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Visibility of the overlaid virtual image is highly sensitive to surrounding illumination in optical seethrough (OST) displays. Ambient light can especially deteriorate the visibility of low gray-levels of comparable luminance. Therefore, we first derive a luminance model based on actual measurements under varied ambient light and use it to extract low gray-level regions (LGR), which suffer from severe contrast loss. It was experimentally found that gamma tone mapping is the most appropriate method for LGR contrast enhancement of OST displays. Luminance boosting before gamma tone mapping allows better expression of very low value gray levels in the output AR image. The gamma values and luminance boosting parameter are optimally determined by cost minimization. Visibility enhancement is verified experimentally on a practical setup using a variety of ambient light levels and images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postoperative pillar pain (deep-seated wrist pain worsened by leaning on the heel of the hand) sometimes occurs after carpal tunnel release (CTR), leading to weakness in the hand and delayed return to work. Increased pain sensitivity has been found to be associated with worse symptoms and poorer treatment response in a number of chronic musculoskeletal conditions, but few studies have investigated the association of pain sensitization with pillar pain after CTR.Questions/purposes: (1) Is preoperative pain sensitization in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) associated with increased severity of pillar pain after open CTR? (2) What other demographic, electrophysiological, or preoperative clinical characteristics are associated with pillar pain after CTR?Methods: Over a 35-month period, one surgeon performed 162 open carpal tunnel releases. Patients were eligible if they had sufficient cognitive and language function to provide informed consent and completed a self-reported questionnaire; they were not eligible if they had nerve entrapment other than CTR or if the surgery was covered by workers compensation insurance. Based on these criteria, 148 (91%) were approached for this study. Of those, 17 (9%) were lost to followup before 12 months, leaving 131 for analysis. Their mean age was 54 years (range, 32-78 years), and 81% (106 of 131) were women; 34% (45 of 131) had less than a high school education. We preoperatively measured pain sensitization by assessing the patients' pressure pain thresholds by stimulating pressure-induced pain in the pain-free volar forearm and administering a self-reported Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire minor subscale, an instrument that assesses pain intensity in daily life situations. We evaluated postoperative pillar pain using the "table test" (having the patient lean on a table with their weight on their hands placed on the table's edge with elbows straight) with an 11-point ordinal scale at 3, 6, and 12 months after their surgical procedures. We conducted bivariate and multivariable analyses to determine whether the patients' clinical, demographic, and pain sensitization factors were associated with their postoperative pillar pain severity after CTR.Results: After controlling for relevant confounding variables such as age, education level, and functional states, we found that increased pillar pain severity was associated with the pressure pain threshold (β = -1.02 [-1.43 to -0.61], partial R = 11%, p = 0.021) and Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire minor (β = 1.22 [0.73-1.71], partial R = 17%, p = 0.013) at 3 months, but by 6 months, only Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire minor (β = 0.92 [0.63-1.21], partial R = 13%, p = 0.018) remained an associated variable for pillar pain. Additionally, gender (women) was associated with increased pain severity at 3 (β = 0.78 [0.52-1.04], partial R = 9%, p = 0.023) and 6 months (β = 0.72 [0.41-1.01], partial R = 8%, p = 0.027). At 3 months, pressure pain threshold, Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire minor, and gender (women) collectively accounted for 37% of the variance in pillar pain severity; at 6 months, Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire minor and gender (women) accounted for 21% of the variance, but no relationship between those factors and pillar pain was observed at 12 months.Conclusions: Gender (women) and preoperative pain sensitization measured by pressure pain threshold and self-reported Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire were associated with pillar pain severity up to 3 and 6 months after CTR, respectively. However, the influence of pain sensitization on pillar pain was diminished at 6 months and it did not show persistent effects beyond 12 months. Pain sensitization seems to be more important in the context of recovery from surgical intervention (in the presence of a pain condition) than in healthy states, and clinicians should understand the role of pain sensitization in the postoperative management of CTS. Future research may be needed to determine if therapeutic interventions to reduce sensitization will decrease the risk of pillar pain.Level Of Evidence: Level III, prognostic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loss of an upper limb significantly limits the functional activities of daily living. A huge emphasis is placed on the manipulation, shape, weight, and comfort of a prosthesis, to enable its use as an inherent body part. Even with technological advances, customized upper-extremity myoelectric prosthesis remain heavy and expensive. The high cost of upper-extremity prosthesis is an especially steep economic barrier for patients. Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a promising avenue for reducing the cost of prosthesis. We applied 3D-printed pressure-sensored prosthetics to a traumatic transradial amputee, and compared the hand functions with a customized myoelectric prosthesis. The 3D-printed pressure-sensored prosthetics showed low grip strength and decreased dexterity compared to the conventional myoelectric prosthesis. Although there were a few limitations, the fabrication of prosthesis with 3D printing technology can overcome previous problems such as high production cost, long fabrication period and heavy weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inflammatory form of phagocyte death evoked by the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio (V.) vulnificus (WT) is one of hallmarks to promote their colonization, but the virulence factor and infectious mechanism involved in this process remain largely unknown. Here, we identified extracellular metalloprotease VvpM as a new virulence factor and investigated the molecular mechanism of VvpM which acts during the regulation of the inflammatory form of macrophage death and bacterial colonization. Mutation of the vvpM gene appeared to play major role in the prevention of IL-1β production due to V. vulnificus infection in macrophage. However, the recombinant protein (r) VvpM caused IL-1β production coupled with necrotic cell death, which is highly susceptible to the knockdown of annexin A2 (ANXA2) located in both membrane lipid and non-lipid rafts. In lipid rafts, rVvpM recruited NOX enzymes coupled with ANXA2 to facilitate the production of ROS responsible for the epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of NF-κB in the IL-1β promoter. rVvpM acting on non-lipid rafts increased LC3 puncta formation and autophagic flux, which are required for the mRNA expression of Atg5 involved in the autophagosome formation process. The autophagy activation caused by rVvpM induced NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent caspase-1 activation in the promoting of IL-1β production. In mouse models of V. vulnificus infection, the VvpM mutant failed to elevate the level of pro-inflammatory responses closely related to IL-1β production and prevented bacterial colonization. These findings delineate VvpM efficiently regulates two pathogenic pathways that stimulate NF-κB-dependent IL-1β production and autophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome via distinct spatial targeting by ANXA2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmetic lateral canthoplasty, in which the size of the eye is increased by extending the palpebral fissure and decreasing the degree of the eye slant, has become a prevalent procedure for East Asians. However, it is not uncommon for there to be complications or unfavorable results after the surgery. With this in mind, the authors have designed a surgical method to reduce complications in cosmetic lateral canthoplasty by preserving the lateral canthal angle. We discuss here the anatomy required for surgery, the surgical methods, and methods for reducing complications during cosmetic lateral canthoplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative halophilic bacterium that causes food-borne gastroenteritis in humans who consume V. parahaemolyticus-contaminated seafood. The FORC 023 strain was isolated from raw fish storage water, containing live fish at a sashimi restaurant. Here, we aimed to sequence and characterize the genome of the FORC 023 strain. The genome of the FORC 023 strain showed two circular chromosomes, which contained 4227 open reading frames (ORFs), 131 tRNA genes and 37 rRNA genes. Although the genome of FORC 023 did not include major virulence genes, such as genes encoding thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH-related hemolysin (TRH), it contained genes encoding other hemolysins, secretion systems, iron uptake-related proteins and several V. parahaemolyticus islands. The highest average nucleotide identity value was obtained between the FORC 023 strain and UCM-V493 (CP007004-6). Comparative genomic analysis of FORC 023 with UCM-V493 revealed that FORC 023 carried an additional genomic region encoding virulence factors, such as repeats-in-toxin and type II secretion factors. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity testing showed that FORC 023 exhibited a high level of cytotoxicity toward INT-407 human epithelial cells. These results suggested that the FORC 023 strain may be a food-borne pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify the effectiveness of intratympanic (IT) steroids when used as an initial therapy in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and when it is used as a salvage therapy in a refractory SSNHL. Subjects and Methods: This retrospective study included 122 patients with SSNHL. First, patients were divided into three groups according to the initial treatment; IT steroid, systemic steroid and combined (systemic and IT steroid) groups. Second, patients were divided into two groups according to the salvage treatment in a refractory SSNHL; IT steroid and the control (non IT group). Fifty eight patients who did not respond to initial therapy were included in the second analysis. Hearing was assessed immediately before the treatment and 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 3 months after the treatments. Hearing recovery was defined as an improvement of >15 dB and the final hearing of 25-45 dB in the audiogram. Results: When we analyzed the hearing recovery in initial treatment, the comparison of audiogram among three groups did not result in significantly different outcomes. There were no differences in the recovery rate in 2 and 4 weeks throughout all the frequencies. Also, the analysis of the salvage treatment demonstrated that neither IT steroid group nor control group was significantly effective in treating the refractory SSNHL. Conclusions: The results suggest that initial treatment of SSNHL with IT steroid alone is as effective as systemic steroid alone or a combination therapy. Also, salvage IT steroids for refractory SSNHL did not have any additional beneficial effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an image adaptive backlight dimming method that quantitatively measures the perceived image quality degradation in terms of brightness and contrast. Unlike conventional methods, the proposed adaptive dimming considers the spatial distribution characteristics of the clipped pixels via a new measure, clusterization, to effectively estimate the perceived contrast loss and prevent the clipping artifact (light saturation). The proposed adaptive dimming achieves an average 17.71% power reduction while keeping the image quality difference to a tolerably low amount, as shown by the subjective mean opinion score test results. Comparing the optimal backlight levels estimated by the proposed method with results from other methods, the proposed backlight dimming is closer to the ground truth backlight levels that are favored by human subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: VarS/VarA is one of the global factors regulating diverse aspects of the metabolism and virulence of bacteria including pathogenic Vibrio spp. An experiment to identify the VarS/VarA-regulon in V. vulnificus revealed that a putative LuxR-type transcriptional regulator was down-regulated in ΔvarA mutant. To investigate the roles of this regulatory cascade, the target gene regulated by a LuxR-regulator was identified and its expression was characterized. Results: Transcriptomic analysis of the mutant deficient in this LuxR-type regulator showed that the acsA gene encoding acetyl-CoA synthetase was down-regulated. Thus, this regulator was named AcsR for "regulator of acetyl-CoA synthetase". A putative histidine kinase gene, acsS, was located five ORFs downstream of the acsR gene. Expression of an acsA::luxAB transcriptional fusion was decreased in both ΔacsR and AacsS mutants. Similar to a AacsA mutant, strains carrying deletions either in acsR or acsS grew slowly than wild type in a minimal medium with acetate as a sole carbon source. Growth defect of the ΔacsR strain in acetate-minimal medium was restored by complementation. To investigate if AcsR directly regulates acsA expression, in vitro-gel shift assays were performed using the recombinant AcsR and the regulatory region of the acsA gene, showing that AcsR specifically bound the upstream region of the acsA ORF. Conclusion: This study indicates that the VarS/VarA system plays a role in V. vulnificus metabolism via regulating AcsR, which in turn controls acetate metabolism by activating the transcription of the acetyl-CoA synthetase gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the immobilization of candida rugosa lipase on amino-functionalized magnetic beads using cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEA). It states that batch operation mode was used to examine immobilized lipase usability while the immobilized and free lipases were stored in a solution of sodium phosphate buffer. Results show that 80% of the immobilized lipase's initial activity was maintained.

Vibrio vulnificus has been shown to require a global transcription factor, NtrC for mature biofilm development via controlling the biosyntheses of lipopolysaccharide and exopolysaccharide (EPS). Biofilm formation and EPS production were dramatically increased in a medium including a tricarboxylic acid cycle-intermediate as a carbon source. These phenotypes required functional NtrC and were abolished by the addition of ammonium chloride. During the initial stage of biofilm formation, both expression of the ntrC gene and the cellular content of NtrC protein increased. Thus, the regulatory roles of NtrC in EPS biosynthesis were studied with three gene clusters for EPS biosyntheses. Transcriptions of the three clusters were positively controlled by NtrC and showed maximal expression at the early stage of biofilm development. Mutants deficient in one of the genes (VV1_2661, VV2_1579 and VV1_2305) in each cluster showed decreased production of EPS, attenuated ability to form biofilm and lowered cytoadherence to human epithelial cells. However, mutations in VV2_1579 and VV1_2305 resulted in lower cytotoxicity to human cells and mortality to mice than the mutation in VV1_2661. These results demonstrate that NtrC-regulated EPS are crucial in biofilm formation of V. vulnificus, and some EPS components play important roles in interacting with hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The proteome of Giardia lamblia at its cyst stage was compared with that of trophozoites by using two-dimensional SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis. Protein spots that increased in the extracts of cysts compared to trophozoites were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy and categorized as cytoskeletal proteins, metabolic enzymes, a cell-cycle-specific kinase, stress resistance proteins, and a protein involved in translation. Expression patterns of five of the identified proteins were examined during encystation by real-time PCR. Expression of cwp1 (encoding cyst wall protein 1), a marker for encystation, was increased 11-fold. In contrast, tim (encoding triose-1-phosphate isomerase) was expressed constitutively during encystation, and its transcription level was therefore used as a mRNA loading control. Expression of three genes encoding β-tubulin, vacuolar ATPase, and never-in-mitosis-A-related protein kinase did not vary significantly during encystation. Interestingly, genes encoding two heat shock proteins (Hsp70 and Hsp90) showed increased expression during encystation, suggesting that this differentiation process accompanies a cellular response to stress in G. lamblia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunochromatography (ICG) strip test, and immunomagnetic bead separation (IMBS) system based on a monoclonal antibody were individually developed for the detection and isolation of Listeria monocytogenes in meat samples. The three methods showed a strong reaction with Listeria species and a weak reaction with Staphylococcus aureus. To increase the rapidity of L. monocytogenes detection, combinations of the ELISA and ICG strip test with the IMBS system (ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS) were investigated. In comparative analyses of artificially inoculated meat and samples of processed meat, the ELISA and ICG strip test required 24 h of enrichment time to detect the inoculated meat samples with ≥1 x 10² CFU/10 g, whereas the ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS required only 14 h of enrichment. Analyses of naturally contaminated meat samples (30 pork samples, 20 beef samples, 26 chicken samples, 20 fish samples, and 20 processed meat samples) performed by ELISA-IMBS, ICG-IMBS, and API kit produced similar results. The ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS provide a more rapid assay than the individual ELISA and the ICG strip test and are appropriate for rapid and qualitative detection of L. monocytogenes (or Listeria species) in meat samples. With the ICG-IMBS, L. monocytogenes could be detected in meat samples within 15 h and the method has potential as a rapid, cost-effective on-site screening tool for the detection of L. monocytogenes in food samples and agricultural products at a minimum detection level of ~100 CFU/10 g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior work has indicated that BMP signals act in concert with FGF8, WNT11 and WNT antagonists to induce the formation of cardiac tissue in the vertebrate embryo. In an effort to understand how these signaling pathways control the expression of key cardiac regulators, we have characterized the cis-regulatory elements of the chick tinman homolog chick Nkx2.5. We find that at least three distinct cardiac activating regions (CARs) of chick Nkx2.5 cooperate to regulate early expression in the cardiac crescent and later segmental expression in the developing heart. In this report, we focus our attention on a 3' BMP-responsive enhancer, termed CAR3, which directs robust cardiac transgene expression. By systematic mutagenesis and gel shift analysis of this enhancer, we demonstrate that GATA4/5/6, YY1 and SMAD1/4 are all necessary for BMP-mediated induction and heart-specific expression of CAR3. Adjacent YY1 and SMAD-binding sites within CAR3 constitute a minimal BMP response element, and interaction of SMAD1/4 with the N terminus of YY1 is required for BMP-mediated induction of CAR3. Our data suggest that BMP-mediated activation of this regulatory region reflects both the induction of GATA genes by BMP signals, as well as modulation of the transcriptional activity of YY1 by direct interaction of this transcription factor with BMP-activated SMADs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High iron-containing silicate glasses were prepared using a conventional melting and quenching process, and ferrimagnetic crystallites were precipitated via a nucleation and crystal growth mechanism. This study attempted to use these ferrite-containing glass-ceramics as thermoseeds for a hyperthermic cancer treatment under an alternating magnetic field. KB and L929 cells were used in the cell lysis experiments, as carcinoma and normal cells, respectively. These cells were mixed with an agar medium and stained prior to the annihilation test. After exposing the cells to the alternative magnetic field for 9 min, the number of carcinoma cells in the vicinity of the ferromagnetic specimen decreased with increasing time and almost all cancer cells were dead after 9 min while they were still alive in a region of 5 cm away from the specimen. When Sprague-Dawley rats imbedded the samples were exposed to a magnetic field, tumor cells disappeared after only 4 treatments of 15 min each. This amazing reduction in the tumor was not observed in any rats without the imbedded sample. It is expected that the prepared ferrite-containing glass-ceramics will be helpful in hyperthermic cancer treatment. Long-term research is needed to confirm this result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preoperative Pain Sensitization Is Associated WithPostoperativePillarPainAfterOpenCarpalTunnelRelease YoungHakRohMD,YoungDoKohMD,JongOhKimMD,KyuHoLeeMD,HyunSikGongMD, GooHyunBaekMD Received: 25 August 2020 / Accepted: 26 August 2020 / Published online: 9 October2020 Copyright © 2020 by the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons C linical Orthopaedics and Related Research ® was made aware of concerns about the integrity of the institutional review board (IRB) approval process regarding the article "Preoperative Pain Sensitization Is Associated With Postoperative Pillar Pain After Open Carpal Tunnel Release" [1]. This inquiry confirmed that the IRB approval document submitted with this manuscript was improperly modified by the authors, and CORR was not able to determine whether the work as performed and published was conducted with proper institutional ethical approval and oversight. Preoperative Pain Sensitization Is Associated With Postoperative Pillar Pain After Open Carpal Tunnel Release. [Extracted from the article]

Calcium signaling is a central regulator of cardiomyocyte growth and function. Calmodulin is a critical mediator of calcium signals. Because the amount of calmodulin within cardiomyocytes is limiting, the precise control of calmodulin expression is important for the regulation of calcium signaling. In this study, we show for the first time that calmodulin levels are regulated posttranscriptionally in heart failure. The cardiomyocyte-restricted microRNA miR-1 inhibited the translation of calmodulin-encoding mRNAs via highly conserved target sites within their 3′ untranslated regions. In keeping with its effect on calmodulin expression, miR-1 downregulated calcium-calmodulin signaling through calcineurin to NFAT. miR-1 also negatively regulated the expression of Mef2a and Gata4, key transcription factors that mediate calcium-dependent changes in gene expression. Consistent with the downregulation of these hypertrophy-associated genes, miR-1 attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and in the intact adult heart. Our data indicate that miR-1 regulates cardiomyocyte growth responses by negatively regulating the calcium signaling components calmodulin, Mef2a, and Gata4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac malformations due to aberrant development of the atrioventricular (AV) valves are among the most common forms of congenital heart disease. At localized swellings of extracellular matrix known as the endocardial cushions, the endothelial lining of the heart undergoes an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) to form the mesenchymal progenitors of the AV valves. Further growth and differentiation of these mesenchymal precursors results in the formation of portions of the atrial and ventricular septae, and the generation of thin, pliable valves. Gata4, which encodes a zinc finger transcription factor, is expressed in the endothelium and mesenchyme of the AV valves. Using a Tie2-Cre transgene, we selectively inactivated Gata4 within endothelial-derived cells. Mutant endothelium failed to undergo EMT, resulting in hypocellular cushions. Mutant cushions had decreased levels of Erbb3, an EGF-family receptor essential for EMT in the atrioventricular cushions. In Gata4 mutant embryos, Erbb3 downregulation was associated with impaired activation of Erk, which is also required for EMT. Expression of a Gata4 mutant protein defective in interaction with Friend of Gata (FOG) cofactors rescued the EMT defect, but resulted in a decreased proliferation of mesenchyme and hypoplastic cushions that failed to septate the ventricular inlet. We demonstrate two novel functions of Gata4 in development of the AV valves. First, Gata4 functions as an upstream regulator of an Erbb3-Erk pathway necessary for EMT, and second, Gata4 acts to promote cushion mesenchyme growth and remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]