Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative distribution of omentin and visfatin mRNA in human epicardial, peri-internal mammary, upper thoracic, upper abdominal and leg vein ...subcutaneous adipose tissue as well as the distribution of omentin in the nonfat cells and adipocytes of human omental adipose tissue. Background: Omentin is found in human omentum but not subcutaneous fat. Omentin and visfatin are considered markers of visceral abdominal fat. Research design and methods: The mRNA content of omentin and visfatin was measured by qRT-PCR analysis of fat samples removed from humans undergoing cardiac or bariatric surgery. Results: Omentin mRNA in internal mammary fat was 3.5% , that in the upper thoracic subcutaneous fat was 4.7% while that in the other subcutaneous fat depots was less than 1% of omentin in epicardial fat. The distribution of visfatin mRNA did not vary between the five depots. Omentin mRNA was preferentially expressed in the nonfat cells of omental adipose tissue since the omentin mRNA content of isolated adipocytes was 9% of that in nonfat cells, and similar results were seen for visfatin. The amount of omentin mRNA in differentiated adipocytes was 0.3% and that of visfatin 4% of that in nonfat cells. The amount of omentin mRNA in preadipocytes was virtually undetectable while that of visfatin was 3% of that in freshly isolated nonfat cells from omental adipose tissue. Conclusion: Omentin mRNA is predominantly found in epicardial and omental human fat whereas visfatin mRNA is found to the same extent in epicardial, subcutaneous and omental fat.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
This controlled trial was conducted in 1484 heterosexual couples in whom one partner had symptomatic genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection. Daily treatment of the infected partner ...with valacyclovir was associated with a lower rate of acquisition of HSV-2 by the uninfected partner (1.9 percent, vs. 3.6 percent in the placebo group).
When one partner has symptomatic HSV-2 infection, treatment reduces transmission.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) causes a chronic genital viral infection characterized by high rates of clinical and subclinical reactivation in the genital mucosa and the attendant risk of sexual transmission.
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Both symptomatic and asymptomatic reactivations of HSV infection have been shown to result in sexual transmission.
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Population-based studies in the United States indicate that 22 percent of adults have antibodies to HSV-2 and that an estimated 1.6 million new cases of HSV-2 infection are acquired yearly.
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HSV-2 has become the most frequent cause of genital ulcer disease in all regions of the world.
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To explore the feasibility of constructing a proof-of-concept artificial intelligence algorithm to detect tympanic membrane perforations, for future application in under-resourced rural settings.
A ...retrospective review was conducted of otoscopic images analysed using transfer learning with Google's Inception-V3 convolutional neural network architecture. The 'gold standard' 'ground truth' was defined by otolaryngologists. Perforation size was categorised as less than one-third (small), one-third to two-thirds (medium), or more than two-thirds (large) of the total tympanic membrane diameter.
A total of 233 tympanic membrane images were used (183 for training, 50 for testing). The algorithm correctly identified intact and perforated tympanic membranes (overall accuracy = 76.0 per cent, 95 per cent confidence interval = 62.1-86.0 per cent); the area under the curve was 0.867 (95 per cent confidence interval = 0.771-0.963).
A proof-of-concept image-classification artificial intelligence algorithm can be used to detect tympanic membrane perforations and, with further development, may prove to be a valuable tool for ear disease screening. Future endeavours are warranted to develop a point-of-care tool for healthcare workers in areas distant from otolaryngology.
Highlights • Importance of peripheral and central complement. • Complement in Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury in Kidney Transplantation can be targeted. • Modulation of complement and its regulators ...affect rejection and induction of tolerance in kidney transplant recipients. • New complement therapeutic agents and Biomarkers are changing the field.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
OBJECTIVE: To report frequencies of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among the 15 centers that participated in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) Study using the new ...International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: All participants underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test between 24 and 32 weeks’ gestation. GDM was retrospectively classified using the IADPSG criteria (one or more fasting, 1-h, or 2-h plasma glucose concentrations equal to or greater than threshold values of 5.1, 10.0, or 8.5 mmol/L, respectively). RESULTS: Overall frequency of GDM was 17.8% (range 9.3–25.5%). There was substantial center-to-center variation in which glucose measures met diagnostic thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Although the new diagnostic criteria for GDM apply globally, center-to-center differences occur in GDM frequency and relative diagnostic importance of fasting, 1-h, and 2-h glucose levels. This may impact strategies used for the diagnosis of GDM.
Description of the NIF Laser Spaeth, M. L.; Manes, K. R.; Kalantar, D. H. ...
Fusion science and technology,
02/2016, Volume:
69, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The possibility of imploding small capsules to produce mini-fusion explosions was explored soon after the first thermonuclear explosions in the early 1950s. Various technologies have been pursued to ...achieve the focused power and energy required for laboratory-scale fusion. Each technology has its own challenges. For example, electron and ion beams can deliver the large amounts of energy but must contend with Coulomb repulsion forces that make focusing these beams a daunting challenge. The demonstration of the first laser in 1960 provided a new option. Energy from laser beams can be focused and deposited within a small volume; the challenge became whether a practical laser system can be constructed that delivers the power and energy required while meeting all other demands for achieving a high-density, symmetric implosion. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the laser designed and built to meet the challenges for study of high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions. This paper describes the architecture, systems, and subsystems of NIF. It describes how they partner with each other to meet these new, complex demands and describes how laser science and technology were woven together to bring NIF into reality.
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BFBNIB, GIS, IJS, KISLJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Allograft transplantation into sensitized recipients with antidonor antibodies results in accelerated antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR), complement activation, and graft thrombosis. We have developed ...a membrane‐localizing technology of wide applicability that enables therapeutic agents, including anticoagulants, to bind to cell surfaces and protect the donor endothelium. We describe here how this technology has been applied to thrombin inhibitors to generate a novel class of drugs termed thrombalexins (TLNs). Using a rat model of hyperacute rejection, we investigated the potential of one such inhibitor (thrombalexin‐1 TLN‐1) to prevent acute antibody‐mediated thrombosis in the donor organ. TLN‐1 alone was able to reduce intragraft thrombosis and significantly delay rejection. The results confirm a pivotal role for thrombin in AMR in vivo. This approach targets donor organs rather than the recipient and is intended to be directly translatable to clinical use.
A new type of anticoagulant, created by linking a membrane‐binding element to a peptidic thrombin inhibitor, enables antithrombotic activity to be localized on cell surfaces, ameliorating microthrombosis and enhancing renal allograft survival in a hyperimmune recipient without inducing systemic anticoagulation.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The goal of this study was to examine associations of measures of maternal glucose metabolism and blood pressure during pregnancy with blood pressure at follow-up in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse ...Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) cohort. The HAPO Follow-Up Study included 4747 women who had a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at ~28 weeks' gestation. Of these, 4572 women who did not have chronic hypertension during their pregnancy or other excluding factors, had blood pressure evaluation 10-14 years after the birth of their HAPO child. Primary outcomes were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and hypertension (SBP ≥ 140 and/or DBP ≥ 90 or treatment for hypertension) at follow-up. Blood pressure during pregnancy was associated with all blood pressure outcomes at follow-up independent of glucose and insulin sensitivity during pregnancy. The sum of glucose z-scores was associated with blood pressure outcomes at follow-up but associations were attenuated in models that included pregnancy blood pressure measures. Associations with SBP were significant in adjusted models, while associations with DBP and hypertension were not. Insulin sensitivity during pregnancy was associated with all blood pressure outcomes at follow-up, and although attenuated after adjustments, remained statistically significant (hypertension OR 0.79, 95%CI 0.68-0.92; SBP beta -0.91, 95% CI -1.34 to -0.49; DBP beta -0.50, 95% CI -0.81 to -0.19). In conclusion, maternal glucose values at the pregnancy OGTT were not independently associated with maternal blood pressure outcomes 10-14 years postpartum; however, insulin sensitivity during pregnancy was associated independently of blood pressure, BMI, and other covariates measured during pregnancy.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Background: Although extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are associated with irreversible lower airway changes, the relationship with upper airway remodelling which occurs during chronic ...rhinosinusitis (CRS) is poorly understood. This study assessed the expression of ECM proteins periostin, fibulin-1, fibronectin and collagenIV in nasal mucosa of patients with and without histologic features of remodelling. Methods: A cross-sectional study of sinonasal mucosal biopsies taken from patients, undergoing surgery for CRS was performed, where patients were grouped according to remodelling, defined by basement membrane thickening (BMT over 7.5 micrometer) and subepithelial fibrosis. An overall view and three random fields of immunostained tissue sections that included epithelium, basement membrane and submucosa, were imaged using Zeiss Zen software. The area and intensity of positive staining were scored by two blinded observers, using a 12-point ordinal scale of weak to strong. Results: 65 patients (47.6 +/- 13.4years, 44.6% female) were assessed. Patients were grouped as controls 26.2%, BMT/no fibrosis 38.5% or BMT and fibrosis 33.8%. Stronger grade of periostin expression was associated with remodelling changes and tissue eosinophilia over 10/HPF. Fibulin-1, fibronectin and collagenIV did not differ. Conclusion: Periostin expression was associated with the presence of BMT, fibrosis and tissue eosinophilia and may identify patients undergoing remodelling changes.
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