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Background: The composition of glutenin protein significantly affects protein–starch interactions and starch digestion characteristics in wheat dough matrices. To elucidate the effects of high molecular weight glutenin subunits at the Glu‐B1 locus on dough processing quality, the detailed structural changes of protein, starch, and their complexes were compared in Mixolab dough samples of two near isogenic lines 7 + 8 and 7 + 9. Results: The results showed that the degree of protein aggregation increased continuously during dough processing, as did the destruction and rearrangement of the gluten network. Compared to 7 + 8, the stronger and more stable protein network formed in 7 + 9 dough induced intensive interactions between protein and starch, primarily through hydrogen bonds and isomeric glycosidic bonds. In 7 + 9 dough, the more compact and extensive protein–starch network significantly inhibited starch gelatinization during dough pasting, while during the dough cooling stage [from C4 (82.8 °C) to C5 (52.8 °C)], more protein–starch complexes composed of monomeric proteins and short‐chain starch were generated, which remarkably inhibited starch retrogradation. All protein–starch interactions in the 7 + 9 dough improved the starch digestion resistance, as reflected by the high content of resistant starch. Conclusion: The more extensive and intensive protein–starch interactions in the 7 + 9 dough inhibited the gelatinization and enzymatic hydrolysis of starch, thereby producing more slowly digestible starch and resistant starch. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of optimizing the texture and digestibility of wheat‐based food products by regulating the behavior and interactions of proteins and starch during dough processing. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper explored the differences in perspectives on the core competencies of nurse preceptors among postgraduate‐year nurses, clinical nursing preceptors and head nurses. Design: Cross‐sectional design with nominal group technique (NGT). Method: The sample consisted of 32 postgraduate‐year nurses, 42 preceptors and 27 head nurses. Two rounds of NGT were used to collect the group opinions. Results: While the rank/level of importance varied, three groups all agreed that teaching traits, clinical nursing profession, communication and collaboration, teaching pedagogy, reaction of contingency and consultation of academic writing were important core competencies for nurse preceptors. The three groups disagreed on critical thinking and reflection, as well as lifelong learning. This study clarifies cognitive differences and expectations among three groups and can assist medical institutes in designing preceptor training courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deciphering signaling mechanisms critical for the extended pluripotent stem cell (EPSC) state and primed pluripotency is necessary for understanding embryonic development. Here, a membrane protein, podocalyxin‐like protein 1 (PODXL) as being essential for extended and primed pluripotency, is identified. Alteration of PODXL expression levels affects self‐renewal, protein expression of c‐MYC and telomerase, and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and EPSC colony formation. PODXL is the first membrane protein reported to regulate de novo cholesterol biosynthesis, and human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are more sensitive to cholesterol depletion than fibroblasts. The addition of exogenous cholesterol fully restores PODXL knockdown‐mediated loss of pluripotency. PODXL affects lipid raft dynamics via the regulation of cholesterol. PODXL recruits the RAC1/CDC42/actin network to regulate SREBP1 and SREBP2 maturation and lipid raft dynamics. Single‐cell RNA sequencing reveals PODXL overexpression enhanced chimerism between human cells in mouse host embryos (hEPSCs 57%). Interestingly, in the human–mouse chimeras, laminin and collagen signaling‐related pathways are dominant in PODXL overexpressing cells. It is concluded that cholesterol regulation via PODXL signaling is critical for ESC/EPSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: While certain drug‐use indicators are known to be associated with clinical outcomes, the relationship is unclear for some highly prevalent conditions in in patients aged ≥65 years. We examine correlations between 3 drug‐use indicators and postdischarge healthcare services use by older patients according to the presence of dementia, advanced age and frailty. Methods: This retrospective cohort study analysed data collected from hospital electronic health records between April and December 2017. Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and anticholinergic burden were assessed using the 2015 Beers Criteria and anticholinergic cognitive burden scale (ACBS) score. Minor and major polypharmacy were defined as the use of 5–9 and ≥10 drugs, respectively. Outcomes were set as emergency room revisits and readmissions at 1, 3 and 6 months postdischarge. The correlation between drug‐use indicators and outcomes was analysed by multivariable logistic regression. Results: The final cohort included 3061 patients for the analysis, and 2930, 2671 and 2560 patients were followed up to 1, 3 and 6 months after discharge. After controlling for confounders, all 3 drug‐use indicators were significantly associated with readmission and emergency room revisits except for the relationship between PIMs and readmission within 6 months. These associations were significantly observed among patients without dementia, aged >80 years and with frailty. Conclusion: PIMs, polypharmacy and anticholinergic burden are common at discharge and correlate with future use of healthcare services. In older patients, the absence of dementia, advanced age and frailty should be given extra consideration with regard to medication safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast ultrasound (BUS) imaging is one of the most prevalent approaches for the detection of breast cancers. Tumor segmentation of BUS images can facilitate doctors in localizing tumors and is a necessary step for computer‐aided diagnosis systems. While the majority of clinical BUS scans are normal ones without tumors, segmentation approaches such as U‐Net often predict mass regions for these images. Such false‐positive problem becomes serious if a fully automatic artificial intelligence system is used for routine screening. Methods: In this study, we proposed a novel model which is more suitable for routine BUS screening. The model contains a classification branch that determines whether the image is normal or with tumors, and a segmentation branch that outlines tumors. Two branches share the same encoder network. We also built a new dataset that contains 1600 BUS images from 625 patients for training and a testing dataset with 130 images from 120 patients for testing. The dataset is the largest one with pixel‐wise masks manually segmented by experienced radiologists. Our code is available at https://github.com/szhangNJU/BUS%5fsegmentation. Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for classifying images into normal/abnormal categories was 0.991. The dice similarity coefficient (DSC) for segmentation of mass regions was 0.898, better than the state‐of‐the‐art models. Testing on an external dataset gave a similar performance, demonstrating a good transferability of our model. Moreover, we simulated the use of the model in actual clinic practice by processing videos recorded during BUS scans; the model gave very low false‐positive predictions on normal images without sacrificing sensitivities for images with tumors. Conclusions: Our model achieved better segmentation performance than the state‐of‐the‐art models and showed a good transferability on an external test set. The proposed deep learning architecture holds potential for use in fully automatic BUS health screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to evaluate the usefulness of ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of five alkaloids and three main components of acetaminophen‐caffeine‐aspirin tablets in hot pot broth. The sample was extracted by hydrochloric acid (0.1 mol) and sodium hydroxide was used to adjust the potential of hydrogen. Then acetonitrile was used to extract the target compounds and cleaned up by one enhanced matrix removal product. Standard curves were made by adding mixing standard solutions of different concentrations. Eight isotope internal standards were used to improve the accuracy of the quantification. The linear ranges were 0.4–40.0 μg/kg for morphine, codeine, acetaminophen, caffeine, and salicylic acid, as well as 0.08–8.0 μg/kg for thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine, respectively. The eight compounds had good linearities and the detection limits of were in the range of 0.003–0.3 μg/kg. The recovery values were higher than 82% and the precision was lower than 14.7% in the experiment. A lot of actual testing of hot pot broth samples showed that the method is simple, effective, and sensitive, which is suitable for the determination and confirmation of the eight targeted compounds added to the hot pot broth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the roles of preoperative anemia and intraoperative blood transfusion in the development of postoperative delirium among older patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery.Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited subjects aged 60 years old and above who were admitted for elective orthopedic surgery in a tertiary medical center during April 2011 to December 2013. Demographic data (age, gender, body mass index [BMI], and educational level), surgery-related factors (American Society of Anesthesiology [ASA] class, type of anesthesia and surgery, and intraoperative blood transfusion), results of geriatric assessment (hearing/visual impairment, cognition, depressive mood, comorbidity, malnutrition, polypharmacy, activities of daily living [ADL], and instrumental activities of daily living [IADL]), laboratory data, length of hospital stay, and the development of postoperative delirium were collected for analysis.Results: Overall, 461 patients (mean age: 73.5 ± 7.5 years, 42.1% males) were enrolled for study, and 37 (8.0%) of them developed postoperative delirium. We categorized all subjects into four groups based on anemia on admission and blood transfusion during operation or not. Multivariate logistic regression showed that subjects with anemia on admission and received intraoperative blood transfusion were at higher risk of developing postoperative delirium (adjusted odds ratio 3.090; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.070-8.926) and those without anemia on admission but received intraoperative blood transfusion were at marginal risk (adjusted odds ratio 2.906; 95% CI, 0.912-9.259) after adjustment for covariates.Conclusions: Anemic older patients receiving intraoperative blood transfusion during operation were at the greatest risk for postoperative delirium when they underwent elective orthopedic surgery. Further intervention study is needed to reduce the risk of postoperative delirium for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensors are utilised to transmit data through the wireless sensor network. The authors consider wireless sensors with a limited energy capacity that needs the energy to complete the transmission service. To extend the lifetime of the wireless sensor, it is assumed that the renewable energy resource, e.g. solar energy, is collected via the energy harvesting method. In order to provide a better bit error rate or data rate, the energy requirement of a packet may be more than one unit of energy. Furthermore, a packet may leave without finishing the service due to impatience if the patient interval is exceeded. They focus on one wireless sensor with one server and two finite queues: one packet queue and one energy queue. In the authors' system, there are two classes of impatient customers, and each customer has to consume one or two units of energy to finish the service. First, they derive the analytical model for the considered system and find the steady‐state probability distribution and performance measures of interest. Next, the impacts of different system parameters on the performance measures are studied. Last but not least, the analytical results are shown to be in good agreement with the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor, Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) first emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic has become an increasingly serious global health concern. Of the 290 patients involved in this study, an initial rRT-PCR test was positive for SARS-CoV-2 by 249 (85.9%) patients and negative by 41 (14.1%) patients. The cumulative positive ratio of rRT-PCR assay of these 41 patients from the 2nd time to the 5th time of the test gradually increased from 51.2% (21/41) to 82.9% (34/41), 92.7% (38/41), and 97.6% (40/41) (Figure 1A), and the rRT-PCR-positive ratio of all 290 patients by the 5th test was 99.7% (289/290) (Figure 1B). Of the 89 (30.7%) patients with surgery history, the proportion of patients with an initial positive rRT-PCR result was significantly higher than that of patients with an initial negative rRT-PCR result (32.9% vs 17.1%, I P i = .041). [Extracted from the article]

Due to the enormous demand for clean energy generation and for efficient energy storage, developing green and storable energy has become an urgent task. This subject, thus, stimulates studies on the improvement of new electrocatalysts. Specifically, through improving the population of active sites and/or the activity of individual sites, the performance of the catalysts can be significantly improved. However, clarifying the contribution of these two factors is still ambiguous and must be done with great care. To allow researchers in related fields to present their findings objectively, having a clear insight into the electrocatalytic activity is indispensable. In this study, a series of cobalt‐based pre‐electrocatalysts are taken as an example to examine their corresponding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) behaviors. Wherein, the three important metrics – electrochemical active surface area (ECSA)/roughness factor (RF), Tafel slope, and turnover frequency (TOF) – are used to profile the population of active sites of electrocatalysts and the activity of related individual sites. The results indicate the correction of OER behavior by ECSA/RF manifests the more accurate identification of OER activity. Meanwhile, the timing to obtain RF/ECSA significantly influence such an evaluation. Altogether, a fair benchmarking is proposed for the comparison between the activities of electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lycorine, one of the most common alkaloids in Lycoris spp., is believed to possess pharmacological activity. Objective: To discover and identify lycorine‐type alkaloids in the crude extracts of bulbs from six Lycoris spp. by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS) detection. Methodology: A qualitative analytical method with a data mining strategy was utilised. Based on the fragmentation patterns of standards investigated in positive tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) mode, the fragmentation rules of lycorine‐type alkaloids were summarised. These types of alkaloids were additionally classified as different subtypes based on structural features and MS/MS fragmentation patterns, and the diagnostic ions for characterisation of different subtypes of alkaloids were designated. Results: Thirty‐seven lycorine type alkaloids, including 16 previously undescribed compounds, were efficiently screened out and tentatively identified from the crude extracts of six Lycoris spp. Lycoris sprengri may be a preferable species for studying or extracting lycorine‐type alkaloids because of elevated relative concentrations and highest diversity of alkaloids. Conclusion: The UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS and MS/MS data‐mining strategy proved useful for the detection and tentative identification of lycorine‐type alkaloids in bulbs of Lycoris spp. and could be extended to other Amaryllidaceae genera. The consequent profiling of the lycorine‐type alkaloids will be useful in the quality control of raw materials of Lycoris species and the exploration of superior species. The systematic analysis of lycorine‐type alkaloids in Lycoris was performed. 37 lycorine‐type alkaloids including 16 previously undescribed compounds were successfully identified. The fragmentation rules of lycorine‐type alkaloids were summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio rotiferianus is an important marine pathogen of various aquatic organisms and can be found widely distributed in the marine environment. To further characterize this pathogen, the pathogenic properties and genome of V. rotiferianus SSVR1601 isolated from Sebastes schlegelii with skin ulcer were analysed. SSVR1601 was shown to be short rod‐shaped cell with a single polar flagellum. Different degrees of pathological changes in fish kidney, intestine, gills and liver were observed after SSVR1601 challenge. The SSVR1601 genome consists of two chromosomes and two plasmids with a total of 5,717,113 bp, 42.04%–44.93% GC content, 5,269 predicted CDSs, 134 tRNAs and 40 rRNAs. The common virulence factors including OMPs, haemolysin, flagellin, DNase, entF, algU, tcpI, acfB and rfaD were found in strain SSVR1601. Furthermore, factors responsible for iron uptake (fur, fepC and ccmC) and types II, IV and VI secretion systems were detected, which are likely responsible for the pathogenicity of SSVR1601. The antimicrobial resistance genes, bacA, tet34 and norM, were detected based on Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database. The phylogenetic analysis revealed SSVR1601 to be most closely related to V. rotiferianus strains CAIM577 and B64D1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The major objective of the present study was to determine the ability of a triazole fungicide tebuconazole to induce cytochrome P450‐dependent monooxygenases, oxidative stress, and endocrine‐disrupting activity using male rats treated with tebuconazole at 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg p.o. once daily for 28 days. In liver, tebuconazole dose‐dependently increased microsomal contents of cytochrome P450 and cytochrome b5 and the activities of NADPH‐cytochrome P450 reductase, 7‐ethoxyresorufin O‐deethylase, methoxyresorufin O‐demethylase, pentoxyresorufin O‐dealkylase, 7‐ethoxycoumarin O‐deethylase, aniline hydroxylase, and erythromycin N‐demethylase. In kidney, tebuconazole increased 7‐ethoxycoumarin O‐deethylase activity without affecting other monooxygenase activities. In marked contrast to liver and kidney, tebuconazole decreased testicular 7‐ethoxyresorufin O‐deethylase, methoxyresorufin O‐demethylase, 7‐ethoxycoumarin O‐deethylase, aniline hydroxylase, and erythromycin N‐demethylase activities. The results of immunoblot analysis of liver microsomes of controls and tebuconazole‐treated rats revealed that tebuconazole induced CYP1A1/2, CYP2B1/2, CYP2E1, and CYP3A proteins in liver. Additions of tebuconazole to liver microsomes inhibited microsomal 7‐ethoxycoumarin O‐deethylase activity in vitro (IC50 = 1.50–1.69 µM). Treatment of rats with tebuconazole decreased glutathione content and increased glutathione S‐transferase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in liver; increased superoxide dismutase activities in kidney and testis; but decreased glutathione S‐transferase activity in testis. Treatments with tebuconazole decreased serum testosterone concentration and cauda epididymal sperm count. The present study demonstrates that tebuconazole induces a multiplicity of CYPs and oxidative stress in liver; inhibits testicular P450 and glutathione S‐transferase activities; and produces anti‐androgenic effects in male rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an innovative and facile one-pot method for synthesizing water-soluble and stable fluorescent Cu nanoclusters (CuNCs), in which glutathione (GSH) served as protecting ligand and ascorbic acid (AA) as reducing agent was reported. The resultant CuNCs emitted blue-green fluorescence at 440 nm, with a quantum yield (QD) of about 3.08%. In addition, the prepared CuNCs exhibited excellent properties such as good water solubility, photostability and high stability toward high ionic strength. On the basis of the selective quenching of Hg2+ on CuNCs fluorescence, which may be the result of Hg2+ ion-induced aggregation of the CuNCs, the CuNCs was used for the selective and sensitive determination of Hg2+ in aqueous solution. The proposed analytical strategy permitted detection of Hg2+ in a linear range of 4 × 10−8 to 6 × 10−5 M, with a detection limit of 2.2 × 10−8 M. Eventually, the practicability of this sensing approach was confirmed by its successful application to assay Hg2+ in tap water, Lotus lake water and river water samples with the quantitative spike recoveries ranging from 96.9% to 105.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Slow gait speed has been associated with mortality, poor physical function and disability in older people. Our aim was to evaluate the association between slow gait speed and rapid cognitive decline among oldest-old men in Taiwan. Methods We carried out a longitudinal cohort study in a veterans' retirement community, and enrolled 249 male residents aged 80 years and older. Slow gait speed was defined as <1 m/s, and rapid cognitive decline was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) decline of ≥3 points over 1 year. Body mass index, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, handgrip strength, gait speed and Mini-Mental State Examination datasets were collected, and a logistic regression model was built to evaluate the association between fast cognitive decline and slow gait speed. Results In all, 249 residents (mean age 86.4 ± 4.01 years) were recruited, including 58 (23.3%) with rapid cognitive decline. Univariate analysis showed that slow gait speed could predict rapid cognitive decline (OR 4.10, 95% CI 1.20-14.00, P = 0.024). After adjusting for age, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, polypharmacy, psychiatric drug usage, cigarette smoking experience, baseline cognitive function, depressive mood, handgrip strength, nutritional status and history of fall, slow gait speed was still independently associated with rapid cognitive decline (adjusted OR 4.58, 95% CI 1.22-17.2, P = 0.024). Conclusions Slow gait speed was thus an independent predictor of rapid cognitive decline in oldest-old men in a veterans' retirement community in Taiwan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017: 17 (Suppl. 1): 14-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Autism spectrum disorders ( ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders that display complicated behavioral symptoms. Methods Using gene expressing profiling and the weighted gene co-expression network analysis ( WGCNA), we studied genes coregulated by similar factors such as genetic variants or environmental effects in the hippocampus in an animal model of autism. Results From microarray data, we identified 21,388 robustly expressed genes of which 721 genes were found to be differently expressed in the valproic acid-treated group compared to the control group. WGCNA identified multiple co-expression modules known to associate with cognitive function, inflammation, synaptic, and positive regulation of protein kinase activating. Many of these modules, however, have not been previously linked to autism spectrum disorders which included G-protein signaling, immunity, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. The downregulation of the highly connected (hub) genes Taar7h and Taar7b in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway was validated by qRT- PCR. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry further showed that TAAR7 expression was downregulated not only in valproic acid-treated animals, but also BTBR T+tf/J mice. Conclusions This study highlights the advantages of gene microarrays to uncover co-expression modules associated with autism and suggests that Taars and related gene regulation networks may play a significant role in autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of stroke, but the mechanisms are unclear. The present study tested the hypothesis that diabetes mellitus disturbs the brain microcirculation and increases the susceptibility to cerebral damage in a middle cerebral artery occlusion ( MCAO) model of ischemia. Methods Diabetes was induced by streptozocin in mice expressing green fluorescent protein in endothelial cells (Tie2- GFP mice). Four weeks later, they were subjected to transient (20 min) MCAO. In vivo blood flow was measured by two-photon laser-scanning microscopy ( TPLSM) in cerebral arteries, veins, and capillaries. Results There was a significant decrease in red blood cell ( RBC) velocity in capillaries in diabetic mice as assessed by TPLSM, yet the regional cerebral blood flow, as assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry, was maintained. Brain capillary flow developed turbulence after MCAO only in diabetic mice. These mice sustained increased neurological deficits after MCAO which were accompanied by an exaggerated degradation of tight junction proteins and blunted Ca MKII phosphorylation in cerebral tissues indicating disruption of the blood-brain barrier and disturbed cognitive potential. Conclusion Diabetic mice are more susceptible to disturbances of cerebral capillary blood flow which may predispose them to neurovascular defects following ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The serotonin hypothesis plays a critical role in the etiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Although many studies have demonstrated reciprocal relationships between serotonin metabolism and immune-inflammatory pathways that occur in depression, studies linking serotonergic function and cytokines are still limited concerning BD. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of brain serotonin transporter (SERT) and cytokines in BD. Methods Twenty patients with euthymic BD and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Single photon emission computed tomography with the radiotracer 123I-ADAM was used for the SERT imaging. The specific uptake ratio, which represents SERT availability, was the primary measured outcome. Cytokines included the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Cytokine concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results SERT availability was significantly lower in the midbrain and caudate of patients with BD compared with HC, but not in the thalamus and putamen. IL-10 was significantly higher, whereas TNF-α was not different in euthymic patients with BD compared with HC. There was a significant association of SERT availability and IL-10 in the thalamus, but not in the midbrain, caudate, or putamen. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the interaction of SERT availability and IL-10 in euthymic BD. This result may further explain the role of SERT and cytokines in the etiology of BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have suggested that childhood maltreatment increase risk of adulthood major depressive disorder (MDD) and predict its unfavorable treatment outcome, yet the neural underpinnings associated with childhood maltreatment in MDD remain poorly understood. Here, we seek to investigate the whole-brain functional connectivity patterns in MDD patients with childhood maltreatment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to explore intrinsic or spontaneous functional connectivity networks of 18 MDD patients with childhood neglect, 20 MDD patients without childhood neglect, and 20 healthy controls. Whole-brain functional networks were constructed by measuring the temporal correlations of every pairs of brain voxels and were further analyzed by using graph-theory approaches. Relative to the healthy control group, the two MDD patient groups showed overlapping reduced functional connectivity strength in bilateral ventral medial prefrontal cortex/ventral anterior cingulate cortex. However, compared with MDD patients without a history of childhood maltreatment, those patients with such a history displayed widespread reduction of functional connectivity strength primarily in brain regions within the prefrontal-limbic-thalamic-cerebellar circuitry, and these reductions significantly correlated with measures of childhood neglect. Together, we showed that the MDD groups with and without childhood neglect exhibited overlapping and segregated functional connectivity patterns in the whole-brain networks, providing empirical evidence for the contribution of early life stress to the pathophysiology of MDD. Hum Brain Mapp 35:1154-1166, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To evaluate the association of cognitive impairment, depressive mood and sarcopenia among older men living in the veterans retirement community in southern Taiwan Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 353 men aged 65 years and older. In addition to demographic characteristics, all participants were measured for gait speed, handgrip strength and muscle mass by using bioelectrical impedance analysis ( BIA). The diagnosis of sarcopenia was made according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Slow walking speed was defined as ≤0.8 meter/second. Low muscle strength was defined as the handgrip strength less than 22.5 kg which was adjusted according to Taiwanese norms. A height-adjusted muscle mass of 8.87 kg/m2 from a previous Taiwanese study was defined as low muscle mass. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Mini- Mental State Examination ( MMSE), and the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 ( GDS-15) was used for screening of depressive symptoms. Results Among the 353 participants (mean age 82.7 ± 5.3 years), 30.9% (109/353) were classified as sarcopenic. Multivariate logistic regression showed that sarcopenia was independently associated with cognitive impairment (adjusted OR 3.03, 95% CI 1.63-5.65, P < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (adjusted OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.03-4.89, P = 0.04). Conclusions Sarcopenia was significantly associated with cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms among otherwise healthy older men living in the veterans retirement community. Further outcome study is required to explore the interrelationship of cognition, depressive symptoms and sarcopenia in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14 (Suppl. 1): 102-108. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lower global cognitive function scores are a common symptom of autism spectrum disorders ( ASDs). This study investigates the effects of melatonin on hippocampal serine/threonine kinase signaling in an experimental ASD model. We found that chronic melatonin (1.0 or 5.0 mg/kg/day, 28 days) treatment significantly rescued valproic acid ( VPA, 600 mg/kg)-induced decreases in Ca MKII (Thr286), NMDAR1 (Ser896), and PKA (Thr197) phosphorylation in the hippocampus without affecting total protein levels. Compared with control rats, the immunostaining of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus revealed a decrease in immunolabeling intensity for phospho-Ca MKII (Thr286) in the hippocampus of VPA-treated rats, which was ameliorated by chronic melatonin treatment. Consistent with the elevation of Ca MKII/ PKA/ PKC phosphorylation observed in melatonin-treated rat, long-term potentiation ( LTP) was enhanced after chronic melatonin (5.0 mg/kg) treatment, as reflected by extracellular field potential slopes that increased from 56 to 60 min (133.4 ± 3.9% of the baseline, P < 0.01 versus VPA-treated rats) following high-frequency stimulation (HFS) in hippocampal slices. Accordingly, melatonin treatment also significantly improved social behavioral deficits at postnatal day 50 in VPA-treated rats. Taken together, the increased phosphorylation of Ca MKII/ PKA/ PKC signaling might contribute to the beneficial effects of melatonin on autism symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Defining the impact of diabetes and related risk factors on brain cognitive function is critically important for patients with diabetes. Aims To investigate the alterations in hippocampal serine/threonine kinases signaling in the early phase of type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats. Methods Early experimental diabetes mellitus was induced in rats with streptozotocin or streptozotocin/high fat. Changes in the phosphorylation of proteins were determined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Results Our data showed a pronounced decrease in the phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (Ca MKII) in the hippocampi of both type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats compared with age-matched control rats. Unexpectedly, we found a significant increase in the phosphorylation of synapsin I ( Ser 603) and Glu R1 ( Ser 831) in the same experiment. In addition, aberrant changes in hippocampal protein kinase C ( PKC) and protein kinase A ( PKA) signaling in type 1 and type 2 diabetic rats were also found. Moreover, PP1α and PP2 A protein levels were decreased in the hippocampus of type 1 diabetic rats, but significantly up-regulated in type 2 diabetic rats. Conclusions The disturbance of Ca MKII/ PKA/ PKC phosphorylation in the hippocampus is an early change that may be associated with the development and progression of diabetes-related cognitive dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of fluorescent iron oxide nanomaterials is highly desired for multimodal molecular imaging. Instead of incorporating fluorescent dyes on the surface of iron oxides, a ligand-assisted synthesis approach is developed to allow near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence in Fe3O4 nanostructures. Using a trimesic acid (TMA)/citrate-mediated synthesis, fabricated Fe3O4 nanostructures can generate a NIR two-photon florescence (TPF) peak around 700 nm under the excitation by a 1230-nm femtosecond laser. By tailoring the absorption of Fe3O4 nanostructures toward NIR band, the NIR-TPF efficiency can be greatly increased. Through internal etching, surface peeling, and ligand replacement, spectroscopic results validated that such resonantly enhanced NIR-TPF is mediated by surface states with strong NIR-IR absorption. This TPF signal evolution can be generalized to other iron oxide nanomaterials like magnetite nanoparticles and α-Fe2O3 nanoplates. Using the developed fluorescent Fe3O4 nanostructures, it is demonstrated that their TPF and third harmonic generation (THG) contrast in the nonlinear optical microscopy of live cells. It is anticipated that the synthesized NIR photofunctional Fe3O4 will serve as a versatile platform for dual-modality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as a magnet-guided theranostic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical epidemiology has indicated that the endothelial injury is a potential contributor to the pathogenesis of ischemic neurovascular damage. In this report, we assessed S-nitrosylation and nitration of Keap1 to identify downstream nitric oxide redox signaling targets into endothelial cells during ischemia. Here, oxygen-glucose deprivation ( OGD) exposure initiates the nuclear import of Keap1 in endothelial cells, which interacted with nuclear-localized Nrf2, as demonstrated through co-immunoprecipitation and immunocytochemical assay. Paralleling the ischemia-induced nuclear import of Keap1, increased nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity in endothelial cells was also observed. Consistently, the addition of peroxynitrite provoked nuclear import of Keap1 and a concomitant Nrf2 nuclear import in the endothelial cells. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of nitrosative stress by melatonin partially inhibited the OGD-induced constitutive nuclear import of Keap1 and subsequently disturbance of Nrf2/Keap1 signaling. Moreover, the effect of melatonin on nitration and S-nitrosylation of keap1 was examined in endothelial cells with 6 hr OGD exposure. Here, we demonstrated that OGD induced tyrosine nitration of Keap1, which was blocked by melatonin treatment, while there were no significant changes in S-nitrosylation of Keap1. The specific amino acid residues of Keap1 involved in tyrosine nitration were identified as Y473 by mass spectrometry. Moreover, the protective role of melatonin against damage to endothelial tight junction integrity was addressed by ZO-1 expression, paralleled with the restored heme oxygenase-1 levels during OGD. Together, our results emphasize that upon nitrosative stress, the protective effect of melatonin on endothelial cells is likely mediated at least in part by inhibition of ischemia-evoked protein nitration of Keap1, hence contributing to relieve the disturbance of Nrf2/Keap1 antioxidative signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Tight junction protein degradation is a principal characteristic of the blood-brain barrier ( BBB) damage that occurs during brain ischemia. Aims We investigated the mechanisms of occludin degradation that underlie permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (p MCAO) in rats. Methods and Results Western blot and Co-immunoprecipitation data indicated ubiquitination and degradation of occludin in brain after p MCAO, which was consistent with ZO-1 degradation in penumbra regions as observed at 24 h after p MCAO. We further investigated candidate protease(s) responsible for the degradation of occludin during p MCAO. The intraventricular administration of γ-secretase blocker DAPT significantly inhibited the p MCAO-induced neurovascular damage, whereas ALLM and Batimastat, which are inhibitors of calpain and metalloproteinase proteases, respectively, were less effective. Notably, we found that DAPT significantly inhibited BBB disruption in comparison with vehicle treatment, as assessed by Evans blue excretion. Interestingly, the confocal immunostaining revealed that activation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch is associated with degradation of occludin in brain microvessels following ischemia. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the inhibition of γ-secretase signaling and the itch-mediated ubiquitination of occludin likely underlie the vasoprotective effect of DAPT after p MCAO. Conclusion The γ-secretase blocker DAPT reduces the permeability of the BBB by decreasing the ubiquitination and degradation of occludin during permanent brain ischemia, suggesting that γ-secretase may represent a novel therapeutic target for preventing neurovascular damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, the gonadotropin-releasing hormone ( Gn RH) genes in spotted halibut were cloned and sequenced by isolating their c DNAs. The species expressed three molecular forms of Gn RH in the brain: chicken-type Gn RH-Ⅱ (c Gn RH-Ⅱ), seabream-type Gn RH (sb Gn RH), and salmon-type Gn RH (s Gn RH). Phylogenetic analysis divided the molecular forms of Gn RHs into three branches: c Gn RH-Ⅱ branch, s Gn RH branch, and fish-specific Gn RH branch. The spatial expression showed that they had the highest expression levels in the brain. c Gn RH-Ⅱ was exclusively detected in the brain, while sb Gn RH had a global expression pattern in all examined organs. s Gn RH was detected in the brain, pituitary, and ovary. The temporal changes of brain Gn RH m RNA expression levels were examined during ovarian maturation and postspawning, and the serum steroid hormones and gonadosomatic index ( GSI) were recorded. Amounts of sb Gn RH m RNA substantially elevated ( P < 0.05) during ovarian maturation, which concomitant with considerable elevation of GSI and serum steroids levels. On the contrary, neither s Gn RH nor c Gn RH-Ⅱ m RNA levels showed significant changes during ovarian maturation in this study. These results suggested that these three Gn RH genes are the important regulators for the differential expression of Gn RH in spotted halibut, and would help us better understand the reproductive endocrine mechanism of spotted halibut. J. Exp. Zool. 00A:1-13, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chou Y-H, Wang S-J, Lin C-L, Mao W-C, Lee S-M, Liao M-H. Decreased brain serotonin transporter binding in the euthymic state of bipolar I but not bipolar II disorder: a SPECT study. Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 312–318. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: Previous positron emission tomography studies have demonstrated that serotonin transporter (SERT) binding in the midbrain is decreased in the depressive state of bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of this study was to assess SERT binding in the midbrain of patients in a euthymic state of BD. Methods: Twenty-eight healthy controls and 24 patients in a euthymic state of medicated BD were recruited. Euthymic state was defined as Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores < 10 and Young Mania Rating Scale scores < 7 within a consecutive eight-week period. Single photon emission computed tomography with the radiotracer 123I-ADAM was used to measure SERT binding in the midbrain. An equilibrium ratio model was used for data analysis. Specific uptake ratio (SUR), which represents availability of SERT binding in the midbrain, was the primary measurement outcome. Results: The averaged SURs were not different between healthy controls and BD patients in euthymic state (p = 0.27). However, a three-way ANCOVA analysis comparing SURs in healthy controls, bipolar I disorder (BD I) patients, and bipolar II disorder (BD II) patients, covarying education duration and sex, showed that the averaged SURs were significantly lower in BD I than BD II patients and healthy controls (p = 0.042). The decreased SURs in BD I patients were well correlated with duration of illness ( R = −0.742, p = 0.014) only. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that there is differential biological regulation in BD I and BD II patients after stable treatment, which may support the existence of a dichotomy in BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been considerable interest of late among nonprofit practitioners in market orientation and the extent to which its adoption might be linked to enhanced organisational performance. Preliminary studies have typically employed instruments such as MARKOR to measure market orientation in this setting and found tentative support for the existence of such a link. In this paper it will be argued that these approaches are fundamentally flawed. The market orientation construct represents the operationalisation of the marketing concept in the for-profit sector. Since the concept is defined differently by nonprofit academics and practitioners there is a need to develop a new measure of its operationalisation specifically in this context. A review of the literature suggests that this might best be termed societal orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the current situation of home nursing services in Taiwan. A total of 93 home nursing agencies (response rate of 75%) responded to a mail survey. The majority of the agencies (63%) had been established within the last 3 years before the survey, were hospital-based (90%), and had less than 60 (89.3%) average total number of visits per month per nurse. Most of the home care nurses had taken home care nursing training courses and had at least 2 years of clinical experience. Half of the agencies provided care for patients on a respirator, and 28% provided in-home hospice care. Almost a third of the agencies performed poorly in the areas of supply management, supervision of home visits, and quality monitoring and improvement mechanisms. Several suggestions for the development of home nursing services in Taiwan are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, C(16)H(12)BrN(3)O(4), the furan-2(5H)-one ring forms a dihedral angle of 33.19 (9)° with the 4-bromo-benzene unit and is nearly perpendicular to the 4-nitro-benzene segment, making a dihedral angle of 89.93 (10)°. In the crystal, N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules, generating an infinite chain along [010]. The chains are linked into a three-dimensional network by C-H⋯O, C-H⋯π and π-π contacts [centroid-centroid separation = 3.805 (2) Å].

To understand the epidemiology of Chlamydia pneumoniae acute infections in Taiwan, we collected 116 paired and 244 single sera from patients suspected of C. pneumoniae infection and conducted microimmunofluorescence test. Eighty-three patients (83/360, 23%) met the diagnostic criteria of current C. pneumoniae infection. The C. pneumoniae infections were significantly higher in men than in women (P< or =0.0001) and were most frequent in the group of 40-49 year-olds, and the people older than 70 years old. C. pneumoniae infection often occurred in the late autumn lasting to the cold winter and in the transition period between the spring and summer.