63 x 10-7. Nbeal2gps/gps mice also have markedly reduced numbers of platelet alpha granules and an increased level of emperipolesis, consistent with previously characterized mice carrying targeted Nbeal2 null alleles. These findings confirm previous reports, provide an additional mouse model for GPS, and highlight the potentially confounding effect of background spontaneous mutation events in well-characterized mouse strains.

Spontaneous lateral temporal encephalocele.

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Tuncbilek, Gokhan; Calis, Mert; Akalan, Nejat

2013-01-01

A spontaneous encephalocele is one that develops either because of embryological maldevelopment or from a poorly understood postnatal process that permits brain herniation to occur. We here report a rare case of lateral temporal encephalocele extending to the infratemporal fossa under the zygomatic arch. At birth, the infant was noted to have a large cystic mass in the right side of the face. After being operated on initially in another center in the newborn period, the patient was referred to our clinic with a diagnosis of temporal encephalocele. He was 6 months old at the time of admission. Computerized tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging studies revealed a 8 × 9 cm fluid-filled, multiloculated cystic mass at the right infratemporal fossa. No intracranial pathology or connection is seen. The patient was operated on to reduce the distortion effect of the growing mass. The histopathological examination of the sac revealed well-differentiated mature glial tissue stained with glial fibrillary acid protein. This rare clinical presentation of encephaloceles should be taken into consideration during the evaluation of the lateral facial masses in the infancy period, and possible intracranial connection should be ruled out before surgery to avoid complications.

Innexin gap junctions in nerve cells coordinate spontaneous contractile behavior in Hydra polyps

KAUST Repository

Takaku, Yasuharu

2014-01-07

Nerve cells and spontaneous coordinated behavior first appeared near the base of animal evolution in the common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians. Experiments on the cnidarian Hydra have demonstrated that nerve cells are essential for this behavior, although nerve cells in Hydra are organized in a diffuse network and do not form ganglia. Here we show that the gap junction protein innexin-2 is expressed in a small group of nerve cells in the lower body column of Hydra and that an anti-innexin-2 antibody binds to gap junctions in the same region. Treatment of live animals with innexin-2 antibody eliminates gap junction staining and reduces spontaneous body column contractions. We conclude that a small subset of nerve cells, connected by gap junctions and capable of synchronous firing, act as a pacemaker to coordinate the contraction of the body column in the absence of ganglia.

The influence of spontaneous activity on stimulus processing in primary visual cortex.

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Schölvinck, M L; Friston, K J; Rees, G

2012-02-01

Spontaneous activity in the resting human brain has been studied extensively; however, how such activity affects the local processing of a sensory stimulus is relatively unknown. Here, we examined the impact of spontaneous activity in primary visual cortex on neuronal and behavioural responses to a simple visual stimulus, using functional MRI. Stimulus-evoked responses remained essentially unchanged by spontaneous fluctuations, combining with them in a largely linear fashion (i.e., with little evidence for an interaction). However, interactions between spontaneous fluctuations and stimulus-evoked responses were evident behaviourally; high levels of spontaneous activity tended to be associated with increased stimulus detection at perceptual threshold. Our results extend those found in studies of spontaneous fluctuations in motor cortex and higher order visual areas, and suggest a fundamental role for spontaneous activity in stimulus processing. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Use of nfsB, encoding nitroreductase, as a reporter gene to determine the mutational spectrum of spontaneous mutations in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

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Dunham Stephen

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Organisms that are sensitive to nitrofurantoin express a nitroreductase. Since bacterial resistance to this compound results primarily from mutations in the gene encoding nitroreductase, the resulting loss of function of nitroreductase results in a selectable phenotype; resistance to nitrofurantoin. We exploited this direct selection for mutation to study the frequency at which spontaneous mutations arise (transitions and transversions, insertions and deletions. Results A nitroreductase- encoding gene was identified in the N. gonorrhoeae FA1090 genome by using a bioinformatic search with the deduced amino acid sequence derived from the Escherichia coli nitroreductase gene, nfsB. Cell extracts from N. gonorrhoeae were shown to possess nitroreductase activity, and activity was shown to be the result of NfsB. Spontaneous nitrofurantoin-resistant mutants arose at a frequency of ~3 × 10-6 - 8 × 10-8 among the various strains tested. The nfsB sequence was amplified from various nitrofurantoin-resistant mutants, and the nature of the mutations determined. Transition, transversion, insertion and deletion mutations were all readily detectable with this reporter gene. Conclusion We found that nfsB is a useful reporter gene for measuring spontaneous mutation frequencies. Furthermore, we found that mutations were more likely to arise in homopolymeric runs rather than as base substitutions.

Targeting surface nucleolin with a multivalent pseudopeptide delays development of spontaneous melanoma in RET transgenic mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El Khoury, Diala; Courty, José; Hovanessian, Ara G; Prévost-Blondel, Armelle; Destouches, Damien; Lengagne, Renée; Krust, Bernard; Hamma-Kourbali, Yamina; Garcette, Marylène; Niro, Sandra; Kato, Masashi; Briand, Jean-Paul

2010-01-01

The importance of cell-surface nucleolin in cancer biology was recently highlighted by studies showing that ligands of nucleolin play critical role in tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. By using a specific antagonist that binds the C-terminal tail of nucleolin, the HB-19 pseudopeptide, we recently reported that HB-19 treatment markedly suppressed the progression of established human breast tumor cell xenografts in the athymic nude mice without apparent toxicity. The in vivo antitumoral action of HB-19 treatment was assessed on the spontaneous development of melanoma in the RET transgenic mouse model. Ten days old RET mice were treated with HB-19 in a prophylactic setting that extended 300 days. In parallel, the molecular basis for the action of HB-19 was investigated on a melanoma cell line (called TIII) derived from a cutaneous nodule of a RET mouse. HB-19 treatment of RET mice caused a significant delay in the onset of cutaneous tumors, several-months delay in the incidence of large tumors, a lower frequency of cutaneous nodules, and a reduction of visceral metastatic nodules while displaying no toxicity to normal tissue. Moreover, microvessel density was significantly reduced in tumors recovered from HB-19 treated mice compared to corresponding controls. Studies on the melanoma-derived tumor cells demonstrated that HB-19 treatment of TIII cells could restore contact inhibition, impair anchorage-independent growth, and reduce their tumorigenic potential in mice. Moreover, HB-19 treatment caused selective down regulation of transcripts coding matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the TIII cells and in melanoma tumors of RET mice. Although HB-19 treatment failed to prevent the development of spontaneous melanoma in the RET mice, it delayed for several months the onset and frequency of cutaneous tumors, and exerted a significant inhibitory effect on visceral metastasis. Consequently, HB-19 could provide a novel therapeutic agent by itself or

Effect of in vitro irradiation and cell cycle-inhibitory drugs on the spontaneous human IgE synthesis in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Prete, G.F.; Vercelli, D.; Tiri, A.; Maggi, E.; Rossi, O.; Romagnani, S.; Ricci, M.

1987-01-01

The in vitro effects of radiation, diterpine forskolin (FK), and hydrocortisone (HC) on the in vitro spontaneous IgE synthesis by peripheral blood B-lymphocytes from atopic patients were investigated. Without affecting cell viability, in vitro irradiation inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion de novo IgE synthesis in vitro by B cells from all patients examined with a mean 40% reduction of in vitro IgE product after treatment with 100 rads. In contrast, the in vitro IgE production by the U266 myeloma cell line was unaffected, even by irradiation with 1600 rads. The addition to B cell cultures from atopic patients of FK consistently resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of the spontaneous IgE production in vitro. The addition to cultures of 10(-5) and 10(-6) molar concentrations of HC was also usually inhibitory, whereas lower HC concentrations were uneffective or even enhanced the spontaneous in vitro IgE synthesis. When 10(-6) molar concentrations of both HC and FK were combined in culture, a summation inhibitory effect on the spontaneous IgE synthesis was observed. In contrast, neither FK nor HC had inhibitory effect on the in vitro spontaneous IgE synthesis by the U266 myeloma cell line. The spontaneous in vitro IgE synthesis by B cells from patients with Hodgkin's disease, demonstrating high levels of serum IgE, was strongly reduced or virtually abolished after patients underwent total nodal irradiation to prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, the in vitro spontaneous IgE synthesis by B cells from atopic patients was markedly decreased or abolished by in vivo administration of betamethasone

Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in early molecular networks

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Markovitch Omer

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An important facet of early biological evolution is the selection of chiral enantiomers for molecules such as amino acids and sugars. The origin of this symmetry breaking is a long-standing question in molecular evolution. Previous models addressing this question include particular kinetic properties such as autocatalysis or negative cross catalysis. Results We propose here a more general kinetic formalism for early enantioselection, based on our previously described Graded Autocatalysis Replication Domain (GARD model for prebiotic evolution in molecular assemblies. This model is adapted here to the case of chiral molecules by applying symmetry constraints to mutual molecular recognition within the assembly. The ensuing dynamics shows spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, with transitions towards stationary compositional states (composomes enriched with one of the two enantiomers for some of the constituent molecule types. Furthermore, one or the other of the two antipodal compositional states of the assembly also shows time-dependent selection. Conclusion It follows that chiral selection may be an emergent consequence of early catalytic molecular networks rather than a prerequisite for the initiation of primeval life processes. Elaborations of this model could help explain the prevalent chiral homogeneity in present-day living cells. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Boris Rubinstein (nominated by Arcady Mushegian, Arcady Mushegian, Meir Lahav (nominated by Yitzhak Pilpel and Sergei Maslov.

New Perspectives on Spontaneous Brain Activity: Dynamic Networks and Energy Matter.

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Tozzi, Arturo; Zare, Marzieh; Benasich, April A

2016-01-01

Spontaneous brain activity has received increasing attention as demonstrated by the exponential rise in the number of published article on this topic over the last 30 years. Such "intrinsic" brain activity, generated in the absence of an explicit task, is frequently associated with resting-state or default-mode networks (DMN)s. The focus on characterizing spontaneous brain activity promises to shed new light on questions concerning the structural and functional architecture of the brain and how they are related to "mind". However, many critical questions have yet to be addressed. In this review, we focus on a scarcely explored area, specifically the energetic requirements and constraints of spontaneous activity, taking into account both thermodynamical and informational perspectives. We argue that the "classical" definitions of spontaneous activity do not take into account an important feature, that is, the critical thermodynamic energetic differences between spontaneous and evoked brain activity. Spontaneous brain activity is associated with slower oscillations compared with evoked, task-related activity, hence it exhibits lower levels of enthalpy and "free-energy" (i.e., the energy that can be converted to do work), thus supporting noteworthy thermodynamic energetic differences between spontaneous and evoked brain activity. Increased spike frequency during evoked activity has a significant metabolic cost, consequently, brain functions traditionally associated with spontaneous activity, such as mind wandering, require less energy that other nervous activities. We also review recent empirical observations in neuroscience, in order to capture how spontaneous brain dynamics and mental function can be embedded in a non-linear dynamical framework, which considers nervous activity in terms of phase spaces, particle trajectories, random walks, attractors and/or paths at the edge of the chaos. This takes us from the thermodynamic free-energy, to the realm of "variational

Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Computed Tomographic Characteristics and Outcome

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Aimara de la Caridad Vergara Santos

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: strokes are the third leading cause of death among adults and 10-15 % of them are due to spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Objective: to characterize spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage through computed tomography scan and its outcome. Methods: a case series study was conducted comprising patients diagnosed with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage admitted to the Arnaldo Milián Castro Provincial University Hospital in Villa Clara from January 2009 to January 2010. Tomographic variables of interest were derived from evaluation of spontaneous intracerebral hematomas. Results: fifty-nine cases of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage were studied, 23 were located in lobar regions, 4 had severe midline shift, and 2 showed volume greater than 80 ml. Eight out of eleven with extension into the ventricular system had an unfavorable outcome. Among those with thalamic hemorrhage, patients with diameter larger than 4cm and extension into the ventricular system died. Patients with putaminal hemorrhage larger than 4 cm and posterior fossa hematoma with hydrocephalus had a poor outcome, as well as most individuals (55 with other mass effects. Most lobar hematomas (14 out of 23 had a satisfactory outcome, unlike cerebellar and brainstem hematomas. Conclusions: tomographic variables that had a negative impact on the outcome were: volume greater than 80 ml, severe midline shift, diameter larger than 4 cm, extension into the ventricular system, hydrocephalus, other signs of mass effect and brainstem location.

Analysis and simulation of nonlinearity and effects of spontaneous emission in Schottky-junction-based plasmonic amplifiers.

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Livani, Abdolber Mallah; Kaatuzian, Hassan

2015-07-01

An amplifier that operates on surface plasmon polaritons has been analyzed and simulated. Nonlinearity behavior and the spontaneous emission effects of the plasmonic amplifier are investigated in this paper. A rate equations approach has been used in which parameters are derived from simulation results of the plasmonic amplifier (Silvaco/ATLAS). Details on the method of this derivation are included, which were not previously reported. Rate equations are solved numerically by MATLAB codes. These codes verify the Silvaco results. The plasmonic amplifier operates on surface plasmons with a free-space wavelength of 1550 nm. Results show that, even without the effect of spontaneous emission, gain of the plasmonic amplifier saturates in high input levels. Saturation power, which can be used for comparing nonlinearity of different amplifiers, is 2.1 dBm for this amplifier. Amplified spontaneous emission reduces the gain of the amplifiers, which is long. There is an optimum value for the length of the amplifier. For the amplifier of this work, the optimum length for the small signal condition is 265 μm.

Randomised Comparison of the AMBU AuraOnce Laryngeal Mask and the LMA Unique Laryngeal Mask Airway in Spontaneously Breathing Adults

OpenAIRE

Williams, Daryl Lindsay; Zeng, James M.; Alexander, Karl D.; Andrews, David T.

2012-01-01

We conducted a randomised single-blind controlled trial comparing the LMA-Unique (LMAU) and the AMBU AuraOnce (AMBU) disposable laryngeal mask in spontaneously breathing adult patients undergoing general anaesthesia. Eighty-two adult patients (ASA status I–IV) were randomly allocated to receive the LMAU or AMBU and were blinded to device selection. Patients received a standardized anesthetic and all airway devices were inserted by trained anaesthetists. Size selection was guided by manufactur...

Spontaneous perseverative turning in rats with radiation-induced hippocampal damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mickley, G.A.; Ferguson, J.L.; Nemeth, T.J.; Mulvihill, M.A.; Alderks, C.E.

1989-01-01

This study found a new behavioral correlate of lesions specific to the dentate granule cell layer of the hippocampus: spontaneous perseverative turning. Irradiation of a portion of the neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres produced hypoplasia of the granule cell layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus while sparing the rest of the brain. Radiation-induced damage to the hippocampal formation caused rats placed in bowls to spontaneously turn in long, slow bouts without reversals. Irradiated subjects also exhibited other behaviors characteristic of hippocampal damage (e.g., perseveration in spontaneous exploration of the arms of a T-maze, retarded acquisition of a passive avoidance task, and increased horizontal locomotion). These data extend previously reported behavioral correlates of fascia dentata lesions and suggest the usefulness of a bout analysis of spontaneous bowl turning as a measure of nondiscrete-trial spontaneous alternation and a sensitive additional indicator of radiation-induced hippocampal damage

The effects of age and divided attention on spontaneous recognition.

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Anderson, Benjamin A; Jacoby, Larry L; Thomas, Ruthann C; Balota, David A

2011-05-01

Studies of recognition typically involve tests in which the participant's memory for a stimulus is directly questioned. There are occasions however, in which memory occurs more spontaneously (e.g., an acquaintance seeming familiar out of context). Spontaneous recognition was investigated in a novel paradigm involving study of pictures and words followed by recognition judgments on stimuli with an old or new word superimposed over an old or new picture. Participants were instructed to make their recognition decision on either the picture or word and to ignore the distracting stimulus. Spontaneous recognition was measured as the influence of old vs. new distracters on target recognition. Across two experiments, older adults and younger adults placed under divided-attention showed a greater tendency to spontaneously recognize old distracters as compared to full-attention younger adults. The occurrence of spontaneous recognition is discussed in relation to ability to constrain retrieval to goal-relevant information.

Association between Nutritional Status with Spontaneous Abortion

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Rahimeh Ahmadi

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Spontaneous abortion is the most common adverse pregnancy outcome. We aimed to investigate a possible link between nutrient deficiencies and the risk of spontaneous abortion. Materials and Methods: This case-control study included the case group (n=331 experiencing a spontaneous abortion before 14 weeks of pregnancy and the control group (n=331 who were healthy pregnant women over 14 weeks of pregnancy. The participants filled out Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ, in which they reported their frequency of consumption for a given serving of each food item during the past three months, on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The reported frequency for each food item was converted to a daily intake. Then, consumption of nutrients was compared between the two groups. Results: There are significant differences between the two groups regarding consumed servings/day of vegetables, bread and cereal, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, fats, oils and dairy products (P=0.012, P<0.001, P=0.004, P<0.001, P=0.019, respectively. There are significant differences between the two groups in all micronutrient including folic acid, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and zinc (P<0.001. Conclusion: Poor nutrientions may be correlated with increased risk of spontaneous abortion

Simulating spontaneously generated coherence in a four-level atomic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Aijun; Gao Jinyue; Wu Jinhui; Wang Lei

2005-01-01

We study the spontaneous emission property of a four-level atomic system driven by two coherent fields. By numerical calculations in the bare state picture, we show that such interesting phenomena as extremely narrow peaks and spontaneous emission quenching can be realized, which are well understood by qualitative explanations in the partially and fully dressed state pictures. Especially, this coherently driven atomic system has two close-lying levels in the partially dressed state picture so that spontaneously generated coherence arises. Using our considered scheme it is feasible to carry out experiments based on spontaneously generated coherence because all rigorous requirements have been avoided in the bare state picture

Relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion: a cross-sectional survey of working women in South Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Bokim; Jung, Hye-Sun

2012-01-01

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion among working women in South Korea. One thousand working women were selected from a database of those eligible for maternity benefits under the National Employment Insurance Plan. Study results showed that handling heavy items during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion after adjusting for general characteristics of the participants and their work environment. A collective effort is needed on the parts of employers, employees, occupational health nurses, and the government to protect working women from lifting heavy items while pregnant. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluation of sourdoughs for the production of bread using spontaneous fermentation technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krischina Singer Aplevicz

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This study developed three sourdoughs using sugarcane, apple and grape as substrate. The fermentative activity and physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the sourdoughs and breads were evaluated. Among the breads that were prepared using different sourdoughs, that which was made from grape sourdough presented high pH (4.30 and less acidity (2.99 mL 0.1N 100 g-1. The grape sourdough was selected for research because it presented the highest fermentation volume and because it was the most preferred in the sensory analysis. The aerobic lactic acid bacteria count at 30°C was 7.52 log CFU g-1 and yeast count was 7.62 log CFU g-1. After one year of cultivation, the aerobic lactic acid bacteria increased by 1.34 logarithmic cycles at a temperature of30°C and the yeasts were reduced by 0.61 logarithmic cycles. The results of this study indicate that the use of different substrates in the preparation of sourdoughs provides breads with different sensory characteristics. Although it is an old process, the application of the spontaneous fermentation technique in bread making is still much used in view of the demand for products with the specific characteristics of this type of fermentation.

Interprofessional learning, impression management, and spontaneity in the acute healthcare setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Elaine; McAllister, Sue; Ward, Paul R; Russell, Alison

2016-09-01

Spontaneous learning is integral to definitions of interprofessional learning (IPL) because it has been suggested that spontaneous learning can be deeply connected with the work that people do in collaboration with colleagues via their professional networks. However, its nature and the processes involved are not well understood. Goffman's theory of impression management offers a useful theoretical framework to consider the way in which interaction in the workplace connects to spontaneous learning. This article explores the current literature to investigate the usefulness of this framework to better understand and identify spontaneous learning in the workplace. Aspects such as the connections between spontaneous learning occurring in formal and informal work activities, the spaces in which it occurs, and the influence of professional networking are considered. It is proposed that research directed to developing a better understanding of the nature of spontaneous learning in IPL will assist in connecting this learning to formal IPL curricula, enhancing IPL and patient outcomes.

Spontaneity and Equilibrium III: A History of Misinformation

Science.gov (United States)

Raff, Lionel M.

2014-01-01

Necessary and sufficient criteria for reaction spontaneity in a given direction and for spontaneity of finite transformations in single-reaction, closed systems are developed. The criteria are general in that they hold for reactions conducted under either conditions of constant T and p or constant T and V. These results are illustrated using a…

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection following Topical Hormone Replacement Therapy

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Alexander L. Pan

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare condition, usually presenting as an acute coronary syndrome, and is often seen in states associated with high systemic estrogen levels such as pregnancy or oral contraceptive use. While topical hormonal replacement therapy may result in increased estrogen levels similar to those documented with oral contraceptive use, there are no reported cases of spontaneous coronary dissection with topical hormonal replacement therapy. We describe a 53-year-old female who developed two spontaneous coronary dissections while on topical hormonal replacement therapy. The patient had no other risk factors for coronary dissection. After withdrawal from topical hormonal therapy, our patient has done well and has not had recurrent coronary artery dissections over a one-year follow-up period. The potential contributory role of topical hormonal therapy as a cause of spontaneous coronary dissection should be recognized.

C1-C2 arthrodesis after spontaneous Propionibacterium acnes spondylodiscitis: Case report and literature analysis

Science.gov (United States)

di Russo, Paolo; Tascini, Carlo; Benini, Maria Elena; Martini, Carlotta; Lepori, Paolo

2018-01-01

Background: Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a microaerophilic anaerobic Gram-positive rod responsible for acne vulgaris. Although it is often considered to be a skin contaminant, it may act as a virulent agent in implant-associated infections. Conversely, spontaneous infectious processes have been rarely described. Case Description: Here, we describe a 43-year-old female with C1-C2 spondylodiscitis attributed to P. acnes infection. Despite long-term antibiotic treatment, computed tomography demonstrated erosion of the C1 and C2 vertebral complex that later warranted a fusion. One year postoperatively, the patient was asymptomatic. Conclusions: Clinical knowledge of P. acnes virulence in spontaneous cervical spondylodiscitis allows early diagnosis, which is necessary to prevent or reduce complications such as cervical deformity with myelopathy or mediastinitis. PMID:29497567

Anticonvulsant effects of gamma surgery in a model of chronic spontaneous limbic epilepsy in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Z F; Kamiryo, T; Henson, S L; Yamamoto, H; Bertram, E H; Schottler, F; Patel, F; Steiner, L; Prasad, D; Kassell, N F; Shareghis, S; Lee, K S

2001-02-01

The management of intractable epilepsy remains a challenge, despite advances in its surgical and nonsurgical treatment. The identification of low-risk, low-cost therapeutic strategies that lead to improved outcome is therefore an important ongoing goal of basic and clinical research. Single-dose focal ionizing beam radiation delivered at necrosis-inducing and subnecrotic levels was investigated for its effects on seizure activity by using an established model of chronic recurrent spontaneous limbic seizures in rats. A single 90-minute period of repetitive electrical stimulation (inducing stimulus) of the hippocampus in rats elicited a single episode of status epilepticus, followed by a 2- to 4-week seizure-free period. Spontaneous recurrent seizures developed subsequently and persisted for the duration of monitoring (2-10 months). Simultaneous computerized electroencephalography and video recording were used to monitor the animals. After the establishment of spontaneous recurrent seizures, bilateral radiation centered in the ventral hippocampal formation was administered with the Leksell gamma knife, aided by a stereotactic device custom made for small animals. A center dose of 10, 20, or 40 Gy was administered using a 4-mm collimator. Control animals were subjected to the same seizure-inducing stimulus but underwent a sham treatment instead of gamma irradiation. In a second experiment, the authors examined the effects of gamma irradiation on the proclivity of hippocampal neurons to display epileptiform discharges. Naive animals were irradiated with a single 40-Gy dose, as already described. Slices of the hippocampus were prepared from animals killed between 1 and 178 days postirradiation. Sensitivity to penicillin-induced epileptiform spiking was examined in vitro in slices prepared from control and irradiated rat brains. In the first experiment, single doses of 20 or 40 Gy (but not 10 Gy) reduced substantially, and in some cases eliminated, behaviorally and

Spontaneous Rotational Inversion in Phycomyces

KAUST Repository

Goriely, Alain

2011-03-01

The filamentary fungus Phycomyces blakesleeanus undergoes a series of remarkable transitions during aerial growth. During what is known as the stagea IV growth phase, the fungus extends while rotating in a counterclockwise manner when viewed from above (stagea IVa) and then, while continuing to grow, spontaneously reverses to a clockwise rotation (stagea IVb). This phase lasts for 24-48Ah and is sometimes followed by yet another reversal (stageAIVc) before the overall growth ends. Here, we propose a continuum mechanical model of this entire process using nonlinear, anisotropic, elasticity and show how helical anisotropy associated with the cell wall structure can induce spontaneous rotation and, under appropriate circumstances, the observed reversal of rotational handedness. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Validation of second trimester miscarriages and spontaneous deliveries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundtoft, Iben Blaabjerg; Sneider, Kirstine; Christiansen, Ole Bjarne

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To validate the diagnosis of second trimester miscarriages/deliveries (16+0 weeks to 27+6 weeks of gestation) recorded as miscarriages in the Danish National Patient Registry or spontaneous deliveries in the Danish Medical Birth Registry, and asses the validity of risk factors, pregnancy...... information and calculated positive predictive values of the registry diagnoses stratified by type of registry, as well as sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and kappa coefficients of risk factors, pregnancy complications, and cerclage. RESULTS: Miscarriage/spontaneous delivery in the second......-based information on pregnancy complications need to be improved. We recommend that all pregnancies ending spontaneously beyond the first trimester are included in the national birth registry and described by appropriate variables....

Detection of target phonemes in spontaneous and read speech

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mehta, G.; Cutler, A.

1988-01-01

Although spontaneous speech occurs more frequently in most listeners' experience than read speech, laboratory studies of human speech recognition typically use carefully controlled materials read from a script. The phonological and prosodic characteristics of spontaneous and read speech differ

Combining stochastic dynamical statevector reduction with spontaneous localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearle, P.

1988-05-01

A linear equation of motion for the statevector is presented, in which an anti-Hamiltonian that fluctuates randomly is added to the usual Hamiltonian of the Schroedinger equation. It is shown how the resulting theory describes the continuous evolution of a statevector to an ensemble of reduced statevectors while retaining important physical features of the Ghirardi, Rimini, Weber theory of Spontaneous Localization, in which the statevector reduction occurs discontinuously. A novel aspect, compared with ordinary quantum theory, is that the statevector norm changes with time. The squared norm of each statevector is interpreted as proportional to the probability possessed by that statevector in the ensemble of statevectors. This interpretation is shown to be consistent with the independent Markovian evolution of each statevector. (author). 25 refs

Rapid Spontaneous Resolution of Fibromatosis Colli in a 3-Week-Old Girl

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Adamoli

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Fibromatosis colli is an uncommon benign, congenital fibrous tumor or pseudotumor of the sternocleidomastoid muscle that manifests in infancy. In some of these patients tightening of the muscle results in torticollis. We report the case of a 3-week-old child, who presented with a neck mass localized in the left side with reduced mobility of the head. The diagnosis of fibromatosis colli was raised by ultrasound sonography. The mass regressed spontaneously within 3 months without surgical or physical treatment.

Factors Analysis of Spontaneous Abortion after Thawed-vitrified Blastocysts Transfer

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Dong YANG; Zheng-yi SUN; Cheng-yan DENG; Qi YU; Fang-fang HE

2008-01-01

Objective To investigate the factors resulting in spontaneous abortion after transferring frozen-thawing blastocysts. Methods A total of 108 cases transferring vitrified blastocysts were divided into two groups: abortion group (n =20) and ongoing group (n=88). Cytogenetic analysis of apoblemas was performed in 12 cases of the abortion.Results The overall spontaneous abortion rate was 18.50%(20/108) and the early spontaneous rate was 16.67%(18/108). ,4 significant difference in maternal age was observed (abortion group: 33.3±4.0 years, ongoing group: 31.0±3.6 years, P=0.02). No difference in other parameters was found. Cytogenetic analysis of apoblemas was obtained for 12 cases, and 2 specimens were contaminated. Seven of ten patients had abnormal karyotypes. Conclusion The underlying cause of spontaneous abortion after transferring frozen thawing blastocysts appears to be abnormal karyotypes.Advancing maternal age seems to increase the risk of spontaneous abortion.

Factors Associated with Spontaneous Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus in Chinese Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Kong

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Hepatitis C virus (HCV infections spontaneously clear in approximately 15–45% of infected individuals. Factors which influence spontaneous HCV clearance remain to be identified. The purpose of the present study was to identify variables associated with spontaneous HCV clearance in a referred population of Chinese patients. The prevalence of host, viral, and environmental factors known to influence the outcome of HCV infections was compared in 92 HCV spontaneous clearance subjects and 318 HCV persistent infection subjects. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify those factors associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. In univariate analysis, female gender, a history of icteric hepatitis, serologic evidence of concurrent HBV infection, and rs12979860 CC genotype were positively associated with spontaneous HCV clearance, while alcohol consumption was negatively associated with clearance. In multivariate analysis, female gender, a history of icteric hepatitis, concurrent HBV infection, and rs12979860 CC genotype remained independent variables associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. Spontaneous HCV clearance is more likely to occur in females, subjects with a history of icteric hepatitis, HBV coinfections, and those with the rs12979860 CC genotype.

Brain stem death as the vital determinant for resumption of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest in rats.

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Alice Y W Chang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Spontaneous circulation returns to less than half of adult cardiac arrest victims who received in-hospital resuscitation. One clue for this disheartening outcome arises from the prognosis that asystole invariably takes place, after a time lag, on diagnosis of brain stem death. The designation of brain stem death as the point of no return further suggests that permanent impairment of the brain stem cardiovascular regulatory machinery precedes death. It follows that a crucial determinant for successful revival of an arrested heart is that spontaneous circulation must resume before brain stem death commences. Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that maintained functional integrity of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM, a neural substrate that is intimately related to brain stem death and central circulatory regulation, holds the key to the vital time-window between cardiac arrest and resumption of spontaneous circulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: An animal model of brain stem death employing the pesticide mevinphos as the experimental insult in Sprague-Dawley rats was used. Intravenous administration of lethal doses of mevinphos elicited an abrupt cardiac arrest, accompanied by elevated systemic arterial pressure and anoxia, augmented neuronal excitability and enhanced microvascular perfusion in RVLM. This period represents the vital time-window between cardiac arrest and resumption of spontaneous circulation in our experimental model. Animals with restored spontaneous circulation exhibited maintained neuronal functionality in RVLM beyond this critical time-window, alongside resumption of baseline tissue oxygen and enhancement of local blood flow. Intriguingly, animals that subsequently died manifested sustained anoxia, diminished local blood flow, depressed mitochondrial electron transport activities and reduced ATP production, leading to necrotic cell death in RVLM. That amelioration of mitochondrial dysfunction and

Bilateral spontaneous rupture of flexor digitorum profundus tendons.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Sullivan, S T

2012-02-03

Spontaneous tendon rupture is an unusual condition usually associated with underlying disease processes such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic renal failure or bony abnormalities of the hand. We report a case of spontaneous, non-concurrent bilateral rupture of flexor profundus tendons in an otherwise healthy individual. Treatment was successful and consisted of a two-stage reconstruction of the ruptured tendon.

Bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax with pulmonary metastases of synovial sarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matushita, J.P.K.; Azevedo, C.M. de

1989-01-01

The association of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax with pulmonary tumor is uncommon and with pulmonary metastases is rare. The clinical and radiological features of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax from a synovial sarcoma in a 14 years old boy are described. (author) [pt

Visually Evoked Spiking Evolves While Spontaneous Ongoing Dynamics Persist

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huys, Raoul; Jirsa, Viktor K; Darokhan, Ziauddin

2016-01-01

attractor. Its existence guarantees that evoked spiking return to the spontaneous state. However, the spontaneous ongoing spiking state and the visual evoked spiking states are qualitatively different and are separated by a threshold (separatrix). The functional advantage of this organization...

Playing with Gladys: A case study integrating drama therapy with behavioural interventions for the treatment of selective mutism.

Science.gov (United States)

Oon, Phei Phei

2010-04-01

This case study examines an integrative approach combining drama therapy and the behavioural skill "shaping", as offered to Gladys, a 5-year-old girl diagnosed with selective mutism. This study found that shaping, when implemented in the context of play, with play as the primary reinforcer, elicited from Gladys vocalization and eventually speech within a very short time. Her vocalizations allowed her to enter dramatic play, which in turn propelled spontaneous speech. This article looks at how the three elements of dramatherapy - the playspace, role-playing and dramatic projection - brought about therapeutic changes for Gladys. Aside from spontaneous speech, Gladys also developed positive self-esteem and a heightened sense of spontaneity. Subsequently, these two qualities helped her generalize her speech to new settings on her own. Gladys's newly harnessed spontaneity further helped her become more sociable and resilient.This study advances the possibility of integrating a behavioural skill with drama therapy for the therapeutic benefits of a child with an anxiety-related condition like selective mutism.

Spontaneous regression of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hassan, S J

2010-01-01

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin predominantly affecting elderly Caucasians. It has a high rate of local recurrence and regional lymph node metastases. It is associated with a poor prognosis. Complete spontaneous regression of Merkel cell carcinoma has been reported but is a poorly understood phenomenon. Here we present a case of complete spontaneous regression of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma demonstrating a markedly different pattern of events from those previously published.

An unusual case of spontaneous esophagopleural fistula

OpenAIRE

Manoranjan Dash; Thitta Mohanty; Jyoti Patnaik; Narayan Mishra; Saswat Subhankar; Priyadarsini Parida

2017-01-01

Esophago-pleural fistula (EPF) is an uncommon condition, despite of an anatomical proximity of these structures. Causes of EPF include pneumonectomy for suppurative or tubercular disease of lung and carcinoma lung, malignancy of esophagus. Benign EPF is rare and may be due to trauma or infection. The most common infectious cause is tuberculosis. Spontaneous development of fistula between esophagus and pleura is rarely described in literature. We, hereby present a spontaneous case of such a ra...

Hematome Extra - Dural Rachidien Spontane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cl. Gros

1967-01-01

Full Text Available Four personal cases of Spontaneous Spinal Epidurdl Hemerrhage are Reported. And 29 additional cases have been analysed by reviewing the literature. The clinical radiologcal and surgical aspects were discussed.

Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin

Science.gov (United States)

Schartner, Michael M.; Carhart-Harris, Robin L.; Barrett, Adam B.; Seth, Anil K.; Muthukumaraswamy, Suresh D.

2017-04-01

What is the level of consciousness of the psychedelic state? Empirically, measures of neural signal diversity such as entropy and Lempel-Ziv (LZ) complexity score higher for wakeful rest than for states with lower conscious level like propofol-induced anesthesia. Here we compute these measures for spontaneous magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals from humans during altered states of consciousness induced by three psychedelic substances: psilocybin, ketamine and LSD. For all three, we find reliably higher spontaneous signal diversity, even when controlling for spectral changes. This increase is most pronounced for the single-channel LZ complexity measure, and hence for temporal, as opposed to spatial, signal diversity. We also uncover selective correlations between changes in signal diversity and phenomenological reports of the intensity of psychedelic experience. This is the first time that these measures have been applied to the psychedelic state and, crucially, that they have yielded values exceeding those of normal waking consciousness. These findings suggest that the sustained occurrence of psychedelic phenomenology constitutes an elevated level of consciousness - as measured by neural signal diversity.

Spontaneous pneumothorax after upper mantle radiation therapy for Hodgkin disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paszat, L.; Basrur, V.; Tadros, A.

1986-01-01

Between 1967 and 1981, 158 of 256 consecutive adult patients received upper mantle (UM) radiation therapy as part of initial treatment of Hodgkin disease at the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre. Chemotherapy was also part of the initial treatment in 21 of 158 patients who received UM radiation therapy. Spontaneous pneumothorax was observed in six of 158 patients during remission after UM radiation therapy in this series. Three cases were incidental findings on follow-up radiographs, but three other patients were seen initially with symptoms of spontaneous pneumothorax. The entity occurred in three of 21 patients (14%) treated with UM radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and in three of 137 (2%) treated with UM radiation therapy (P < .05). Within the range of UM doses (3,500-4,000 cGy in 4 weeks), higher dose was not associated with higher risk of spontaneous pneumothorax. Although these cases of spontaneous pneumothorax are clustered in an age range classic for this entity, the incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax in this group of patients is higher than the anticipated lifetime incidence of 1:500 for the general population. This risk of spontaneous pneumothorax after UM radiation therapy may be even higher in patients who also receive chemotherapy

Computed tomography in the assessment of idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sang Jin; Lee, Doo Yun; Kim, Hyung Jung

1991-01-01

It is well known that idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax is caused by rupture of the subpleural bleb and presents difficulty in exact detection and localization of the bleb with plain chest X - ray alone. The authors performed chest CT scans for accurate diagnosis of bleb that would act as a guide for optimal management of idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax patients in order to prevent recurrent pneumothorax. We could detect blebs in 93 % (26/28) of the patients with idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax, and 68 % (19/ 28) of the patient had bilateral blebs. Sensitivity was 0.63, and false negative was 37% (37/100) of the blebs, and 51% (19/37) of these 37 false negative cases were ruptured blebs. Only 7 % (2/28) of the patients had a single bleb. The authors concluded that CT is a useful method of study for optimal management of idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax patients

Atypical development of spontaneous social cognition in autism spectrum disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Senju, Atsushi

2013-02-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have profound impairment in the development of social interaction and communication. However, it is also known that some 'high-functioning' individuals with ASD show apparently typical capacity to process social information in a controlled experimental settings, despite their difficulties in daily life. The current paper overviews the spontaneous social cognition, spontaneous processing of social information in the absence of explicit instruction or task demand, in individuals with ASD. Three areas of the researches, false belief attribution, imitation/mimicry, and eye gaze processing, have been reviewed. The literatures suggest that high-functioning individuals with ASD (a) do not spontaneously attribute false belief to others, even though they can easily do so when explicitly instructed, (b) can imitate others' goal-directed actions under explicit instruction and show spontaneous mimicry of others' actions when they attend to the action, but are less likely to show spontaneous mimicry without the task structure to navigate attention to others' action and (c) can process others' gaze direction and shift attention to others' gaze directions, but fail to spontaneously attend to another person's eyes in social and communicative context, and less likely to be prompted to respond in response to perceived eye contact. These results are consistent with the claim that individuals with ASD do not spontaneously attend to socially relevant information, even though they can easily process the same information when their attention is navigated towards it. Copyright © 2012 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interstitial fluid pressure, vascularity and metastasis in ectopic, orthotopic and spontaneous tumours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunt, Sarah Jane; Kalliomaki, Tuula MK; Brown, Allison; Yang, Victor X; Milosevic, Michael; Hill, Richard P

2008-01-01

High tumour interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) has been adversely linked to poor drug uptake in patients, and to treatment response following radiotherapy in cervix cancer patients. In this study we measured IFP values in a selection of murine and xenograft models, spontaneously arising or transplanted either intramuscularly (i/m) or orthotopically and analysed their relationship to tumour vascularity and metastatic spread. KHT-C murine fibrosarcoma, ME180 and SiHa human cervix carcinoma were grown either intramuscularly (i/m), sub-cutaneously (s/c) or orthotopically. Polyoma middle-T (MMTV-PyMT) transgenic spontaneous mammary tumours were studied either as spontaneous tumours or following orthotopic or i/m transplantation. IFP was measured in all tumours using the wick-in-needle method. Spontaneous metastasis formation in the lungs or lymph nodes was assessed in all models. An immunohistochemical analysis of tumour hypoxia, vascular density, lymphatic vascular density and proliferation was carried out in ME180 tumours grown both i/m and orthotopically. Blood flow was also assessed in the ME180 model using high-frequency micro-ultrasound functional imaging. Tumour IFP was heterogeneous in all the models irrespective of growth site: KHT-C i/m: 2–42 mmHg, s/c: 1–14 mmHg, ME180: i/m 5–68 mmHg, cervix 4–21 mmHg, SiHa: i/m 20–56 mmHg, cervix 2–26 mmHg, MMTV-PyMT: i/m: 13–45 mmHg, spontaneous 2–20 mmHg and transplanted 2–22 mmHg. Additionally, there was significant variation between individual tumours growing in the same mouse, and there was no correlation between donor and recipient tumour IFP values. Metastatic dissemination to the lungs or lymph nodes demonstrated no correlation with tumour IFP. Tumour hypoxia, proliferation, and lymphatic or blood vessel density also showed no relationship with tumour IFP. Speckle variance analysis of ultrasound images showed no differences in vascular perfusion between ME180 tumours grown i/m versus orthotopically

Spontaneous formation of gold nanostructures in aqueous microdroplets.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jae Kyoo; Samanta, Devleena; Nam, Hong Gil; Zare, Richard N

2018-04-19

The synthesis of gold nanostructures has received widespread attention owing to many important applications. We report the accelerated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), as well as the reducing-agent-free and template-free synthesis of gold nanoparticles and nanowires in aerosol microdroplets. At first, the AuNP synthesis are carried out by fusing two aqueous microdroplet streams containing chloroauric acid and sodium borohydride. The AuNPs (~7 nm in diameter) are produced within 60 µs at the rate of 0.24 nm µs -1 . Compared to bulk solution, microdroplets enhance the size and the growth rate of AuNPs by factors of about 2.1 and 1.2 × 10 5 , respectively. Later, we find that gold nanoparticles and nanowires (~7 nm wide and >2000 nm long) are also formed in microdroplets in the absence of any added reducing agent, template, or externally applied charge. Thus, water microdroplets not only accelerate the synthesis of AuNPs by orders of magnitude, but they also cause spontaneous formation of gold nanostructures.

Coherent spontaneous radiation from highly bunched electron beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berryman, K.W.; Crosson, E.R.; Ricci, K.N.

1995-01-01

Coherent spontaneous radiation has now been observed in several FELs, and is a subject of great importance to the design of self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE) devices. We report observations of coherent spontaneous radiation in both FIREFLY and the mid-infrared FEL at the Stanford Picosecond FEL Center. Coherent emission has been observed at wavelengths as short as 5 microns, and enhancement over incoherent levels by as much as a factor of 4x10 4 has been observed at longer wavelengths. The latter behavior was observed at 45 microns in FIREFLY with short bunches produced by off-peak acceleration and dispersive compression. We present temporal measurements of the highly bunched electron distributions responsible for the large enhancements, using both transition radiation and energy-phase techniques

Planning for spontaneous evacuation during a radiological emergency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.H. Jr.

1984-01-01

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) radiological emergency preparedness program ignores the potential problem of spontaneous evacuation during a nuclear reactor accident. To show the importance of incorporating the emergency spatial behaviors of the population at risk in radiological emergency preparedness and response plans, this article presents empirical evidence that demonstrates the potential magnitude and geographic extent of spontaneous evacuation in the event of an accident at the Long Island Lighting Company's Shoreham Nuclear Power Station. The results indicate that, on the average, 39% of the population of Long Island is likely to evacuate spontaneously and thus to cast an evacuation shadow extending at least 25 miles beyond the plant. On the basis of these findings, necessary revisions to FEMA's radiological emergency preparedness program are outlined

Spontaneous ischaemic stroke lesions in a dog brain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Barbara Blicher; Gredal, Hanne; Nielsen, Martin Wirenfeldt

2017-01-01

Background Dogs develop spontaneous ischaemic stroke with a clinical picture closely resembling human ischaemic stroke patients. Animal stroke models have been developed, but it has proved difficult to translate results obtained from such models into successful therapeutic strategies in human...... stroke patients. In order to face this apparent translational gap within stroke research, dogs with ischaemic stroke constitute an opportunity to study the neuropathology of ischaemic stroke in an animal species. Case presentation A 7 years and 8 months old female neutered Rottweiler dog suffered....../macrophages and astrocytes. Conclusions The neuropathological changes reported in the present study were similar to findings in human patients with ischaemic stroke. The dog with spontaneous ischaemic stroke is of interest as a complementary spontaneous animal model for further neuropathological studies....

ANTISPERM ANTIBODY IS A POSSIBLE CAUSE OF SPONTANEOUS ABORTION

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

XUChong; CHENFu; LIULi; ZHAOFei-Sha

1989-01-01

To clarify the possible correlation between antisperm antibodies (ASA) and spontaneous abortion, 68 women, aged 23-37, experienced 2-9 times of spontaneous abortion were tested for ASA by ELISA. 38 fertile women, aged 24-40, without history of abortion were employed as control.

Spontaneous emission control in a tunable hybrid photonic system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frimmer, M.; Koenderink, A.F.

2013-01-01

We experimentally demonstrate control of the rate of spontaneous emission in a tunable hybrid photonic system that consists of two canonical building blocks for spontaneous emission control, an optical antenna and a mirror, each providing a modification of the local density of optical states (LDOS).

Quark potential of spontaneous strings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

German, G.; Kleinert, H.

1989-01-01

The authors present some recent developments in string models with an extrinsic curvature term in action. Particular emphasis is placed upon the static quark potential and on the thermal deconfinement properties of spontaneous strings

Validation of spontaneous abortion diagnoses in the Danish National Registry of Patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lohse, Sarah Rytter; Farkas, Dóra Körmendiné; Lohse, Nicolai

2010-01-01

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to validate the diagnosis of spontaneous abortion (SA) recorded in the Danish National Registry of Patients (DNRP). METHODS: We randomly selected patients registered in the DNRP with a diagnosis of SA between 1980 and 2008 from hospitals in the county of North...... the three patients with available data who did not fulfill the criteria for SA, one had an induced abortion and two had threatened abortion but did not miscarry. CONCLUSION: Registration of SA in the DNRP accurately reflects the diagnoses recorded in medical charts. The DNRP is a suitable source of data...

Abolishment of Spontaneous Flight Turns in Visually Responsive Drosophila.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferris, Bennett Drew; Green, Jonathan; Maimon, Gaby

2018-01-22

Animals react rapidly to external stimuli, such as an approaching predator, but in other circumstances, they seem to act spontaneously, without any obvious external trigger. How do the neural processes mediating the execution of reflexive and spontaneous actions differ? We studied this question in tethered, flying Drosophila. We found that silencing a large but genetically defined set of non-motor neurons virtually eliminates spontaneous flight turns while preserving the tethered flies' ability to perform two types of visually evoked turns, demonstrating that, at least in flies, these two modes of action are almost completely dissociable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

From a distance: implications of spontaneous self-distancing for adaptive self-reflection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ayduk, Ozlem; Kross, Ethan

2010-05-01

Although recent experimental work indicates that self-distancing facilitates adaptive self-reflection, it remains unclear (a) whether spontaneous self-distancing leads to similar adaptive outcomes, (b) how spontaneous self-distancing relates to avoidance, and (c) how this strategy impacts interpersonal behavior. Three studies examined these issues demonstrating that the more participants spontaneously self-distanced while reflecting on negative memories, the less emotional (Studies 1-3) and cardiovascular (Study 2) reactivity they displayed in the short term. Spontaneous self-distancing was also associated with lower emotional reactivity and intrusive ideation over time (Study 1). The negative association between spontaneous self-distancing and emotional reactivity was mediated by how participants construed their experience (i.e., less recounting relative to reconstruing) rather than avoidance (Studies 1-2). In addition, spontaneous self-distancing was associated with more problem-solving behavior and less reciprocation of negativity during conflicts among couples in ongoing relationships (Study 3). Although spontaneous self-distancing was empirically related to trait rumination, it explained unique variance in predicting key outcomes. 2010 APA, all rights reserved

Spontaneous Hall effect in a chiral p-wave superconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Furusaki, Akira; Matsumoto, Masashige; Sigrist, Manfred

2001-08-01

In a chiral superconductor with broken time-reversal symmetry a ``spontaneous Hall effect'' may be observed. We analyze this phenomenon by taking into account the surface properties of a chiral superconductor. We identify two main contributions to the spontaneous Hall effect. One contribution originates from the Bernoulli (or Lorentz) force due to spontaneous currents running along the surfaces of the superconductor. The other contribution has a topological origin and is related to the intrinsic angular momentum of Cooper pairs. The latter can be described in terms of a Chern-Simons-like term in the low-energy field theory of the superconductor and has some similarities with the quantum Hall effect. The spontaneous Hall effect in a chiral superconductor is, however, nonuniversal. Our analysis is based on three approaches to the problem: a self-consistent solution of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation, a generalized Ginzburg-Landau theory, and a hydrodynamic formulation. All three methods consistently lead to the same conclusion that the spontaneous Hall resistance of a two-dimensional superconducting Hall bar is of order h/(ekFλ)2, where kF is the Fermi wave vector and λ is the London penetration depth; the Hall resistance is substantially suppressed from a quantum unit of resistance. Experimental issues in measuring this effect are briefly discussed.

An unusual case of spontaneous esophagopleural fistula.

Science.gov (United States)

Dash, Manoranjan; Mohanty, Thitta; Patnaik, Jyoti; Mishra, Narayan; Subhankar, Saswat; Parida, Priyadarsini

2017-01-01

Esophago-pleural fistula (EPF) is an uncommon condition, despite of an anatomical proximity of these structures. Causes of EPF include pneumonectomy for suppurative or tubercular disease of lung and carcinoma lung, malignancy of esophagus. Benign EPF is rare and may be due to trauma or infection. The most common infectious cause is tuberculosis. Spontaneous development of fistula between esophagus and pleura is rarely described in literature. We, hereby present a spontaneous case of such a rare entity in a middle-aged male.

Spontaneous intracranial epidural hematoma during rivaroxaban treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruschel, Leonardo Gilmone; Rego, Felipe Marques Monteiro do; Milano, Jeronimo Buzetti; Jung, Gustavo Simiano; Silva Junior, Luis Fernando; Ramina, Ricardo, E-mail: leonardoruschel@yahoo.com.br [Instituto de Neurologia de Curitiba (INC), Curitiba, PR (Brazil)

2016-11-15

According to our research, this is the first case described in the literature of spontaneous intracranial epidural hematoma secondary to the use of Xarelto®. Spontaneous intracranial epidural hematomas are rarely described in the literature. They are associated with infectious diseases of the skull, coagulation disorders, vascular malformations of the dura mater and metastasis to the skull. Long-term post-marketing monitoring and independent reports will probably detect the full spectrum of hemorrhagic complications of the use of rivaroxaban. (author)

Agrammatic aphasia verb and argument patterns in Kiswahili-English spontaneous language

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Hillary K. Sang

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background: The spontaneous and narrative language of Kiswahili agrammatic aphasic and non-brain-damaged speakers was analysed. The bilingual participants were also tested in English to enable comparisons of verb production in the two languages. The significance of this study was to characterise bilingual Kiswahili-English spontaneous agrammatic output. This was done by describing Kiswahili-English bilingual output data with a specific focus on the production of verbs. The description involves comparison of verb and argument production in Kiswahili and English. Methods and procedures: The participants recruited for this study were drawn from two groups of participants (six non-fluent aphasic/agrammatic speakers and six non-braindamaged. From each participant, a sample of spontaneous output was tape-recorded in English and Kiswahili based on the description and narration of the Flood rescue picture’ and the ‘Cookie theft picture’. The data elicited were compared for each subject and between the participants and relevant verb parameters have been analysed. The variables that were studied included mean length of utterance (MLU, inflectional errors, verb tokens and types, copulas and auxiliaries. Further, all verbs produced were classified as per their argument structure. Results: The results from English data supported previous findings on agrammatic output. The agrammatic participants produced utterances with shorter MLU and simpler sentence structure. However, Kiswahili data surprisingly showed reversed results, with agrammatic speakers producing longer utterances than non-brain-damaged (NBD controls. The results also revealed selective impairment in some agrammatic speakers who made inflectional errors. The verb argument structure showed contrasting results, with agrammatic speakers preferring transitive verbs whilst the NBD speakers used more intransitive verbs. Conclusions: The study attempts for the first time to characterise English

Palmitoylethanolamide treatment reduces blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats: involvement of cytochrome p450-derived eicosanoids and renin angiotensin system.

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Giuseppina Mattace Raso

Full Text Available Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α agonist, has been demonstrated to reduce blood pressure and kidney damage secondary to hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR. Currently, no information is available concerning the putative effect of PEA on modulating vascular tone. Here, we investigate the mechanisms underpinning PEA blood pressure lowering effect, exploring the contribution of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, CYP-dependent arachidonic acid metabolites, as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHF, and renin angiotensin system (RAS modulation. To achieve this aim SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats were treated with PEA (30 mg/kg/day for five weeks. Functional evaluations on mesenteric bed were performed to analyze EDHF-mediated vasodilation. Moreover, mesenteric bed and carotid were harvested to measure CYP2C23 and CYP2J2, the key isoenzymes in the formation of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, and the soluble epoxide hydrolase, which is responsible for their degradation in the corresponding diols. Effect of PEA on RAS modulation was investigated by analyzing angiotensin converting enzyme and angiotensin receptor 1 expression. Here, we showed that EDHF-mediated dilation in response to acetylcholine was increased in mesenteric beds of PEA-treated SHR. Western blot analysis revealed that the increase in CYP2C23 and CYP2J2 observed in SHR was significantly attenuated in mesenteric beds of PEA-treated SHR, but unchanged in the carotids. Interestingly, in both vascular tissues, PEA significantly decreased the soluble epoxide hydrolase protein level, accompanied by a reduced serum concentration of its metabolite 14-15 dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid, implying a reduction in epoxyeicosatrienoic acid hydrolisis. Moreover, PEA treatment down-regulated angiotensin receptor 1 and angiotensin converting enzyme expression, indicating a reduction in angiotensin II-mediated effects. Consistently, a damping of the

Interactions between hair cells shape spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in a model of the tokay gecko's cochlea.

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Michael Gelfand

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The hearing of tetrapods including humans is enhanced by an active process that amplifies the mechanical inputs associated with sound, sharpens frequency selectivity, and compresses the range of responsiveness. The most striking manifestation of the active process is spontaneous otoacoustic emission, the unprovoked emergence of sound from an ear. Hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear, are known to provide the energy for such emissions; it is unclear, though, how ensembles of such cells collude to power observable emissions.We have measured and modeled spontaneous otoacoustic emissions from the ear of the tokay gecko, a convenient experimental subject that produces robust emissions. Using a van der Pol formulation to represent each cluster of hair cells within a tonotopic array, we have examined the factors that influence the cooperative interaction between oscillators.A model that includes viscous interactions between adjacent hair cells fails to produce emissions similar to those observed experimentally. In contrast, elastic coupling yields realistic results, especially if the oscillators near the ends of the array are weakened so as to minimize boundary effects. Introducing stochastic irregularity in the strength of oscillators stabilizes peaks in the spectrum of modeled emissions, further increasing the similarity to the responses of actual ears. Finally, and again in agreement with experimental findings, the inclusion of a pure-tone external stimulus repels the spectral peaks of spontaneous emissions. Our results suggest that elastic coupling between oscillators of slightly differing strength explains several properties of the spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in the gecko.

Interactions between hair cells shape spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in a model of the tokay gecko's cochlea.

Science.gov (United States)

Gelfand, Michael; Piro, Oreste; Magnasco, Marcelo O; Hudspeth, A J

2010-06-15

The hearing of tetrapods including humans is enhanced by an active process that amplifies the mechanical inputs associated with sound, sharpens frequency selectivity, and compresses the range of responsiveness. The most striking manifestation of the active process is spontaneous otoacoustic emission, the unprovoked emergence of sound from an ear. Hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear, are known to provide the energy for such emissions; it is unclear, though, how ensembles of such cells collude to power observable emissions. We have measured and modeled spontaneous otoacoustic emissions from the ear of the tokay gecko, a convenient experimental subject that produces robust emissions. Using a van der Pol formulation to represent each cluster of hair cells within a tonotopic array, we have examined the factors that influence the cooperative interaction between oscillators. A model that includes viscous interactions between adjacent hair cells fails to produce emissions similar to those observed experimentally. In contrast, elastic coupling yields realistic results, especially if the oscillators near the ends of the array are weakened so as to minimize boundary effects. Introducing stochastic irregularity in the strength of oscillators stabilizes peaks in the spectrum of modeled emissions, further increasing the similarity to the responses of actual ears. Finally, and again in agreement with experimental findings, the inclusion of a pure-tone external stimulus repels the spectral peaks of spontaneous emissions. Our results suggest that elastic coupling between oscillators of slightly differing strength explains several properties of the spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in the gecko.

Behavioral Modulation by Spontaneous Activity of Dopamine Neurons

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Toshiharu Ichinose

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Dopamine modulates a variety of animal behaviors that range from sleep and learning to courtship and aggression. Besides its well-known phasic firing to natural reward, a substantial number of dopamine neurons (DANs are known to exhibit ongoing intrinsic activity in the absence of an external stimulus. While accumulating evidence points at functional implications for these intrinsic “spontaneous activities” of DANs in cognitive processes, a causal link to behavior and its underlying mechanisms has yet to be elucidated. Recent physiological studies in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster have uncovered that DANs in the fly brain are also spontaneously active, and that this activity reflects the behavioral/internal states of the animal. Strikingly, genetic manipulation of basal DAN activity resulted in behavioral alterations in the fly, providing critical evidence that links spontaneous DAN activity to behavioral states. Furthermore, circuit-level analyses have started to reveal cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate or regulate spontaneous DAN activity. Through reviewing recent findings in different animals with the major focus on flies, we will discuss potential roles of this physiological phenomenon in directing animal behaviors.

When do humans spontaneously adopt another's visuospatial perspective?

Science.gov (United States)

Freundlieb, Martin; Kovács, Ágnes M; Sebanz, Natalie

2016-03-01

Perspective-taking is a key component of social interactions. However, there is an ongoing controversy about whether, when and how instances of spontaneous visuospatial perspective-taking occur. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying factors as well as boundary conditions that characterize the spontaneous adoption of another person's visuospatial perspective (VSP) during social interactions. We used a novel paradigm, in which a participant and a confederate performed a simple stimulus-response (SR) compatibility task sitting at a 90° angle to each other. In this set-up, participants would show a spatial compatibility effect only if they adopted the confederate's VSP. In a series of 5 experiments we found that participants reliably adopted the VSP of the confederate, as long as he was perceived as an intentionally acting agent. Our results therefore show that humans are able to spontaneously adopt the differing VSP of another agent and that there is a tight link between perspective-taking and performing actions together. The results suggest that spontaneous VSP-taking can effectively facilitate and speed up spatial alignment processes accruing from dynamic interactions in multiagent environments. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Spontaneous Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome in a Term Pregnancy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aytekin Tokmak

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous OHSS in a term pregnancy is extremely rare. The aim of this study is to present a case of spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS in a term pregnancy. A 29-year-old primigravida woman conceived spontaneously and was observed up until 35 weeks of gestation. During this time the patient had a normal pregnancy with normal ovaries. She applied to the current clinic during the 37th week of gestation with complaints of rapid weight gain, abdominal disturbance, and pain. Ultrasound examination showed large bilateral ovaries with multiple follicles and mild ascites. At 39 weeks of gestation, the ovaries were the same as detected previously, and a caesarean section was performed due to fetal macrosomia. A healthy female foetus weighing 4060 gr was delivered. The enlarged bilateral ovaries containing multiple follicles were drilled with electrocautery. The ovaries returned to a near normal state for two weeks after the birth. There are no reported cases of spontaneous OHSS in late pregnancy in the literature. Ovarian drilling may be useful during caesarean section. [Cukurova Med J 2015; 40(3.000: 623-626

Effects of Kefir on the Cardiac Autonomic Tones and Baroreflex Sensitivity in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Klippel, Brunella F; Duemke, Licia B; Leal, Marcos A; Friques, Andreia G F; Dantas, Eduardo M; Dalvi, Rodolfo F; Gava, Agata L; Pereira, Thiago M C; Andrade, Tadeu U; Meyrelles, Silvana S; Campagnaro, Bianca P; Vasquez, Elisardo C

2016-01-01

It has been previously shown that the probiotic kefir (a symbiotic matrix containing acid bacteria and yeasts) attenuated the hypertension and the endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In the present study, the effect of chronic administration of kefir on the cardiac autonomic control of heart rate (HR) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in SHR was evaluated. SHR were treated with kefir (0.3 mL/100 g body weight) for 60 days and compared with non-treated SHR and with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Cardiac autonomic vagal (VT) and sympathetic (ST) tones were estimated through the blockade of the cardiac muscarinic receptors (methylatropine) and the blockade of β1-adrenoceptor (atenolol). The BRS was evaluated by the tachycardia and bradycardia responses to vasoactive drug-induced decreases and increases in arterial blood pressure (BP), respectively. Additionally, spontaneous BRS was estimated by autoregressive spectral analysis. Kefir-treated SHR exhibited significant attenuation of basal BP, HR, and cardiac hypertrophy compared to non-treated SHR (12, 13, and 21%, respectively). Cardiac VT and ST were significantly altered in the SHR (~40 and ~90 bpm) compared with Wistar rats (~120 and ~30 bpm) and were partially recovered in SHR-kefir (~90 and ~25 bpm). SHR exhibited an impaired bradycardic BRS (~50%) compared with Wistar rats, which was reduced to ~40% in the kefir-treated SHR and abolished by methylatropine in all groups. SHR also exhibited a significant impairment of the tachycardic BRS (~23%) compared with Wistar rats and this difference was reduced to 8% in the SHR-kefir. Under the action of atenolol the residual reflex tachycardia was smaller in SHR than in Wistar rats and kefir attenuated this abnormality. Spectral analysis revealed increased low frequency components of BP (~3.5-fold) and pulse interval (~2-fold) compared with Wistar rats and these differences were reduced by kefir-treatment to ~1.6- and ~1.5-fold, respectively

Effects of Kefir on the Cardiac Autonomic Tones and Baroreflex Sensitivity in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Klippel, Brunella F.; Duemke, Licia B.; Leal, Marcos A.; Friques, Andreia G. F.; Dantas, Eduardo M.; Dalvi, Rodolfo F.; Gava, Agata L.; Pereira, Thiago M. C.; Andrade, Tadeu U.; Meyrelles, Silvana S.; Campagnaro, Bianca P.; Vasquez, Elisardo C.

2016-01-01

Aims: It has been previously shown that the probiotic kefir (a symbiotic matrix containing acid bacteria and yeasts) attenuated the hypertension and the endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In the present study, the effect of chronic administration of kefir on the cardiac autonomic control of heart rate (HR) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in SHR was evaluated. Methods: SHR were treated with kefir (0.3 mL/100 g body weight) for 60 days and compared with non-treated SHR and with normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Cardiac autonomic vagal (VT) and sympathetic (ST) tones were estimated through the blockade of the cardiac muscarinic receptors (methylatropine) and the blockade of β1−adrenoceptor (atenolol). The BRS was evaluated by the tachycardia and bradycardia responses to vasoactive drug-induced decreases and increases in arterial blood pressure (BP), respectively. Additionally, spontaneous BRS was estimated by autoregressive spectral analysis. Results: Kefir-treated SHR exhibited significant attenuation of basal BP, HR, and cardiac hypertrophy compared to non-treated SHR (12, 13, and 21%, respectively). Cardiac VT and ST were significantly altered in the SHR (~40 and ~90 bpm) compared with Wistar rats (~120 and ~30 bpm) and were partially recovered in SHR-kefir (~90 and ~25 bpm). SHR exhibited an impaired bradycardic BRS (~50%) compared with Wistar rats, which was reduced to ~40% in the kefir-treated SHR and abolished by methylatropine in all groups. SHR also exhibited a significant impairment of the tachycardic BRS (~23%) compared with Wistar rats and this difference was reduced to 8% in the SHR-kefir. Under the action of atenolol the residual reflex tachycardia was smaller in SHR than in Wistar rats and kefir attenuated this abnormality. Spectral analysis revealed increased low frequency components of BP (~3.5-fold) and pulse interval (~2-fold) compared with Wistar rats and these differences were reduced by kefir-treatment to ~1

Primer on spontaneous heating and pyrophoricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-12-01

This primer was prepared as an information resource for personnel responsible for operation of DOE nuclear facilities. It has sections on combustion principles, spontaneous heating/ignition of hydrocarbons and organics, pyrophoric gases and liquids, pyrophoric nonmetallic solids, pyrophoric metals (including Pu and U), and accident case studies. Although the information in this primer is not all-encompassing, it should provide the reader with a fundamental knowledge level sufficient to recognize most spontaneous combustion hazards and how to prevent ignition and widespread fires. This primer is provided as an information resource only, and is not intended to replace any fire protection or hazardous material training.

Two cases of spontaneous temporal encephalocele.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamiya, Kouhei; Mori, Harushi; Kunimatsu, Akira; Kawai, Kensuke; Usami, Kenichi; Ohtomo, Kuni

2012-12-01

This is a report of two cases of spontaneous temporal encephalocele: one was anteroinferior and presented with epilepsy; the other was posteroinferior and presented with facial neuritis and labyrinthitis. Spontaneous temporal encephalocele is relatively rare and apparently not familiar to a majority of primary physicians. It may present with a variety of symptoms according to its anatomical location, including cerebrospinal fluid fistulas, recurrent meningitis, chronic otitis media, hearing loss, facial nerve palsy and medically intractable epilepsy. Attention should be paid to this disease entity, as it is easily overlooked in imaging studies and can leave serious neurological deficits. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Neurofeedback Tunes Scale-Free Dynamics in Spontaneous Brain Activity.

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Ros, T; Frewen, P; Théberge, J; Michela, A; Kluetsch, R; Mueller, A; Candrian, G; Jetly, R; Vuilleumier, P; Lanius, R A

2017-10-01

Brain oscillations exhibit long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs), which reflect the regularity of their fluctuations: low values representing more random (decorrelated) while high values more persistent (correlated) dynamics. LRTCs constitute supporting evidence that the brain operates near criticality, a state where neuronal activities are balanced between order and randomness. Here, healthy adults used closed-loop brain training (neurofeedback, NFB) to reduce the amplitude of alpha oscillations, producing a significant increase in spontaneous LRTCs post-training. This effect was reproduced in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, where abnormally random dynamics were reversed by NFB, correlating with significant improvements in hyperarousal. Notably, regions manifesting abnormally low LRTCs (i.e., excessive randomness) normalized toward healthy population levels, consistent with theoretical predictions about self-organized criticality. Hence, when exposed to appropriate training, spontaneous cortical activity reveals a residual capacity for "self-tuning" its own temporal complexity, despite manifesting the abnormal dynamics seen in individuals with psychiatric disorder. Lastly, we observed an inverse-U relationship between strength of LRTC and oscillation amplitude, suggesting a breakdown of long-range dependence at high/low synchronization extremes, in line with recent computational models. Together, our findings offer a broader mechanistic framework for motivating research and clinical applications of NFB, encompassing disorders with perturbed LRTCs. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Spontaneous brain activity predicts learning ability of foreign sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Ventura-Campos, Noelia; Sanjuán, Ana; González, Julio; Palomar-García, María-Ángeles; Rodríguez-Pujadas, Aina; Sebastián-Gallés, Núria; Deco, Gustavo; Ávila, César

2013-05-29

Can learning capacity of the human brain be predicted from initial spontaneous functional connectivity (FC) between brain areas involved in a task? We combined task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) before and after training with a Hindi dental-retroflex nonnative contrast. Previous fMRI results were replicated, demonstrating that this learning recruited the left insula/frontal operculum and the left superior parietal lobe, among other areas of the brain. Crucially, resting-state FC (rs-FC) between these two areas at pretraining predicted individual differences in learning outcomes after distributed (Experiment 1) and intensive training (Experiment 2). Furthermore, this rs-FC was reduced at posttraining, a change that may also account for learning. Finally, resting-state network analyses showed that the mechanism underlying this reduction of rs-FC was mainly a transfer in intrinsic activity of the left frontal operculum/anterior insula from the left frontoparietal network to the salience network. Thus, rs-FC may contribute to predict learning ability and to understand how learning modifies the functioning of the brain. The discovery of this correspondence between initial spontaneous brain activity in task-related areas and posttraining performance opens new avenues to find predictors of learning capacities in the brain using task-related fMRI and rs-fMRI combined.

Gauged Supergravities and Spontaneous Supersymmetry Breaking from the Double Copy Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Chiodaroli, M.; Günaydin, M.; Johansson, H.; Roiban, R.

2018-04-01

Supergravities with gauged R symmetry and Minkowski vacua allow for spontaneous supersymmetry breaking and, as such, provide a framework for building supergravity models of phenomenological relevance. In this Letter, we initiate the study of double copy constructions for these supergravities. We argue that, on general grounds, we expect their scattering amplitudes to be described by a double copy of the type (spontaneously broken gauge theory)⊗ (gauge theory with broken supersymmetry). We present a simple realization in which the resulting supergravity has U (1 )R gauge symmetry, spontaneously broken N =2 supersymmetry, and massive gravitini. This is the first instance of a double copy construction of a gauged supergravity and of a theory with spontaneously broken supersymmetry. The construction extends in a straightforward manner to a large family of gauged Yang-Mills-Einstein supergravity theories with or without spontaneous gauge-symmetry breaking.

Renal Infarction Caused by Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection: Treatment with Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis and Stenting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Yong Sun; Cho, Soon Gu; Hong, Ki Cheon

2009-01-01

Spontaneous renal artery dissection (SRAD) is rare and presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We report a case of a 36-year-old man who had an SRAD-complicated renal infarction. The patient experienced severe unilateral flank pain. Enhanced abdominal computed axial tomography scan showed renal infarction, and urinalysis showed no hematuria. Selective renal angiography was essential to evaluate the extent of dissection and suitability for repair. The patient was treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis and frenal artery stenting.

Spontaneous neutrophil activation in HTLV-1 infected patients

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Jaqueline B. Guerreiro

Full Text Available Human T cell lymphotropic Virus type-1 (HTLV-1 induces lymphocyte activation and proliferation, but little is known about the innate immune response due to HTLV-1 infection. We evaluated the percentage of neutrophils that metabolize Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT to formazan in HTLV-1 infected subjects and the association between neutrophil activation and IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha levels. Blood was collected from 35 HTLV-1 carriers, from 8 patients with HAM/TSP (HTLV-1- associated myelopathy; 22 healthy individuals were evaluated for spontaneous and lipopolysaccharide (LPS-stimulated neutrophil activity (reduction of NBT to formazan. The production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha by unstimulated mononuclear cells was determined by ELISA. Spontaneous NBT levels, as well as spontaneous IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha production, were significantly higher (p<0.001 in HTLV-1 infected subjects than in healthy individuals. A trend towards a positive correlation was noted, with increasing percentage of NBT positive neutrophils and levels of IFN-gamma. The high IFN-gamma producing HTLV-1 patient group had significantly greater NBT than healthy controls, 43±24% and 17±4.8% respectively (p< 0.001, while no significant difference was observed between healthy controls and the low IFN-gamma-producing HTLV-1 patient group (30±20%. Spontaneous neutrophil activation is another marker of immune perturbation resulting from HTLV-1 infection. In vivo activation of neutrophils observed in HTLV-1 infected subjects is likely to be the same process that causes spontaneous IFN-gamma production, or it may partially result from direct IFN-gamma stimulation.

Teaching Spontaneous Responses to Young Children With Autism

OpenAIRE

Jones, Emily A; Feeley, Kathleen M; Takacs, Jennifer

2007-01-01

Using a multiple probe design across responses, we demonstrated the effectiveness of intensive intervention in establishing spontaneous verbal responses to 2 3-year-old children with autism with generalization to novel settings involving novel persons. Intervention involved discrete-trial instruction (i.e., repeated instructional opportunities presented in close proximity to high rates of reinforcement), specific prompts, and error correction. Spontaneous responses were defined as specific ve...

Cytogenetic analysis in 61 couples with spontaneous abortions

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

江静; 傅曼芬; 王德芬

2001-01-01

Objective　To examine the relationship between spontaneous abortion and chromosomal abnormalities. Methods　Couples who had one or more consecutive spontaneous abortions and had normal genitals were enrolled for cytogenetic karyotype analysis. Results　In the 61 couples, the detected incidence was 11.5%, with five Robertsonian translocations, one reciprocal translocation, and one pericentric inversion of chromosome 7. Conclusion　Chromosomal abnormalities may play an important role in fetal wastage.

Spontaneous trait inference and spontaneous trait transference are both unaffected by prior evaluations of informants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zengel, Bettina; Ambler, James K; McCarthy, Randy J; Skowronski, John J

2017-01-01

This article reports results from a study in which participants encountered either (a) previously known informants who were positive (e.g. Abraham Lincoln), neutral (e.g., Jay Leno), or negative (e.g., Adolf Hitler), or (b) previously unknown informants. The informants ostensibly described either a trait-implicative positive behavior, a trait-implicative negative behavior, or a neutral behavior. These descriptions were framed as either the behavior of the informant or the behavior of another person. Results yielded evidence of informant-trait linkages for both self-informants and for informants who described another person. These effects were not moderated by informant type, behavior valence, or the congruency or incongruency between the prior knowledge of the informant and the behavior valence. Results are discussed in terms of theories of Spontaneous Trait Inference and Spontaneous Trait Transference.

Spontaneous Healing of Corneal Perforation after Temporary Discontinuation of Erlotinib Treatment

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Naoyuki Morishige

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To report a case of corneal perforation associated with oral administration of erlotinib and its spontaneous healing after temporary discontinuation of drug treatment. Case Report: A 65-year-old man with metastatic lung cancer was treated with erlotinib (150 mg/day, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor. He was referred to our corneal service for the treatment of bilateral corneal disorders, diagnosed with mild aqueous-deficient dry eye, and treated by insertion of punctal plugs. His corneal epithelial disorders initially improved, but subsequently worsened, as manifested by the development of bilateral corneal ulceration with corneal perforation in the right eye. The oral administration of erlotinib was interrupted in preparation for tectonic keratoplasty, but 2 days later the corneal perforation of the right eye and the bilateral epithelial defects had healed spontaneously. Treatment with erlotinib was resumed at half the initial dose, and the cornea of both eyes has remained apparently healthy. Discussion: Erlotinib may be secreted into tear fluid and thereby adversely affect the corneal epithelium. The development of corneal epithelial disorders in patients receiving this drug may be reversed by reducing its dose.

Salience of the Nuclear Threat: Operationalization through Spontaneous Concern.

Science.gov (United States)

Mayton, Daniel M., II

An indirect/nonreactive technique of assessing spontaneous concern should be used to examine the salience of the threat of nuclear war. Direct/reactive techniques may produce inconsistent results and inadvertently enhance a false consensus. The procedures for the administration, scoring, and interpretation of a spontaneous concern measure along…

Spontaneous distal rupture of the plantar fascia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gitto, Salvatore; Draghi, Ferdinando

2018-07-01

Spontaneous ruptures of the plantar fascia are uncommon injuries. They typically occur at its calcaneal insertion and usually represent a complication of plantar fasciitis and local treatment with steroid injections. In contrast, distal ruptures commonly result from traumatic injuries. We describe the case of a spontaneous distal rupture of the plantar fascia in a 48-year-old woman with a low level of physical activity and no history of direct injury to the foot, plantar fasciitis, or steroid injections. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An unusual case of spontaneous esophagopleural fistula

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Manoranjan Dash

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Esophago-pleural fistula (EPF is an uncommon condition, despite of an anatomical proximity of these structures. Causes of EPF include pneumonectomy for suppurative or tubercular disease of lung and carcinoma lung, malignancy of esophagus. Benign EPF is rare and may be due to trauma or infection. The most common infectious cause is tuberculosis. Spontaneous development of fistula between esophagus and pleura is rarely described in literature. We, hereby present a spontaneous case of such a rare entity in a middle-aged male.

Spontaneous regression of retinopathy of prematurity:incidence and predictive factors

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Rui-Hong Ju

2013-08-01

Full Text Available AIM:To evaluate the incidence of spontaneous regression of changes in the retina and vitreous in active stage of retinopathy of prematurity(ROP and identify the possible relative factors during the regression.METHODS: This was a retrospective, hospital-based study. The study consisted of 39 premature infants with mild ROP showed spontaneous regression (Group A and 17 with severe ROP who had been treated before naturally involuting (Group B from August 2008 through May 2011. Data on gender, single or multiple pregnancy, gestational age, birth weight, weight gain from birth to the sixth week of life, use of oxygen in mechanical ventilation, total duration of oxygen inhalation, surfactant given or not, need for and times of blood transfusion, 1,5,10-min Apgar score, presence of bacterial or fungal or combined infection, hyaline membrane disease (HMD, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA, duration of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU and duration of ROP were recorded.RESULTS: The incidence of spontaneous regression of ROP with stage 1 was 86.7%, and with stage 2, stage 3 was 57.1%, 5.9%, respectively. With changes in zone Ⅲ regression was detected 100%, in zoneⅡ 46.2% and in zoneⅠ 0%. The mean duration of ROP in spontaneous regression group was 5.65±3.14 weeks, lower than that of the treated ROP group (7.34±4.33 weeks, but this difference was not statistically significant (P=0.201. GA, 1min Apgar score, 5min Apgar score, duration of NICU stay, postnatal age of initial screening and oxygen therapy longer than 10 days were significant predictive factors for the spontaneous regression of ROP (P＜0.05. Retinal hemorrhage was the only independent predictive factor the spontaneous regression of ROP (OR 0.030, 95%CI 0.001-0.775, P=0.035.CONCLUSION:This study showed most stage 1 and 2 ROP and changes in zone Ⅲ can spontaneously regression in the end. Retinal hemorrhage is weakly inversely associated with the spontaneous regression.

Predictors of rapid spontaneous resolution of acute subdural hematoma.

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Fujimoto, Kenji; Otsuka, Tadahiro; Yoshizato, Kimio; Kuratsu, Jun-ichi

2014-03-01

Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) usually requires emergency surgical decompression, but rare cases exhibit rapid spontaneous resolution. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify factors predictive of spontaneous ASDH resolution. A total of 366 consecutive patients with ASDH treated between January 2006 and September 2012 were identified in our hospital database. Patients with ASDH clot thickness >10mm in the frontoparietotemporal region and showing a midline shift >10mm on the initial computed tomography (CT) scan were divided into two groups according to subsequent spontaneous resolution. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors predictive of rapid spontaneous ASDH resolution. Fifty-six ASDH patients met study criteria and 18 demonstrated rapid spontaneous resolution (32%). Majority of these patients were not operated because of poor prognosis/condition and in accordance to family wishes. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in use of antiplatelet agents before head injury and in the incidence of a low-density band between the hematoma and inner wall of the skull bone on the initial CT. Use of antiplatelet agents before head injury (OR 19.6, 95% CI 1.5-260.1, p=0.02) and the low-density band on CT images (OR 40.3, 95% CI 3.1-520.2, p=0.005) were identified as independent predictive factors by multivariate analysis. Our analysis suggested that use of antiplatelet agents before head injury and a low-density band between the hematoma and inner skull bone on CT images (indicative of cerebrospinal fluid infusion into the subdural space) increase the probability of rapid spontaneous resolution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous tension haemopneumothorax

OpenAIRE

Patterson, Benjamin Oliver; Itam, Sarah; Probst, Fey

2008-01-01

Abstract We present a patient with sudden onset progressive shortness of breath and no history of trauma, who rapidly became haemodynamically compromised with a pneumothorax and pleural effusion seen on chest radiograph. He was treated for spontaneous tension pneumothorax but this was soon revealed to be a tension haemopneumothorax. He underwent urgent thoracotomy after persistent bleeding to explore an apical vascular abnormality seen on CT scanning. To our knowledge this is the first such c...

Forest canopy damage and recovery in reduced-impact and conventional selective logging in eastern Para, Brazil.

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Rodrigo Pereira Jr.; Johan Zweedea; Gregory P. Asnerb; Keller; Michael

2002-01-01

We investigated ground and canopy damage and recovery following conventional logging and reduced-impact logging (RIL) of moist tropical forest in the eastern Amazon of Brazil. Paired conventional and RIL blocks were selectively logged with a harvest intensity of approximately 23 m3 ha

Spontaneous non-thermal leptogenesis in high-scale inflation models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endo, M.; Takahashi, F.; Yanagida, T.T.; Tokyo Univ.

2006-11-01

We argue that a non-thermal leptogenesis occurs spontaneously, without direct couplings of the inflation with right-handed neutrinos, in a wide class of high-scale inflation models such as the chaotic and hybrid inflation. It is only a finite vacuum expectation value of the inflaton, of more precisely, a linear term in the Kaehler potential, that is a prerequisite for the spontaneous non-thermal leptogenesis. To exemplify how it works, we show that a chaotic inflation model in supergravity naturally produces a right amount of baryon asymmetry via the spontaneous non-thermal leptogenesis. We also discuss the gravitino production from the inflation. (orig.)

A novel reduced-complexity group detection structure in MIMO frequency selective fading channels

KAUST Repository

Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Ahimian, Nariman R.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2010-01-01

In this paper a novel reduced complexity detection method named modified symbol flipping method is introduced and its advantages on reducing the burden of the calculations at the receiver compared to the optimum maximum likelihood detection method on multiple input- multiple output frequency selective fading channels are explained. The initial concept of the symbol flipping method is derived from a preliminary detection scheme named bit flipping which was introduced in [1]. The detection structure employed in this paper is ing, detection, and cancellation. On the detection stage, the proposed method is employed and the results are compared to the group maximum likelihood detection scheme proposed in [2]. Simulation results show that a 6 dB performance gain can be achieved at the expense of a slight increase in complexity in comparison with the conventional symbol flipping scheme. © 2010 Crown.

A novel reduced-complexity group detection structure in MIMO frequency selective fading channels

KAUST Repository

Qaraqe, Khalid A.

2010-09-01

In this paper a novel reduced complexity detection method named modified symbol flipping method is introduced and its advantages on reducing the burden of the calculations at the receiver compared to the optimum maximum likelihood detection method on multiple input- multiple output frequency selective fading channels are explained. The initial concept of the symbol flipping method is derived from a preliminary detection scheme named bit flipping which was introduced in [1]. The detection structure employed in this paper is ing, detection, and cancellation. On the detection stage, the proposed method is employed and the results are compared to the group maximum likelihood detection scheme proposed in [2]. Simulation results show that a 6 dB performance gain can be achieved at the expense of a slight increase in complexity in comparison with the conventional symbol flipping scheme. © 2010 Crown.

Interactions between Hair Cells Shape Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emissions in a Model of the Tokay Gecko's Cochlea

OpenAIRE

Gelfand, Michael; Piro, Oreste; Magnasco, Marcelo O.; Hudspeth, A. J.

2010-01-01

Background The hearing of tetrapods including humans is enhanced by an active process that amplifies the mechanical inputs associated with sound, sharpens frequency selectivity, and compresses the range of responsiveness. The most striking manifestation of the active process is spontaneous otoacoustic emission, the unprovoked emergence of sound from an ear. Hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear, are known to provide the energy for such emissions; it is unclear, though, how ens...

Temporal and transverse coherence of self-amplified spontaneous emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, K.J.

1997-06-01

The authors review the coherence properties of the self-amplified spontaneous emission (SASE). Temporally, SASE is similar to the spontaneous undulator radiation except that the spectral bandwidth is about ten times narrower compared with typical undulator radiation. The situation is quite different in the transverse dimension, where SASE is fully coherent

Surgical management of spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma

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Marcelo Augusto Fontenelle Ribeiro Junior

2009-01-01

Full Text Available AIMS: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma (SRHA is a rare life-threatening condition that may require surgical treatment to control hemorrhaging and also stabilize the patient. We report a series of emergency surgeries performed at our institution for this condition. METHODS: We reviewed medical records and radiology files of 28 patients (from 1989 to 2006 with a proven diagnosis of hepatocellular adenoma (HA. Three (10.7% of 28 patients had spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma, two of which were associated with intrahepatic hemorrhage while one had intraperitoneal bleeding. Two patients were female and one was male. Both female patients had a background history of oral contraceptive use. Sudden abdominal pain associated with hemodynamic instability occurred in all patients who suffered from spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma. The mean age was 41.6 years old. The preoperative assessment included liver function tests, ultrasonography and computed tomography. RESULTS: The surgical approaches were as follows: right hemihepatectomy for controlling intraperitoneal bleeding, and right extended hepatectomy and non-anatomic resection of the liver for intrahepatic hemorrhage. There were no deaths, and the postoperative complications were bile leakage and wound infection (re-operation, as well as intraperitoneal abscess (re-operation and pleural effusion. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous ruptured hepatocellular adenoma may be treated by surgery for controlling hemorrhages and stabilizing the patient, and the decision to operate depends upon both the patient's condition and the expertise of the surgical team.

Spontaneous Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Topographies and Interventions

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Duffy, Cormac; Healy, Olive

2011-01-01

Lack of spontaneous communicative initiations appears to be a consistent problem in individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Fujiki & Brinton, 2009). Spontaneous communication is emitted at a much lower frequency compared to individuals with language impairment and typically developing persons. Deficits of spontaneity in…

Spontaneous Hepatic Rupture Associated with Preeclampsia: Treatment with Hepatic Artery Embolization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Seung Boo; Goo, Dong Erk; Chang, Yun Woo; Kim, Yong Jae; Hwang, In Cheol; Han, Hyo Sang; Yoon, Jong Hyun; Lee, Tae Il [Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Gumi (Korea, Republic of)

2010-02-15

Spontaneous rupture of the liver due to preeclampsia is a rare condition of pregnant women, and it can be very dangerous if not treated. We report here on a case of successfully treating spontaneous liver rupture associated with preeclampsia by performing transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization. A 41-year-old woman with spontaneous rupture of the liver associated with preeclampsia was treated by hepatic arterial embolization

Spontaneous Hepatic Rupture Associated with Preeclampsia: Treatment with Hepatic Artery Embolization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung Boo; Goo, Dong Erk; Chang, Yun Woo; Kim, Yong Jae; Hwang, In Cheol; Han, Hyo Sang; Yoon, Jong Hyun; Lee, Tae Il

2010-01-01

Spontaneous rupture of the liver due to preeclampsia is a rare condition of pregnant women, and it can be very dangerous if not treated. We report here on a case of successfully treating spontaneous liver rupture associated with preeclampsia by performing transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization. A 41-year-old woman with spontaneous rupture of the liver associated with preeclampsia was treated by hepatic arterial embolization

Spontaneous lateral sphenoid cerebrospinal fluid fistula: MRI diagnosis

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Matthew Goodier

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous or primary cerebrospinal fluid (CSF fistula is a rare cause of CSF rhinorrhoea. Magnetic resonance imaging with high resolution highly T2-weighted images is valuable in preoperative localisation and characterisation of the defect particularly if a transnasal endoscopic approach is planned. This report describes the radiological evaluation and surgical management of a 53 year old male who presented with a spontaneous lateral sphenoid CSF fistula.

Single-staged uniportal VATS in the supine position for simultaneous bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax.

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Kim, Kyung Soo

2017-05-15

Simultaneous bilateral primary spontaneous pneumothorax (SBPSP) is rare, but requires surgery on both sides, in patients with definite bilateral bullae to prevent life-threatening conditions. Recently, uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been widely accepted as a less invasive technique for the treatment of pneumothorax. Thus, we introduced single-staged uniportal VATS technique in the supine position, for the management of two cases of SBPSP. A 17-year-old boy presented with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax and he underwent single-staged uniportal VATS in the supine position. Single wide draping in consecutive bilateral approaches removes the needs of changing patients' position. Whole thoracoscopic procedure for wedge resection of bullae lesions was conducted without difficulty. The total operation time took 65 min and the patient discharged 3 days after the operation. The patient was followed for 24 months without recurrence of both sides. Another 18-year-old boy was admitted with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax and single-staged uniportal VATS was also performed in the supine position. The total operation time took 79 min and the patient discharged on postoperative day 4. He was followed for 19 months without recurrence of both sides. Single-staged uniportal VATS approach yielded satisfactory results from simplicity that not requires position change compared to conventional multi-ports VATS in the lateral position, and with better cosmetics. This technique is thought to be a feasible procedure in selective patients with SBPSP or with contralateral bullae for preventive role.

A rare life-threatening disease: unilateral kidney compressed by huge chronic spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage

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Lu HY

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Hao-Yuan Lu,1,* Wei Wei,2,* Qi-Wei Chen,1,* Qing-Gui Meng,1 Gao-Hua Hu,1 Xian-Lin Yi,1,3 Xian-Zhong Bai1 1Department of Urology, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and Guangxi Cancer Research Institute, Nanning 530021, China; 2Department of Radiology, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and Guangxi Cancer Research Institute, Nanning 530021,China; 3Hubei Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Biotechnology, Wuhan 430075, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Objectives: To study an uncommon life-threatening disease, spontaneous retroperitoneal and perirenal hemorrhage. Case descriptions: A 69-year-old male presented with pain in the left waist and back of 1 month duration. The renal abscess was suspected by magnetic resonance imaging before operation. The perirenal hematoma was cleaned by operation. In another case, the patient had a functional solitary left kidney compressed by a huge retroperitoneal mass and uropenia appeared. Results: The first patient died of adult respiratory distress syndrome after surgery. The second patient died of cardiac insufficiency and pulmonary embolism on the second day after evacuation of retroperitoneal hematoma. Conclusion: Conservative surgery, such as selective arterial embolization, is a reasonable approach in patients with chronic spontaneous retroperitoneal and perirenal space hemorrhage and with poor general condition. We strongly recommend drainage or interventional therapy, but not a major surgery, in patients with poor condition. Keywords: kidney, spontaneous, retroperitoneal, hemorrhage, surgery

Acupuncture and Spontaneous Regression of a Radiculopathic Cervical Herniated Disc

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Kim Sung-Ha

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The spontaneous regression of herniated cervical discs is not a well-established phenomenon. However, we encountered a case of a spontaneous regression of a severe radiculopathic herniated cervical disc that was treated with acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, and herb medicine. The symptoms were improved within 12 months of treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI conducted at that time revealed marked regression of the herniated disc. This case provides an additional example of spontaneous regression of a herniated cervical disc documented by MRI following non-surgical treatment.

Strong evidence for spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in (quenched) QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbour, I.M.; Gibbs, P.; Schierholz, G.; Teper, M.; Gilchrist, J.P.; Schneider, H.

1983-09-01

We calculate the chiral condensate for all quark masses using Kogut-Susskind fermions in lattice-regularized quenched QCD. The large volume behaviour of at small quark masses demonstrates that the explicit U(1) chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken. We perform the calculation for β = 5.1 to 5.9 and find very good continuum renormalization group behaviour. We infer that the spontaneous breaking we observe belongs to continuum QCD. This constitutes the first unambiguous demonstration of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in continuum quenched QCD. (orig.)

Frequency of asymptomatic spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients of liver cirrhosis with ascities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, F.F.; Ali, W.; Khan, N.A.

2014-01-01

To determine the frequency of asymptomatic spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients of liver cirrhosis with ascites. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at indoor and outpatient departments of Medicine, Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, pakistan from 29th February 2008 to 28th August 2008. Subject and Methods: One hundred and ninety five patients of liver cirrhosis with ascites were selected. To standardize the study; patients of both genders over 18 years of age, diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and ascites were included in the study after obtaining their informed consent. Patients with abdominal tenderness and fever, hepatic encephalopathy, intra-abdominal surgically treatable cause, with any co-morbid disease (hypertension and diabetes mellitus) or refusing to give consent were excluded from the study. Strict inclusion/exclusion criteria were observed to control the confounding variables. Diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was based on increased ascitic fluid absolute polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) count ( 250 cells / mm3) and/or positive bacterial culture. Results: Out of 195 patients, 10 patients (5%) had neutrocytic ascites (absolute neutrophil count = 250 cell/mm3). Out of these 195 patients, three patients (1.5%) were found to have positive ascitic fluid culture. Conclusion: In our study the frequency of asymptomatic spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients of liver cirrhosis with ascites turned out to be 5% which is low. Therefore, analysis of ascitic fluid through diagnostic paracentesis should be reserved for inpatient or outpatient with clinically apparent new onset ascities or in cirrhotic patients with ascities whose general condition deteriorates. (author)

Prostatic relaxation induced by agmatine is decreased in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Liang-Ming; Tsai, Tsung-Chin; Chung, Hsien-Hui; Tong, Yat-Ching; Cheng, Juei-Tang

2012-09-01

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Neurotransmitters are known to control prostate contractility. Agmatine is one of them and induces relaxation through imidazoline receptors. The paper shows that the action of agmatine is reduced in hypertensive rats, and that this change is related to the decrease of ATP-sensitive potassium channels in the prostate. The findings can increase our understanding of the possible underlying mechanism for the development of clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia. To compare agmatine-induced prostatic relaxation in hypertensive and control rats. To investigate the responsible mechanism(s) and the role of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel. Prostate strips were isolated from male spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats and normal Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats for measurement of isometric tension. The strips were precontracted with 1 µmol/L phenylephrine or 50 mmol/L KCl. Dose-dependent relaxation of the prostatic strips was studied by cumulative administration of agmatine, 1 to 100 µmol/L, into the organ bath. Effects of specific antagonists on agmatine-induced relaxation were studied. Western blotting analysis was used to measure the gene expression of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel in the rat prostate. Prostatic relaxation induced by agmatine was markedly reduced in SH rats compared with WKY rats. The relaxation caused by agmatine was abolished by BU224, a selective imidazoline I(2)-receptor antagonist, but was not modified by efaroxan at a dose sufficient to block imidazoline I(1)-receptors. The relaxation induced by diazoxide at a concentration sufficient to activate ATP-sensitive potassium channels was markedly reduced in the SH rat prostate. Expressions of ATP-sensitive potassium channel sulphonylurea receptor and inwardly rectifying potassium channel (Kir) 6.2 subunits were both decreased in the prostate of SH rats. The decrease of agmatine-induced prostatic relaxation in SH rats is related to the change in

Need for spontaneous breakdown of chiral symmetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salomone, A.; Schechter, J.; Tudron, T.

1981-01-01

The question of whether the chiral symmetry of the theory of strong interactions (with massless quarks) is required to be spontaneously broken is examined in the framework of a previously discussed effective Lagrangian for quantum chromodynamics. The assumption that physical masses of the theory be finite leads in a very direct way to the necessity of spontaneous breakdown. This result holds for all N/sub F/> or =2, where N/sub F/ is the number of different flavors of light quarks. The atypical cases N/sub F/ = 1,2 are discussed separately

Associative memory model with spontaneous neural activity

Science.gov (United States)

Kurikawa, Tomoki; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2012-05-01

We propose a novel associative memory model wherein the neural activity without an input (i.e., spontaneous activity) is modified by an input to generate a target response that is memorized for recall upon the same input. Suitable design of synaptic connections enables the model to memorize input/output (I/O) mappings equaling 70% of the total number of neurons, where the evoked activity distinguishes a target pattern from others. Spontaneous neural activity without an input shows chaotic dynamics but keeps some similarity with evoked activities, as reported in recent experimental studies.

Glycemia in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Clinical Implications

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Alvis-Miranda Hernando

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage or intracranial hemorrhage accounts for 10-15% of all strokes. Intracranial hemorrhage is much less common than ischemic stroke, but has higher mortality and morbidity, one of the leading causes of severe disability. Various alterations, among these the endocrine were identified when an intracerebral hemorrhage, these stress-mediated mechanisms exacerbate secondary injury. Deep knowledge of the injuries which are directly involved alterations of glucose, offers insight as cytotoxicity, neuronal death and metabolic dysregulations alter the prognosis of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Spontaneous abortion and physical strain around implantation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjøllund, Niels Henrik Ingvar; Jensen, T.K.; Bonde, J.P.

2000-01-01

Existing studies of physical strain and spontaneous abortion are mainly retrospective or based only on pregnancies that have survived the first trimester. Furthermore, almost all studies have relied on averaged measures of physical strain, which tend to blur an effect if peak values during short...... pregnancy the women recorded physical strain prospectively in a structured diary. Physical strain around the time of implantation was associated with later spontaneous abortion. The adjusted risk ratio for women who reported physical strain higher than average at day 6 to 9 after the estimated date...

Changes in spontaneous brain activity in early Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hong; Zhou, Xiaohong Joe; Zhang, Min-Ming; Zheng, Xu-Ning; Zhao, Yi-Lei; Wang, Jue

2013-08-09

Resting state brain activity can provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of the present study was (a) to investigate abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity in early PD patients using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) with a regional homogeneity (ReHo) method and (b) to demonstrate the potential of using changes in abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity for monitoring the progression of PD during its early stages. Seventeen early PD patients were assessed with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Hoehn and Yahr disability scale and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) were compared with seventeen gender- and age-matched healthy controls. All subjects underwent MRI scans using a 1.5T General Electric Signa Excite II scanner. The MRI scan protocol included whole-brain volumetric imaging using a 3D inversion recovery prepared (IR-Prep) fast spoiled gradient-echo pulse sequence and 2D multi-slice (22 axial slices covering the whole brain) resting-state fMRI using an echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence. Images were analyzed in SPM5 together with a ReHo algorithm using the in-house software program REST. A corrected threshold of pbrain regions, including the left cerebellum, left parietal lobe, right middle temporal lobe, right sub-thalamic nucleus areas, right superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus (MFG), right inferior parietal lobe (IPL), right precuneus lobe, left MFG and left IPL. Additionally, significantly reduced ReHo was also observed in the early PD patients in the following brain regions: the left putamen, left inferior frontal gyrus, right hippocampus, right anterior cingulum, and bilateral lingual gyrus. Moreover, in PD patients, ReHo in the left putamen was negatively correlated with the UPDRS scores (r=-0.69). These results indicate that the abnormal resting state spontaneous brain activity associated with patients with early PD can be revealed by Reho analysis. Copyright �

Spontaneous Play and Imagination in Everyday Science Classroom Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Andrée, Maria; Lager-Nyqvist, Lotta

2013-01-01

In science education, students sometimes create and engage in spontaneous science-oriented play where ideas about science and scientists are put to use. However, in previous research, little attention has been given to the role of informal spontaneous play in school science classrooms. We argue that, in order to enhance our understanding of…

Learning shapes spontaneous activity itinerating over memorized states.

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Tomoki Kurikawa

Full Text Available Learning is a process that helps create neural dynamical systems so that an appropriate output pattern is generated for a given input. Often, such a memory is considered to be included in one of the attractors in neural dynamical systems, depending on the initial neural state specified by an input. Neither neural activities observed in the absence of inputs nor changes caused in the neural activity when an input is provided were studied extensively in the past. However, recent experimental studies have reported existence of structured spontaneous neural activity and its changes when an input is provided. With this background, we propose that memory recall occurs when the spontaneous neural activity changes to an appropriate output activity upon the application of an input, and this phenomenon is known as bifurcation in the dynamical systems theory. We introduce a reinforcement-learning-based layered neural network model with two synaptic time scales; in this network, I/O relations are successively memorized when the difference between the time scales is appropriate. After the learning process is complete, the neural dynamics are shaped so that it changes appropriately with each input. As the number of memorized patterns is increased, the generated spontaneous neural activity after learning shows itineration over the previously learned output patterns. This theoretical finding also shows remarkable agreement with recent experimental reports, where spontaneous neural activity in the visual cortex without stimuli itinerate over evoked patterns by previously applied signals. Our results suggest that itinerant spontaneous activity can be a natural outcome of successive learning of several patterns, and it facilitates bifurcation of the network when an input is provided.

Reducing pesticide level in wine by selective filtration

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Lempereur Valérie

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Wine Pesticide residues, even when below grape regulatory limit, are a concern for consumers and have an impact on the export potential of wine in certain markets. A consortium of European SMEs (www.adfimax.com has developed a product that reduces the level of mycotoxins and pesticides in wine while keeping all other wine parameter identical. The product is derived from renewable vegetable fiber. The production process includes both activation and micronisation. The usage recommendation is to substitute only the pre-coat, typically perlite, by the product at 1 or 1.5 kg⋅m−2 without changing the other layer (body feed typically kieselguhr. This paper describes the results of numerous industrial trials that were performed in France, Luxemburg, Germany and Spain. The impact of the product on the wine oenological characteristics was evaluated for different wine (white, red and rosé in different countries and for different grape variety (including Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Gamay. Results showed a reduction of the test wine pesticide level of 50% to 60% for all pesticides compared to the blank. Level of pesticide analyzed in the cake where extremely high at a level of a 1,000 times greater than the filtered wine showing the ability of the product to selectively capture the pesticides molecules.

Lower Squalene Epoxidase and Higher Scavenger Receptor Class B Type 1 Protein Levels Are Involved in Reduced Serum Cholesterol Levels in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Michihara, Akihiro; Mido, Mayuko; Matsuoka, Hiroshi; Mizutani, Yurika

2015-01-01

A lower serum cholesterol level was recently shown to be one of the causes of stroke in an epidemiological study. Spontaneously hypertensive rats stroke-prone (SHRSP) have lower serum cholesterol levels than normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). To elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the lower serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP, we determined whether the amounts of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes or the receptor and transporter involved in cholesterol uptake and efflux in the liver were altered in SHRSP. When the mRNA levels of seven cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase and squalene epoxidase (SQE) levels in the liver of SHRSP were significantly lower than those in WKY. SQE protein levels were significantly reduced in tissues other than the brain of SHRSP. No significant differences were observed in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (uptake of serum LDL-cholesterol) or ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (efflux of cholesterol from the liver/formation of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) protein levels in the liver and testis between SHRSP and WKY, whereas scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SRB1: uptake of serum HDL-cholesterol) protein levels were higher in the livers of SHRSP. These results indicated that the lower protein levels of SQE and higher protein levels of SRB1 in the liver were involved in the reduced serum cholesterol levels in SHRSP.

Enrichment: CRISLA [chemical reaction by isotope selective activation] aims to reduce costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eerkens, J.W.

1989-01-01

Every year, more than $3 billion is spent on enriching uranium. CRISLA (Chemical Reaction by Isotope Selective Activation) uses a laser-catalyzed chemical reaction which, its proponents claim, could substantially reduce these costs. In CRISLA, an infrared CO laser illuminates the intracavity reaction cell (IC) at a frequency tuned to excite primarily UF 6 . When UF 6 and co-reactant RX are passed through the IC, the tuned laser photons preferentially enhance the reaction of UF 6 with RX ten-thousand-fold over the thermal reaction rate. Thus the laser serves as an activator and the chemical energy for separation is largely chemical. (author)

General theory of spontaneous emission near exceptional points.

Science.gov (United States)

Pick, Adi; Zhen, Bo; Miller, Owen D; Hsu, Chia W; Hernandez, Felipe; Rodriguez, Alejandro W; Soljačić, Marin; Johnson, Steven G

2017-05-29

We present a general theory of spontaneous emission at exceptional points (EPs)-exotic degeneracies in non-Hermitian systems. Our theory extends beyond spontaneous emission to any light-matter interaction described by the local density of states (e.g., absorption, thermal emission, and nonlinear frequency conversion). Whereas traditional spontaneous-emission theories imply infinite enhancement factors at EPs, we derive finite bounds on the enhancement, proving maximum enhancement of 4 in passive systems with second-order EPs and significantly larger enhancements (exceeding 400×) in gain-aided and higher-order EP systems. In contrast to non-degenerate resonances, which are typically associated with Lorentzian emission curves in systems with low losses, EPs are associated with non-Lorentzian lineshapes, leading to enhancements that scale nonlinearly with the resonance quality factor. Our theory can be applied to dispersive media, with proper normalization of the resonant modes.

Factors affecting the spontaneous mutational spectra in somatic mammalian cells

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О.А. Ковальова

2006-04-01

Full Text Available  In our survey of references we are discussed the influence of factors biological origin on the spontaneous mutation specters in mammalian. Seasonal and age components influence on the frequence of cytogenetic anomalies. The immune and endocrinous systems are take part in control of the alteration of the spontaneous mutation specters. Genetical difference of sensibility in animal and human at the alteration of factors enviroment as and  genetical differences of repair systems activity are may influence on individual variation of spontaneous destabilization characters of chromosomal apparatus.

Effect of chemically reduced palladium supported catalyst on sunflower oil hydrogenation conversion and selectivity

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Abdulmajid Alshaibani

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Catalytic hydrogenation of sunflower oil was studied in order to improve the conversion and to reduce the trans-isomerization selectivity. The hydrogenation was performed using Pd–B/γ-Al2O3 prepared catalyst and Pd/Al2O3 commercial catalyst under similar conditions. The Pd–B/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation and chemical reduction processes. It was characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis (BET, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM. The result of sunflower oil hydrogenation on Pd–B/γ-Al2O3 catalyst showed a 17% higher conversion and a 23% lower trans-isomerization selectivity compared to the commercial Pd/Al2O3 catalyst. The chemical reduction of palladium supported catalyst using potassium borohydride (KBH4 has affected the Pd–B/γ-Al2O3 catalyst’s structure and particle size. These most likely influenced its catalytic performance toward higher conversion and lower trans-isomerization selectivity.

Effects of bleomycin and x irradiation on the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in selected connective tissue diseases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkhardt, W.C. Jr.

1978-01-01

Whole blood lymphocytes from 28 patients with selected connective tissue disorders (6 progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 6 anti-nuclear antibody positive rheumatoid arthritis, 6 anti-nuclear antibody negative rheumatoid arthritis, 6 systemic lupus erythematosus, and 4 mixed connective tissue disease) and 17 controls matched for sex, age, and race were studied to determine the frequency of spontaneous as well as bleomycin and/or x-irradiation induced chromosomal aberrations. The effects of bleomycin on cultured lymphocytes were tested, but differential susceptibilities to this clastogen were not demonstrated among the disease groups and controls investigated. However, the combined effect of bleomycin and x irradiation were found to be additive in control lymphocytes, nearly additive in PSS, RA+, and SLE cultures, but reduced considerably from the expected additive value in Ra- cultures. This study indicated that peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with connective tissue disease, as a whole, possess greater frequencies of spontaneous chromosomal aberrations than matched controls and that x rays can produce greater frequencies of chromosomal aberrations in whole blood lymphocytes of PSS patients than in suitably matched control individuals

Four cases of spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amano, Toshiyasu; Miwa, Sotaro; Takashima, Hiroshi; Takemae, Katsuro

2002-01-01

Between November 1997 and March 2001, 4 female patients from 44 to 65 years of age with a spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder were analyzed. They complained of abdominal pain and had undergone an intra-pelvic gynecological operation (3 for uterine cancer, 1 for an ovarian cyst) several years before. The three with uterine cancer had also received radiation therapy. For their present condition, spontaneous urinary bladder rupture, their treatment was indwelling a urethral catheter. Two of them have had no recurrence of urinary bladder rupture after one month since having the urethral catheter indwelt. One, however, had to have the catheter re-indwelt due to unsuccessful suturing of the urinary bladder wall. The fourth patient had bilateral nephrostomy tubes due to severe radiation cystitis. Thus, one can infer that intra-pelvic gynecological operations and radiation therapy are major factors causing spontaneous urinary bladder rupture. While indwelling a urethral catheter may be effective for some patients with a spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder, it may be very difficult to treat more complicated cases. (author)

A chimpanzee recognizes synthetic speech with significantly reduced acoustic cues to phonetic content.

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Heimbauer, Lisa A; Beran, Michael J; Owren, Michael J

2011-07-26

A long-standing debate concerns whether humans are specialized for speech perception, which some researchers argue is demonstrated by the ability to understand synthetic speech with significantly reduced acoustic cues to phonetic content. We tested a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) that recognizes 128 spoken words, asking whether she could understand such speech. Three experiments presented 48 individual words, with the animal selecting a corresponding visuographic symbol from among four alternatives. Experiment 1 tested spectrally reduced, noise-vocoded (NV) synthesis, originally developed to simulate input received by human cochlear-implant users. Experiment 2 tested "impossibly unspeechlike" sine-wave (SW) synthesis, which reduces speech to just three moving tones. Although receiving only intermittent and noncontingent reward, the chimpanzee performed well above chance level, including when hearing synthetic versions for the first time. Recognition of SW words was least accurate but improved in experiment 3 when natural words in the same session were rewarded. The chimpanzee was more accurate with NV than SW versions, as were 32 human participants hearing these items. The chimpanzee's ability to spontaneously recognize acoustically reduced synthetic words suggests that experience rather than specialization is critical for speech-perception capabilities that some have suggested are uniquely human. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Increased spontaneous mitotic segregation in MMS-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prakash, S.; Prakash, L.

1977-01-01

Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS)-sensitive mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae belonging to four different complementation groups, when homozygous, increase the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation to canavanine resistance from heterozygous sensitive (can/sup r//+) diploids by 13- to 170-fold. The mms8-1 mutant is MMS and x-ray sensitive and increases the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation 170-fold. The mms9-1 and mms13-1 mutants are sensitive to x rays and uv, respectively, in addition to MMS, and increase the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation by 13-fold and 85-fold, respectively. The mutant mms21-1 is sensitive to MMS, x rays and uv and increases the rate of spontaneous mitotic segregation 23-fold

Spontaneously emerging cortical representations of visual attributes

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Kenet, Tal; Bibitchkov, Dmitri; Tsodyks, Misha; Grinvald, Amiram; Arieli, Amos

2003-10-01

Spontaneous cortical activity-ongoing activity in the absence of intentional sensory input-has been studied extensively, using methods ranging from EEG (electroencephalography), through voltage sensitive dye imaging, down to recordings from single neurons. Ongoing cortical activity has been shown to play a critical role in development, and must also be essential for processing sensory perception, because it modulates stimulus-evoked activity, and is correlated with behaviour. Yet its role in the processing of external information and its relationship to internal representations of sensory attributes remains unknown. Using voltage sensitive dye imaging, we previously established a close link between ongoing activity in the visual cortex of anaesthetized cats and the spontaneous firing of a single neuron. Here we report that such activity encompasses a set of dynamically switching cortical states, many of which correspond closely to orientation maps. When such an orientation state emerged spontaneously, it spanned several hypercolumns and was often followed by a state corresponding to a proximal orientation. We suggest that dynamically switching cortical states could represent the brain's internal context, and therefore reflect or influence memory, perception and behaviour.

Case of a spontaneously ruptured epidermoid cyst

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Shiroyama, Y; Saiki, M; Ueda, H; Katayama, S; Mitani, T

1987-02-01

Intracranial fat-containing congenital tumors are characterized by negative absorption values on CT. We hereby report a case of an epidermoid cyst with subarachnoid free fats diagnosed preoperatively by CT. A 21-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of continuous mild headache and nausea. At the time of admission, the results of her physical and neurological examinations were normal. CT, however, demonstrated multiple subarachnoid low-density spots and a suprasellar low-density area with high-density spots. In addition, there were negative absorption values (-12 -- -77), suggesting free fats. A spontaneously ruptured epidermoid or dermoid cyst was diagnosed on the basis of these findings. At surgery, a suprasellar tumor containing a yellowish, cheese-like material was confirmed. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged 14 days after surgery. There have been several published reports of CT appearances of intracranial fat-containing tumors. However, spontaneously ruptured cases diagnosed by CT are rare. CT was found to be useful for the diagnosis of spontaneously ruptured cases of fat-containing tumors.

Cholinergic enhancement reduces functional connectivity and BOLD variability in visual extrastriate cortex during selective attention.

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Ricciardi, Emiliano; Handjaras, Giacomo; Bernardi, Giulio; Pietrini, Pietro; Furey, Maura L

2013-01-01

Enhancing cholinergic function improves performance on various cognitive tasks and alters neural responses in task specific brain regions. We have hypothesized that the changes in neural activity observed during increased cholinergic function reflect an increase in neural efficiency that leads to improved task performance. The current study tested this hypothesis by assessing neural efficiency based on cholinergically-mediated effects on regional brain connectivity and BOLD signal variability. Nine subjects participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover fMRI study. Following an infusion of physostigmine (1 mg/h) or placebo, echo-planar imaging (EPI) was conducted as participants performed a selective attention task. During the task, two images comprised of superimposed pictures of faces and houses were presented. Subjects were instructed periodically to shift their attention from one stimulus component to the other and to perform a matching task using hand held response buttons. A control condition included phase-scrambled images of superimposed faces and houses that were presented in the same temporal and spatial manner as the attention task; participants were instructed to perform a matching task. Cholinergic enhancement improved performance during the selective attention task, with no change during the control task. Functional connectivity analyses showed that the strength of connectivity between ventral visual processing areas and task-related occipital, parietal and prefrontal regions reduced significantly during cholinergic enhancement, exclusively during the selective attention task. Physostigmine administration also reduced BOLD signal temporal variability relative to placebo throughout temporal and occipital visual processing areas, again during the selective attention task only. Together with the observed behavioral improvement, the decreases in connectivity strength throughout task-relevant regions and BOLD variability within stimulus

Spontaneous fungal peritonitis: a rare but severe complication of liver cirrhosis.

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Gravito-Soares, Marta; Gravito-Soares, Elisa; Lopes, Sandra; Ribeiro, Graça; Figueiredo, Pedro

2017-09-01

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is the most common infectious complication in cirrhosis. Spontaneous fungal peritonitis is rare and remains unknown. In this work, spontaneous fungal peritonitis as well as risk factors and prognosis are characterized. A retrospective case-control study of 253 consecutive admissions by peritonitis in cirrhotic patients was carried out between 2006 and 2015. Comparison of patients with spontaneous fungal peritonitis (cases) and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with positive microbiologic ascitic fluid culture (controls) was performed. Variables such as sociodemographic and clinical features, cirrhosis etiology, liver dysfunction scores, ascitic and laboratory parameters, invasive procedures, and prognosis were evaluated. Of the 231 patients, eight (3.5%) developed spontaneous fungal peritonitis, 62.5% of cases being coinfected with bacteria. Candida spp. was isolated in 87.5% of cases, mainly Candida albicans (37.5%) and C. krusei (25.0%). Patients with spontaneous fungal peritonitis had higher ascitic fluid lactate dehydrogenase (288.4±266.6 vs. 161.0±179.5; P=0.011), blood leukocyte count (15187.5±5432.3 vs. 10969.8±6949.5; P=0.028), blood urea nitrogen (69.8±3.1 vs. 36.3±25.5; P=0.001), higher number of invasive procedures (colonoscopy: 25.0 vs. 0.8%, P=0.001; urinary catheterization: 87.5 vs. 49.6%, P=0.038; nasogastric intubation: 87.5 vs. 26.9%, P=0.001), and longer duration of hospital stay (30.0±32.9 vs. 18.9±17.0 days; P=0.031). No statistical difference was found between the two groups for Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-sodium, and Child-Pugh scores. Spontaneous fungal peritonitis was associated with a worse prognosis, particularly severe sepsis/septic shock (87.5 vs. 42.8%, P=0.023), admission in the gastroenterology intensive care unit (87.5 vs. 24.4%; P=0.001), and overall (62.5 vs. 31.9%; P=0.039) or 30-day mortality (50.0 vs. 24.4%; P=0.034), with a mean diagnosis

Spontaneous ejaculation in a wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus.

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Tadamichi Morisaka

Full Text Available Spontaneous ejaculation, which is defined as the release of seminal fluids without apparent sexual stimulation, has been documented in boreoeutherian mammals. Here we report spontaneous ejaculation in a wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus, and present a video of this rare behavior. This is the first report of spontaneous ejaculation by an aquatic mammal, and the first video of this behavior in animals to be published in a scientific journal.

Preclinical evaluation of the novel, orally bioavailable Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE KPT-335 in spontaneous canine cancer: results of a phase I study.

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Cheryl A London

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the activity of Selective Inhibitors of Nuclear Export (SINE compounds that inhibit the function of the nuclear export protein Exportin 1 (XPO1/CRM1 against canine tumor cell lines and perform a Phase I clinical trial of KPT-335 in dogs with spontaneous cancer to provide a preliminary assessment of biologic activity and tolerability.Canine tumor cell lines derived from non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, mast cell tumor, melanoma and osteosarcoma exhibited growth inhibition and apoptosis in response to nanomolar concentrations of SINE compounds; NHL cells were particularly sensitive with IC50 concentrations ranging from 2-42 nM. A Phase I clinical trial of KPT-335 was performed in 17 dogs with NHL (naive or relapsed, mast cell tumor or osteosarcoma. The maximum tolerated dose was 1.75 mg/kg given orally twice/week (Monday/Thursday although biologic activity was observed at 1 mg/kg. Clinical benefit (CB including partial response to therapy (PR, n = 2 and stable disease (SD, n = 7 was observed in 9/14 dogs with NHL with a median time to progression (TTP for responders of 66 days (range 35-256 days. A dose expansion study was performed in 6 dogs with NHL given 1.5 mg/kg KPT-335 Monday/Wednesday/Friday; CB was observed in 4/6 dogs with a median TTP for responders of 83 days (range 35-354 days. Toxicities were primarily gastrointestinal consisting of anorexia, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea and were manageable with supportive care, dose modulation and administration of low dose prednisone; hepatotoxicity, anorexia and weight loss were the dose limiting toxicities.This study provides evidence that the novel orally bioavailable XPO1 inhibitor KPT-335 is safe and exhibits activity in a relevant, spontaneous large animal model of cancer. Data from this study provides critical new information that lays the groundwork for evaluation of SINE compounds in human cancer.

The importance of causal connections in the comprehension of spontaneous spoken discourse.

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Cevasco, Jazmin; van den Broek, Paul

2008-11-01

In this study, we investigated the psychological processes in spontaneous discourse comprehension through a network theory of discourse representation. Existing models of narrative comprehension describe the importance of causality processing for forming a representation of a text, but usually in the context of deliberately composed texts rather than in spontaneous, unplanned discourse. Our aim was to determine whether spontaneous discourse components with many causal connections are represented more strongly than components with few connections--similar to the findings in text comprehension literature--and whether any such effects depend on the medium in which the spontaneous discourse is presented (oral vs. written). Participants either listened to or read a transcription of a section of a radio transmission. They then recalled the spontaneous discourse material and answered comprehension questions. Results indicate that the processing of causal connections plays an important role in the comprehension of spontaneous spoken discourse, and do not indicate that their effects on recall are weaker in the comprehension of oral discourse than in the comprehension of written discourse.

Male-mediated spontaneous abortion among spouses of stainless steel welders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjollund, N H; Bonde, J P; Jensen, T K

2000-01-01

Male-mediated spontaneous abortion has never been documented for humans. The welding of stainless steel is associated with the pulmonary absorption of hexavalent chromium, which has genotoxic effects on germ cells in rodents. Clinical and early subclinical spontaneous abortions were examined among...

SUMO E3 ligase Mms21 prevents spontaneous DNA damage induced genome rearrangements.

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Jason Liang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Mms21, a subunit of the Smc5/6 complex, possesses an E3 ligase activity for the Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier (SUMO. Here we show that the mms21-CH mutation, which inactivates Mms21 ligase activity, causes increased accumulation of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs selected in the dGCR assay. These dGCRs are formed by non-allelic homologous recombination between divergent DNA sequences mediated by Rad52-, Rrm3- and Pol32-dependent break-induced replication. Combining mms21-CH with sgs1Δ caused a synergistic increase in GCRs rates, indicating the distinct roles of Mms21 and Sgs1 in suppressing GCRs. The mms21-CH mutation also caused increased rates of accumulating uGCRs mediated by breakpoints in unique sequences as revealed by whole genome sequencing. Consistent with the accumulation of endogenous DNA lesions, mms21-CH mutants accumulate increased levels of spontaneous Rad52 and Ddc2 foci and had a hyper-activated DNA damage checkpoint. Together, these findings support that Mms21 prevents the accumulation of spontaneous DNA lesions that cause diverse GCRs.

Speaking-related changes in cortical functional connectivity associated with assisted and spontaneous recovery from developmental stuttering.

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Kell, Christian A; Neumann, Katrin; Behrens, Marion; von Gudenberg, Alexander W; Giraud, Anne-Lise

2018-03-01

We previously reported speaking-related activity changes associated with assisted recovery induced by a fluency shaping therapy program and unassisted recovery from developmental stuttering (Kell et al., Brain 2009). While assisted recovery re-lateralized activity to the left hemisphere, unassisted recovery was specifically associated with the activation of the left BA 47/12 in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex. These findings suggested plastic changes in speaking-related functional connectivity between left hemispheric speech network nodes. We reanalyzed these data involving 13 stuttering men before and after fluency shaping, 13 men who recovered spontaneously from their stuttering, and 13 male control participants, and examined functional connectivity during overt vs. covert reading by means of psychophysiological interactions computed across left cortical regions involved in articulation control. Persistent stuttering was associated with reduced auditory-motor coupling and enhanced integration of somatosensory feedback between the supramarginal gyrus and the prefrontal cortex. Assisted recovery reduced this hyper-connectivity and increased functional connectivity between the articulatory motor cortex and the auditory feedback processing anterior superior temporal gyrus. In spontaneous recovery, both auditory-motor coupling and integration of somatosensory feedback were normalized. In addition, activity in the left orbitofrontal cortex and superior cerebellum appeared uncoupled from the rest of the speech production network. These data suggest that therapy and spontaneous recovery normalizes the left hemispheric speaking-related activity via an improvement of auditory-motor mapping. By contrast, long-lasting unassisted recovery from stuttering is additionally supported by a functional isolation of the superior cerebellum from the rest of the speech production network, through the pivotal left BA 47/12. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula

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Vyas, Sameer; Prakash, Mahesh; Kaman, Lileshwar; Bhardwaj, Nidhi; Khandelwal, Niranjan

2011-01-01

Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula (EPF) is a rare entity. We describe a case in a middle-aged female who presented with severe retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breadth. Chest computed tomography showed right EPF and hydropneumothorax. She was managed conservatively keeping the chest tube drainage and performing feeding jejunostomy. A brief review of the imaging finding and management of EPF is discussed.

Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyas, Sameer; Prakash, Mahesh; Kaman, Lileshwar; Bhardwaj, Nidhi; Khandelwal, Niranjan

2011-10-01

Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula (EPF) is a rare entity. We describe a case in a middle-aged female who presented with severe retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breadth. Chest computed tomography showed right EPF and hydropneumothorax. She was managed conservatively keeping the chest tube drainage and performing feeding jejunostomy. A brief review of the imaging finding and management of EPF is discussed.

Correlated spins of complementary fragment pairs in the spontaneous fission of 252Cf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A. G.; Simpson, G. S.; Billowes, J.; Dagnall, P. J.; Durell, J. L.; Freeman, S. J.; Leddy, M.; Phillips, W. R.; Roach, A. A.; Smith, J. F.

1999-01-01

A study of the γ-ray decay of low-lying excited states in fragments produced in the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf has revealed a significant correlation between the angles of emission of the 2 1 + →0 1 + transitions of complementary fragment pairs. Calculations of the amount of dealignment that is needed to reproduce the measured a 2 values, and a comparison with the results of previous fragment-γ angular distribution measurements, suggests that at scission there may be significant population of m≠0 substates associated with the projection of the fragment spin vector on the fission axis. Fragments from the spontaneous fission of 248 Cm emit 2 1 + →0 1 + γ rays that show markedly reduced interfragment correlations, suggesting that either a larger role is played by the relative angular momentum of the fragments, or that the dealignment introduced by the neutron emission and statistical γ decay to the 2 1 + state is larger in 248 Cm than 252 Cf fission. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society

Omega 3 fatty acids increase spontaneous release of cytosolic components from tumor cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenski, L.J.; Sturdevant, L.K.; Ehringer, W.D.; Stillwell, W.

1991-01-01

Mice fed menhaden (fish) oil or coconut oil-rich diets were inoculated intraperitoneally with a rapidly growing leukemia, T27A. After one week, the tumor cells were harvested, and 51Cr was used to label intracellular molecules. Spontaneous release of 51Cr was used as a measure of plasma membrane permeability. Compared to cells from mice fed coconut oil (rich in saturated fatty acids), tumor cells from mice fed menhaden oil (rich in long chain polyunsaturated omega 3 fatty acids) showed an increased level of spontaneous 51Cr release, which was exacerbated by increased temperature and reduced by extracellular protein. At physiological salt concentrations, the released 51Cr was detected in particles of approximately 2700 daltons. Enhanced permeability correlated with the incorporation of dietary (fish oil) omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid into the tumor cells. The results demonstrate that omega 3 fatty acids are incorporated into cellular constituents of tumor cells and change properties associated with the plasma membrane. This result suggests that dietary manipulation may be used to enhance tumor cell permeability and contribute to tumor eradication

Spontaneous Bilateral Meningoencephalocoeles of the Temporal Bones

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Oliver Rose

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous tegmen tympani defects are rare with even rarer bilateral cases. The symptoms are nonspecific; hence, a high index of suspicion is required to prevent serious intracranial complications. We present a case of spontaneous bilateral tegmen tympani defects with associated meningoencephalocoeles in a 54-year-old male who presented with the signs and symptoms of severe meningitis. After careful workup which included a lumbar puncture, CT and MRI scans, both defects were repaired using a middle fossa approach. The patient made an uneventful recovery with complete cessation of otorrhoea and improvement in his hearing.

[Atypical etiology of rhinorrhea: spontaneous bilateral temporal encephalocele].

Science.gov (United States)

Lorente Muñoz, Asís; Lisbona Alquézar, María Pilar; González Martínez, Luis; Sevil Navarro, Jorge; Llorente Arenas, Eva María

2012-01-01

Spontaneous herniation of brain parenchyma through a dural and osseous defect in the temporal bone is a rare entity and a bilateral form is even more infrequent. It usually presents as an intermittent but persistent otorrhea. Manifestation as nose cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is very uncommon. Our objective is presenting this unusual case report of a spontaneous bilateral encephalocele with a bilateral tegmen tympani defect. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Shell theorem for spontaneous emission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Philip Trøst; Mortensen, Jakob Egeberg; Lodahl, Peter

2013-01-01

and therefore is given exactly by the dipole approximation theory. This surprising result is a spontaneous emission counterpart to the shell theorems of classical mechanics and electrostatics and provides insights into the physics of mesoscopic emitters as well as great simplifications in practical calculations....

Spontaneous regression of metastases from malignant melanoma: a case report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalialis, Louise V; Drzewiecki, Krzysztof T; Mohammadi, Mahin

2008-01-01

A case of a 61-year-old male with widespread metastatic melanoma is presented 5 years after complete spontaneous cure. Spontaneous regression occurred in cutaneous, pulmonary, hepatic and cerebral metastases. A review of the literature reveals seven cases of regression of cerebral metastases; thi...

The incentive amplifying effects of nicotine are reduced by selective and non-selective dopamine antagonists in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmatier, Matthew I; Kellicut, Marissa R; Brianna Sheppard, A; Brown, Russell W; Robinson, Donita L

2014-11-01

Nicotine is a psychomotor stimulant with 'reinforcement enhancing' effects--the actions of nicotine in the brain increase responding for non-nicotine rewards. We hypothesized that this latter effect of nicotine depends on increased incentive properties of anticipatory cues; consistent with this hypothesis, multiple laboratories have reported that nicotine increases sign tracking, i.e. approach to a conditioned stimulus (CS), in Pavlovian conditioned-approach tasks. Incentive motivation and sign tracking are mediated by mesolimbic dopamine (DA) transmission and nicotine facilitates mesolimbic DA release. Therefore, we hypothesized that the incentive-promoting effects of nicotine would be impaired by DA antagonists. To test this hypothesis, separate groups of rats were injected with nicotine (0.4mg/kg base) or saline prior to Pavlovian conditioning sessions in which a CS (30s illumination of a light or presentation of a lever) was immediately followed by a sweet reward delivered in an adjacent location. Both saline and nicotine pretreated rats exhibited similar levels of conditioned approach to the reward location (goal tracking), but nicotine pretreatment significantly increased approach to the CS (sign tracking), regardless of type (lever or light). The DAD1 antagonist SCH-23390 and the DAD2/3 antagonist eticlopride reduced conditioned approach in all rats, but specifically reduced goal tracking in the saline pretreated rats and sign tracking in the nicotine pretreated rats. The non-selective DA antagonist flupenthixol reduced sign-tracking in nicotine rats at all doses tested; however, only the highest dose of flupenthixol reduced goal tracking in both nicotine and saline groups. The reductions in conditioned approach behavior, especially those by SCH-23390, were dissociated from simple motor suppressant effects of the antagonists. These experiments are the first to investigate the effects of dopaminergic drugs on the facilitation of sign-tracking engendered by

Teaching spontaneous responses to a young child with Down syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Feeley, Kathleen; Jones, Emily

2008-10-01

Children with Down syndrome experience significant communication impairments, particularly in expressive language. Although receiving little attention in the literature, deficiencies in expressive language are likely to affect spontaneous communicative responses in children with Down syndrome. In this study, using a multiple baseline design across responses, we demonstrated the effectiveness of discrete trial instruction in establishing spontaneous responses in a preschooler with Down syndrome. Spontaneous responses generalised to a novel setting involving a novel person and novel materials. Implications for the use of behaviourally based interventions to address the social-communicative needs of children with Down syndrome are discussed.

Spontaneous breaking of the BRST symmetry in the ABJM theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faizal, Mir; Upadhyay, Sudhaker

2014-01-01

In this paper, we will analyze the ghost condensation in the ABJM theory. We will perform our analysis in N=1 superspace. We show that in the Delbourgo–Jarvis–Baulieu–Thierry–Mieg gauge the spontaneous breaking of BRST symmetry can occur in the ABJM theory. This spontaneous breaking of BRST symmetry is caused by ghost–anti-ghost condensation. We will also show that in the ABJM theory, the ghost–anti-ghost condensates remain present in the modified abelian gauge. Thus, the spontaneous breaking of BRST symmetry in ABJM theory can even occur in the modified abelian gauge

Multichannel detrended fluctuation analysis reveals synchronized patterns of spontaneous spinal activity in anesthetized cats.

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Erika E Rodríguez

Full Text Available The analysis of the interaction and synchronization of relatively large ensembles of neurons is fundamental for the understanding of complex functions of the nervous system. It is known that the temporal synchronization of neural ensembles is involved in the generation of specific motor, sensory or cognitive processes. Also, the intersegmental coherence of spinal spontaneous activity may indicate the existence of synaptic neural pathways between different pairs of lumbar segments. In this study we present a multichannel version of the detrended fluctuation analysis method (mDFA to analyze the correlation dynamics of spontaneous spinal activity (SSA from time series analysis. This method together with the classical detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA were used to find out whether the SSA recorded in one or several segments in the spinal cord of the anesthetized cat occurs either in a random or in an organized manner. Our results are consistent with a non-random organization of the sets of neurons involved in the generation of spontaneous cord dorsum potentials (CDPs recorded either from one lumbar segment (DFA-α mean = 1.04[Formula: see text]0.09 or simultaneously from several lumbar segments (mDFA-α mean = 1.01[Formula: see text]0.06, where α = 0.5 indicates randomness while α = 0.5 indicates long-term correlations. To test the sensitivity of the mDFA method we also examined the effects of small spinal lesions aimed to partially interrupt connectivity between neighboring lumbosacral segments. We found that the synchronization and correlation between the CDPs recorded from the L5 and L6 segments in both sides of the spinal cord were reduced when a lesion comprising the left dorsal quadrant was performed between the segments L5 and L6 (mDFA-[Formula: see text] = 0.992 as compared to initial conditions mDFA-α = 1.186. The synchronization and correlation were reduced even further after a similar additional right spinal lesion (mDFA-α = 0

Computed tomography characteristics suggestive of spontaneous resolution of chronic subdural hematoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horikoshi, Toru; Naganuma, Hirofumi; Fukasawa, Isao; Uchida, Mikito; Nukui, Hideaki [Yamanashi Medical Univ., Tamaho (Japan)

1998-09-01

The clinical and radiological characteristics of self-resolving hematoma were assessed retrospectively in a series of patients with chronic subdural hematomas (SDHs) treated over a recent 6-year period in a local hospital. Spontaneous resolution was observed in five of 27 hematomas occurring in four of 23 patients. Clinical and radiological findings of the four cases were compared to those of the remaining 19 cases. All spontaneously resolving SDHs were asymptomatic or only caused mild transient headache, and disappeared within 4 to 9 months after head injury. All spontaneously resolving SDHs were located in the frontal region, and maximum thickness and midline displacement were less than those in the other 19 patients who were symptomatic and underwent surgery. Computed tomography demonstrated a low density line between the hematoma and the cerebral cortex, indicative of remaining cerebrospinal fluid space in four of five hematomas. Spontaneously resolving SDH is more frequent than formerly expected. Asymptomatic SDHs localized in the frontal region with small mass signs can be expected to disappear spontaneously without deterioration. (author)

Spontaneous Vesicle Fusion Is Differentially Regulated at Cholinergic and GABAergic Synapses

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Haowen Liu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The locomotion of C. elegans is balanced by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter release at neuromuscular junctions. However, the molecular mechanisms that maintain the balance of synaptic transmission remain enigmatic. Here, we investigated the function of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in triggering spontaneous release at cholinergic and GABAergic synapses. Recordings of the miniature excitatory/inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs and mIPSCs, respectively showed that UNC-2/CaV2 and EGL-19/CaV1 channels are the two major triggers for spontaneous release. Notably, however, Ca2+-independent spontaneous release was observed at GABAergic but not cholinergic synapses. Functional screening led to the identification of hypomorphic unc-64/Syntaxin-1A and snb-1/VAMP2 mutants in which mEPSCs are severely impaired, whereas mIPSCs remain unaltered, indicating differential regulation of these currents at cholinergic and GABAergic synapses. Moreover, Ca2+-independent spontaneous GABA release was nearly abolished in the hypomorphic unc-64 and snb-1 mutants, suggesting distinct mechanisms for Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-independent spontaneous release.

Sex-Differences in Renal Expression of Selected Transporters and Transcription Factors in Lean and Obese Zucker Spontaneously Hypertensive Fatty Rats

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Andrea Babelova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to identify sex-dependent expression of renal transporter mRNA in lean and obese Zucker spontaneously hypertensive fatty (ZSF1 rats and to investigate the interaction of the most altered transporter, organic anion transporter 2 (Oat2, with diabetes-relevant metabolites and drugs. Higher incidence of glomerulosclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and protein casts in Bowman’s space and tubular lumen was detected by PAS staining in obese male compared to female ZSF1 rats. Real-time PCR on RNA isolated from kidney cortex revealed that Sglt1-2, Oat1-3, and Oct1 were higher expressed in kidneys of lean females. Oct2 and Mrp2 were higher expressed in obese males. Renal mRNA levels of transporters were reduced with diabetic nephropathy in females and the expression of transcription factors Hnf1β and Hnf4α in both sexes. The highest difference between lean and obese ZSF1 rats was found for Oat2. Therefore, we have tested the interaction of human OAT2 with various substances using tritium-labeled cGMP. Human OAT2 showed no interaction with diabetes-related metabolites, diabetic drugs, and ACE-inhibitors. However, OAT2-dependent uptake of cGMP was inhibited by furosemide. The strongly decreased expression of Oat2 and other transporters in female diabetic ZSF1 rats could possibly impair renal drug excretion, for example, of furosemide.

Spontaneous tilting after placement of the gunther-tulip inferior vena caval filter: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Tae Seok; Cha, In Ho; Seol, Hae Young; Park, Cheol Min

2006-01-01

Tilting of a deployed filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC) is a particular kind of periprocedural complication and this can reduce the filter's clot-trapping ability and increase the occlusion of the IVC at a later period. The authors report here on a case of spontaneous tilting of an inferior vena caval filter that was associated with thrombosis in the IVC within 2 weeks of the initially successful placement of the filter without tilting

Spontaneous neonatal gastrointestinal perforation: surgical or ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... cases of spontaneous gastrointestinal perforation in neonates at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. The perinatal stress factors were caesarian delivery, prematurity and fetal distress due to prolonged obstructed labour.

Silicosis with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax

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Fotedar Sanjay

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Presentation with simultaneous bilateral pneumothorax is uncommon and usually in the context of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.The association of pneumothorax and silicosis is infrequent and most cases are unilateral. Bilateral pneumothorax in silicosis is very rare with just a few reports in medical literature.

Selective Cannabinoid 2 Receptor Stimulation Reduces Tubular Epithelial Cell Damage after Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Pressly, Jeffrey D; Mustafa, Suni M; Adibi, Ammaar H; Alghamdi, Sahar; Pandey, Pankaj; Roy, Kuldeep K; Doerksen, Robert J; Moore, Bob M; Park, Frank

2018-02-01

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI), which is an increasing problem in the clinic and has been associated with elevated rates of mortality. Therapies to treat AKI are currently not available, so identification of new targets that can be modulated to ameliorate renal damage upon diagnosis of AKI is essential. In this study, a novel cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist, SMM-295 [3'-methyl-4-(2-(thiophen-2-yl)propan-2-yl)biphenyl-2,6-diol], was designed, synthesized, and tested in vitro and in silico. Molecular docking of SMM-295 into a CB2 active-state homology model showed that SMM-295 interacts well with key amino acids to stabilize the active state. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells, SMM-295 was capable of reducing cAMP production with 66-fold selectivity for CB2 versus cannabinoid receptor 1 and dose-dependently increased mitogen-activated protein kinase and Akt phosphorylation. In vivo testing of the CB2 agonist was performed using a mouse model of bilateral IRI, which is a common model to mimic human AKI, where SMM-295 was immediately administered upon reperfusion of the kidneys after the ischemia episode. Histologic damage assessment 48 hours after reperfusion demonstrated reduced tubular damage in the presence of SMM-295. This was consistent with reduced plasma markers of renal dysfunction (i.e., creatinine and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) in SMM-295-treated mice. Mechanistically, kidneys treated with SMM-295 were shown to have elevated activation of Akt with reduced terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated digoxigenin-deoxyuridine nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells compared with vehicle-treated kidneys after IRI. These data suggest that selective CB2 receptor activation could be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of AKI. Copyright © 2018 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Spontaneous decoherence of coupled harmonic oscillators confined in a ring

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Gong, ZhiRui; Zhang, ZhenWei; Xu, DaZhi; Zhao, Nan; Sun, ChangPu

2018-04-01

We study the spontaneous decoherence of coupled harmonic oscillators confined in a ring container, where the nearest-neighbor harmonic potentials are taken into consideration. Without any external symmetry-breaking field or surrounding environment, the quantum superposition state prepared in the relative degrees of freedom gradually loses its quantum coherence spontaneously. This spontaneous decoherence is interpreted by the gauge couplings between the center-of-mass and the relative degrees of freedoms, which actually originate from the symmetries of the ring geometry and the corresponding nontrivial boundary conditions. In particular, such spontaneous decoherence does not occur at all at the thermodynamic limit because the nontrivial boundary conditions become the trivial Born-von Karman boundary conditions when the perimeter of the ring container tends to infinity. Our investigation shows that a thermal macroscopic object with certain symmetries has a chance for its quantum properties to degrade even without applying an external symmetry-breaking field or surrounding environment.

Differentiating the Causes of Spontaneous Rib Fracture After Breast Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Susan R

2016-12-01

Spontaneous rib fracture after treatment for primary breast cancer is not uncommon. Although metastatic disease accounts for about 30% of spontaneous rib fractures and should constitute the first line of diagnostic investigation, other possible contributors include primary osteoporosis or secondary osteoporosis resulting from cancer treatments. Chemotherapy-induced menopause, aromatase inhibitors, radiation therapy, and long-term bisphosphonate use can all contribute to bone fragility, including spontaneous rib fractures in the latter 3. Drawing on recent breast cancer practice guidelines as well as population-based studies of fracture risk for women with a history of breast cancer and systematic reviews, this Perspective will provide an update on recent developments in understanding how to differentiate the possible reasons for non-traumatic rib fracture in women treated for breast cancer. In addition to describing the various possible causes of spontaneous rib fracture, the recommended medical and imaging procedures for differentiating among the potential causes will be presented. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Observation of Spontaneous Expressive Language (OSEL): A New Measure for Spontaneous and Expressive Language of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Communication Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, So Hyun; Junker, Dörte; Lord, Catherine

2014-01-01

A new language measure, the Observation of Spontaneous Expressive Language (OSEL), is intended to document spontaneous use of syntax, pragmatics, and semantics in 2-12-year-old children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other communication disorders with expressive language levels comparable to typical 2-5 year olds. Because the purpose of…

Spontaneous symmetry breaking and response functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beraudo, A.; De Pace, A.; Martini, M.; Molinari, A.

2005-01-01

We study the quantum phase transition occurring in an infinite homogeneous system of spin 1/2 fermions in a non-relativistic context. As an example we consider neutrons interacting through a simple spin-spin Heisenberg force. The two critical values of the coupling strength-signaling the onset into the system of a finite magnetization and of the total magnetization, respectively-are found and their dependence upon the range of the interaction is explored. The spin response function of the system in the region where the spin-rotational symmetry is spontaneously broken is also studied. For a ferromagnetic interaction the spin response along the direction of the spontaneous magnetization occurs in the particle-hole continuum and displays, for not too large momentum transfers, two distinct peaks. The response along the direction orthogonal to the spontaneous magnetization displays instead, beyond a softened and depleted particle-hole continuum, a collective mode to be identified with a Goldstone boson of type II. Notably, the random phase approximation on a Hartree-Fock basis accounts for it, in particular for its quadratic-close to the origin-dispersion relation. It is shown that the Goldstone boson contributes to the saturation of the energy-weighted sum rule for ∼25% when the system becomes fully magnetized (that is in correspondence of the upper critical value of the interaction strength) and continues to grow as the interaction strength increases

Uncovering intrinsic modular organization of spontaneous brain activity in humans.

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Yong He

Full Text Available The characterization of topological architecture of complex brain networks is one of the most challenging issues in neuroscience. Slow (<0.1 Hz, spontaneous fluctuations of the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD signal in functional magnetic resonance imaging are thought to be potentially important for the reflection of spontaneous neuronal activity. Many studies have shown that these fluctuations are highly coherent within anatomically or functionally linked areas of the brain. However, the underlying topological mechanisms responsible for these coherent intrinsic or spontaneous fluctuations are still poorly understood. Here, we apply modern network analysis techniques to investigate how spontaneous neuronal activities in the human brain derived from the resting-state BOLD signals are topologically organized at both the temporal and spatial scales. We first show that the spontaneous brain functional networks have an intrinsically cohesive modular structure in which the connections between regions are much denser within modules than between them. These identified modules are found to be closely associated with several well known functionally interconnected subsystems such as the somatosensory/motor, auditory, attention, visual, subcortical, and the "default" system. Specifically, we demonstrate that the module-specific topological features can not be captured by means of computing the corresponding global network parameters, suggesting a unique organization within each module. Finally, we identify several pivotal network connectors and paths (predominantly associated with the association and limbic/paralimbic cortex regions that are vital for the global coordination of information flow over the whole network, and we find that their lesions (deletions critically affect the stability and robustness of the brain functional system. Together, our results demonstrate the highly organized modular architecture and associated topological properties in

A Spontaneous Ad Hoc Network to Share WWW Access

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Lloret Jaime

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a secure spontaneous ad-hoc network, based on direct peer-to-peer interaction, to grant a quick, easy, and secure access to the users to surf the Web. The paper shows the description of our proposal, the procedure of the nodes involved in the system, the security algorithms implemented, and the designed messages. We have taken into account the security and its performance. Although some people have defined and described the main features of spontaneous ad-hoc networks, nobody has published any design and simulation until today. Spontaneous networking will enable a more natural form of wireless computing when people physically meet in the real world. We also validate the success of our proposal through several simulations and comparisons with a regular architecture, taking into account the optimization of the resources of the devices. Finally, we compare our proposal with other caching techniques published in the related literature. The proposal has been developed with the main objective of improving the communication and integration between different study centers of low-resource communities. That is, it lets communicate spontaneous networks, which are working collaboratively and which have been created on different physical places.

Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula

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Sameer Vyas

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Spontaneous esophageal-pleural fistula (EPF is a rare entity. We describe a case in a middle-aged female who presented with severe retrosternal chest pain and shortness of breadth. Chest computed tomography showed right EPF and hydropneumothorax. She was managed conservatively keeping the chest tube drainage and performing feeding jejunostomy. A brief review of the imaging finding and management of EPF is discussed.

A comparison of patterns of spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting with St. John's Wort and fluoxetine during the period 2000-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoban, Claire L; Byard, Roger W; Musgrave, Ian F

2015-07-01

Herbal medicines are perceived to be safe by the general public and medical practitioners, despite abundant evidence from clinical trials and case reports that show herbal preparations can have significant adverse effects. The overall impact of adverse events to herbal medicines in Australia is currently unknown. Post marketing surveillance of medications through spontaneous adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is one way to estimate this risk. The patterns of spontaneously reported ADRs provide insight to herbal dangers, especially when compared with patterns of a mechanistically similar conventional drug. The study compared the pattern of spontaneously reported ADRs to St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum), a common herbal treatment for depression which contains selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), to fluoxetine, a commonly prescribed synthetic SSRI antidepressant. Spontaneous ADR reports sent to the TGA between 2000-2013 for St. John's Wort (n = 84) and fluoxetine (n = 447) were obtained and analysed. The demographic information, types of interaction, severity of the ADR, and the body systems affected (using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system) were recorded for individual ADR cases. The majority of spontaneously reported ADRs for St. John's Wort and fluoxetine were concerning females aged 26-50 years (28.6%, 22.8%). The organ systems affected by ADRs to St John's Wort and fluoxetine have a similar profile, with the majority of cases affecting the central nervous system (45.2%, 61.7%). This result demonstrates that herbal preparations can result in ADRs similar to those of prescription medications. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Radionuclide cisternographic findings in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Dong Jin; Kim, Jae Seung; Ryu, Jin Sook; Shin, Jung Woo; Im, Joo Hyuk; Lee, Myoung Chong; Jung, Sung Joo; Moon, Dae Hyuk; Lee, Hee Kyung

1998-01-01

Radionuclide cisternography may be helpful in understanding pathophysiology of postural headache and low CSF pressure in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The purpose of this study was to characterize radionuclide cisternogrpahic findings of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. The study population consists of 15 patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Diagnosis was based on their clinical symptoms and results of lumbar puncture. All patients underwent radionuclide cisternography following injection of 111 to 222 MBq of Tc-99m DTPA into the lumbar subarachnoid space. Sequential images were obtained between 1/2 hour and 24 hour after the injection of Tc-99m DTPA. Radioactivity of the bladder, soft tissue uptake, migration of radionuclide in the subarachnoid space, and extradural leakage of radionuclide were evaluated according to the scan time. Radionuclide cisternogram showed delayed migration of radionuclide into the cerebral convexity (14/15), increased soft tissue uptake (11/15), and early visualization of bladder activity at 30 min (6/10) and 2 hr (13/13). Cisternography also demonstrated leakage site of CSF in 4 cases and 2 of these were depicted at 30min. Epidural blood patch was done in 11 patients and headache was improved in all cases. The characteristics findings of spontaneous intracranial hypotension were delayed migration of radionuclide and early visualization of the soft tissue and bladder activity. These scintigraphic findings suggest that CSF leakage rather than increased CSF absorption or decreased production may be the main pathophysiology of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Early and multiple imaging including the bladder and soft tissue is required to observe the entire dynamics of radionuclide migration

[Treatment of the first episode of spontaneous pneumothorax].

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Moubachir, H; Zaghba, N; Benjelloun, H; Bakhatar, A; Yassine, N

2016-11-01

The management of a first episode of spontaneous pneumothorax is controversial and the best technique to be used as an initial intervention, aspiration or intercostal drainage, is still debated. We present a retrospective case series during two and a half consecutive years describing the immediate management of spontaneous pneumothoraces, comparing aspiration versus thoracic drainage. One hundred and thirty-three clinical files from patients with spontaneous pneumothoraces were analyzed (17 primary and 116 secondary). The pneumothoraces were of varying size and different etiologies. Patients were initially treated with simple aspiration in 68 cases, with an immediate success rate of 37.5%, intercostal drainage in 49 cases, and by rest alone in 16 cases. In case of secondary pneumothorax, aspiration appeared to offer advantages as an initial strategy over intercostal drainage in terms of hospital stay (11 versus 22 days), and with significant effectiveness (37.5%). Copyright © 2016 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A novel hydrodynamic approach of drag-reducing polymers to improve left ventricular hypertrophy and aortic remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang X

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Xinlu Zhang,1,* Xu Wang,2,* Feng Hu,1 Boda Zhou,3 Hai-Bin Chen,1 Daogang Zha,1 Yili Liu,1 Yansong Guo,4 Lemin Zheng,2 Jiancheng Xiu1 1Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 2The Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Institute of Systems Biomedicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences of Ministry of Education, Peking University Health Science Center, 3Department of Cardiology, Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences of Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Molecular Biology and Regulatory Peptides of Ministry of Health, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 4Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Drag-reducing polymers (DRPs, when added in minute concentrations, have been shown to decrease peripheral vascular resistance. In this study, the effect of DRPs on the hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy and aortic remodeling was evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR. Male SHR and age-matched Wistar rats were divided into four groups and received intravenous injection of normal saline (NS or DRPs. Body weight (BW, heart rate (HR and systolic blood pressure (SBP were measured. Echocardiography was used to evaluate the changes in left ventricle (LV function and global wall motion. The LV and aorta were stained by hematoxylin and eosin. Cell size of cardiomyocytes and aortic medial thickness were evaluated for each section. The expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1 of LV and aorta was examined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. There was no significant difference in the increase of SBP among SHR + NS, SHR + 10DRP and SHR + 20DRP groups. SHR + NS group had markedly smaller left ventricular end

Spontaneous expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage caused by decompensated liver disease

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Krishnagopal Srikanth

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage can be surgical or spontaneous. Spontaneous expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage (SESCH is a rare entity. Most of the reported cases of SESCH were caused by a combination of corneal pathology and glaucoma. We are reporting a rare presentation of SESCH with no pre-existing glaucoma or corneal pathology and caused by massive intra- and peri-ocular hemorrhage due to decompensated liver disease.

Selective macrophage inhibition abolishes warfarin-induced reduction of metastasis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maat, B.

1980-01-01

Warfarin administered to tumor-bearing mice reduces the number of spontaneous lung metastases. Both macrophage inhibitors silica and carrageenan abolish the warfarin-induced decrease in tumour metastasis, which strongly supports the concept that the antitumour effect of coumarin derivatives is

Spontaneous emission of the non-Wiener type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basharov, A. M.

2011-01-01

The spontaneous emission of a quantum particle and superradiation of an ensemble of identical quantum particles in a vacuum electromagnetic field with zero photon density are examined under the conditions of significant Stark particle and field interaction. New fundamental effects are established: suppression of spontaneous emission by the Stark interaction, an additional “decay” shift in energy of the decaying level as a consequence of Stark interaction unrelated to the Lamb and Stark level shifts, excitation conservation phenomena in a sufficiently dense ensemble of identical particles and suppression of superradiaton in the decay of an ensemble of excited quantum particles of a certain density. The main equations describing the emission processes under conditions of significant Stark interaction are obtained in the effective Hamiltonian representation of quantum stochastic differential equations. It is proved that the Stark interaction between a single quantum particle and a broadband electromagnetic field is represented as a quantum Poisson process and the stochastic differential equations are of the non-Wiener (generalized Langevin) type. From the examined case of spontaneous emission of a quantum particle, the main rules are formulated for studying open systems in the effective Hamiltonian representation.

Spontaneously broken realization of supersymmetry in supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrara, S.; Trieste Univ.

1979-01-01

It is shown that if supersymmetry is relevant for the physical world it must be broken either spontaneously or explicitly. Renormalizability and simplicity are in favor of a spontaneous realization of the symmetry breaking. When supersymmetry is spontaneously broken the spinorial analogue of the Goldstone phenomenon occurs, namely massless particles arise in the spectrum of the theory which carry the same quantum numbers of the broken generators Qsup(i) they are N spin 1/2 Goldstone fermions (goldstinos). These particles may be eaten by spin 3/2 gauge particles (gravitinos) when supersymmetry is gauged. It is shown that both the Higgs effect and super Higgs effect have taken place. 8 of the spin 1/2 particles have been eaten by the spin 3/2 particles and 24 of 70 scalars have been eaten by the spin 3/2 particles and 24 of 70 scalars have been eaten by 24 of the 28 vector particles to provide them with mass. The conclusion is that the number of mass relations is, in general, equal to r-1, where r is the rank of the algebra which generates the spectrum

Spontaneous Development of Moral Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, M.

1975-01-01

Moral competence is more difficult to attain than scientific competence. Since language comprehension plays a central role in conceptual development, and moral language is difficult to learn, there is a common deficiency in moral conceptual development. This suggests a theory of non-spontaneous solutions to moral problems. (Author/MS)

Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dijkstra, Karolien

2002-01-01

Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is a major goal in obstetrics to lower the incidence of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) and related neonatal morbidity and mortality. One of the principal objectives is to discover early markers that would allow us to identify

Spontaneous infarction of benign breast lesion during pregnancy: Ultrasonographic and pathologic findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jin Young; Kim, Kyu Soon; Kim, Ju Hun [Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yun Hak [Dept. of Radiology, Health Care Center, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The spontaneous infarction of benign breast lesions is a rare entity and hence is not usually considered in the differential diagnosis during radiologic or clinical examination. There have been a few published cases of infarction during pregnancy and lactation. In this study we report the ultrasonographic and pathologic features of a spontaneous infarction of a lactating adenoma with acute mastitis and abscess and a spontaneously infarcted fibroadenoma.

Spontaneous infarction of benign breast lesion during pregnancy: Ultrasonographic and pathologic findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Young; Kim, Kyu Soon; Kim, Ju Hun; Lee, Yun Hak

2015-01-01

The spontaneous infarction of benign breast lesions is a rare entity and hence is not usually considered in the differential diagnosis during radiologic or clinical examination. There have been a few published cases of infarction during pregnancy and lactation. In this study we report the ultrasonographic and pathologic features of a spontaneous infarction of a lactating adenoma with acute mastitis and abscess and a spontaneously infarcted fibroadenoma

Chains of benzenes with lithium-atom adsorption: Vibrations and spontaneous symmetry breaking

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Yenni P.; Stegmann, Thomas; Klein, Douglas J.; Seligman, Thomas H.

2017-09-01

We study effects of different configurations of adsorbates on the vibrational modes as well as symmetries of polyacenes and poly-p-phenylenes focusing on lithium atom adsorption. We found that the spectra of the vibrational modes distinguish the different configurations. For more regular adsorption schemes the lowest states are bending and torsion modes of the skeleton, which are essentially followed by the adsorbate. On poly-p-phenylenes we found that lithium adsorption reduces and often eliminates the torsion between rings thus increasing symmetry. There is spontaneous symmetry breaking in poly-p-phenylenes due to double adsorption of lithium atoms on alternating rings.

Dynamics of entanglement between two atomic samples with spontaneous scattering