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Osteosarcoma treatment with limb-sparing surgery using liquid nitrogen can be applied to canine patients experiencing diminished quality of life after leg amputation. In particular, forelimb amputation may affect gait more than hindlimb amputation. In this study, limb-sparing surgery using liquid nitrogen was applied to primary osteosarcomas arising in the proximal scapula of a Welsh Corgi, the proximal humerus of a Golden Retriever, and the distal radius of a Great Pyrenees, according to the protocol of Tsuchiya et al. In all cases, postoperative radiographic examination revealed bone union between the treated and matrix bones. All patients recovered their gait postoperatively. These results suggest that limb-sparing surgery using liquid nitrogentreated autologous bone is an effective option for patients with osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress and inflammation play a central role in the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can lead to liver cirrhosis. Barley bran has potential bioactivities due to its high content of functional substances, such as anthocyanins, with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. Here, we investigated whether barley bran polyphenol-rich extracts (BP) can prevent NASH in Sprague–Dawley rats fed a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet including 1.25% or 2.5% cholesterol for 9 weeks. In the rat model of NASH with advanced hepatic fibrosis, BP prevented NASH development by ameliorating the histopathological findings of lobular inflammation. The BP also tended to attenuate serum aspartate aminotransferase level in this model. In the rat model of NASH with mild-to-moderate hepatic fibrosis, BP tended to attenuate the serum levels of transaminases. BP-dose-dependent effects were revealed for several parameters, including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, transforming growth factor-β, and manganese superoxide dismutase gene expressions in the liver. These results suggest that BP may prevent NASH development or progression, presumably due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Although serum markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA19-9) have been widely used in screening for pancreatic cancer (PC), their sensitivity and specificity are unsatisfactory. Recently, a novel tool of analyzing serum using the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of free induction decays (FIDs) obtained by 1H-NMR has been introduced. We for the first time evaluated the utility of this technology as a diagnostic tool for PC. Serum was obtained from PC patients before starting any treatments. Samples taken from individuals with benign diseases or donors for liver transplantation were obtained as controls. Serum samples from both groups underwent 1H-NMR and STFT of FIDs. STFT data were analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to clarify whether differences were apparent between groups. As a result, PLS-DA score plots indicated that STFT of FIDs enabled effective classification of groups with and without PC. Additionally, in a subgroup of PC, long-term survivors (≥ 2 years) could be discriminated from short-term survivors (

Abstract Background It remains unclear whether transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE) is as safe and effective for paediatric patients with blunt torso trauma as it is for adults in Japan, owing to few trauma cases and sporadic case reports. The study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of TAE performed in paediatric (age ≤ 15 years) and adult patients with blunt torso trauma. Methods This was a single-centre, retrospective chart review study that included blunt torso trauma patients who underwent TAE in the trauma centre from 2012 to 2017. The comparative study was carried out between a ‘paediatric patient group’ and an ‘adult patient group’. The outcome measures for TAE were the success of haemorrhage control and complications and standardised mortality ratio (SMR). Results A total of 504 patients with blunt torso trauma were transported to the trauma centre, out of which 23% (N = 114) with blunt torso trauma underwent TAE, including 15 paediatric and 99 adult patients. There was no significant difference between the use of TAE in paediatric and adult patients with blunt torso trauma (29% vs 22%, P = .221). The paediatric patients’ median age was 11 years (interquartile ranges 7–14). The predicted mortality rate and SMR for paediatric patients were lower than those for adult patients (18.3% vs 25.9%, P = .026, and 0.37 vs 0.54). The rate of effective haemorrhage control without repeated TAE or additional surgical intervention was 93% in paediatric patients, which was similar to that in adult patients (88%). There were no complications in paediatric patients at our centre. There were no significant differences in the proportion of paediatric patients who underwent surgery before TAE or urgent blood transfusion (33% vs 26%, P = .566, or 67% vs 85%, P = .084). Conclusions It is possible to provide an equal level of care related to TAE for paediatric and adult patients as it relates to TAE for blunt torso trauma with haemorrhage in the trauma centre. Alternative haemorrhage control procedures should be established as soon as possible whenever the patients reach a haemodynamically unstable state.

Abstract Background The spermatozoon has a complex molecular apparatus necessary for fertilization in its head and flagellum. Recently, numerous genes that are needed to construct the molecular apparatus of spermatozoa have been identified through the analysis of genetically modified mice. Methods Based on the literature information, the molecular basis of the morphogenesis of sperm heads and flagella in mice was summarized. Main findings (Results) The molecular mechanisms of vesicular trafficking and intraflagellar transport in acrosome and flagellum formation were listed. With the development of cryo‐electron tomography and mass spectrometry techniques, the details of the axonemal structure are becoming clearer. The fine structure and the proteins needed to form the central apparatus, outer and inner dynein arms, nexin‐dynein regulatory complex, and radial spokes were described. The important components of the formation of the mitochondrial sheath, fibrous sheath, outer dense fiber, and the annulus were also described. The similarities and differences between sperm flagella and Chlamydomonas flagella/somatic cell cilia were also discussed. Conclusion The molecular mechanism of formation of the sperm head and flagellum has been clarified using the mouse as a model. These studies will help to better understand the diversity of sperm morphology and the causes of male infertility.

It is challenging for clinicians to determine the cause of occurrence of fever in COVID-19 patients after corticosteroid discontinuation. Blood cultures help us distinguish between secondary infections and rebound phenomena. We report a case of non-typhoidal Salmonella bacteremia in a 34-year-old male COVID-19 patient who developed fever after discontinuing corticosteroids.

Lepidopteran pests such as S. litura might cause yield losses in many crops especially during pest outbreak. The combinations of microbial and botanical insecticides were expected to increase the effectivity in controlling the respected insect pest. This research aimed to evaluate the combination of plant extracts and B. bassiana to control S. litura. The compatibility of B. bassiana with different plant extracts such as Neem, Chinaberry, Mexican Sunflower and Lantana leaves was studied in the laboratory. The compatibility was evaluated based on B. bassiana colony growth, conidia density, conidia viability, and mortality of S. litura larvae. After 12 days after application (DAA), colony growth of B. bassiana was reduced by all plant extract treatments. For the mortality of S. litura, the combined mixture of B. bassiana and 0.25% Chinaberry extract resulted the maximum mortality rate (44%). After 12 and 15 DAA, the 0.25% Chinaberry showed the highest colony growth (3.93 and 4.37 cm). The most suitable treatment was B. bassiana with 0.25% Chinaberry that had the conidial density at 1.77 x 108 conidia/ml and conidial viability of 75.63% and can enhanced the mortality of S. litura larvae.

Xylocarpus granatum is mangrove plant that traditionally used as face powder in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia which related to antioxidant, antiglycation and tyrosinase inhibition activities. This study aimed to evaluate the potency of X. granatum as a tyrosinase inhibitor, antiglycation, and antioxidant. The leaves, stem, stem bark, fruit flesh, fruit peel, and kernel of X. granatum were extracted using ethanol then their tyrosinase inhibition, antiglycation, and antioxidant were evaluated. Tyrosinase inhibition activity was evaluated using in vitro assay with L-tyrosine and L-DOPA as the substrate of monophenolase and diphenolase. Antiglycation activity was studied by measuring the excitation and emission fluorescence from glucose and fructose reaction with Bovine Serum Albumin. Antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH radical scavenging assay. The result showed that the ethanolic extract of fruit flesh has higher potency as tyrosinase inhibitor (IC50 of 393.8 mg/L and IC50 of 448 mg/L, respectively for monophenolase and diphenolase). Antiglycation assay showed that the ethanolic extract of stem bark provides the strongest antiglycation activity with an IC50 of 118.1 mg/L. Meanwhile, fruit peel provides the strongest antioxidant activity with an IC50 of 5.5 mg/L. Fractionation of ethanolic extracts of each part of X. granatum tree yield fractions with lower bioactivity compared to the crude extract. Moreover, stem extract and fractions from two different locations (Tarakan and Kendari) tend to have different bioactivities strengths. The stem part of X granatum could be developed as new raw material of cosmetic product in Indonesia, while ethanol as the solvent for extraction, and the different bioactivity of stem extract from different location can be the consideration for the industry to standardize the extract prior to production of final product.

This special issue originates from a dual submission conference with the NBER Insurance Working Group and the Corporate Finance Program in 2020. It brings a broader perspective on important frictions in insurance markets, including trust between insurers and policyholders, conflicts of interest among brokers, suboptimal policyholder behavior, and risk-based capital regulation. Several developments in the economy and the academic literature have provided an impetus for new perspectives, including the growth of savings products with minimum return guarantees, the global financial crisis, and intermediary asset pricing. We conclude with an overview of research questions that are promising for further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses the absence of significant influence from music education in shaping an individual’s character. Character education itself is an education that discusses the mental and moral qualities that are unique to an individual. Ki Hajar Dewantara views music education as having the power to help Indonesian people realize a better inner and outer life, and the nature of the art of music itself is actually order and beauty. The purpose of this study is to reveal the weak influence of music education on the formation of an individual’s character. The behaviour of students and lecturers in the Department of Music Education FBS UNY was observed continuously for approximately six months. To strengthen the data, interviews were conducted face to face. The results showed that most students and lecturers who had long struggled and involved in the music field were weak in terms of discipline, social care and socializing order, and beauty. This can be seen from the behaviour of students and lecturers in carrying out daily activities, especially musical activities.

Abstract Objective Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) produces characteristic deflections in the EEG signal named TMS‐evoked EEG potentials (TEPs), which can be used to assess drug effects on cortical excitability. TMS can also be used to determine the resting motor threshold (RMT) for eliciting a minimal muscle response, as a biomarker of corticospinal excitability. XEN1101 is a novel potassium channel opener undergoing clinical development for treatment of epilepsy. We used TEPs and RMT to measure the effects of XEN1101 in the human brain, to provide evidence that XEN1101 alters cortical excitability at doses that might be used in future clinical trials. Methods TMS measurements were incorporated in this Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the extent to which XEN1101 modulates TMS parameters of cortical and corticospinal excitability. TEPs and RMT were collected before and at 2‐, 4‐, and 6‐hours post drug intake in a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, randomized, two‐period crossover study of 20 healthy male volunteers. Results Consistent with previous TMS investigations of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeting ion channels, the amplitude of TEPs occurring at early (15–55 msec after TMS) and at late (150–250 msec after TMS) latencies were significantly suppressed from baseline by 20 mg of XEN1101. Furthermore, the RMT showed a significant time‐dependent increase that correlated with the XEN1101 plasma concentration. Interpretation Changes from baseline in TMS measures provided evidence that 20 mg of XEN1101 suppressed cortical and corticospinal excitability, consistent with the effects of other AEDs. These results support the implementation of TMS as a tool to inform early‐stage clinical trials.

Ambrosia beetles are the largest group of beetles living mutualistically with ambrosia fungi. Increased global shipments of forest and agricultural products have expanded the distribution of some species of ambrosia beetle. We investigated the partitioning diversity of the ambrosia beetle community on teak plantations in Indonesia’s Java, Sumbawa, and Sulawesi Islands. The ambrosia beetles were collected on the twelve sites of teak plantations with different managements (un-thinned and thinned) in Java, Sulawesi, and Sumbawa Islands. Ambrosia beetles were collected ten times at 7-day intervals. The diversity of ambrosia beetles recorded in teak plantations across twelve sites in Java, Sumbawa, and Sulawesi Islands were 17 species and 6154 individuals. Xyleborus affinis (47.17%), Xylosandrus crassiusculus (27.64%), and Hypothenemus sp. (12.33%) were the three dominant species. The highest and lowest species richness were found in the teak plantations in Java and Sumbawa Islands, respectively. The highest and lowest populations of ambrosia beetles were in Sulawesi and Sumbawa islands, respectively. Three factors contribute to the species richness of ambrosia beetles, i.e., temperature, rainfall, and altitude. Stand age, temperature, rainfall, altitude, and teak management contribute to ambrosia beetle abundance. Ambrosia beetle communities among islands show differences between each group, as confirmed by analysis of variance based on homogeneity of multivariate dispersion (sig. 0.001) and permutation test for homogeneity of multivariate dispersions (sign. 0.001). For the group of teak managements, there are differences between both teak managements, as confirmed by analysis of variance based on homogeneity of multivariate dispersion (sig. 0.001) and permutation test for homogeneity of multivariate dispersions (sign. 0.01). Based on the eigenvalues for PCoA axes by the Bray–Curtis method, Sulawesi Island is separate from both Java, and Sumbawa islands. However, Java and Sumbawa islands overlap each other. For groups of teak managements (thinning and non-thinning), there are overlap with each other based on the eigenvalues for PCoA axes by the Bray–Curtis method. The β-1 (Within bottle trap/local scale) contributes the highest to γ-diversity (42.46%). The relative contribution of species replacement (β-sim) in multiple sites across Java, Sumbawa, and Sulawesi Islands (regional scale) provides a high contribution (85%) to overall beta diversity, and the relative contribution of β-nes to the β-sor among sites is 14.03%.