Search

Paradoxical embolism is a medical condition characterized by the migration of an embolus from a venous source into the systemic circulation. This occurs through a specific cardiac abnormality known as a right-to-left shunt, ultimately resulting in the possibility of arterial embolism. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is the most common cause of intracardiac shunting. We reported a rare case of a 56-year-old man on hemodialysis with PFO and arteriovenous fistula dysfunction who suffered a paradoxical embolic ischemic stroke after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. This case emphasized the potential risk of paradoxical embolism in hemodialysis patients with vascular access problems. We aimed to highlight the importance of searching for PFO, as it may serve as a possible source of embolism in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roof falls due to poor rock conditions in a coal longwall panel may threaten miner's life and cause significant interruption to mine production. There has been a requirement for technologies that are capable of imaging the rock conditions in longwall coal mining, ahead of the working face and without any interruption to production. A feasibility study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of seismic signals generated by the continuous coal cutter (shearer) and recorded by geophone arrays deployed ahead of the working face, for the purpose of seismic tomographic imaging of roof strata condition before mining. Two experiments were conducted at a coal mine using two arrays of geophones. The experiments have demonstrated that the longwall shearer generates strong and low-frequency (~40 Hz) seismic energy that can be adequately detected by geophones deployed in shallow boreholes along the roadways as far as 300 m from the face. Using noise filtering and signal cross correlation techniques, the seismic arrival times associated with the shearer cutting can be reliably determined. It has proved the concept that velocity variations ahead of the face can be mapped out using tomographic techniques while mining is in progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter is proposed based on the hybrid structure of microstrip and coplanar waveguide (CPW). First, the detached-mode resonator is formed on the CPW layer, which composes a quarter-wavelength (λ/4) multiple-mode resonator (MMR) with a short-stub and a λ/4 single-mode resonator. Then, two λ/4 microstrip open-stubs on the top side of the common substrate are introduced for bandwidth enhancement to meet the UWB passband limit. Quasi-elliptic function response and UWB operation are achieved. The simulated and measured results show an excellent agreement. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2470–2473, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24658 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): This study aimed to determine the effect of ischemic occlusion duration and recovery time course on motor and cognitive function, identify optimal conditions for assessing cognitive function with minimal interference from motor deficits, and elucidate the underlying mechanism of axonal inhibitors. Materials and Methods: Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly allocated to the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) 60-min (tMCAO60min), tMCAO90min, tMCAO120min, and sham groups. We conducted forelimb grip strength, two-way shuttle avoidance task, and novel object recognition task (NORT)tests at three time points (14,21, and 28 days). Expression of Nogo receptor-1 (NgR1), the endogenous antagonist lateral olfactory tract usher substance, ras homolog family member A (Rho-A), and RhoA-activated Rho kinase (ROCK) was examined in the ipsilateral thalamus. Results: There was no difference in grip strength between sham and tMCAO90min rats at 28 days. tMCAO90min and tMCAO120min rats showed lower discrimination indices in the NORT than sham rats on day 28. Compared with that in sham rats, the active avoidance response rate was lower in tMCAO 90min rats on days 14, 21, and 28 and intMCAO120minrats on days 14 and 21. Furthermore, 50-54% of rats in the tMCAO90mingroup developed significant cognitive impairment on day 28, and thalamic NgR1, RhoA, and ROCK expression were greater in tMCAO 90min rats than in sham rats. Conclusion: Employing 90-min tMCAO in SD rats and assessing cognitive function 28 days post-stroke could minimize motor dysfunction effects in cognitive function assessments. Axonal inhibitor deregulation could be involved in poststroke cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of sequence divergence through adaptive mutations in the major capsid protein VP1, and also in VP0 (VP4 and VP2) and VP3 of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is relevant to a broad range of viral characteristics. To explore the potential role of isolate-specific residues in the VP0 and VP3 coding regions of PanAsia-1 strains in genetic and phenotypic properties of FMDV, a series of recombinant full-length genomic clones were constructed, by using a Cathay topotype infectious cDNA as the original backbone. The deleterious and compensatory effects of individual amino acid substitutions at positions 4008, 3060, and in several different domains of VP2 illustrated that the chain-based spatial interaction patterns of VP1-3 as well as between the internal VP4 and the three external capsid proteins of FMDV might contribute to the assembly of eventually viable viruses. The Y2079H site-directed mutants dramatically induced a decrease in plaque size on BHK-21 cells and viral pathogenicity in suckling mice. Remarkably, the 2079H-encoding viruses displayed a moderate increase in acid sensitivity correlated with NH4Cl resistance, as compared to the Y2079-encoding viruses. Interestingly, none of all the 16 recued viruses were able to infect heparan sulfate-expressing CHO-K1 cells. However, viral infection in BHK-21 cells was facilitated by utilizing non-integrin-dependent, heparin-sensitive receptor(s), and replacements of four uncharged amino acids at position 3174 in VP3 of FMDV had no apparent influence on heparin affinity. These results provide particular insights into the correlation of evolutionary biology with genetic diversity in adapting populations of FMDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishment of clinical breakpoint (CB) of danofloxacin against H. parasuis is of great significance for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and effective treatment of H. parasuis with minimizing development of fluroquinolone resistance. The epidemiological cut off value (ECOFF) or wide type cut off (COWT) was developed based on MIC distribution of 143 H. parasuis collected from diseased animals and calculated using Ecoffinder recommended by EUCAST. The pharmacodynamic cutoff (COPD) was established base on the pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling of danofloxacin both in plasma and pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) in pigs. The PK-PD target was set by Hill formula and Ex-vivo time killing curve. The COPD was analyzed by Monte Carlo analysis using Crystal Ball. Five repetitive MICs and dose regimen designed from PK-PD modeling were selected for clinical trials. The clinical cutoff (COCL) was established based on the relationship between possibility of cure (POC) and MIC using "WindoW" approach, nonlinear regression and CART analysis. The CB was determined by the CB decision tree recommended by CLSI. Our results showed that the MIC50 and MIC90 for danofloxacin against 143 H. parasuis were 4 μg/mL and 16 μg/mL, respectively. The ECOFF value was calculated as 16 μg/mL based on the MIC distribution. From the concentration-time curve of danofloxacin, a two-compartment model was used for PK analysis. The PK parameters, including AUC, Cmax, Tmax, in plasma and PELF were 4.47 ± 0.51 h…μg/mL and 24.28 ± 2.70 h…μg/mL, respectively. The COPD in plasma and PELF were 0.125 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL, respectively. The COCL analyzed by the WindoW approach, nonlinear regression and CART analysis were 0.125~4 μg/mL, 0.428 μg/mL and 0.56 μg/mL, respectively. The eligible COCL was 0.25 μg/mL. The CB based on PK-PD model in plasma and PELF was 0.25μg/mL and 16 μg/mL, respectively. In conclusion, the CB of danofloxacin against H. parasuis were established for the first time, providing criterion for detection of danofloxacin-resistant H. parasuis and reference for effective treatment of clinical infection caused by H. parasuis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that exercise training promotes motor recovery after stroke by facilitating axonal remodeling via inhibition of the Nogo-A/NgR1 and Rho-A pathway. Design: A distal middle cerebral artery occlusion model was generated in stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats. Stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats were randomly divided into a control group, an exercise training group, and a sham group. Motor function was measured using the grip strength test. Axon and myelin remodeling markers, growth-associated protein 43, myelin basic protein, Tau, and amyloid precursor protein were detected by immunofluorescence. The expression of Nogo-A, NgR1, and Rho-A was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and Western blotting in the peri-infarction area at 7, 14, 28, and 52 days after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion. Results: Grip strength was higher in the exercise training group (P< 0.05). Exercise training increased the expression of growth-associated protein 43, myelin basic protein (at 7, 14, and 28 days), and Tau (at 7 and 14 days), and decreased the expression of axonal damage amyloid precursor protein (at 7 and 14 days), compared with the control group. The protein levels of Nogo-A (at 7 and 14 days), NgR1 (at 7, 14, and 28 days), and Rho-A (at 14 and 28 days) were reduced after exercise training. Conclusions: Exercise training promotes axonal recovery, which is associated with functional improvement after cerebral infarction. Down-regulation of the Nogo-A/ NgR1 /Rho-A may mediate the axonal remodeling induced by exercise training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic pathogen that can infect a range of animals and humans. Ingestion of T. gondii oocysts in soil is a significant transmission route for humans and animals acquiring toxoplasmosis. In the present study, we developed a new semi-nested PCR method to determine T. gondii oocysts distribution in soils in northwestern China., Results The one tube semi-nested PCR assay was developed to detect the oocysts of T. gondii in soil, targeting the repetitive 529 bp fragment of T. gondii genomic DNA. Then a total of 268 soil samples, including 148 samples from Gansu Province and 120 samples from Qinghai Province, northwestern China, were examined by the semi-nested PCR method. One third of the positive samples were sequenced. The sensitivity of the semi-nested PCR assay was 102 T. gondii oocysts in 5 g soil sample. Investigation of soil samples from northwestern China showed that 34 out of 268 soil samples (12.69%) were T. gondii positive. Sequences of the partial 529 bp fragments varied from 0-1.2% among the sequenced samples. The prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in soil from cities (24/163) was slightly higher than that in soils from pasturing areas (10/105) (P = 0.21). Among the different regions in cities, the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in soils from parks was 14.15%, whereas that in soils from schools was 19.05%. Conclusions The present study firstly reported the prevalence of T. gondii oocysts in soils in northwest China using a novel semi-nested PCR assay, which provided baseline data for the effective prevention and control of toxoplasmosis in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Taenia multiceps is a cestode parasite with its larval stage (metacestode), Coenurus cerebralis, mainly encysts in the central nervous system of sheep and other livestock causing cerebralis coenurosis. Since treatment of coenurosis with chemotherapy showed little effect and surgical removal of cysts is not advisable in field conditions, vaccination is useful to control coenurosis. Previous study indicated that immunization with T. multiceps metacestode antigens could induce protection in sheep against coenurosis, so the aim of this study was to identify T. multiceps metacestode antigens in order to find potential vaccine development candidates for further study. Methods: The protein extracts from the larval T. multiceps were analyzed by twodimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and characterized by mass spectrometry. Results: A total of 150 protein spots were detected with isoelectric point (pI) value from 4.97 to 9.65 and molecular weight from 14 to 98 kDa. Twenty-two protein identities were determined by mass spectrometry and 15 unique proteins were obtained. Functional annotation revealed that some of these proteins are involved in catalytic activity, binding, metabolic, cellular process and stress response. Among these molecules are antioxidant proteins (peroxiredoxin and glutathione-S-transferase), glycolytic enzymes (malate dehydrogenase and enolase), proteins with chaperone activity (heat shock protein 70 and small heat shock protein), and structural proteins (actin, actin modulator protein and paramyosin). Conclusion: The identification of T. multiceps metacestode protein will provide valuable information to elucidate their specific roles in the parasitism and screen new targets for vaccine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of N-methylpicolinamide-4-thiol derivatives were synthesized and evaluated on human cancer cell lines. Among them, compound 6p displayed potent and broad-spectrum anti-proliferative activities in vitro on some human cancer cell lines, even better than sorafenib. The advanced kinase inhibitory assays showed that compound 6p could selectively inhibit Aurora-B kinase. The biological results were rationalized by the molecular docking study, which indicated the stable interactions of 6p with the Aurora-B kinase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors with poor chemo-sensitivity to vincristine sulfate (VCR) due to multi-drug resistance (MDR). Combinations of encapsulated VCR and verapamil hydrochloride (VRP, a chemo-sensitizer) might be a potential strategy to improve HCC therapeutic efficacy of VCR. PLGA nanoparticles (PLGANPs) simultaneously loaded with VCR and VRP (CVn) were prepared. The entrapment efficiencies of VCR and VRP were 70.92 ± 3.78% and 85.78 ± 3.23%, respectively ( n = 3). The HCC therapeutic activity of CVn was assessed using MTT assay. In BEL7402 and BEL7402/5-FU human hepatocarcinoma cell lines, CVn had the same antitumor effect as one free drug/another agent-loaded PLGANPs (C + Vn or Cn + V) combination and coadministration of two single-agent-loaded PLGANPs (Cn + Vn), which was slightly higher than that of the free VCR/VRP combination (C − V). CVn might cause lower normal tissue drug toxicity by the enhanced permeation and retention effect in vivo. Additionally, CVn might cause fewer drug-drug interaction and be the most potential formulation to simultaneously deliver VCR and VRP to the target cell in vivo than the other three nanoparticle formulations (C + Vn, Cn + V, and Cn + Vn). Therefore, we speculate that CVn might be the most effective preparation in the treatment of drug-resistant human HCC in vivo. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 99:4874-4879, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]