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Methylglyoxal (MG) production after myocardial infarction (MI) leads to advanced glycation end‐product formation, adverse remodeling, and loss of cardiac function. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a main target for MG glycation. This suggests that ECM‐mimicking biomaterial therapies may protect the post‐MI environment by removing MG. In this study, mechanisms by which a recombinant human collagen type I hydrogel therapy confers cardioprotection are investigated. One‐week post‐MI, mice receive intramyocardial injection of hydrogel or PBS. The hydrogel improves border zone contractility after 2 days, which is maintained for 28 days. RNA sequencing shows that hydrogel treatment decreases the expression of erythroid differentiation regulator 1, a factor associated with apoptosis. Hydrogel treatment reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress at 2 days with greater myocardial salvage seen at 28 days. The hydrogel located at the epicardial surface is modified by MG, and less MG‐modified proteins are observed in the underlying myocardium of hydrogel‐treated mice. Biomaterials that can be a target for MG glycation may act as a sponge to remove MG from the myocardium post‐MI. This leads to less oxidative stress, greater survival and contractility of cardiomyocytes, which altogether suggests a novel mechanism by which biomaterials improve function of the infarcted heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points: Massive irreparable rotator cuff tear was used as a model to study the impact of chronic pain and motor impairment on the motor systems of the human brain using magnetic resonance imaging.Patients show markers of lower grey/white matter integrity and lower functional connectivity compared with control participants in regions responsible for movement and the perception of visual movement and body shape.An independent cohort of patients showed relative deficits in the perception of visual motion and hand laterality compared with an age‐matched control group.These data support the hypothesis that the structure and function of the motor control system differs in patients who have experienced chronic motor impairment.This work also raises a new hypothesis, supported by neuroimaging and behaviour, that a loss of motor function could also be associated with off‐target effects, namely a reduced ability to perceive motion and body form. Changes in the way we move can induce changes in the brain, yet we know little of such plasticity in relation to musculoskeletal diseases. Here we use massive irreparable rotator cuff tear as a model to study the impact of chronic motor impairment and pain on the human brain. Cuff tear destabilises the shoulder, impairing upper‐limb function in overhead and load‐bearing tasks. We used neuroimaging and behavioural testing to investigate how brain structure and function differed in cuff tear patients and controls (imaging: 21 patients, age 76.3 ± 7.68; 18 controls, age 74.9 ± 6.59; behaviour: 13 patients, age 75.5 ± 10.2; 11 controls, age 73.4 ± 5.01). We observed lower grey matter density and cortical thickness in cuff tear patients in the postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, temporal‐parietal junction and the pulvinar – areas implicated in somatosensation, reach/grasp and body form perception. In patients we also observed lower functional connectivity between the motor network and the middle temporal visual cortex (MT), a region involved in visual motion perception. Lower white matter integrity was observed in patients in the inferior fronto‐occipital/longitudinal fasciculi. We investigated the cognitive domains associated with the brain regions identified. Patients exhibited relative impairment in visual body judgements and the perception of biological/global motion. These data support our initial hypothesis that cuff tear is associated with differences in the brain's motor control regions in comparison with unaffected individuals. Moreover, our combination of neuroimaging and behavioural data raises a new hypothesis that chronic motor impairment is associated with an altered perception of visual motion and body form. Key points: Massive irreparable rotator cuff tear was used as a model to study the impact of chronic pain and motor impairment on the motor systems of the human brain using magnetic resonance imaging.Patients show markers of lower grey/white matter integrity and lower functional connectivity compared with control participants in regions responsible for movement and the perception of visual movement and body shape.An independent cohort of patients showed relative deficits in the perception of visual motion and hand laterality compared with an age‐matched control group.These data support the hypothesis that the structure and function of the motor control system differs in patients who have experienced chronic motor impairment.This work also raises a new hypothesis, supported by neuroimaging and behaviour, that a loss of motor function could also be associated with off‐target effects, namely a reduced ability to perceive motion and body form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While cell therapy is emerging as a promising option for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), the influence of advanced donor age and a history of ischemic injury on the reparative performance of these cells are not well defined. As such, intrinsic changes that result from advanced donor age and ischemia are explored in hopes of identifying a molecular candidate capable of restoring the lost reparative potency of heart explant‐derived cells (EDCs) used in cell therapy. EDCs were cultured from myocardial biopsies obtained from young or old mice 4 weeks after randomization to experimental myocardial infarction or no intervention. Advanced donor age reduces cell yield while increasing cell senescence and the secretion of senescence‐associated cytokines. A history of ischemic injury magnifies these effects as cells are more senescent and have lower antioxidant reserves. Consistent with these effects, intramyocardial injection of EDCs from aged ischemic donors provided less cell‐mediated cardiac repair. A transcriptome comparison of ICM EDCs shows aging modifies many of the pathways responsible for effective cell cycle control and DNA damage/repair. Over‐expression of the barely explored antisenescent transcription factor, Mybl2, in EDCs from aged ICM donors reduces cell senescence while conferring salutary effects on antioxidant activity and paracrine production. In vivo, we observed an increase in cell retention and vasculogenesis after treatment with Mybl2‐over‐expressing EDCs which improved heart function in infarcted recipient hearts. In conclusion, Mybl2 over‐expression rejuvenates senescent EDCs sourced from aged ICM donors to confer cell‐mediated effects comparable to cells from young nonischemic donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A previous modelling study predicted that the forces applied by the extensor muscles to stabilise the lumbar spine would be greater in spines that have a larger sagittal curvature (lordosis). Because the force-generating capacity of a muscle is related to its size, it was hypothesised that the size of the extensor muscles in a subject would be related to the size of their lumbar lordosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were obtained, together with age, height, body mass and back pain status, from 42 female subjects. The volume of the extensor muscles (multifidus and erector spinae) caudal to the mid-lumbar level was estimated from cross-sectional area measurements in axial T1-weighted MRIs spanning the lumbar spine. Lower lumbar curvature was determined from sagittal T1-weighted images. A stepwise linear regression model was used to determine the best predictors of muscle volume. The mean lower lumbar extensor muscle volume was 281 cm3 ( SD = 49 cm3). The mean lower lumbar curvature was 30 ° ( SD = 7 °). Five subjects reported current back pain and were excluded from the regression analysis. Nearly half the variation in muscle volume was accounted for by the variables age (standardised coefficient, B = −3.2, P = 0.03) and lower lumbar curvature ( B = 0.47, P = 0.002). The results support the hypothesis that extensor muscle volume in the lower lumbar spine is related to the magnitude of the sagittal curvature; this has implications for assessing muscle size as an indicator of muscle strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Cornell Medical Index, a self-administered 195 item questionnaire of medical and psychiatric items was given to 45 male and 56 female psychiatric outpatients, with the two sex groups equated for age, education and type of illness, as well as ape proximate socio-economic background. Analyses revealed few sex differences on the medical scales and none on the psychiatric scales. The psychiatric scales were analyzed to determine possible differences in complaints between the sexes and between the individual scales themselves for both sexes.

Presents guidelines for teaching the German adjective. Definitions of some adjectives; Comments on the use of descriptive adjectives; Uses of adjectives.

Examines the hallucinogenic side effects of the drug 2C-B (4-bromo-2,5,-dimethoxyphenethylamine). Mechanism of action; Presence of an additive appearing in MDMA or Ecstasy tablets; Concern over unexpected and intense hallucinogenic effects of the drug; Estimated duration of hallucinogenic effects of the drug.

Reports that heroin abuse has increased again after the drug has been eclipsed by cocaine and methamphetamine abuse in United States. Reasons for the resurgence of heroin abuse; Heroin's effects on the brain and body of the abuser.

Studies arsenic addiction and poisoning. Use of arsenic as a street drug; Documentation of arsenic addiction; History of the use of arsenic as a poison and therapeutic agent; Symptoms of arsenic poisoning.

Focuses on so-called designer drugs which refer to fentanyl analogs used in hospitals for rapid and efficient pain control in the United States. Drug analysis used to identify fentanyl analogs; Defects of the US Controlled Substance Act for fentanyl analogs regulation; Methods used by fentanyl analogs manufactures to evade prosecution.

Discusses the medical significance of opium. Importance of opium in ancient and classical medicine; Resemblance of its molecular structure to the human neurotransmitters involved in the control of pain; Concerns on the addictive effects of opium.

Reports that flesh-eating bacteria has infected patients using intravenous drugs in San Francisco, California.

Provides information on a study which associated different substances with drug-related rape and assault cases.

Focuses on salvinorin A, an active hallucinogenic agent in the salvia divinorum plant. Indication that the drug has the characteristics of a powerful hallucinogen; Reference to an article in the `Journal of Psychoactive Drugs'; Where the plant can be found in the United States.

Looks into physiological effects of alkyl nitrites. Previous popularity as intoxicants and quasi-aphrodisiacs; Therapeutic use for chest pains and cyanide poisoning; Relaxation of all smooth muscles in the body; Decision of Food and Drug Administration to return amyl nitrite to prescription status.

Discusses the effects of ketamine, more popularly known as vitamin K. Ketamine's use as a sedative for animals; Hallucination from taking ketamine; Ketamine's effects on the central nervous system.

Focuses on the proliferation of the frequently abused drug, methaqualone, in the United States. Origin of methaqualone; Therapeutic use; Entry of methaqualone manufactured overseas in the US.

Focuses on the psychotropic effects of nutmeg and mace, which are hallucinogenic substances. Signs and symptoms of psychotropic effects; Acute adverse effects.

Discusses several points on the use of psilocybin mushrooms. Resemblance of psilocybin-bearing mushrooms to some poisonous mushrooms; Variation of the dosage among mushroom types; Development of tolerance; Presentation in the market; Resemblance to some poisonous mushrooms; Management of victims of mushroom poisoning; Precautions.

Provides information about the street drug known as Mescaline, one of the earliest psychedelic drugs to gain notoriety in the 20th century. Chemical name of the drug; Source; Writers and other creative people who were known to take the drug; Effects; Treatment of individuals who have had acute adverse reactions to mescaline.

Focuses on the dangers of the street drug known as gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). Number of GHB overdoses in the San Francisco Bay Area in California; Source and structure of GHB; Mechanism of action; Therapeutic uses.