Synergetic integration of laccase and versatile peroxidase with magnetic silica microspheres towards remediation of biorefinery wastewater

Abstract

In this study, a tailor-made biocatalyst consisting of a co-immobilized lignolytic enzyme cascade on multi-functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (MSMS) was developed. Physical adsorption was the most promising strategy for the synthesis of individual immobilized laccase (IL), immobilized versatile peroxidase (IP), as well as co-immobilized laccase (Lac) and versatile peroxidase (VP) with an enzyme activity recovery of about 79, 93, 27, and 27.5%, respectively. Similarly, the biocatalytic load of 116, 183, 23.6, and 31 U/g was obtained for IL, IP, and co-immobilized Lac and VP, respectively. The co-immobilized enzyme system exhibited better pH stability than the free and individual immobilized system by retaining more than 100% residual activity at pH 7.0 after a 150-h incubation; whereas, the thermal stability and kinetics of the co-immobilized biocatalyst were not much improved. IL and IP could be recycled for 10 cycles after which they retained 31 and 44% of their initial activities. Co-immobilized Lac and VP were reused for ten consecutive cycles at the end of which Lac activity was depleted, and 37% of VP activity was left. Free enzymes, IL, IP, co-immobilized Lac, and VP were applied to biorefinery wastewater (BRW) in a batch study to investigate the transformation of phenolic contaminants over a period of 5 days. The major classes of phenolic constituents in terms of their order of removal in a Lac-VP system was phenol >2-chlorophenol > trichlorophenol > dichlorophenol > cresols > dimethylphenol >2 methyl- 4, 6-dinitrophenol > 4-nitrophenol > tetrachlorophenols > pentachlorophenol. The free enzymes and individually immobilized enzymes resulted in 80% dephenolization in 5 days. By contrast, the co-immobilized biocatalyst provided rapid dephenolization yielding the same 80% removal within 24 h and 96% removal of phenols in 60 h after which the system stabilized, which is the major advantage of the co-immobilized biocatalyst.

ᅟ

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2tySwHr


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sEiooK
via IFTTT

Transcriptional control of unequal cleavage in early Tubifex embryos

Abstract

Early embryos of the clitellate annelid Tubifex (oligochaete) undergo a series of unequal spiral cell divisions before the descendants of the D quadrant micromeres (cells 2d and 4d) divide bilaterally. Here, we show that inhibition of zygotic transcription by microinjection of α-amanitin (transcription inhibitor) exclusively converts unequal cleavage in cell 2d¹¹ (granddaughter of 2d) into equal cleavage while other unequal cleavages and ensuing bilateral cleavages in cells 4d and 2d¹¹¹ (great-granddaughter of 2d) all proceed in a normal fashion in the presence of this inhibitor. These results differ significantly from those reported for embryos of another clitellate annelid Helobdella (leech), in which inhibition of transcription converts bilateral (symmetric) cleavages in cells DNOPQ"' and DM" (equivalent to 2d¹¹¹ and 4d) into unequal (asymmetric) cleavages while having no apparent effect on unequal cleavage in DNOPQ" (equivalent to 2d¹¹). These differences imply distinct mechanisms for the control of the unequal-to-bilateral transition in the two clitellate annelids.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sciv9Y
via IFTTT

Cooking Out? Don't Forget Your Food Thermometer

SATURDAY, June 17, 2017 -- Keep food safety at the top of your mind when you cook out this summer. A key is using a food thermometer when you prepare meat or poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service...

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rH9fXE
via IFTTT

Transcriptional control of unequal cleavage in early Tubifex embryos

Abstract

Early embryos of the clitellate annelid Tubifex (oligochaete) undergo a series of unequal spiral cell divisions before the descendants of the D quadrant micromeres (cells 2d and 4d) divide bilaterally. Here, we show that inhibition of zygotic transcription by microinjection of α-amanitin (transcription inhibitor) exclusively converts unequal cleavage in cell 2d¹¹ (granddaughter of 2d) into equal cleavage while other unequal cleavages and ensuing bilateral cleavages in cells 4d and 2d¹¹¹ (great-granddaughter of 2d) all proceed in a normal fashion in the presence of this inhibitor. These results differ significantly from those reported for embryos of another clitellate annelid Helobdella (leech), in which inhibition of transcription converts bilateral (symmetric) cleavages in cells DNOPQ"' and DM" (equivalent to 2d¹¹¹ and 4d) into unequal (asymmetric) cleavages while having no apparent effect on unequal cleavage in DNOPQ" (equivalent to 2d¹¹). These differences imply distinct mechanisms for the control of the unequal-to-bilateral transition in the two clitellate annelids.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sciv9Y
via IFTTT

Cooking Out? Don't Forget Your Food Thermometer

SATURDAY, June 17, 2017 -- Keep food safety at the top of your mind when you cook out this summer. A key is using a food thermometer when you prepare meat or poultry, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service...

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rH9fXE
via IFTTT

Synergetic integration of laccase and versatile peroxidase with magnetic silica microspheres towards remediation of biorefinery wastewater

Abstract

In this study, a tailor-made biocatalyst consisting of a co-immobilized lignolytic enzyme cascade on multi-functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (MSMS) was developed. Physical adsorption was the most promising strategy for the synthesis of individual immobilized laccase (IL), immobilized versatile peroxidase (IP), as well as co-immobilized laccase (Lac) and versatile peroxidase (VP) with an enzyme activity recovery of about 79, 93, 27, and 27.5%, respectively. Similarly, the biocatalytic load of 116, 183, 23.6, and 31 U/g was obtained for IL, IP, and co-immobilized Lac and VP, respectively. The co-immobilized enzyme system exhibited better pH stability than the free and individual immobilized system by retaining more than 100% residual activity at pH 7.0 after a 150-h incubation; whereas, the thermal stability and kinetics of the co-immobilized biocatalyst were not much improved. IL and IP could be recycled for 10 cycles after which they retained 31 and 44% of their initial activities. Co-immobilized Lac and VP were reused for ten consecutive cycles at the end of which Lac activity was depleted, and 37% of VP activity was left. Free enzymes, IL, IP, co-immobilized Lac, and VP were applied to biorefinery wastewater (BRW) in a batch study to investigate the transformation of phenolic contaminants over a period of 5 days. The major classes of phenolic constituents in terms of their order of removal in a Lac-VP system was phenol >2-chlorophenol > trichlorophenol > dichlorophenol > cresols > dimethylphenol >2 methyl- 4, 6-dinitrophenol > 4-nitrophenol > tetrachlorophenols > pentachlorophenol. The free enzymes and individually immobilized enzymes resulted in 80% dephenolization in 5 days. By contrast, the co-immobilized biocatalyst provided rapid dephenolization yielding the same 80% removal within 24 h and 96% removal of phenols in 60 h after which the system stabilized, which is the major advantage of the co-immobilized biocatalyst.

ᅟ

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tySwHr
via IFTTT

Additive effect of calcium depletion and low resource quality on Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) life history traits

Abstract

Gammarus fossarum is an often-abundant crustacean detritivore that contributes importantly to leaf litter breakdown in oligotrophic, mainly heterotrophic, headwater streams. This species requires large amounts of Ca to moult, thus allowing growth and reproduction. Because resource quality is tightly coupled to the organism's growth and physiological status, we hypothesised that low Ca concentration [Ca] and low food resource quality (low phosphorus [P] and/or reduced highly unsaturated fatty acid [HUFA] contents) would interactively impair molecular responses (gene expression) and reproduction of G. fossarum. To investigate the effects of food resources quality, we experimentally manipulated the P content of sycamore leaves and also used diatoms because they contain high amounts of HUFAs. Three resource quality treatments were tested: low quality (LQ, unmanipulated leaves: low P content), high quality 1 (HQ1; P-manipulated leaves: high P content), and high quality 2 (unmanipulated leaves supplemented with a pellet containing diatoms: high P and HUFA content). Naturally, demineralised stream water was supplemented with CaSO₄ to obtain three Ca concentrations (2, 3.5, and 10.5 mg Ca L⁻¹). For 21 days, pairs of G. fossarum were individually exposed to one of the nine treatments (3 [Ca] × 3 resource qualities). At the individual level, strong and significant delays in moult stage were observed in gammarids exposed to lower [Ca] and to lower resource quality, with additive effects lengthening the duration of the reproductive cycle. Effects at the molecular level were investigated by measuring expression of 12 genes involved in energy production, translation, or Ca or P homeostasis. Expression of ATP synthase beta (higher in HQ2), calcified cuticle protein (higher in HQ1 and HQ2), and tropomyosin (higher in HQ2 compared to HQ1) was significantly affected by resource quality, and significant additive effects on Ca transporting ATPase expression were induced by [Ca] and resource quality (higher for low [Ca] and higher resource quality). These results highlight the potential drastic deleterious effects of water [Ca] depletion on G. fossarum physiology, populations, and ecosystem functioning, especially in oligotrophic environments.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tywuVt
via IFTTT

Mobilizing Immune Cells With Exercise for Cancer Immunotherapy

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation and adoptive transfer immunotherapy are effective in treating blood cancers and posttransplant infections, but low-circulating cell numbers in patients and donors are oftentimes a limiting factor. We postulate that a single exercise bout will increase the yield of patient- and donor-derived HSCs and cytotoxic lymphocytes to improve this form of treatment for cancer patients. (Source: Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews)

MedWorm Message: Have you tried our new medical search engine? More powerful than before. Log on with your social media account. 100% free.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE1JBV
via IFTTT

Effects of Resistance Training and Protein Supplementation in Breast Cancer Survivors

Conclusions: Twelve weeks of RT at 65%–81% of 1-RM, 2 d·wk−1 in BCS, was well tolerated and significantly improved strength, body composition, and IGF-1. Supplemental protein (40 g·d−1) did not induce a change in any variable. However, on the basis of food logs, reductions in total calories and dietary protein intake from whole foods resulted in only a net protein increase of 17 g·d−1 for RT + protein, which may have influenced the results. (Source: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdsZnZ
via IFTTT

Early anastomotic stricture occurring after colectomy that responded well to Transanal decompression and local steroid therapy: A case report

Conclusion Transanal decompression therapy combined with local steroid local treatment might promptly improve anastomotic strictures occurring after colectomy. (Source: International Journal of Surgery Case Reports)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sEbGzp
via IFTTT

Mesenteric desmoid tumour presenting with recurrent abdominal abscess and duodenal fistula: a case report and review of literature

Conclusion Rare complications can arise with intra-abdominal desmoid tumors. Principles of infection control should be applied in combination with optimization of oncologic outcome. A multidisciplinary approach helps to achieve both these objectives. (Source: International Journal of Surgery Case Reports)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2te6L56
via IFTTT

The Senhance ™ surgical robotic system (“Senhance”) for total hysterectomy in obese patients: a pilot study

AbstractThis pilot study was aimed to value the feasibility and safety of Senhance Robotic Platform for hysterectomy in obese patients. Ten obese patients (30  <  BMI <  40) underwent elective Senhance total extrafascial hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at the Division of Gynecologic Oncology of "Policlinico A. Gemelli" Foundation, Rome, Italy. Perioperative and postoperative outcomes data were recorded. The median age was 60 years (range 51– 75) and the median BMI was 33.3 kg/m2 (range 30.4 –38.3). The median uterine weight was 112.5 g (range 77–225). Indication to total hysterectomy was early-stage (FIGO Stage IA) endometrial cancer in 100% of patients. The median operative time (OT) was 110 min (70–200). The median docking time was 10.5 min (5...

MedWorm Message: Have you tried our new medical search engine? More powerful than before. Log on with your social media account. 100% free.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE12s8
via IFTTT

Safety and Efficacy of Endovascular Fiducial Marker Insertion for CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiation Therapy Planning in Early-Stage Lung Cancer

Conclusions EVFM is feasible and safe, and may therefore offer an alternative when patients are not candidates for percutaneous marker placement. (Source: Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdP2e0
via IFTTT

Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis: a review from the society of abdominal radiology disease focus panel

AbstractHepatic fibrosis is potentially reversible; however early diagnosis is necessary for treatment in order to halt progression to cirrhosis and development of complications including portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma. Morphologic signs of cirrhosis on ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone are unreliable and are seen with more advanced disease. Newer imaging techniques to diagnose liver fibrosis are reliable and accurate, and include magnetic resonance elastography and US elastography (one-dimensional transient elastography and point shear wave elastography or acoustic radiation force impulse imaging). Research is ongoing with multiple other techniques for the noninvasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis, including MRI with di...

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE7aRi
via IFTTT

TKI De-escalation Safe in Most CML Patients With Major Molecular Response

A de-escalation of tyrosine-kinase inhibitor dose was safe in the majority of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia with stable major molecular response. (Source: CancerNetwork)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sEdl88
via IFTTT

Study helps identify a way for robotic surgery to stage endometrial cancer in a less invasive manner

A minimally-invasive procedure known as sentinel lymph node mapping accurately can determine the stage of endometrial cancer, according to new research that TriHealth contributed to that recently was published in The Lancet Oncology. One of the onerous experiences of cancer diagnosis can be the intrusive surgery required to accurately determine the stage to which the disease has progressed. This new study shows, through robotic surgery, doctors can take out fewer lymph nodes and find the cancer… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care News Headlines)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdVmlF
via IFTTT

Many Tanning Salons Defy Legal Age Limits on Users

Some also make false claims about the health effects of tanning, researchers find (Source: Cancercompass News: Other Cancer)

MedWorm Message: Have you tried our new medical search engine? More powerful than before. Log on with your social media account. 100% free.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE3mj7
via IFTTT

Mission to Mars Would Double Astronauts' Cancer Risk

Title: Mission to Mars Would Double Astronauts' Cancer RiskCategory: Health NewsCreated: 6/15/2017 12:00:00 AMLast Editorial Review: 6/16/2017 12:00:00 AM (Source: MedicineNet Cancer General)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdQIo4
via IFTTT

'Couch Potatoes' May Face Higher Risk of Kidney, Bladder Cancers

Title: 'Couch Potatoes' May Face Higher Risk of Kidney, Bladder CancersCategory: Health NewsCreated: 6/15/2017 12:00:00 AMLast Editorial Review: 6/16/2017 12:00:00 AM (Source: MedicineNet Cancer General)

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE5OGg
via IFTTT

Synergetic integration of laccase and versatile peroxidase with magnetic silica microspheres towards remediation of biorefinery wastewater

Abstract

In this study, a tailor-made biocatalyst consisting of a co-immobilized lignolytic enzyme cascade on multi-functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (MSMS) was developed. Physical adsorption was the most promising strategy for the synthesis of individual immobilized laccase (IL), immobilized versatile peroxidase (IP), as well as co-immobilized laccase (Lac) and versatile peroxidase (VP) with an enzyme activity recovery of about 79, 93, 27, and 27.5%, respectively. Similarly, the biocatalytic load of 116, 183, 23.6, and 31 U/g was obtained for IL, IP, and co-immobilized Lac and VP, respectively. The co-immobilized enzyme system exhibited better pH stability than the free and individual immobilized system by retaining more than 100% residual activity at pH 7.0 after a 150-h incubation; whereas, the thermal stability and kinetics of the co-immobilized biocatalyst were not much improved. IL and IP could be recycled for 10 cycles after which they retained 31 and 44% of their initial activities. Co-immobilized Lac and VP were reused for ten consecutive cycles at the end of which Lac activity was depleted, and 37% of VP activity was left. Free enzymes, IL, IP, co-immobilized Lac, and VP were applied to biorefinery wastewater (BRW) in a batch study to investigate the transformation of phenolic contaminants over a period of 5 days. The major classes of phenolic constituents in terms of their order of removal in a Lac-VP system was phenol >2-chlorophenol > trichlorophenol > dichlorophenol > cresols > dimethylphenol >2 methyl- 4, 6-dinitrophenol > 4-nitrophenol > tetrachlorophenols > pentachlorophenol. The free enzymes and individually immobilized enzymes resulted in 80% dephenolization in 5 days. By contrast, the co-immobilized biocatalyst provided rapid dephenolization yielding the same 80% removal within 24 h and 96% removal of phenols in 60 h after which the system stabilized, which is the major advantage of the co-immobilized biocatalyst.

ᅟ

Graphical abstract

from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tySwHr
via IFTTT

Additive effect of calcium depletion and low resource quality on Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) life history traits

Abstract

Gammarus fossarum is an often-abundant crustacean detritivore that contributes importantly to leaf litter breakdown in oligotrophic, mainly heterotrophic, headwater streams. This species requires large amounts of Ca to moult, thus allowing growth and reproduction. Because resource quality is tightly coupled to the organism's growth and physiological status, we hypothesised that low Ca concentration [Ca] and low food resource quality (low phosphorus [P] and/or reduced highly unsaturated fatty acid [HUFA] contents) would interactively impair molecular responses (gene expression) and reproduction of G. fossarum. To investigate the effects of food resources quality, we experimentally manipulated the P content of sycamore leaves and also used diatoms because they contain high amounts of HUFAs. Three resource quality treatments were tested: low quality (LQ, unmanipulated leaves: low P content), high quality 1 (HQ1; P-manipulated leaves: high P content), and high quality 2 (unmanipulated leaves supplemented with a pellet containing diatoms: high P and HUFA content). Naturally, demineralised stream water was supplemented with CaSO₄ to obtain three Ca concentrations (2, 3.5, and 10.5 mg Ca L⁻¹). For 21 days, pairs of G. fossarum were individually exposed to one of the nine treatments (3 [Ca] × 3 resource qualities). At the individual level, strong and significant delays in moult stage were observed in gammarids exposed to lower [Ca] and to lower resource quality, with additive effects lengthening the duration of the reproductive cycle. Effects at the molecular level were investigated by measuring expression of 12 genes involved in energy production, translation, or Ca or P homeostasis. Expression of ATP synthase beta (higher in HQ2), calcified cuticle protein (higher in HQ1 and HQ2), and tropomyosin (higher in HQ2 compared to HQ1) was significantly affected by resource quality, and significant additive effects on Ca transporting ATPase expression were induced by [Ca] and resource quality (higher for low [Ca] and higher resource quality). These results highlight the potential drastic deleterious effects of water [Ca] depletion on G. fossarum physiology, populations, and ecosystem functioning, especially in oligotrophic environments.

from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tywuVt
via IFTTT

Additive effect of calcium depletion and low resource quality on Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) life history traits

Abstract

Gammarus fossarum is an often-abundant crustacean detritivore that contributes importantly to leaf litter breakdown in oligotrophic, mainly heterotrophic, headwater streams. This species requires large amounts of Ca to moult, thus allowing growth and reproduction. Because resource quality is tightly coupled to the organism's growth and physiological status, we hypothesised that low Ca concentration [Ca] and low food resource quality (low phosphorus [P] and/or reduced highly unsaturated fatty acid [HUFA] contents) would interactively impair molecular responses (gene expression) and reproduction of G. fossarum. To investigate the effects of food resources quality, we experimentally manipulated the P content of sycamore leaves and also used diatoms because they contain high amounts of HUFAs. Three resource quality treatments were tested: low quality (LQ, unmanipulated leaves: low P content), high quality 1 (HQ1; P-manipulated leaves: high P content), and high quality 2 (unmanipulated leaves supplemented with a pellet containing diatoms: high P and HUFA content). Naturally, demineralised stream water was supplemented with CaSO₄ to obtain three Ca concentrations (2, 3.5, and 10.5 mg Ca L⁻¹). For 21 days, pairs of G. fossarum were individually exposed to one of the nine treatments (3 [Ca] × 3 resource qualities). At the individual level, strong and significant delays in moult stage were observed in gammarids exposed to lower [Ca] and to lower resource quality, with additive effects lengthening the duration of the reproductive cycle. Effects at the molecular level were investigated by measuring expression of 12 genes involved in energy production, translation, or Ca or P homeostasis. Expression of ATP synthase beta (higher in HQ2), calcified cuticle protein (higher in HQ1 and HQ2), and tropomyosin (higher in HQ2 compared to HQ1) was significantly affected by resource quality, and significant additive effects on Ca transporting ATPase expression were induced by [Ca] and resource quality (higher for low [Ca] and higher resource quality). These results highlight the potential drastic deleterious effects of water [Ca] depletion on G. fossarum physiology, populations, and ecosystem functioning, especially in oligotrophic environments.

http://ift.tt/2tywuVt


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyPNO6
via IFTTT

Feasible Evaluation of the Thermo-mechanical Properties of Shape Memory Polyurethane for Orthodontic Archwire

Abstract

In orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances, the use of nickel alloy for archwire may cause nickel allergy suffered from the release of nickel ions. In addition, esthetic concerns are a problem for many people. Shape memory polymer (SMP), as a functional material with the ability of thermo-driven shape change to produce force and with good biocompatible properties, possesses the potential to be used in orthodontic appliances. To investigate the feasibility of using polyurethane (PU) as orthodontic archwire, a kind of SMP, namely shape memory polyurethane (SMPU), a simulation via finite element method was conducted, based on a new three dimensional (3D) thermo-mechanical constitutive model and data acquired from some mechanics experiments related to temperature. Finally, a tooth-moving simulation with SMPU archwire on a wax model was performed. The results illustrated that SMPU wire shows good prospects in orthodontic application: the archwire with a 0.5 mm diameter can supply recovery force with magnitude 0.588–1.176 N (60–120 g), which is within the required range 0.49–2.94 N (50–300 g) for tooth movement. However, the force is smaller than that produced from metal wire, and more work related to material strengthening, such as filling SMPU with reinforcement material, is required in the future.

http://ift.tt/2rCp1rE


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sB8DqX
via IFTTT

In vivo Bone Position Measurement Using High-Frequency Ultrasound Validated with 3-D Optical Motion Capture Systems: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Accurate measurement of bone position in vivo during dynamic activities has the potential to improve our identification and understanding of injury mechanisms and enhance our ability to design protective equipment and/or devices for rehabilitation and human augmentation. Existing technologies such as skin-mounted reflective markers and fluoroscopy are limited either in accuracy or portability. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a proof of concept for an ultrasound (US) sensor array to measure bone positions around a human joint in vivo. A single off-the-shelf US sensor was tested for repeatability and accuracy in measuring soft tissue depth between the skin surface and embedded bone with (a) a gelatinous analog for human tissue, and (b) a porcine leg specimen. In measuring the hydrogel analog the sensor was able to measure depth with a repeatability of 0.25 mm. In measuring the porcine leg specimen, measurement accuracy was compared to a Qualisys optical motion capture system with accuracy on the order of 0.5 mm, and the US measurement uncertainty was found to be 1.1 mm. An additional set of tests on a similar system performed on a human participant performing elbow flexion/extension confirms that the method is usable for evaluating both the bone position and the muscle volume during movement analysis measurements. This study demonstrates that low cost off-the-shelf US sensors have acceptable quality to measure bone positions accurately in vivo.

http://ift.tt/2smgy9p


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tz2vMR
via IFTTT

Procedures for precise measurements of 135Cs/137Cs atom ratios in environmental samples at extreme dynamic ranges and ultra-trace levels by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): James A. Dunne, David A. Richards, Hsin-Wei Chen
Determination of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios has the potential to be a powerful tool for nuclear forensics and monitoring environmental processes. We present optimized chemical separation techniques and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) protocols to obtain precise ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios for a range of environmental sample types. We use a combination of double AMP-PAN separation and Sr-spec resin column purification to yield excellent separation from the alkali metals (Rb separation factor > 600), which normally suppress ionization of Cs. A range of emission activators for the ionization of Cs were evaluated and glucose solution yielded the optimal combination of a stable Cs⁺ beam, minimal low-temperature polyatomic interferences and improved ionization efficiency. Mass-spectrometric determination of low abundance ¹³⁵Cs and ¹³⁷Cs is compromised by the presence of a very large ¹³³Cs⁺ beam, which may be scattered and cause significant spectral interferences. These are explored using multi-static Faraday cup – ion counter methods and a range of energy filter settings. The method is evaluated using environmental samples and standards from regions affected by fallout from Chernobyl (IAEA-330) and Fukushima nuclear disasters. Where the intensity of ¹³³Cs⁺ is large relative to ¹³⁵Cs⁺ and ¹³⁷Cs⁺ (< 30cps), minor polyatomic interferences need to be considered. In the absence of a standard with ^{135, 137}Cs/¹³³Cs < 1 × 10⁻⁸, we explored the reproducibility of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios at these high dynamic ranges and extremely low abundance (¹³⁷Cs ≈ 12 fg g⁻¹) for sediments from an estuarine setting in SW England, UK.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2sc1OeE


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sBiEUN
via IFTTT

Determination of iodide and total iodine in estuarine waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry using a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Estrella Espada-Bellido, Zhaoshun Bi, Pascal Salaün, Constant M.G. van den Berg
Iodide in natural waters is an important nutrient to aquatic organisms and its determination is of relevance to marine aquaculture. For this reason it is of interest to have a simple analytical method for determination of iodide in water samples. Iodide in seawater can be determined electrochemically by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) with a mercury drop electrode which has environmental drawbacks. In an attempt to minimise the use of mercury in voltammetry, a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode is used here for the determination by CSV of iodide speciation in natural waters including seawater. Microwire electrodes were made from silver wires (diameter: 12.5µm) and electrochemically coated with mercury. The electrode surface was stable for extended periods of analyses (at least one week) and was then replaced. The optimised conditions include a pH 8, a frequency of 500Hz and a deposition time of 60s, among others. The microwire was reactivated between scans using a conditioning potential at −3 V for 1s. The detection limit for iodide in seawater was found to be 0.7nM I^- at a deposition time of 60s. The response increased linearly with the concentration of iodide in seawater up to 100nM I^-. The method was successfully applied to various samples from the estuary of the river Mersey (Liverpool Bay). An existing procedure for iodine speciation was modified to enable determination of iodate and total iodine as well as iodide in estuarine waters.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2scA7T3


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyWgst
via IFTTT

Extracellular matrix characterization in plaques from carotid endarterectomy by a proteomics approach

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): N. Ucciferri, S. Rocchiccioli, L. Comelli, M. Marconi, M. Ferrari, G. Pelosi, A. Cecchettini
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental component of multicellular organisms. Alteration of its structure and/or molecular composition are associated with several pathologies, among the others with atherosclerosis. To determine how the overall ECM architecture of a tissue as complex as the atheroma may change under varying pathological conditions constitutes a great technical challenge. This entails removing cell components and solubilisation of fibrillar proteins in order to allow enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometry analyses.This work aimed at testing and assessing an easy to use, standardized and reproducible proteomics protocol to map ECM proteins in carotid plaque specimens. To this end, plaques from endarterectomies were incubated in different buffers and the resulting solutions and tissue homogenates after incubation were processed for mass spectrometry. Comparison of the different workflows showed that 4M Guanidine treatment (following 0.5M NaCl and 0.08% SDS incubations) is the most promising in terms of ECM enrichment. The protocol can also be used to identify different and complementary classes of proteins both in plaque extracts and homogenates.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2scfM0b


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sAMclw
via IFTTT

A unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe with tumor-specificity for imaging in living cells and tissues

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Xiuqi Kong, Baoli Dong, Nan Zhang, Chao Wang, Xuezhen Song, Weiying Lin
Tumor-specific imaging can provide an attractive approach for the early detection and prognosis of cancer, as well as the precise image-guided tumor-removal surgery. Herein, we describe a unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe (N-BN) for tumor-specific imaging. N-BN utilized Nile Red as the red-emitting two-photon fluorophore and employed biotin as the tumor-specific ligand. In the presence of a variety of biomolecules or in different pH buffers, the fluorescence intensity of N-BN at 655nm showed no noticeable change. N-BN exhibited the remarkable two-photon absorption cross sections of 15.4g under excitation at 800nm. Under the guidance of biotin, N-BN can be applied for the imaging of biotin-receptor positive cancer cells over biotin-negative cells under red-emitting one- and two-photon manners. Assisted by high-definition three-dimensional imaging, the living tumor tissues loaded with N-BN could display strong red two-photon fluorescence with a penetration depth of about 90µm. Moreover, the in vivo and ex vivo imaging studies intuitively revealed that N-BN could track the tumor with highly tumor-specific property by a near-infrared manner.

Graphical abstract

http://ift.tt/2scqJPp


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyWik5
via IFTTT

Patterns of high-intensity drinking among young adults in the United States: A repeated measures latent class analysis

Publication date: November 2017
Source:Addictive Behaviors, Volume 74
Author(s): Megan E. Patrick, Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, John E. Schulenberg, Bethany C. Bray
ObjectiveUsing a national sample of young adults, this study identified latent classes of alcohol use including high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks) from ages 18 to 25/26, and explored associations between time-invariant covariates measured at age 18 and class membership.MethodLongitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study were available for 1078 individuals (51% female) first surveyed as 12th grade students in 2005–2008, and followed through modal age 25/26. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported alcohol use: no past 30-day drinking, 1–9 drinks per occasion in the past 2weeks, and 10+ drinks per occasion.ResultsFour latent classes of alcohol use from ages 18 to 25/26 were identified: (1) Non-Drinkers (21%); (2) Legal Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (23%); (3) Persistent Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (40%); and (4) High-Intensity Drinkers (16%). Membership in the High-Intensity Drinkers class was characterized by higher than average probabilities of high-intensity drinking at all ages, with the probability of high-intensity drinking increasing between ages 18 and 21/22. Both gender and race/ethnicity significantly differentiated class membership, whereas neither parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) nor college plans at 12th grade showed significant associations.ConclusionsMore than one in seven individuals who were seniors in high school experienced a long-term pattern of high-intensity drinking lasting into middle young adulthood. Young adult high-intensity drinking is often preceded by high-intensity drinking in high school, suggesting the importance of screening and prevention for high-intensity drinking during adolescence.



http://ift.tt/2scFxNR


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sAZzCj
via IFTTT

Synergetic integration of laccase and versatile peroxidase with magnetic silica microspheres towards remediation of biorefinery wastewater

Abstract

In this study, a tailor-made biocatalyst consisting of a co-immobilized lignolytic enzyme cascade on multi-functionalized magnetic silica microspheres (MSMS) was developed. Physical adsorption was the most promising strategy for the synthesis of individual immobilized laccase (IL), immobilized versatile peroxidase (IP), as well as co-immobilized laccase (Lac) and versatile peroxidase (VP) with an enzyme activity recovery of about 79, 93, 27, and 27.5%, respectively. Similarly, the biocatalytic load of 116, 183, 23.6, and 31 U/g was obtained for IL, IP, and co-immobilized Lac and VP, respectively. The co-immobilized enzyme system exhibited better pH stability than the free and individual immobilized system by retaining more than 100% residual activity at pH 7.0 after a 150-h incubation; whereas, the thermal stability and kinetics of the co-immobilized biocatalyst were not much improved. IL and IP could be recycled for 10 cycles after which they retained 31 and 44% of their initial activities. Co-immobilized Lac and VP were reused for ten consecutive cycles at the end of which Lac activity was depleted, and 37% of VP activity was left. Free enzymes, IL, IP, co-immobilized Lac, and VP were applied to biorefinery wastewater (BRW) in a batch study to investigate the transformation of phenolic contaminants over a period of 5 days. The major classes of phenolic constituents in terms of their order of removal in a Lac-VP system was phenol >2-chlorophenol > trichlorophenol > dichlorophenol > cresols > dimethylphenol >2 methyl- 4, 6-dinitrophenol > 4-nitrophenol > tetrachlorophenols > pentachlorophenol. The free enzymes and individually immobilized enzymes resulted in 80% dephenolization in 5 days. By contrast, the co-immobilized biocatalyst provided rapid dephenolization yielding the same 80% removal within 24 h and 96% removal of phenols in 60 h after which the system stabilized, which is the major advantage of the co-immobilized biocatalyst.

ᅟ

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tySwHr
via IFTTT

Additive effect of calcium depletion and low resource quality on Gammarus fossarum (Crustacea, Amphipoda) life history traits

Abstract

Gammarus fossarum is an often-abundant crustacean detritivore that contributes importantly to leaf litter breakdown in oligotrophic, mainly heterotrophic, headwater streams. This species requires large amounts of Ca to moult, thus allowing growth and reproduction. Because resource quality is tightly coupled to the organism's growth and physiological status, we hypothesised that low Ca concentration [Ca] and low food resource quality (low phosphorus [P] and/or reduced highly unsaturated fatty acid [HUFA] contents) would interactively impair molecular responses (gene expression) and reproduction of G. fossarum. To investigate the effects of food resources quality, we experimentally manipulated the P content of sycamore leaves and also used diatoms because they contain high amounts of HUFAs. Three resource quality treatments were tested: low quality (LQ, unmanipulated leaves: low P content), high quality 1 (HQ1; P-manipulated leaves: high P content), and high quality 2 (unmanipulated leaves supplemented with a pellet containing diatoms: high P and HUFA content). Naturally, demineralised stream water was supplemented with CaSO₄ to obtain three Ca concentrations (2, 3.5, and 10.5 mg Ca L⁻¹). For 21 days, pairs of G. fossarum were individually exposed to one of the nine treatments (3 [Ca] × 3 resource qualities). At the individual level, strong and significant delays in moult stage were observed in gammarids exposed to lower [Ca] and to lower resource quality, with additive effects lengthening the duration of the reproductive cycle. Effects at the molecular level were investigated by measuring expression of 12 genes involved in energy production, translation, or Ca or P homeostasis. Expression of ATP synthase beta (higher in HQ2), calcified cuticle protein (higher in HQ1 and HQ2), and tropomyosin (higher in HQ2 compared to HQ1) was significantly affected by resource quality, and significant additive effects on Ca transporting ATPase expression were induced by [Ca] and resource quality (higher for low [Ca] and higher resource quality). These results highlight the potential drastic deleterious effects of water [Ca] depletion on G. fossarum physiology, populations, and ecosystem functioning, especially in oligotrophic environments.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tywuVt
via IFTTT

Feasible Evaluation of the Thermo-mechanical Properties of Shape Memory Polyurethane for Orthodontic Archwire

Abstract

In orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances, the use of nickel alloy for archwire may cause nickel allergy suffered from the release of nickel ions. In addition, esthetic concerns are a problem for many people. Shape memory polymer (SMP), as a functional material with the ability of thermo-driven shape change to produce force and with good biocompatible properties, possesses the potential to be used in orthodontic appliances. To investigate the feasibility of using polyurethane (PU) as orthodontic archwire, a kind of SMP, namely shape memory polyurethane (SMPU), a simulation via finite element method was conducted, based on a new three dimensional (3D) thermo-mechanical constitutive model and data acquired from some mechanics experiments related to temperature. Finally, a tooth-moving simulation with SMPU archwire on a wax model was performed. The results illustrated that SMPU wire shows good prospects in orthodontic application: the archwire with a 0.5 mm diameter can supply recovery force with magnitude 0.588–1.176 N (60–120 g), which is within the required range 0.49–2.94 N (50–300 g) for tooth movement. However, the force is smaller than that produced from metal wire, and more work related to material strengthening, such as filling SMPU with reinforcement material, is required in the future.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rCp1rE
via IFTTT

In vivo Bone Position Measurement Using High-Frequency Ultrasound Validated with 3-D Optical Motion Capture Systems: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Accurate measurement of bone position in vivo during dynamic activities has the potential to improve our identification and understanding of injury mechanisms and enhance our ability to design protective equipment and/or devices for rehabilitation and human augmentation. Existing technologies such as skin-mounted reflective markers and fluoroscopy are limited either in accuracy or portability. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a proof of concept for an ultrasound (US) sensor array to measure bone positions around a human joint in vivo. A single off-the-shelf US sensor was tested for repeatability and accuracy in measuring soft tissue depth between the skin surface and embedded bone with (a) a gelatinous analog for human tissue, and (b) a porcine leg specimen. In measuring the hydrogel analog the sensor was able to measure depth with a repeatability of 0.25 mm. In measuring the porcine leg specimen, measurement accuracy was compared to a Qualisys optical motion capture system with accuracy on the order of 0.5 mm, and the US measurement uncertainty was found to be 1.1 mm. An additional set of tests on a similar system performed on a human participant performing elbow flexion/extension confirms that the method is usable for evaluating both the bone position and the muscle volume during movement analysis measurements. This study demonstrates that low cost off-the-shelf US sensors have acceptable quality to measure bone positions accurately in vivo.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2smgy9p
via IFTTT

Feasible Evaluation of the Thermo-mechanical Properties of Shape Memory Polyurethane for Orthodontic Archwire

Abstract

In orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances, the use of nickel alloy for archwire may cause nickel allergy suffered from the release of nickel ions. In addition, esthetic concerns are a problem for many people. Shape memory polymer (SMP), as a functional material with the ability of thermo-driven shape change to produce force and with good biocompatible properties, possesses the potential to be used in orthodontic appliances. To investigate the feasibility of using polyurethane (PU) as orthodontic archwire, a kind of SMP, namely shape memory polyurethane (SMPU), a simulation via finite element method was conducted, based on a new three dimensional (3D) thermo-mechanical constitutive model and data acquired from some mechanics experiments related to temperature. Finally, a tooth-moving simulation with SMPU archwire on a wax model was performed. The results illustrated that SMPU wire shows good prospects in orthodontic application: the archwire with a 0.5 mm diameter can supply recovery force with magnitude 0.588–1.176 N (60–120 g), which is within the required range 0.49–2.94 N (50–300 g) for tooth movement. However, the force is smaller than that produced from metal wire, and more work related to material strengthening, such as filling SMPU with reinforcement material, is required in the future.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rCp1rE
via IFTTT

In vivo Bone Position Measurement Using High-Frequency Ultrasound Validated with 3-D Optical Motion Capture Systems: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Accurate measurement of bone position in vivo during dynamic activities has the potential to improve our identification and understanding of injury mechanisms and enhance our ability to design protective equipment and/or devices for rehabilitation and human augmentation. Existing technologies such as skin-mounted reflective markers and fluoroscopy are limited either in accuracy or portability. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a proof of concept for an ultrasound (US) sensor array to measure bone positions around a human joint in vivo. A single off-the-shelf US sensor was tested for repeatability and accuracy in measuring soft tissue depth between the skin surface and embedded bone with (a) a gelatinous analog for human tissue, and (b) a porcine leg specimen. In measuring the hydrogel analog the sensor was able to measure depth with a repeatability of 0.25 mm. In measuring the porcine leg specimen, measurement accuracy was compared to a Qualisys optical motion capture system with accuracy on the order of 0.5 mm, and the US measurement uncertainty was found to be 1.1 mm. An additional set of tests on a similar system performed on a human participant performing elbow flexion/extension confirms that the method is usable for evaluating both the bone position and the muscle volume during movement analysis measurements. This study demonstrates that low cost off-the-shelf US sensors have acceptable quality to measure bone positions accurately in vivo.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2smgy9p
via IFTTT

Characterisation of voice quality of Parkinson’s disease using differential phonological posterior features

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Computer Speech & Language
Author(s): Milos Cernak, Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave, Frank Rudzicz, Heidi Christensen, Juan Camilo Vásquez, Elmar Nöth
Change in voice quality (VQ) is one of the first precursors of Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, impacted phonation and articulation causes the patient to have a breathy, husky-semiwhisper and hoarse voice. A goal of this paper is to characterize a VQ spectrum – the composition of non-modal phonations – of voice in PD. The paper relates non-modal healthy phonations: breathy, creaky, tense, falsetto and harsh, with disordered phonation in PD. First, statistics are learned to differentiate the modal and non-modal phonations. Statistics are computed using phonological posteriors, the probabilities of phonological features inferred from the speech signal using a deep learning approach. Second, statistics of disordered speech are learned from PD speech data comprising 50 patients and 50 healthy controls. Third, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity of non-modal and disordered statistics, and the inverse of the distances is used to obtain the composition of non-modal phonation in PD. Thus, pathological voice quality is characterised using healthy non-modal voice quality "base/eigenspace". The obtained results are interpreted as the voice of an average patient with PD and can be characterised by the voice quality spectrum composed of 30% breathy voice, 23% creaky voice, 20% tense voice, 15% falsetto voice and 12% harsh voice. In addition, the proposed features were applied for prediction of the dysarthria level according to the Frenchay assessment score related to the larynx, and significant improvement is obtained for reading speech task. The proposed characterisation of VQ might also be applied to other kinds of pathological speech.



http://ift.tt/2rCcLrq


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via alwin on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE2Z88
via IFTTT

Characterisation of voice quality of Parkinson’s disease using differential phonological posterior features

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Computer Speech & Language
Author(s): Milos Cernak, Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave, Frank Rudzicz, Heidi Christensen, Juan Camilo Vásquez, Elmar Nöth
Change in voice quality (VQ) is one of the first precursors of Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, impacted phonation and articulation causes the patient to have a breathy, husky-semiwhisper and hoarse voice. A goal of this paper is to characterize a VQ spectrum – the composition of non-modal phonations – of voice in PD. The paper relates non-modal healthy phonations: breathy, creaky, tense, falsetto and harsh, with disordered phonation in PD. First, statistics are learned to differentiate the modal and non-modal phonations. Statistics are computed using phonological posteriors, the probabilities of phonological features inferred from the speech signal using a deep learning approach. Second, statistics of disordered speech are learned from PD speech data comprising 50 patients and 50 healthy controls. Third, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity of non-modal and disordered statistics, and the inverse of the distances is used to obtain the composition of non-modal phonation in PD. Thus, pathological voice quality is characterised using healthy non-modal voice quality "base/eigenspace". The obtained results are interpreted as the voice of an average patient with PD and can be characterised by the voice quality spectrum composed of 30% breathy voice, 23% creaky voice, 20% tense voice, 15% falsetto voice and 12% harsh voice. In addition, the proposed features were applied for prediction of the dysarthria level according to the Frenchay assessment score related to the larynx, and significant improvement is obtained for reading speech task. The proposed characterisation of VQ might also be applied to other kinds of pathological speech.



http://ift.tt/2rCcLrq


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sE2Z88
via IFTTT

On this day: June 16 - KESQ

KESQ	On this day: June 16 KESQ 2014: Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Tony Gwynn dies of complications from salivary gland cancer at age 54 in Poway, California. Gwynn won eight batting titles in his 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres, collected 3,141 career hits and had a .338 ... and more »

from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rr1cim
via IFTTT

Procedures for precise measurements of 135Cs/137Cs atom ratios in environmental samples at extreme dynamic ranges and ultra-trace levels by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): James A. Dunne, David A. Richards, Hsin-Wei Chen
Determination of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios has the potential to be a powerful tool for nuclear forensics and monitoring environmental processes. We present optimized chemical separation techniques and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) protocols to obtain precise ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios for a range of environmental sample types. We use a combination of double AMP-PAN separation and Sr-spec resin column purification to yield excellent separation from the alkali metals (Rb separation factor > 600), which normally suppress ionization of Cs. A range of emission activators for the ionization of Cs were evaluated and glucose solution yielded the optimal combination of a stable Cs⁺ beam, minimal low-temperature polyatomic interferences and improved ionization efficiency. Mass-spectrometric determination of low abundance ¹³⁵Cs and ¹³⁷Cs is compromised by the presence of a very large ¹³³Cs⁺ beam, which may be scattered and cause significant spectral interferences. These are explored using multi-static Faraday cup – ion counter methods and a range of energy filter settings. The method is evaluated using environmental samples and standards from regions affected by fallout from Chernobyl (IAEA-330) and Fukushima nuclear disasters. Where the intensity of ¹³³Cs⁺ is large relative to ¹³⁵Cs⁺ and ¹³⁷Cs⁺ (< 30cps), minor polyatomic interferences need to be considered. In the absence of a standard with ^{135, 137}Cs/¹³³Cs < 1 × 10⁻⁸, we explored the reproducibility of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios at these high dynamic ranges and extremely low abundance (¹³⁷Cs ≈ 12 fg g⁻¹) for sediments from an estuarine setting in SW England, UK.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sc1OeE
via IFTTT

Determination of iodide and total iodine in estuarine waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry using a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Estrella Espada-Bellido, Zhaoshun Bi, Pascal Salaün, Constant M.G. van den Berg
Iodide in natural waters is an important nutrient to aquatic organisms and its determination is of relevance to marine aquaculture. For this reason it is of interest to have a simple analytical method for determination of iodide in water samples. Iodide in seawater can be determined electrochemically by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) with a mercury drop electrode which has environmental drawbacks. In an attempt to minimise the use of mercury in voltammetry, a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode is used here for the determination by CSV of iodide speciation in natural waters including seawater. Microwire electrodes were made from silver wires (diameter: 12.5µm) and electrochemically coated with mercury. The electrode surface was stable for extended periods of analyses (at least one week) and was then replaced. The optimised conditions include a pH 8, a frequency of 500Hz and a deposition time of 60s, among others. The microwire was reactivated between scans using a conditioning potential at −3 V for 1s. The detection limit for iodide in seawater was found to be 0.7nM I^- at a deposition time of 60s. The response increased linearly with the concentration of iodide in seawater up to 100nM I^-. The method was successfully applied to various samples from the estuary of the river Mersey (Liverpool Bay). An existing procedure for iodine speciation was modified to enable determination of iodate and total iodine as well as iodide in estuarine waters.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scA7T3
via IFTTT

Extracellular matrix characterization in plaques from carotid endarterectomy by a proteomics approach

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): N. Ucciferri, S. Rocchiccioli, L. Comelli, M. Marconi, M. Ferrari, G. Pelosi, A. Cecchettini
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental component of multicellular organisms. Alteration of its structure and/or molecular composition are associated with several pathologies, among the others with atherosclerosis. To determine how the overall ECM architecture of a tissue as complex as the atheroma may change under varying pathological conditions constitutes a great technical challenge. This entails removing cell components and solubilisation of fibrillar proteins in order to allow enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometry analyses.This work aimed at testing and assessing an easy to use, standardized and reproducible proteomics protocol to map ECM proteins in carotid plaque specimens. To this end, plaques from endarterectomies were incubated in different buffers and the resulting solutions and tissue homogenates after incubation were processed for mass spectrometry. Comparison of the different workflows showed that 4M Guanidine treatment (following 0.5M NaCl and 0.08% SDS incubations) is the most promising in terms of ECM enrichment. The protocol can also be used to identify different and complementary classes of proteins both in plaque extracts and homogenates.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scfM0b
via IFTTT

A unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe with tumor-specificity for imaging in living cells and tissues

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Xiuqi Kong, Baoli Dong, Nan Zhang, Chao Wang, Xuezhen Song, Weiying Lin
Tumor-specific imaging can provide an attractive approach for the early detection and prognosis of cancer, as well as the precise image-guided tumor-removal surgery. Herein, we describe a unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe (N-BN) for tumor-specific imaging. N-BN utilized Nile Red as the red-emitting two-photon fluorophore and employed biotin as the tumor-specific ligand. In the presence of a variety of biomolecules or in different pH buffers, the fluorescence intensity of N-BN at 655nm showed no noticeable change. N-BN exhibited the remarkable two-photon absorption cross sections of 15.4g under excitation at 800nm. Under the guidance of biotin, N-BN can be applied for the imaging of biotin-receptor positive cancer cells over biotin-negative cells under red-emitting one- and two-photon manners. Assisted by high-definition three-dimensional imaging, the living tumor tissues loaded with N-BN could display strong red two-photon fluorescence with a penetration depth of about 90µm. Moreover, the in vivo and ex vivo imaging studies intuitively revealed that N-BN could track the tumor with highly tumor-specific property by a near-infrared manner.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scqJPp
via IFTTT

Patterns of high-intensity drinking among young adults in the United States: A repeated measures latent class analysis

Publication date: November 2017
Source:Addictive Behaviors, Volume 74
Author(s): Megan E. Patrick, Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, John E. Schulenberg, Bethany C. Bray
ObjectiveUsing a national sample of young adults, this study identified latent classes of alcohol use including high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks) from ages 18 to 25/26, and explored associations between time-invariant covariates measured at age 18 and class membership.MethodLongitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study were available for 1078 individuals (51% female) first surveyed as 12th grade students in 2005–2008, and followed through modal age 25/26. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported alcohol use: no past 30-day drinking, 1–9 drinks per occasion in the past 2weeks, and 10+ drinks per occasion.ResultsFour latent classes of alcohol use from ages 18 to 25/26 were identified: (1) Non-Drinkers (21%); (2) Legal Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (23%); (3) Persistent Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (40%); and (4) High-Intensity Drinkers (16%). Membership in the High-Intensity Drinkers class was characterized by higher than average probabilities of high-intensity drinking at all ages, with the probability of high-intensity drinking increasing between ages 18 and 21/22. Both gender and race/ethnicity significantly differentiated class membership, whereas neither parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) nor college plans at 12th grade showed significant associations.ConclusionsMore than one in seven individuals who were seniors in high school experienced a long-term pattern of high-intensity drinking lasting into middle young adulthood. Young adult high-intensity drinking is often preceded by high-intensity drinking in high school, suggesting the importance of screening and prevention for high-intensity drinking during adolescence.



from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scFxNR
via IFTTT

Procedures for precise measurements of 135Cs/137Cs atom ratios in environmental samples at extreme dynamic ranges and ultra-trace levels by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): James A. Dunne, David A. Richards, Hsin-Wei Chen
Determination of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios has the potential to be a powerful tool for nuclear forensics and monitoring environmental processes. We present optimized chemical separation techniques and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) protocols to obtain precise ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios for a range of environmental sample types. We use a combination of double AMP-PAN separation and Sr-spec resin column purification to yield excellent separation from the alkali metals (Rb separation factor > 600), which normally suppress ionization of Cs. A range of emission activators for the ionization of Cs were evaluated and glucose solution yielded the optimal combination of a stable Cs⁺ beam, minimal low-temperature polyatomic interferences and improved ionization efficiency. Mass-spectrometric determination of low abundance ¹³⁵Cs and ¹³⁷Cs is compromised by the presence of a very large ¹³³Cs⁺ beam, which may be scattered and cause significant spectral interferences. These are explored using multi-static Faraday cup – ion counter methods and a range of energy filter settings. The method is evaluated using environmental samples and standards from regions affected by fallout from Chernobyl (IAEA-330) and Fukushima nuclear disasters. Where the intensity of ¹³³Cs⁺ is large relative to ¹³⁵Cs⁺ and ¹³⁷Cs⁺ (< 30cps), minor polyatomic interferences need to be considered. In the absence of a standard with ^{135, 137}Cs/¹³³Cs < 1 × 10⁻⁸, we explored the reproducibility of ¹³⁵Cs/¹³⁷Cs atom ratios at these high dynamic ranges and extremely low abundance (¹³⁷Cs ≈ 12 fg g⁻¹) for sediments from an estuarine setting in SW England, UK.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sc1OeE
via IFTTT

Determination of iodide and total iodine in estuarine waters by cathodic stripping voltammetry using a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Estrella Espada-Bellido, Zhaoshun Bi, Pascal Salaün, Constant M.G. van den Berg
Iodide in natural waters is an important nutrient to aquatic organisms and its determination is of relevance to marine aquaculture. For this reason it is of interest to have a simple analytical method for determination of iodide in water samples. Iodide in seawater can be determined electrochemically by cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) with a mercury drop electrode which has environmental drawbacks. In an attempt to minimise the use of mercury in voltammetry, a vibrating silver amalgam microwire electrode is used here for the determination by CSV of iodide speciation in natural waters including seawater. Microwire electrodes were made from silver wires (diameter: 12.5µm) and electrochemically coated with mercury. The electrode surface was stable for extended periods of analyses (at least one week) and was then replaced. The optimised conditions include a pH 8, a frequency of 500Hz and a deposition time of 60s, among others. The microwire was reactivated between scans using a conditioning potential at −3 V for 1s. The detection limit for iodide in seawater was found to be 0.7nM I^- at a deposition time of 60s. The response increased linearly with the concentration of iodide in seawater up to 100nM I^-. The method was successfully applied to various samples from the estuary of the river Mersey (Liverpool Bay). An existing procedure for iodine speciation was modified to enable determination of iodate and total iodine as well as iodide in estuarine waters.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scA7T3
via IFTTT

Extracellular matrix characterization in plaques from carotid endarterectomy by a proteomics approach

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): N. Ucciferri, S. Rocchiccioli, L. Comelli, M. Marconi, M. Ferrari, G. Pelosi, A. Cecchettini
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental component of multicellular organisms. Alteration of its structure and/or molecular composition are associated with several pathologies, among the others with atherosclerosis. To determine how the overall ECM architecture of a tissue as complex as the atheroma may change under varying pathological conditions constitutes a great technical challenge. This entails removing cell components and solubilisation of fibrillar proteins in order to allow enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometry analyses.This work aimed at testing and assessing an easy to use, standardized and reproducible proteomics protocol to map ECM proteins in carotid plaque specimens. To this end, plaques from endarterectomies were incubated in different buffers and the resulting solutions and tissue homogenates after incubation were processed for mass spectrometry. Comparison of the different workflows showed that 4M Guanidine treatment (following 0.5M NaCl and 0.08% SDS incubations) is the most promising in terms of ECM enrichment. The protocol can also be used to identify different and complementary classes of proteins both in plaque extracts and homogenates.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scfM0b
via IFTTT

A unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe with tumor-specificity for imaging in living cells and tissues

Publication date: 1 November 2017
Source:Talanta, Volume 174
Author(s): Xiuqi Kong, Baoli Dong, Nan Zhang, Chao Wang, Xuezhen Song, Weiying Lin
Tumor-specific imaging can provide an attractive approach for the early detection and prognosis of cancer, as well as the precise image-guided tumor-removal surgery. Herein, we describe a unique red-emitting two-photon fluorescent probe (N-BN) for tumor-specific imaging. N-BN utilized Nile Red as the red-emitting two-photon fluorophore and employed biotin as the tumor-specific ligand. In the presence of a variety of biomolecules or in different pH buffers, the fluorescence intensity of N-BN at 655nm showed no noticeable change. N-BN exhibited the remarkable two-photon absorption cross sections of 15.4g under excitation at 800nm. Under the guidance of biotin, N-BN can be applied for the imaging of biotin-receptor positive cancer cells over biotin-negative cells under red-emitting one- and two-photon manners. Assisted by high-definition three-dimensional imaging, the living tumor tissues loaded with N-BN could display strong red two-photon fluorescence with a penetration depth of about 90µm. Moreover, the in vivo and ex vivo imaging studies intuitively revealed that N-BN could track the tumor with highly tumor-specific property by a near-infrared manner.

Graphical abstract

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scqJPp
via IFTTT

Patterns of high-intensity drinking among young adults in the United States: A repeated measures latent class analysis

Publication date: November 2017
Source:Addictive Behaviors, Volume 74
Author(s): Megan E. Patrick, Yvonne M. Terry-McElrath, John E. Schulenberg, Bethany C. Bray
ObjectiveUsing a national sample of young adults, this study identified latent classes of alcohol use including high-intensity drinking (10+ drinks) from ages 18 to 25/26, and explored associations between time-invariant covariates measured at age 18 and class membership.MethodLongitudinal data from the national Monitoring the Future study were available for 1078 individuals (51% female) first surveyed as 12th grade students in 2005–2008, and followed through modal age 25/26. Repeated measures latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes based on self-reported alcohol use: no past 30-day drinking, 1–9 drinks per occasion in the past 2weeks, and 10+ drinks per occasion.ResultsFour latent classes of alcohol use from ages 18 to 25/26 were identified: (1) Non-Drinkers (21%); (2) Legal Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (23%); (3) Persistent Non-High-Intensity Drinkers (40%); and (4) High-Intensity Drinkers (16%). Membership in the High-Intensity Drinkers class was characterized by higher than average probabilities of high-intensity drinking at all ages, with the probability of high-intensity drinking increasing between ages 18 and 21/22. Both gender and race/ethnicity significantly differentiated class membership, whereas neither parental education (a proxy for socioeconomic status) nor college plans at 12th grade showed significant associations.ConclusionsMore than one in seven individuals who were seniors in high school experienced a long-term pattern of high-intensity drinking lasting into middle young adulthood. Young adult high-intensity drinking is often preceded by high-intensity drinking in high school, suggesting the importance of screening and prevention for high-intensity drinking during adolescence.



from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2scFxNR
via IFTTT

Characterisation of voice quality of Parkinson’s disease using differential phonological posterior features

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Computer Speech & Language
Author(s): Milos Cernak, Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave, Frank Rudzicz, Heidi Christensen, Juan Camilo Vásquez, Elmar Nöth
Change in voice quality (VQ) is one of the first precursors of Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, impacted phonation and articulation causes the patient to have a breathy, husky-semiwhisper and hoarse voice. A goal of this paper is to characterize a VQ spectrum – the composition of non-modal phonations – of voice in PD. The paper relates non-modal healthy phonations: breathy, creaky, tense, falsetto and harsh, with disordered phonation in PD. First, statistics are learned to differentiate the modal and non-modal phonations. Statistics are computed using phonological posteriors, the probabilities of phonological features inferred from the speech signal using a deep learning approach. Second, statistics of disordered speech are learned from PD speech data comprising 50 patients and 50 healthy controls. Third, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity of non-modal and disordered statistics, and the inverse of the distances is used to obtain the composition of non-modal phonation in PD. Thus, pathological voice quality is characterised using healthy non-modal voice quality "base/eigenspace". The obtained results are interpreted as the voice of an average patient with PD and can be characterised by the voice quality spectrum composed of 30% breathy voice, 23% creaky voice, 20% tense voice, 15% falsetto voice and 12% harsh voice. In addition, the proposed features were applied for prediction of the dysarthria level according to the Frenchay assessment score related to the larynx, and significant improvement is obtained for reading speech task. The proposed characterisation of VQ might also be applied to other kinds of pathological speech.



from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rCcLrq
via IFTTT

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyC36f
via IFTTT

Word-Level and Sentence-Level Automaticity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate second language (L2) word-level and sentence-level automatic processing among English as a foreign language students through a comparative analysis of students with different proficiency levels. As a multidimensional and dynamic construct, automaticity is conceptualized as processing speed, stability, and accuracy which are indexed by reaction time, coefficient variation and accuracy rate. Sixty students (39 undergraduate students and 21 graduate students) who majored in English participated in this study. They completed the lexical semantic classification task, the sentence construction task, the sentence verification task under two different modalities (visually- and aurally-presented situations). Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the differences between the students with different proficiency levels pertaining to their L2 performance. The results indicated that the processing speed was not found to be a good indicator of automatic language processing. Moreover, both levels of students appeared to reach a plateau in word-level processing but there were some variations in students' sentential processing. Finally, the findings showed that automatic language processing seemed to be module-specific and non-sharable across different modalities and skills.

from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyOHC2


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sBeNHi
via IFTTT

Characterisation of voice quality of Parkinson’s disease using differential phonological posterior features

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Computer Speech & Language
Author(s): Milos Cernak, Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave, Frank Rudzicz, Heidi Christensen, Juan Camilo Vásquez, Elmar Nöth
Change in voice quality (VQ) is one of the first precursors of Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, impacted phonation and articulation causes the patient to have a breathy, husky-semiwhisper and hoarse voice. A goal of this paper is to characterize a VQ spectrum – the composition of non-modal phonations – of voice in PD. The paper relates non-modal healthy phonations: breathy, creaky, tense, falsetto and harsh, with disordered phonation in PD. First, statistics are learned to differentiate the modal and non-modal phonations. Statistics are computed using phonological posteriors, the probabilities of phonological features inferred from the speech signal using a deep learning approach. Second, statistics of disordered speech are learned from PD speech data comprising 50 patients and 50 healthy controls. Third, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity of non-modal and disordered statistics, and the inverse of the distances is used to obtain the composition of non-modal phonation in PD. Thus, pathological voice quality is characterised using healthy non-modal voice quality "base/eigenspace". The obtained results are interpreted as the voice of an average patient with PD and can be characterised by the voice quality spectrum composed of 30% breathy voice, 23% creaky voice, 20% tense voice, 15% falsetto voice and 12% harsh voice. In addition, the proposed features were applied for prediction of the dysarthria level according to the Frenchay assessment score related to the larynx, and significant improvement is obtained for reading speech task. The proposed characterisation of VQ might also be applied to other kinds of pathological speech.



from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rCcLrq
via IFTTT

Characterisation of voice quality of Parkinson’s disease using differential phonological posterior features

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Computer Speech & Language
Author(s): Milos Cernak, Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave, Frank Rudzicz, Heidi Christensen, Juan Camilo Vásquez, Elmar Nöth
Change in voice quality (VQ) is one of the first precursors of Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, impacted phonation and articulation causes the patient to have a breathy, husky-semiwhisper and hoarse voice. A goal of this paper is to characterize a VQ spectrum – the composition of non-modal phonations – of voice in PD. The paper relates non-modal healthy phonations: breathy, creaky, tense, falsetto and harsh, with disordered phonation in PD. First, statistics are learned to differentiate the modal and non-modal phonations. Statistics are computed using phonological posteriors, the probabilities of phonological features inferred from the speech signal using a deep learning approach. Second, statistics of disordered speech are learned from PD speech data comprising 50 patients and 50 healthy controls. Third, Euclidean distance is used to calculate similarity of non-modal and disordered statistics, and the inverse of the distances is used to obtain the composition of non-modal phonation in PD. Thus, pathological voice quality is characterised using healthy non-modal voice quality "base/eigenspace". The obtained results are interpreted as the voice of an average patient with PD and can be characterised by the voice quality spectrum composed of 30% breathy voice, 23% creaky voice, 20% tense voice, 15% falsetto voice and 12% harsh voice. In addition, the proposed features were applied for prediction of the dysarthria level according to the Frenchay assessment score related to the larynx, and significant improvement is obtained for reading speech task. The proposed characterisation of VQ might also be applied to other kinds of pathological speech.



from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rCcLrq
via IFTTT

Planum Temporale Asymmetry in People who Stutter

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Journal of Fluency Disorders
Author(s): Patricia M. Gough, Emily L. Connally, Peter Howell, David Ward, Jennifer Chesters, Kate E. Watkins
PurposePrevious studies have reported that the planum temporale – a language-related structure that normally shows a leftward asymmetry – had reduced asymmetry in people who stutter (PWS) and reversed asymmetry in those with severe stuttering. These findings are consistent with the theory that altered language lateralization may be a cause or consequence of stuttering. Here, we re-examined these findings in a larger sample of PWS.MethodsWe evaluated planum temporale asymmetry in structural MRI scans obtained from 67 PWS and 63 age-matched controls using: 1) manual measurements of the surface area; 2) voxel-based morphometry to automatically calculate grey matter density. We examined the influences of gender, age and stuttering severity on planum temporale asymmetry.ResultsThe size of the planum temporale and its asymmetry were not different in PWS compared with Controls using either the manual or the automated method. Both groups showed a significant leftwards asymmetry on average (about one-third of PWS and Controls showed rightward asymmetry). Importantly, and contrary to previous reports, the degree of asymmetry was not related to stuttering severity. In the manual measurements, women who stutter had a tendency towards rightwards asymmetry but men who stutter showed the same degree of leftwards asymmetry as male Controls. In the automated measurements, Controls showed a significant increase in leftwards asymmetry with age but this relationship was not observed in PWS.ConclusionsWe conclude that reduced planum temporale asymmetry is not a prominent feature of the brain in PWS and that the asymmetry is unrelated to stuttering severity.



from # All Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Alexandros G.Sfakianakis on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rHdBOz
via IFTTT

The Editor's Choice

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science, Volume 87, Issue 1





http://ift.tt/2rCbxMv

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdvZAy
via IFTTT

Editorial board

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science, Volume 87, Issue 1





http://ift.tt/2sm3HUq

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sDZvm0
via IFTTT

High constitutive B7-H3 expression on human keratinocytes supports T cell immunity

Publication date: July 2017
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science, Volume 87, Issue 1
Author(s): Dagmar Quandt, Eckhard Fiedler, Anja Müller, Wolfgang Ch. Marsch, Barbara Seliger




http://ift.tt/2rBQPfH

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdGW56
via IFTTT

Combined Immunotherapy: CTLA-4 blockade potentiates anti-tumor response induced by Transcutanous Immunization

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science
Author(s): Johanna Rausch, Pamela Aranda Lopez, Ariane Bialojan, Mark Denny, Peter Langguth, Hans Christian Probst, Hansjörg Schild, Markus P. Radsak
BackgroundThe epidermal application of the Toll Like Receptor 7 agonist imiquimod and a T-cell peptide epitope (transcutaneous immunization, TCI) mediates systemic peptide-specific cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses and leads to tumor protection in a prophylactic tumor setting. However, it does not accomplish memory formation or permanent defiance of tumors in a therapeutic set-up. As a distinct immunologic approach, CTLA-4 blockade augments systemic immune responses and has shown long-lasting effects in preclinical experiments as well as in clinical trials.ObjectiveThe study investigates the vaccination capacity of TCI in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor CTLA-4 in matters of primary response, memory formation and tumor protection and characterizes the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs).MethodsAfter performing TCI with IMI-Sol (containing 5% Imiquimod) and the model epitope SIINFEKL, 6-8 week old C57BL/6 mice received anti-CTLA-4 antibody either s.c or i.p. The CTL responses and frequency of peptide specific CD8⁺ T-cells were then evaluated on day 8. To determine anti-tumor effects, a therapeutic tumor challenge with B16 OVA melanoma was performed.ResultsThe combination of s.c. anti-CTLA-4 antibody and TCI leads to an enhanced systemic cytotoxic response, to memory formation and allows significantly improved survival in a tumor setting with B16 OVA melanoma. Towards the mechanism, we show that in this vaccination protocol the CTLA-4 antibody acts mainly Treg-independent.ConclusionWe demonstrate that the combination of TCI with IMI-Sol and anti-CTLA-4 can confer potent immune responses and tumor-protection. These results might contribute to the development of advanced vaccination approaches targeting tumors or persistent infectious diseases.



http://ift.tt/2smyh0o

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sElmcZ
via IFTTT

Transcutaneous immunization with a novel imiquimod nanoemulsion induces superior T cell responses and virus protection

Publication date: Available online 16 June 2017
Source:Journal of Dermatological Science
Author(s): Pamela Aranda Lopez, Mark Denny, Ann-Kathrin Hartmann, Astrid Alflen, Hans Christian Probst, Esther von Stebut, Stefan Tenzer, Hansjörg Schild, Michael Stassen, Peter Langguth, Markus P. Radsak
BackgroundTranscutaneous immunization (TCI) is a novel vaccination strategy utilizing the skin associated lymphatic tissue to induce immune responses. TCI using a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope and the Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist imiquimod mounts strong CTL responses by activation and maturation of skin-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and their migration to lymph nodes. However, TCI based on the commercial formulation Aldara only induces transient CTL responses that needs further improvement for the induction of durable therapeutic immune responses.ObjectiveTherefore we aimed to develop a novel imiquimod solid nanoemulsion (IMI-Sol) for TCI with superior vaccination properties suited to induce high quality T cell responses for enhanced protection against infections.MethodsTCI was performed by applying a MHC class I or II restricted epitope along with IMI-Sol or Aldara (each containing 5% Imiquimod) on the shaved dorsum of C57BL/6, IL-1R, Myd88, Tlr7 or Ccr7 deficient mice. T cell responses as well as DC migration upon TCI were subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry. To determine in vivo efficacy of TCI induced immune responses, CTL responses and frequency of peptide specific T cells were evaluated on day 8 or 35 post vaccination and protection in a lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection model was assessed.ResultsTCI with the imiquimod formulation IMI-Sol displayed equal skin penetration of imiquimod compared to Aldara, but elicited superior CD8⁺ as well as CD4⁺ T cell responses. The induction of T-cell responses induced by IMI-Sol TCI was dependent on the TLR7/MyD88 pathway and independent of IL-1R. IMI-Sol TCI activated skin-derived DCs in skin-draining lymph nodes more efficiently compared to Aldara leading to enhanced protection in a LCMV infection model.ConclusionOur data demonstrate that IMI-Sol TCI can overcome current limitations of previous imiquimod based TCI approaches opening new perspectives for transcutaneous vaccination strategies and allowing the use of this enhanced cutaneous drug-delivery system to be tailored for the improved prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and cancers.



http://ift.tt/2rCatIA

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tdISdY
via IFTTT

Word-Level and Sentence-Level Automaticity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate second language (L2) word-level and sentence-level automatic processing among English as a foreign language students through a comparative analysis of students with different proficiency levels. As a multidimensional and dynamic construct, automaticity is conceptualized as processing speed, stability, and accuracy which are indexed by reaction time, coefficient variation and accuracy rate. Sixty students (39 undergraduate students and 21 graduate students) who majored in English participated in this study. They completed the lexical semantic classification task, the sentence construction task, the sentence verification task under two different modalities (visually- and aurally-presented situations). Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the differences between the students with different proficiency levels pertaining to their L2 performance. The results indicated that the processing speed was not found to be a good indicator of automatic language processing. Moreover, both levels of students appeared to reach a plateau in word-level processing but there were some variations in students' sentential processing. Finally, the findings showed that automatic language processing seemed to be module-specific and non-sharable across different modalities and skills.

from Speech via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyOHC2
via IFTTT

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2sAM4m4
via IFTTT

Word-Level and Sentence-Level Automaticity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate second language (L2) word-level and sentence-level automatic processing among English as a foreign language students through a comparative analysis of students with different proficiency levels. As a multidimensional and dynamic construct, automaticity is conceptualized as processing speed, stability, and accuracy which are indexed by reaction time, coefficient variation and accuracy rate. Sixty students (39 undergraduate students and 21 graduate students) who majored in English participated in this study. They completed the lexical semantic classification task, the sentence construction task, the sentence verification task under two different modalities (visually- and aurally-presented situations). Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the differences between the students with different proficiency levels pertaining to their L2 performance. The results indicated that the processing speed was not found to be a good indicator of automatic language processing. Moreover, both levels of students appeared to reach a plateau in word-level processing but there were some variations in students' sentential processing. Finally, the findings showed that automatic language processing seemed to be module-specific and non-sharable across different modalities and skills.

http://ift.tt/2tyOHC2


from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via Αλέξανδρος Σφακιανάκης on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2tyGDBr
via IFTTT

Improving transitions in acute stroke patients discharged to home: the Michigan stroke transitions trial (MISTT) protocol

Abstract

Background

For some stroke patients and caregivers, navigating the transition between hospital discharge and returning home is associated with substantial psychosocial and health-related challenges. Currently, no evidence-based standard of care exists that addresses the concerns of stroke patients and caregivers during the transition period. Objectives of the Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) are to test the impact of a social worker home-based case management program, as well as an online information and support resource, on patient and caregiver outcomes after returning home.

Methods

The Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial is a randomized, pragmatic, open (un-blinded), 3-group parallel designed superiority trial conducted in 3 Michigan hospitals. Eligible participants are adult acute stroke patients discharged home directly or within 4 weeks of being discharged to a rehabilitation facility. The patient's primary caregiver is also invited to participate. Patients are randomized on the day they return home using a randomized block design. Consented patients discharged to a rehabilitation facility who do not go home within 4 weeks are dropped from the study.

The 2 study interventions begin within a week of returning home and conclude 3 months later. The 3-group design compares usual care to either a home-based social worker stroke case management (SWSCM) program, or a combination of the SWSCM program plus access to an online information and support resource (MISTT website). Outcomes data are collected at 7-days and 90-days by trained telephone interviewers. Primary patient outcomes include the PROMIS global 10 score (a generic Quality of Life scale), and the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Caregiver outcomes include the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale. Final analysis will be based on 214 randomized acute stroke patients. To accommodate subjects excluded due to prolonged rehabilitation stays, as well as those lost-to-follow-up, up to 315 patients will be consented.

Discussion

The MISTT study will determine if a home-based case management program designed around the needs and preferences of stroke patients and caregivers, alone or in combination with a patient-centered online information and support resource can improve stroke survivor and caregiver outcomes 3 months after returning home.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02653170 (Protocol ID: 135457). Registered April 9, 2015.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rGNebG
via IFTTT

A systematic review and narrative synthesis of group self-management interventions for adults with epilepsy

Abstract

Background

Epilepsy is a serious and costly long-term condition that negatively affects quality of life, especially if seizures persist on medication. Studies show that people with epilepsy (PWE) want to learn more about the condition and some educational self-management courses have been trialled internationally. The objectives of this review were to evaluate research and summarise results on group self-management interventions for PWE.

Methods

We searched Medline and PsycINFO for results published in English between 1995 and 2015. Only studies evaluating face-to-face, group interventions for adults with epilepsy were included. Heterogeneity in study outcomes prevented the carrying out of a meta-analysis; however, a Cochrane style review was undertaken.

Results

We found eleven studies, nine of which were randomised controlled trials. There were variable standards of methodological reporting with some risk of bias. Seven of the studies used quality of life as an outcome, with four finding statistically significant improvements in mean total score. Two found an improvement in outcome subscales. One study included some additional semi-qualitative data.

Conclusions

We identified promising trends in the trials reviewed. In particular, there were significant improvements in quality of life scales and seizure frequency in many of the interventions. However, considerable heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes made comparison between the studies difficult. Courses that included psychological interventions and others that had a high number of sessions showed more effect than short educational courses. Furthermore, the evidence was predominantly from pilot studies with small sample sizes and short follow-up duration. Further research is needed to better evaluate the role of group self-management interventions in outpatient epilepsy management.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via a.lsfakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rGRmIo
via IFTTT

Improving transitions in acute stroke patients discharged to home: the Michigan stroke transitions trial (MISTT) protocol

Abstract

Background

For some stroke patients and caregivers, navigating the transition between hospital discharge and returning home is associated with substantial psychosocial and health-related challenges. Currently, no evidence-based standard of care exists that addresses the concerns of stroke patients and caregivers during the transition period. Objectives of the Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) are to test the impact of a social worker home-based case management program, as well as an online information and support resource, on patient and caregiver outcomes after returning home.

Methods

The Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial is a randomized, pragmatic, open (un-blinded), 3-group parallel designed superiority trial conducted in 3 Michigan hospitals. Eligible participants are adult acute stroke patients discharged home directly or within 4 weeks of being discharged to a rehabilitation facility. The patient's primary caregiver is also invited to participate. Patients are randomized on the day they return home using a randomized block design. Consented patients discharged to a rehabilitation facility who do not go home within 4 weeks are dropped from the study.

The 2 study interventions begin within a week of returning home and conclude 3 months later. The 3-group design compares usual care to either a home-based social worker stroke case management (SWSCM) program, or a combination of the SWSCM program plus access to an online information and support resource (MISTT website). Outcomes data are collected at 7-days and 90-days by trained telephone interviewers. Primary patient outcomes include the PROMIS global 10 score (a generic Quality of Life scale), and the Patient Activation Measure (PAM). Caregiver outcomes include the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale. Final analysis will be based on 214 randomized acute stroke patients. To accommodate subjects excluded due to prolonged rehabilitation stays, as well as those lost-to-follow-up, up to 315 patients will be consented.

Discussion

The MISTT study will determine if a home-based case management program designed around the needs and preferences of stroke patients and caregivers, alone or in combination with a patient-centered online information and support resource can improve stroke survivor and caregiver outcomes 3 months after returning home.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02653170 (Protocol ID: 135457). Registered April 9, 2015.

from ! Medicine by Alexandros G. Sfakianakis via als.fakia on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rGNebG
via IFTTT