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This study examined fertilization rates, survival and early life-trait differences of pure farm, wild and first generation ( F1) hybrid origin embryos after crossing farm and wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Results show that despite a trend towards higher in vitro fertilization success for wild females, differences in fertilization success in river water are not significantly different among crosses. In a hatchery environment, wild females' progeny (pure wild and hybrids with wild maternal parent) hatched 7-11 days earlier than pure farm crosses and hybrids with farm maternal parents. In addition, pure wild progeny had higher total lengths ( LT) at hatch than pure farm crosses and hybrids. Directions in trait differences need to be tested in a river environment, but results clearly show the maternal influence on early stages beyond egg-size differences. Differences in LT were no longer significant at 70 days post hatch (shortly after the onset of exogenous feeding) showing the need to investigate later developmental stages to better assess somatic growth disparities due to genetic differences. Higher mortality rates of the most likely hybrids (farm female × wild male hybrids) at egg and fry stages and their delayed hatch suggest that these F1 hybrids might be less likely to survive the early larval stages than wild stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time domain relectometry (TDR) is an established method for the determination of apparent dielectric permittivity and water content in soils. Using current waveform interpretation procedures, signal attenuation and variation in dielectric media properties along the transmission line can signiicantly increase sampling error in estimating the time, t2, at which the pulse arrives at the end of the probe. Additionally, manual adjustment of waveform analysis parameters is frequently required in current software to accommodate changes in media properties when processing large time series of TDR measurements. Our objectives were to reevaluate conventional propagation time analysis and dificulties with these methods, introduce the AWIGF (adaptive waveform interpretation with Gaussian iltering) algorithm that circumvents these problems, and compare interpretation methods using waveforms obtained with different TDR instruments and under widely varying media properties. The AWIGF algorithm ilters signal noise using Gaussian kernels with an adaptively estimated standard deviation based on the maximum gradient of the relection at the termination of the probe. Two itted parameters are required to scale the smoothing level for a given step pulse generator. Additionally, the maximum second derivative is used to evaluate t2 . The AWIGF-determined t2 was compared with TACQ, a standard waveform interpretation algorithm. The strategies of AWIGF permitted the determination of t2 without parameter adjustment when the loss characteristics of the medium changed, such as with an increase in soil water content and bulk electrical conductivity. Using the new method, the sampling error of t2 was <0.06 ns across a wide range of medium properties and less than or equal to that obtained with TACQ. In strongly attenuated waveforms, the water content sampling error determined with AWIGF was 0.005 m³ m-3 compared with 0.038 m³ m-3 obtained using TACQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal networks are thought to gradually adapt to altered neuronal activity over many hours and days. For instance, when activity is increased by suppressing synaptic inhibition, excitatory synaptic transmission is reduced. The underlying compensatory cellular and molecular mechanisms are thought to contribute in important ways to maintaining normal network operations. Seizures, due to their massive and highly synchronised discharging, probably challenge the adaptive properties of neurons, especially when seizures are frequent and intense - a condition common in early childhood. In the experiments reported here, we used rat and mice hippocampal slice cultures to explore the effects that recurring seizure-like activity has on the developing hippocampus. We found that developing networks adapted rapidly to recurring synchronised activity in that the duration of seizure-like events was reduced by 42% after 4 h of activity. At the same time, the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in pyramidal cells, the expression of biochemical biomarkers for glutamatergic synapses and the branching of pyramidal cell dendrites were all dramatically reduced. Experiments also showed that the reduction in N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor subunits and postsynaptic density protein 95 expression were N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor-dependent. To explore calcium signaling mechanisms in network adaptation, we tested inhibitors of calcineurin, a protein phosphatase known to play roles in synaptic plasticity and activity-dependent dendrite remodeling. We found that FK506 was able to prevent all of the electrophysiological, biochemical, and anatomical changes produced by synchronised network activity. Our results show that hippocampal pyramidal cells and their networks adapt rapidly to intense synchronised activity and that calcineurin play an important role in the underlying processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bulk electrical conductivity (σa) can dominate the low frequency dielectric loss spectrum in soils, causing changes in the permittivity and errors in estimated water content. We examined the dependence of measured apparent permittivity (Ka) on σa in contrasting soils using time-domain reflectometry (TDR), a digital time-domain transmission (TDT) sensor, and a capacitance sensor (5TE) during near saturated solute displacement experiments. Sensors were installed in columns packed with fine sand or a clay loam soil. Displacement experiments were completed by first equilibrating columns with 0.25 dS m−1 CaCl2, introducing a step pulse of ∼4.7 dS m−1 CaCl2 and, after equilibration, displacing the resident solution with 0.25 dS m−1 CaCl2. Using TDR, measured Ka increased with increasing σa; however, the slope of this response averaged 3.47 m dS−1 for clay loam compared with 0.19 m dS−1 for sand. The large response in the clay loam was attributed to relaxation losses that narrowed the effective bandwidth from 821 to an estimated 164 MHz. In contrast, the effective frequency in sand averaged 515 MHz. Permittivity measured using the TDT probe exhibited little or no sensitivity to σa (<0.32 m dS−1) in both media. Measured Ka using the 5TE probe declined with increasing σa up to 1 to 1.8 dS m−1 and then increased thereafter with net negative responses for sand (ΔKa/Δσa = −3.1 m dS−1) and net positive responses for the clay loam (ΔKa/Δσa = 2.9 m dS−1). Consideration of the Ka–σa response is required for accurate soil water content estimation (±0.03 m³ m−3) in the presence of solution EC variations using TDR in fine-textured soils or the 5TE sensor in all media. Large differences in the sampling volumes between 5TE-measured bulk EC and permittivity confounded the Ka–σa response in the presence of a concentration gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are often recognized in adults, either because of delayed diagnosis of a paediatric illness, or increasingly because of the recognition of adult onset forms of these diseases. Moreover, a growing fraction of children diagnosed with PIDs reach adulthood. It has become clear that many of these conditions affect various organs and therefore will be referred to professionals from various fields of internal medicine. It is well known that infectious diseases, allergy, auto-immunity and cancer may result from PIDs. Surprisingly, other clinical manifestations were recently found to reflect inborn errors of immunity. Ground-breaking discoveries suggest that atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and alveolar proteinosis may actually be manifestations of novel PIDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survival, oxygen consumption ( ), total plasma cortisol and glucose levels and gill heat-shock protein 70 (hsp70) expression were measured in 10 and 50 g juvenile Atlantic cod Gadus morhua during an acute temperature increase (2° C h−1) to their critical thermal maximum. Ninety three per cent of the fish in both size classes survived to 24° C; however, mortality was 100% within 15 min of reaching this temperature. The for both size classes increased significantly with temperature, reaching peak values at 22° C that were c. 2·8-fold those of control (10° C) fish. Resting plasma cortisol and glucose levels were lower in 10 g as compared to 50 g fish. Plasma glucose levels were highly variable in both size classes, and significant increases were only seen at >22° C for the 10 g fish. In contrast, plasma cortisol showed an exponential increase with temperature starting at 16° C in both size classes, and reached maximum levels at 22° C that were 19-fold (10 g fish) and 35-fold (50 g fish) higher than their respective control groups. Both the constitutive (73 kDa) and inducible (72 kDa) isoforms of hsp70 were detected in both size classes using the widely utilized mouse monoclonal antibody. Expression of these isoforms, however, did not change when Atlantic cod were exposed to elevated temperature, and the 72 kDa isoform was not detected using salmonid-specific antibodies. These results indicate that juvenile Atlantic cod are very sensitive to acute increases in water temperature. In addition, they (1) show that and plasma cortisol, but not plasma glucose or gill hsp 70 levels, are sensitive indicators of thermal stress in Atlantic cod and (2) support previous reports that the upper critical temperature for this species is 16° C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal structures of a number of nanocrystalline ZrO2–CeO2 solid solutions, synthesized by a pH-controlled nitrate-glycine gel-combustion process, were studied. By using a synchrotron X-ray diffractometer, small peaks of the tetragonal phase, which correspond to forbidden reflections in the case of a perfect cubic fluorite structure, were clearly detected. By monitoring the most intense of these reflections, 112, as a function of the CeO2 content, the tetragonal–cubic phase boundary was found to be at 85 (5) mol% CeO2. For a CeO2 content up to 68 mol%, a tetragonal phase with c/ a > 1 (known as the t′ form) was detected, whereas, between 68 and 85 mol% CeO2, the existence of a tetragonal phase with c/ a = 1 and oxygen anions displaced from their ideal positions in the cubic phase (the t′′ form) was verified. Finally, solid solutions with higher CeO2 contents exhibit the cubic fluorite-type phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The partial sequencing of two lipases from winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus , one most closely related to gastric, lingual and lysosomal acid lipase from other vertebrates and one most closely related to bile salt-activated lipase, is reported. Biochemical analyses of enzymatic activity demonstrated the greater contribution made by bile salt-activated lipase relative to neutral bile salt-independent lipase. Using molecular techniques, the tissue-specific expression of bile salt-activated lipase in pancreatic tissue and acid triacylglycerol lipase in a wide variety of organs was demonstrated. Furthermore, the developmental expression of these types of lipase in larval fish was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Patients with genetic lesions in the Type-1 cytokine/cytokine receptor pathway exhibit a selective susceptibility to severe infections with poorly pathogenic mycobacteria and non-typhi salmonella spp. These experiments of nature demonstrate that IL-12-dependent IFNγ production is critical for granuloma formation and therefore host immunity against such pathogens. The essential role of granuloma formation for protective immunity to these organisms is emphasized by the differing granuloma forming capabilities and resultant clinical sequelae observed in these patients which seems to reflect their ability to produce or respond to IFNγ (Fig. 9). At one pole of this spectrum, represented by the complete IFNγR1/2 deficient patients, there is a complete absence of mature granuloma formation, whereas with the less severe mutations (i.e. partial IFNγR1/2, complete IL-12p40 and complete IL-12Rβ1 deficiency), granuloma formation is very heterogenous with wide variations in composition being observed. This suggests that in the latter individuals, who produce partial but suboptimal IFNγ responses, other influences, including pathogen virulence and host genotype may also affect the type and scale of the cellular response elicited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDe Jong-Moreau, L. and Casanova, J.-P. 2001. The foreguts of the primitive families of the Mysida (Crustacea, Peracarida): a transitional link between those of the Lophogastrida (Crustacea, Mysidacea) and the most evolved Mysida. — Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 82: 137–147 The morphology of the foregut, which is a good indicator of phylogenetic relationships, has been studied within the two suborders of the Mysidacea. Special attention has been focused on rare species belonging to the Lophogastrida and the three primitive families of the Mysida, i.e. Stygiomysidae, Lepidomysidae and Petalophthalmidae. It appears that the foregut of Gnathophausia gracilis (Lophogastrida) is the most primitive in the Mysidacea, and that in the Petalophthalmidae the foregut exhibits transitional stages between that of the Lophogastrida and of the evolved Mysidae. Moreover, in the four families of Mysida, ancestral characteristics of the foregut remain, thus strengthening the hypothesis of the unity of this order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines inheritable defects in interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma-mediated immunity. Role of cytokine interferon-gamma in intracellular pathogens; Simulation of peripheral blood nuclear cells; Correlation between blood eosinophilia and tissue mastocytosis.

The first case of pigmented epidermotropic breast carcinoma in a male, presenting as a pigmented lesion of the areola and nipple, is described. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies demonstrated that the pigmentation was found to be primarily duet to colonization of tumor nests by melanocytes, with numerous melanophages interspersed in the desmoplastic stroma and only occasional compound melanosomes within the epithelial tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two women, ages 33 and 16 years, had focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz syndrome) with unusual, minimal clinical manifestations. The lesions consisted of patchy, atrophic, scaly, telangiectatic macules arranged in a linear pattern along Blaschko's lines, involving the anterior and lateral aspects of both legs (patient 1) and the anterolateral aspect of the left leg (patient 2). Type I partial syndactyly involving the second and the third toes in both patients was also present. The clinical and histopathologic features and diagnostic difficulties of cases of this disorder with minimal cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the conference paper "Abdominal mass mimicking leiomyoma: uterine fibrous myxoid malignant tumour," by J. Casanova, and colleagues is presented.

Background: Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. Responses to this crisis integrated resource allocation for the increased amount of infected patients while maintaining an adequate response to other severe and life-threatening diseases. Though cardiothoracic patients are at high risk for Covid-19 severe illness, postponing surgeries would translate to increased mortality and morbidity. We reviewed our practice during the initial time of the pandemic, with emphasis on safety protocols., Methods: From 11 March to 15 May 2020, 148 patients underwent surgery at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery of Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João. The clinical characteristics of the patients were retrospectively registered, along with novel containment and infection prevention measures targeting the new coronavirus., Results: The majority of adult cardiac patients were operated on an emergency basis. Hospital mortality was 1.9% (n = 2 patients). Most adult thoracic patients were admitted from home, with a diagnosis of neoplastic disease in 60% of patients. Hospital mortality was 3.3% (1 patient). Fifteen children underwent cardiothoracic surgery. There was no mortality. The infection prevention procedures applied, totally excluded the transmission of Covid-19 in the department., Conclusion: While guaranteeing a prompt response to emergent, urgent, and high priority cases, novel safety measures in individual protection, patients circuits, and preoperative diagnoses of symptomatic and asymptomatic infection were adopted. The surgical results corroborate that it was safe to undergo cardiothoracic surgery during the initial time of the Covid-19 pandemic. The new policies will be maintained while the virus stays in the community., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is the incapacity to respond to stimuli presented opposite to a dysfunctional cerebral hemisphere. It is usually caused by non-dominant hemisphere lesions, leads to poorer prognosis and might be underdiagnosed. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the presence of USN in acute stroke patients and analyze the possible degree of underdiagnosis in a Stroke Unit., Materials and Methods: Prospective study of consecutive non-dominant hemisphere stroke patients within a period of 21 months. "Line Bisection" and "Triangles Cancellation" tests were used for USN screening and "Circle Gap Detection Task" to confirm the USN. The results were compared with routine Stroke Unit assessment using the NIHSS to determine the possible degree of underdiagnosis., Results: A total of 62 subjects, 38 women (61.29%), mean age of 74.05 (SD 10.5) years, were included. USN was diagnosed in 25 cases (40.3%) but 56% of them were not detected in routine evaluation using the NIHSS., Conclusions: Unilateral spatial neglect, a common cognitive deficit after acute stroke, is greatly underdiagnosed in routine Stroke Unit assessment. The use of simple USN-specific screening tools would improve diagnosis and therefore the possibility of implementing appropriate rehabilitation strategies., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The incidence of coronary arteries lesion in Takayasu's arteritis varies from 9% to 10% and is usually discovered at autopsy. Recent studies have demonstrated the value of echocardiography in noninvasive detection of significant coronary stenosis., Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate coronary reserve in 15 patients with Takayasu's arteritis using contrast transesophageal echocardiography (Optison)., Methods: Transesophageal echocardiogram under basal conditions and in the hyperemic phase with dipyridamole challenge, myocardial perfusion studies and coronary angiography were performed on all patients. Seventy-three percent of them had histories of systemic hypertension, and the most frequent cardiovascular symptoms were shortness of breath (80%), headache (46%), angina (40%), and dizziness (33%)., Results: The transthoracic echocardiogram showed left ventricular systolic dysfunction in 6% and diastolic dysfunction in 53%. Aortic regurgitation was found in 67% of the patients, and 60% had mitral and/or tricuspid regurgitation. Coronary reserve was diminished in 3 patients with significant coronary lesions and in 2 patients with coronary dilation (33%). In the 3 patients with obstructive lesions and diminished coronary reserve, reversible perfusion defects were found with thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography. One patient with coronary dilation had normal perfusion, while the other demonstrated reversible and irreversible perfusion defects. One patient without coronary lesions and with normal coronary reserve had an irreversible fibrotic changes and the other reversible defects due to abnormal microcirculation., Conclusions: Transesophageal echocardiography is a feasible and promising technique for assessing coronary reserve in patients with Takayasu's arteritis.

We evaluated the hemodynamic response of patients with chronic aortic regurgitation and decreased ejection fraction (EF), mean value +/- SD (37 +/- 9), to dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Eleven patients were studied with DSE. Nine patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II and two in NYHA Class III. Ten patients received medical treatment in the only other periodic evaluation. With DSE in nine patients, a significant decrease in left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters (LVEDD and LVESD) as well as LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (LVEDV and LVESV) was documented in comparison to resting values. EF and fractional shortening (FS) improved significantly with DSE. Systolic wall stress (SWS) and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) did not change. Average follow-up was 6.7 months. Three patients underwent valve replacement with mechanical prostheses. Two of them are in NYHA Class I and the other died of LV failure 3 days after surgery. One patient deteriorated beyond surgical treatment and was in NYHA Class II. The other seven patients remain in NYHA Class II and await valve replacement. In patients with chronic aortic regurgitation and depressed EF, the variables relevant to myocardial reserve appear to be EF, FS, LVEDD, LVESD, LVEDV, and LVESV.

A group of 19 patients suffering from endogenous unipolar depression was compared with another group of eight patients with bipolar depression. Comparisons were based on psychopathological features together with results of the dexamethasone suppression test and the thyrotropin releasing hormone stimulation test. Unipolar patients showed more frequent loss of weight, reduced appetite, autonomic disturbances, muscular tension, sadness, and reduced sexual interest, whereas bipolar patients showed more frequent hostile feelings. Each neuroendocrine test identified at least 50% of the patients in each group. The combined use of both tests identified about 75% of the patients. The bipolar depressives obtained slightly but not significantly higher rates of positive results in each test and a more frequent association of abnormality in both tests.

The frequency of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in cyanotic congenital heart disease has previously been considered to be very low. Only a few isolated reports have described such an association. We studied 32 consecutive patients older than 6 years with various types of cyanotic congenital heart disease and examined each case for hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. We also assessed the role of the altered cardiopulmonary hemodynamics in the development of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy by means of cardiac catheterization. Our results showed that 31% of the patients had hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. When the hemodynamic parameters of the group of patients with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy were compared with those of the remaining patients, we found significant differences in the systemic blood flow (P less than or equal to 0.05), right-to-left shunt (P less than or equal to 0.05), and arterial oxygen unsaturation (P less than or equal to 0.005). Thus, we found a much higher prevalence of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease than has previously been recognized. The development of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is related to the degree of bypass of the lung. This is consistent with the concept that hypertrophic osteoarthropathy results from mediators in the systemic venous circulation that escape inactivation in the pulmonary capillary bed.