Abstract
The physiochemical characteristics include: density, solubility, viscosity, molecular weight, degree of deacetylation and functional properties like fat and water binding capacity were ...studied for chitosan that prepared from chitin of
Agaricus bisporus
mushroom, the chitosan prepared by treatment of chitin with 47% alkaline solution at 60°C remove 4 hour
−1
. The yield of chitin extract from chitosan showed that the chitin extraction rate was 16% based on the dry weight of the fungus. Chitosan, which was produced in this study, was diagnosed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR) method. The degree of deacetylation (DD%) of the chitosan produced from the fungus it was 71.5% chitosan showed viscosity of 5.5 centipoise the viscosity has been estimated when chitosan dissolved in 1% acetic acid solution. The molecular weight of the fungus chitosan was 604,610 Dalton. The chitosan was characterized by high solubility (72%) in 1% acetic acid solution and showed high water binding capacity and fat binding capacity were 674%, 257% respectively of the fungal chitosan.
Antisocial behavior (ASB) places a large burden on perpetrators, survivors, and society. Twin studies indicate that half of the variation in this trait is genetic. Specific causal genetic variants ...have, however, not been identified.
To estimate the single-nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability of ASB; to identify novel genetic risk variants, genes, or biological pathways; to test for pleiotropic associations with other psychiatric traits; and to reevaluate the candidate gene era data through the Broad Antisocial Behavior Consortium.
Genome-wide association data from 5 large population-based cohorts and 3 target samples with genome-wide genotype and ASB data were used for meta-analysis from March 1, 2014, to May 1, 2016. All data sets used quantitative phenotypes, except for the Finnish Crime Study, which applied a case-control design (370 patients and 5850 control individuals).
This study adopted relatively broad inclusion criteria to achieve a quantitative measure of ASB derived from multiple measures, maximizing the sample size over different age ranges.
The discovery samples comprised 16 400 individuals, whereas the target samples consisted of 9381 individuals (all individuals were of European descent), including child and adult samples (mean age range, 6.7-56.1 years). Three promising loci with sex-discordant associations were found (8535 female individuals, chromosome 1: rs2764450, chromosome 11: rs11215217; 7772 male individuals, chromosome X, rs41456347). Polygenic risk score analyses showed prognostication of antisocial phenotypes in an independent Finnish Crime Study (2536 male individuals and 3684 female individuals) and shared genetic origin with conduct problems in a population-based sample (394 male individuals and 431 female individuals) but not with conduct disorder in a substance-dependent sample (950 male individuals and 1386 female individuals) (R2 = 0.0017 in the most optimal model, P = 0.03). Significant inverse genetic correlation of ASB with educational attainment (r = -0.52, P = .005) was detected.
The Broad Antisocial Behavior Consortium entails the largest collaboration to date on the genetic architecture of ASB, and the first results suggest that ASB may be highly polygenic and has potential heterogeneous genetic effects across sex.
The University of Ottawa, Canada, has installed a multi-element, 3MV tandem AMS system as the cornerstone of their new Advanced Research Complex and the principal analytical instrument of the André ...E. Lalonde Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory. Manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa B.V., the Netherlands, it is equipped with a 200 sample ion source, a high resolution, 120° injection magnet, a 90° high energy analysis magnet (mass-energy product 350MeV-AMU), a 65°, 1.7m radius electric analyzer and a 2 channel gas ionization detector. It is designed to analyze isotopes ranging from tritium to the actinides and to accommodate the use of fluoride target materials. This system is being extended with a second injection line, consisting of selected components from the IsoTrace Laboratory, University of Toronto. This line will contain a pre-commercial version of the Isobar Separator for Anions, manufactured by Isobarex Corp., Bolton, Ontario, Canada. This instrument uses selective ion–gas reactions in a radio-frequency quadrupole cell to attenuate both atomic and molecular isobars.
This paper discusses the specifications of the new AMS equipment, reports on the acceptance test results for 10Be, 14C, 26Al and 127I and presents typical spectra for 10Be and actinide analyses.
In a non-selected sample of children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) the prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and predictive value of an observational (ADOS)—and questionnaire-based ...screening instrument were assessed. Complete data was available for 128 children. The prevalence rate for clinical ASD was 10.9%, which is clearly higher than in the general population. This prevalence rate is presumably more accurate than in previous studies that examined children with NF1 with an ASD presumption or solely based on screening instruments. The combined observational- and screening based classifications demonstrated the highest positive predictive value for DSM-IV diagnosis, highlighting the importance of using both instruments in children with NF1.
While many neuroimaging studies have investigated the neurobiological basis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), few have studied the neurobiology of attention problems in the general ...population. The ability to pay attention falls along a continuum within the population, with children with ADHD at one extreme of the spectrum and, therefore, a dimensional perspective of evaluating attention problems has an added value to the existing literature. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between cortical thickness and inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in a large population of young children.
This study is embedded within the Generation R Study and includes 6- to 8-year-old children (n = 444) with parent-reported attention and hyperactivity measures and high-resolution structural imaging data. We investigated the relationship between cortical thickness across the entire brain and the Child Behavior Checklist Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Problems score.
We found that greater attention problems and hyperactivity were associated with a thinner right and left postcentral gyrus. When correcting for potential confounding factors and multiple testing, these associations remained significant.
In a large, population-based sample we showed that young (6- to 8-year-old) children who show more attention problems and hyperactivity have a thinner cortex in the region of the right and left postcentral gyrus. The postcentral gyrus, being the primary somatosensory cortex, reaches its peak growth early in development. Therefore, the thinner cortex in this region may reflect either a deviation in cortical maturation or a failure to reach the same peak cortical thickness compared with children without attention or hyperactivity problems.
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Antigen specific immunotherapy aims to tolerise patients to specific autoantigens that are responsible for the pathology of an autoimmune disease. Immune tolerance is generated in ...conditions where the immune response is suppressed and thus gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are an attractive drug delivery platform due to their anti-inflammatory effects and their potential to facilitate temporal and spatial delivery of a peptide autoantigen in conjunction with pro-tolerogenic elements. In this study we have covalently attached an autoantigen, currently under clinical evaluation for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (PIC19-A3 peptide), to AuNPs to create nanoscale (<5 nm), negatively charged (−40 to −60 mV) AuNP-peptide complexes for immunotherapy. We also employ a clinically approved microneedle delivery system, MicronJet600, to facilitate minimally-invasive intradermal delivery of the nanoparticle constructs to target skin-resident antigen presenting cells, which are known to be apposite target cells for immunotherapy. The AuNP-peptide complexes remain physically stable upon extrusion through microneedles and when delivered into ex vivo human skin they are able to diffuse rapidly and widely throughout the dermis (their site of deposition) and, perhaps more surprisingly, the overlying epidermal layer. Intracellular uptake was extensive, with Langerhans cells proving to be the most efficient cells at internalising the AuNP-peptide complex (94% of the local population within the treated region of skin). In vitro studies showed that uptake of the AuNP-peptide complexes by dendritic cells reduced the capacity of these cells to activate naïve T cells. This indicator of biological functionality encourages further development of the AuNP-peptide formulation, which is now being evaluated in clinical trials.
The quantum numbers of the X(3872) meson are determined to be J(PC)=1(++) based on angular correlations in B(+)→X(3872)K(+) decays, where X(3872)→π(+)π(-)J/ψ and J/ψ→μ(+)μ(-). The data correspond to ...1.0 fb(-1) of pp collisions collected by the LHCb detector. The only alternative assignment allowed by previous measurements J(PC)=2(-+) is rejected with a confidence level equivalent to more than 8 Gaussian standard deviations using a likelihood-ratio test in the full angular phase space. This result favors exotic explanations of the X(3872) state.
Quantifying accurately human impacts on marine ecosystems is key to healthy oceans. While fish production from wild stocks has plateaued since the 1980 s, those estimates are primarily drawn from ...large-scale commercial fisheries, whose boats are routinely monitored using a suite of sophisticated equipment to ensure compliance. Smaller vessels, however, especially in developing countries, have not been so rigorously scrutinised due to their sheer number and the associated high surveillance cost. This study investigated the viability of using low-cost anti-theft devices to detect spatio-temporal patterns of fishing activity in the small- to medium-scale snapper fishery of Indonesia. SPOT Trace® GPS tracking units (SPOT, LLC) were deployed on a voluntary, participatory basis, on 130 deep water fishing boats ranging from 1.5 to 29 m in length. GPS data were subsequently analysed through a port identification and trip segmentation algorithm, before using spatial clustering to automatically identify positions likely associated with fishing events. Through this procedure, we identified a total of 2650 fishing trips, whose durations ranged from 4.3 h to 55.3 days. Fishing occurred primarily near vessels’ home ports, but also offshore in the Jawa Timur province, and in the Timor and Arafura Sea near the Australian Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). Adopting this technology as a low-cost alternative to traditional VMS could greatly empower monitoring agencies through surveillance of a previously poorly documented stratum of the commercial fishing sector, and result in better long-term management of fish stocks and marine resources.
Outcome measures in Angelman syndrome Hagenaar, Doesjka A; Bindels-de Heus, Karen G C B; van Gils, Maud M ...
Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders,
03/2024, Letnik:
16, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe intellectual disability, little to no expressive speech, visual and motor problems, emotional/behavioral ...challenges, and a tendency towards hyperphagia and weight gain. The characteristics of AS make it difficult to measure these children's functioning with standard clinical tests. Feasible outcome measures are needed to measure current functioning and change over time, in clinical practice and clinical trials.
Our first aim is to assess the feasibility of several functional tests. We target domains of neurocognitive functioning and physical growth using the following measurement methods: eye-tracking, functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), indirect calorimetry, bio-impedance analysis (BIA), and BOD POD (air-displacement plethysmography). Our second aim is to explore the results of the above measures, in order to better understand the AS phenotype.
The study sample consisted of 28 children with AS aged 2-18 years. We defined an outcome measure as feasible when (1) at least 70% of participants successfully finished the measurement and (2) at least 60% of those participants had acceptable data quality. Adaptations to the test procedure and reasons for early termination were noted. Parents rated acceptability and importance and were invited to make recommendations to increase feasibility. The results of the measures were explored.
Outcome measures obtained with eye-tracking and BOD POD met the definition of feasibility, while fNIRS, indirect calorimetry, and BIA did not. The most important reasons for early termination of measurements were showing signs of protest, inability to sit still and poor/no calibration (eye-tracking specific). Post-calibration was often applied to obtain valid eye-tracking results. Parents rated the BOD POD als most acceptable and fNIRS as least acceptable for their child. All outcome measures were rated to be important. Exploratory results indicated longer reaction times to high salient visual stimuli (eye-tracking) as well as high body fat percentage (BOD POD).
Eye-tracking and BOD POD are feasible measurement methods for children with AS. Eye-tracking was successfully used to assess visual orienting functions in the current study and (with some practical adaptations) can potentially be used to assess other outcomes as well. BOD POD was successfully used to examine body composition.
Registered d.d. 23-04-2020 under number 'NL8550' in the Dutch Trial Register: https://onderzoekmetmensen.nl/en/trial/23075.
The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains unclear, due to genetic heterogeneity and heterogeneity in symptoms across individuals. This study compares ASD symptomatology between ...monogenetic syndromes with a high ASD prevalence, in order to reveal syndrome specific vulnerabilities and to clarify how genetic variations affect ASD symptom presentation.
We assessed ASD symptom severity in children and young adults (aged 0-28 years) with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS,
= 60), Angelman Syndrome (AS,
= 91), Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1,
= 279) and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC,
= 110), using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Social Responsiveness Scale. Assessments were part of routine clinical care at the ENCORE expertise center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. First, we compared the syndrome groups on the ASD classification prevalence and ASD severity scores. Then, we compared individuals in our syndrome groups with an ASD classification to a non-syndromic ASD group (nsASD,
= 335), on both ASD severity scores and ASD symptom profiles. Severity scores were compared using MANCOVAs with IQ and gender as covariates.
Overall, ASD severity scores were highest for the FXS group and lowest for the NF1 group. Compared to nsASD, individuals with an ASD classification in our syndrome groups showed less problems on the instruments' social domains. We found a relative strength in the AS group on the social cognition, communication and motivation domains and a relative challenge in creativity; a relative strength of the NF1 group on the restricted interests and repetitive behavior scale; and a relative challenge in the FXS and TSC groups on the restricted interests and repetitive behavior domain.
The syndrome-specific strengths and challenges we found provide a frame of reference to evaluate an individual's symptoms relative to the larger syndromic population and to guide treatment decisions. Our findings support the need for personalized care and a dimensional, symptom-based diagnostic approach, in contrast to a dichotomous ASD diagnosis used as a prerequisite for access to healthcare services. Similarities in ASD symptom profiles between AS and FXS, and between NF1 and TSC may reflect similarities in their neurobiology. Deep phenotyping studies are required to link neurobiological markers to ASD symptomatology.
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