Unrepresentative big surveys significantly overestimated US vaccine uptake.

Surveys are a crucial tool for understanding public opinion and behaviour, and their accuracy depends on maintaining statistical representativeness of their target populations by minimizing biases from all sources. Increasing data size shrinks confidence intervals but magnifies the effect of survey bias: an instance of the Big Data Paradox1. Here we demonstrate this paradox in estimates of first-dose COVID-19 vaccine uptake in US adults from 9 January to 19 May 2021 from two large surveys: Delphi-Facebook2,3 (about 250,000 responses per week) and Census Household Pulse4 (about 75,000 every two weeks). In May 2021, Delphi-Facebook overestimated uptake by 17 percentage points (14-20 percentage points with 5% benchmark imprecision) and Census Household Pulse by 14 (11-17 percentage points with 5% benchmark imprecision), compared to a retroactively updated benchmark the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on 26 May 2021. Moreover, their large sample sizes led to miniscule margins of error on the incorrect estimates. By contrast, an Axios-Ipsos online panel5 with about 1,000 responses per week following survey research best practices6 provided reliable estimates and uncertainty quantification. We decompose observed error using a recent analytic framework1 to explain the inaccuracy in the three surveys. We then analyse the implications for vaccine hesitancy and willingness. We show how a survey of 250,000 respondents can produce an estimate of the population mean that is no more accurate than an estimate from a simple random sample of size 10. Our central message is that data quality matters more than data quantity, and that compensating the former with the latter is a mathematically provable losing proposition.

Clinical and genomic features in patients with second primary glioblastoma following first primary renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To explore the potential pathogenesis and clinical features of second primary glioblastoma (spGBM) following first primary renal cell carcinoma (fpRCC). METHODS: Patients with spGBM after fpRCC were enrolled from our institution and the SEER dataset. Sanger sequencing, whole genome sequencing, and immunehistochemistry were used to detect molecular biomarkers. RESULTS: Four and 122 cases from our institution and the SEER dataset, respectively, were collected with an overall median age of 69 years at spGBM diagnosis following fpRCC. The median interval time between fpRCC and spGBM was 50.7 months and 4 years, for the four and 122 cases respectively. The median overall survival time was 11.2 and 6.0 months for the two datasets. In addition, spGBM patients of younger age (< 75 years) or shorter interval time (< 1 year) had favorable prognosis (p = 0.081 and 0.05, respectively). Moreover, the spGBM cases were molecularly classified as TERT only paired with TP53 mutation, PIK3CA mutation, EGFR alteration, low tumor mutation burden, and stable microsatellite status. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to investigate the pathogenesis and clinical features of spGBM following spRCC. We found that spGBMs are old-age related, highly malignant, and have short survival time. Moreover, they might be misdiagnosed and treated as brain metastases from RCC. Thus, the incidence of spGBMs after fpRCC is underestimated. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms and clinical biomarkers for the development of spGBM following fpRCC.

Fusion of Inertial/Magnetic Sensor Measurements and Map Information for Pedestrian Tracking.

The wearable inertial/magnetic sensor based human motion analysis plays an important role in many biomedical applications, such as physical therapy, gait analysis and rehabilitation. One of the main challenges for the lower body bio-motion analysis is how to reliably provide position estimations of human subject during walking. In this paper, we propose a particle filter based human position estimation method using a foot-mounted inertial and magnetic sensor module, which not only uses the traditional zero velocity update (ZUPT), but also applies map information to further correct the acceleration double integration drift and thus improve estimation accuracy. In the proposed method, a simple stance phase detector is designed to identify the stance phase of a gait cycle based on gyroscope measurements. For the non-stance phase during a gait cycle, an acceleration control variable derived from ZUPT information is introduced in the process model, while vector map information is taken as binary pseudo-measurements to further enhance position estimation accuracy and reduce uncertainty of walking trajectories. A particle filter is then designed to fuse ZUPT information and binary pseudo-measurements together. The proposed human position estimation method has been evaluated with closed-loop walking experiments in indoor and outdoor environments. Results of comparison study have illustrated the effectiveness of the proposed method for application scenarios with useful map information.

[Toxoplasma gondii Rhoptry Protein 17 Inhibits the Apoptosis of Mouse Macrophages via Activation of Activator Protein 1 Signaling].

Objective: To investigate the effect of Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein 17（ROP17） on γ-interferon (IFN-γ)-induced apoptosis of mouse J774A.1 monocyte macrophages. Methods: The J774A.1 cells were transfected with recombinant plasmid p3×Flag-CMV-14/TgROP17 or empty plasmid p3×Flag-CMV-14. After addition of IFN-γ, flow cytometry and Western blotting were performed to detect apoptosis and the protein levels of phosphorylated c-Jun and apoptosis-related proteins cleaved Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-3. The p3×Flag-CMV-14/TgROP17 plasmid and c-Jun shRNA were co-transfected into J774A.1 cells, after which IFN-γ was added to induce cell apoptosis. The levels of cleaved Caspase-3 and Bcl-3 were analyzed using Western blotting. Results: Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of cells overexpressing ROP17［（3.73±0.51）%ï¼½ was significantly lower than that of the control cells［（7.78±1.10）%, P<0.05ï¼½. Western blotting showed significant differences in protein levels of phosphorylated c-Jun（0.196±0.028 vs. 0.075±0.010）, Bcl-3（0.461±0.063 vs. 0.108±0.013） and cleaved Caspase 3（0.015±0.004 vs. 0.174±0.026） between the cells overexpressing ROP17 and control cells （all P<0.05）. However, the levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL were not significantly different between the cells overexpressing ROP17 and the control. When the expression of c-Jun and phosphorylation of c-Jun were inhibited by c-Jun shRNA, the relative level of cleaved Caspase 3 in the RNA interferenced cells and control cells was 0.147±0.024 and 0.087±0.010, respectively (P<0.05), and the relative level of Bcl-3 was 0.085±0.010 and 0.162±0.011, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: The anti-apoptosis effect of ROP17 is dependent on the phosphorylation of c-Jun and the expression of Bcl-3.

[Construction, expression and kinase function analysis of an eukaryocyte vector of rhoptry protein 17 in Toxoplasma gondii].

OBJECTIVE: To construct and express the eukaryocytic expression vector of rhoptry protein 17 of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain (TgROP17) and analyze its kinase function. METHODS: The open reading frame of TgROP17 gene was amplified from total RNA in T. gondii RH strain by RT-PCR, and cloned into p3 x Flag-CMV-14 vector to construct recombinant plasmid p3xFlag-CMV-14/TgROP17. After colony-PCR confirming, double restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing, the eukaryotic expression vector p3xFlag-CMV-14/TgROP17 was transfected into HEK 293T cells. The target gene was examined by RT-PCR and the recombinant protein was detected by Western blotting. The kinase activity of TgROP17 was identified by Western blotting and its apoptotic function was assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The size of RT-PCR product was 1 850 bp. The recombinant plasmid p3xFlag-CMV-14/ TgROP17 was confirmed by colony-PCR, double restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis showed that TgROP17 was expressed in the p3xFlag-CMV-14/TgROPl7 transfected-HEK 293T cells rather than in mock cells. The amplified gene was with 1,850 bp and the target protein was about M, 70,000. Western blotting analysis showed that c-Jun was phosphorylated by TgROP17. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that camptothecin-induced apoptosis was inhibited by TgROP17 with an inhibition rate of 20.6% and 24.1% at 6 h and 12 h after coculture, respectively, which was higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The eukaryotic expression vector p3xFlag-CMV-14/TgROP17 is constructed. TgROP17 has kinase activity and playes an anti-apoptosis role.

[Cloning and expression of actin gene of Toxoplasma gondii].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the actin gene of Toxoplasma gondii, and analyze the immunoreactivity of the recombinant protein. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from tachyzoites of RH strain of T. gondii. The open reading frame of TgACT gene was amplified with a pair of specific primers which were designed according to the coding sequence of TgACT gene (Accession No. XM_002369622.1). The RT-PCR product was cloned into the prokaryotic expression pET-30a (+) vector. The recombinant pET30a-TgACT plasmid was transformed into E. coli DH5alpha. The positive clones were selected through the colony-PCR and confirmed by the double restrict enzyme digestion and sequencing. The correct pET30a-TgACT plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) and induced by IPTG. The expressed proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Western blotting assay was performed with anti-poly-histidine tag (anti-His) antibody or rabbit anti-T. gondii serum. RESULTS: The product of RT-PCR was with 1 100 bp. The recombinant plasmid pET30a-TgACT was confirmed by colony-PCR, double restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. SDS-PAGE results showed that the target protein was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) in the form of inclusion bodies with a rough molecular weight of 49 000. The purified soluble protein was obtained by using denaturation, renaturation and purification. Western blotting revealed that rTgACT can be recognized by anti-His antibody and rabbit anti-T. gondii serum. CONCLUSION: The recombinant plasmid pET30a-TgACT has been successfully constructed, and the recombinant protein TgACT is produced in E. coli and maintains specific immunoreactivity.

Gene-cloning, expression and antigenicity analysis of rhoptry protein 17 of Toxoplasma gondii.

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the rhoptry protein 17 (ROP17) gene of RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii, analyze the antigenicity of recombinant protein. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from tachyzoites of RH strain of T. gondii. The open reading frame of TgROP17 gene was amplified with a pair of specific primers which was designed according to the coding sequence of TgROP17 gene (GenBank accession No. AM075203.1), the product of RT-PCR was digested with double restriction enzyme and ligated into a pGEX-6P-1 vector. The recombinant pGEX-6P-1-TgROP17 plasmid was transferred into E. coli DH5alpha and the positive clones were selected through the colony-PCR and confirmed by the double restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. The constructed pGEX-6P-1-TgROP17 was transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3) and induced with IPTG for expression. The expression products were analyzed through SDS-PAGE followed by Coomassie blue staining. Western blotting assay with GST primary antibody and rabbit anti-T. gondii serum was used to confirm the expression of GST-ROP17 and analyze its antigenic properties. RESULTS: The product of RT-PCR was with 1 850 bp. The recombinant plasmid pGEX-6P-1-TgROP17 was confirmed by colony-PCR, double restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. A soluble recombinant protein with relative molecular weight of 96,000 was analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by Coomassie blue staining. The GST tag in GST-ROP17 and the antigenicity of ROP17 were detected efficiently by Western blotting with the GST primary antibody and with the prepared antiserum against T. gondii, respectively. CONCLUSION: The recombinant GST-ROP17 protein has been produced in E. coli and shows specific antigenicity.

[Cloning, expression and antigenicity analysis of phosphoglycerate mutase 2 gene of Toxoplasma gondii].

OBJECTIVE: To clone and express the phosphoglycerate mutase 2 (PGAM2) gene of Toxoplasma gondii, and analyze the antigenicity of the recombinant protein. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from T. gondii tachyzoites of RH strain and reversely transcribed into cDNA. TgPGAM2 gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into pET30a(+) vector. The constructed pET30a(+)-TgPGAM2 was transformed into E. coli DH5alpha first and selected through the colony-PCR and confirmed by the double restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing. The correct plasmid was transformed into E. coli BL21 for expression induced by IPTG and the recombinant protein was further analyzed through SDS-PAGE followed by Coomassie brilliant blue staining. Western blotting assay with rabbit anti-T. gondii serum was used to analyze its antigenicity. RESULTS: The length of PCR product was about 750 bp and the recombinant plasmid pET30a(+)-TgPGAM2 was successfully constructed. The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blotting revealed that the relative molecular weight (Mr) of the soluble recombinant protein was approximately 30 000 and could be recognized by rabbit anti-T. gondii serum. CONCLUSION: The soluble TgPGAM2 protein has been expressed in the prokaryotic expression system and maintains its antigenicity.

[Early kinetics of Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice infected intragastrically with tachyzoites by chromogenic in situ hybridization targeting SAG2 mRNA].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the early kinetics of Toxoplasma gondii infection in mice inoculated with tachyzoites of RH strain. METHODS: Twenty BALB/c mice were administered intragastrically with tachyzoites of RH strain (2 x 10(4)/mice). Parasite burdens in mesenteric lymph node (MLN), liver, spleen, lung and brain were determined by chromogenic in situ hybridization targeting SAG2 mRNA at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days postinfection. Five mice were inoculated with PBS as blank control. RESULTS: The MLN, liver and spleen were the first organs where tachyzoites were found on the first day after infection, followed by the lungs on the 4th day and the brain on the 6th day. On days 6 to 8 after infection, there was a significant difference on parasite load among the tissues (P < 0.05), and the parasite load in MLN was highest, followed by that of liver, spleen, lungs and brain. The number of tachyzoites in various tissues was time-dependent. CONCLUSION: T. gondii tachyzoites were first detected in MLN, liver and spleen, then in the lungs, and finally in the brain. The number of tachyzoites in the MLNs increased more rapidly.

[Kinetics of IgA secreting cells and sIgA in small intestine of mice induced by intranasal immunization with Toxoplasma gondii STAg].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the kinetics of IgA secreting cells (IgASCs) and secretory IgA (sIgA) level in small intestine induced by intranasal immunization with Toxoplasma gondii soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg) in mice. METHODS: Ninety-six 5 to 6-week old BALB/c mice were randomly divided into immunity and control groups. Mice of the immunity group were each intranasally immunized with STAg 20 microg in 20 microl PBS, twice at an interval of 2 weeks, while the control mice were each given 20 microl PBS. All mice were challenged intragastrically with 1 x 10(4) tachyzoites in 0.5 ml per mouse in 1 week after the last immunization. The body weight and infection incidence of mice were recorded. Eight mice of each group were sacrificed on the day 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 post infection, respectively. The quantity of IgASCs in mucosa of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was detected by immunohistochemistry. The sIgA in intestinal washes were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: All mice fell ill post infection, but the symptom of mice in the immunity group was milder, the increasing level of body weight of mice in the immunity group was higher considerably than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Two mice died in control group on the 7th day after infection. sIgA level in intestinal washes increased continually in two groups, but the increasing level in the immunity group was higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). The number of IgASCs in duodenum increased slightly in the control group, but increased continuously and maintained a high level after 9 d in the immunity group, for instance, 20.65 +/- 1.67 in the immunity group and 12.30 +/- 2.67 in the control. The correlation of the sIgA level in intestinal washes and the quantitative change of IgASCs in duodenum was positive in the immunity group (r = 0.566, P < 0.05) and the control (r = 0.378, P < 0.05). The number of IgASCs in jejunum decreased in the control group but increased then slightly decreased after 9 d in the immunity group. Positive correlation between the sIgA level in intestinal washes and the quantitative change of IgASCs in jejunum was found in the immunity group (r = 0.218, P > 0.05) but negative in the control (r = -0.557, P < 0.05). The number of IgASCs in ileum declined in the control group but maintained a high level in the immunity group. The correlation between the sIgA level in intestinal washes and the quantitative change of IgASCs in ileum was r = -0.053 (P > 0.05) in the immunity group and r = -0.685 (P < 0.05) in the control. CONCLUSION: Intranasal immunization with STAg in mice orally infected with Toxoplasma gondii can increase the number of IgASCs in jejunum and ileum, and enhance the immune barrier function of mucosa in small intestine of mice.

[Kinetics of IgA secreting cells and IgA in small intestine of mice induced by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the kinetics of IgA secreting cells (IgASCs) in small intestine and the specific antibody level induced by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite infection in mice. METHODS: Ninety-six BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 2 groups, 12 were intragastrically given 0.5 ml PBS as control, the rest were each intragastrically infected with 1 x 10(4) tachyzoites of the virulent RH strain Toxoplasma gondii. On the day 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 post infection, 12 mice were sacrificed respectively. The quantity of IgASCs in mucosa of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was detected by immunohistochemistry analysis. IgA in sera and in intestinal washes was determined by ELISA. RESULTS: The IgASCs were found in lamina propria of the small intestine mucosa. The amount of IgASCs in duodenal mucosa increased gradually with the time after infection, while in jejunal mucous membrane it increased from the day 2 to 8, and then decreased to the level of before infection on day 14. The amount of IgASCs in ileal mucous membrane also increased from day 2 to 6, then descended gradually and on the day 12 to a level lower than that of before infection. IgA level in the intestinal washes increased continually but there was no significant change in serum samples. The correlation between IgA level in intestinal washes and the quantitative change of IgASCs in mucosa of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was r=0.732 (P<0.01), r=0.116 (P>0.05) and r=-0.429 (P<0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION: Toxoplasma gondii infection induces a high level expression of IgASCs in duodenum and an increase of IgA antibody in the intestinal washes, showing a positive correlation. The high level IgA in the intestinal washes is mainly from IgASCs of the duodenal mucosa.

Identifying Predictive Gene Expression and Signature Related to Temozolomide Sensitivity of Glioblastomas.

Temozolomide (TMZ) is considered a standard chemotherapeutic agent for glioblastoma (GBM). Characterizing the biological molecules and signaling pathways involved in TMZ sensitivity would be helpful for selecting therapeutic schemes and evaluating prognosis for GBM. Thus, in the present study, we selected 34 glioma cell lines paired with specific IC50 values of TMZ obtained from CancerRxGene and RNA-seq data downloaded from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia to identify genes related to TMZ sensitivity. The results showed that 1,373 genes were related to the response of GBM cells to TMZ. Biological function analysis indicated that epithelial-mesenchymal transition, Wnt signaling, and immune response were the most significantly activated functions in TMZ-resistant cell lines. Additionally, negative regulation of telomere maintenance via telomerase was enriched in TMZ-sensitive glioma cell lines. We also preliminarily observed a synergistic effect of combination treatment comprising TMZ and a telomerase inhibitor in vitro. We identified six genes (MROH8, BET1, PTPRN2, STC1, NKX3-1, and ARMC10) using the random survival forests variable hunting algorithm based on the minimum error rate of the gene combination and constructed a gene expression signature. The signature was strongly related to GBM clinical characteristics and exhibited good prognosis accuracy for both The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) datasets. Patients in the high score group had a shorter survival time than those in the low score group (11.2 vs. 22.2 months, hazard ratio = 7.31, p = 4.59e-11) of the TCGA dataset. The CGGA dataset was selected as a validation group with 40 patients in the high score set and 43 patients in the low score set (12.5 vs. 28.8 months, hazard ratio = 3.42, p = 8.61e-5). Moreover, the signature showed a better prognostic value than MGMT promoter methylation in both datasets. We also developed a nomogram for clinical use that integrated the TMZ response signature and four other risk factors to individually predict patient survival after TMZ chemotherapy. Overall, our study provides promising therapeutic targets and potential guidance for adjuvant therapy of GBM.

Toxoplasma gondii: proteomic analysis of antigenicity of soluble tachyzoite antigen.

The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is an important pathogen of humans and animals. The tachyzoite of T. gondii is the main life-cycle stage that is responsible for toxoplasmosis. Study of the antigenicity of soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg) is important for discovery of protective antigens which will aid in the detection and prevention of toxoplasmosis. At present, no complete proteome map of T. gondii STAg is established, although a large-scale whole proteomic analysis of tachyzoites is underway. In this study, 1227 protein spots of T. gondii soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg) were fractionated by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) at pH range 3-10. By mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, among the separated 1227 protein spots, 426 were identified by searching the Swissport and NCBI nr databases. Two hundred and thirty of these identified spots (230/426, 54%) were demonstrated to be T. gondii protein by MS. Of the 21 Toxoplasma protein spots identified by Western blot with rabbit anti-T. gondii serum, 16 had immunoregulatory functions and five had immune defense functions. Due to multiple spots for a single protein, these 16 spots represented 11 proteins: a putative protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), a pyruvate kinase (PK), a putative glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), a coronin, a heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), a protein kinase C receptor 1 (RACK1), a malate dehydrogenase (MDH), a major surface antigen 1 (SAG1), an uridine phosphorylase (UPase) and a peroxiredoxin (Prx). Among the identified 11 proteins, except that the antigenicity and immunogenicity of the SAG1 has been reported and antigenicity of Hsp70 has been disputed, the remaining antigenic proteins were first identified in this study. In conclusion, we obtained nine novel types of immunogenic proteins that might be potential candidates of vaccine development for toxoplasmosis, which we will confirm in later studies.

[Kinetic observation on the invasion into and proliferation in IEC-6 cells of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain tachyzoites in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To study the invasion and proliferation in IEC-6 cells of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain tachyzoites in vitro. METHODS: T. gondii tachyzoites of RH strain were co-cultured with IEC-6 cells in vitro, the process of cell adhesion, invasion and proliferation by tachyzoites was observed consecutively with inverted microscope. At 5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after co-culture, the tachyzoite invasion to IEC-6 and intracellular proliferation were observed with Giemsa-Wright's staining, respectively. The invasive rate of tachyzoites to IEC-6 was counted. RESULTS: T. gondii tachyzoites invaded the IEC-6 cells 5 min after culture, henceforth the invasive rate increased gradually. The invasive rate was about 55.0% at the first hour after culture with 1-5 tachyzoites in one cell. In the second hour after culture, the rate reached highest with 81.8% and there were many pseudocysts emerging. At the same time, tachyzoites invaded the cell nucleus and proliferated in the nucleus. At the 4th hour after culture, the invasive rate began to decrease (80.8 +/- 9.2)%, the pseudocysts began to break and tachyzoites were released to cluster. The clustering tachyzoites increased significantly at the 6th hour. At the 12th hour the clustering tachyzoites decreased and most tachyzoites were free, the number of complete cells decreased obviously. There were only a few cells and pseudocysts left at the 24th hour, and a great quantity of free tachyzoites existed out of the IEC-6 cells. There were plenty of mobile tachyzoites while none of IEC-6 cells existed after 48 h culture. CONCLUSION: IEC-6 cell may be the suitable target cell of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite. The tachyzoites can invade the IEC-6 cells quickly in vitro and proliferate in the plasma and nucleus with a reproductive cycle of about 6 to 12 hrs.

Prevalence of mental illness in immigrant and non-immigrant U.S. Latino groups.

OBJECTIVE: Although widely reported among Latino populations, contradictory evidence exists regarding the generalizability of the immigrant paradox, i.e., that foreign nativity protects against psychiatric disorders. The authors examined whether this paradox applies to all Latino groups by comparing estimates of lifetime psychiatric disorders among immigrant Latino subjects, U.S-born Latino subjects, and non-Latino white subjects. METHOD: The authors combined and examined data from the National Latino and Asian American Study and the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, two of the largest nationally representative samples of psychiatric information. RESULTS: In the aggregate, risk of most psychiatric disorders was lower for Latino subjects than for non-Latino white subjects. Consistent with the immigrant paradox, U.S.-born Latino subjects reported higher rates for most psychiatric disorders than Latino immigrants. However, rates varied when data were stratified by nativity and disorder and adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic differences across groups. The immigrant paradox consistently held for Mexican subjects across mood, anxiety, and substance disorders, while it was only evident among Cuban and other Latino subjects for substance disorders. No differences were found in lifetime prevalence rates between migrant and U.S.-born Puerto Rican subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Caution should be exercised in generalizing the immigrant paradox to all Latino groups and for all psychiatric disorders. Aggregating Latino subjects into a single group masks significant variability in lifetime risk of psychiatric disorders, with some subgroups, such as Puerto Rican subjects, suffering from psychiatric disorders at rates comparable to non-Latino white subjects. Our findings thus suggest that immigrants benefit from a protective context in their country of origin, possibly inoculating them against risk for substance disorders, particularly if they emigrated to the United States as adults.

[Dynamic observation of attachment and invasion of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites to intestinal mucosa in BALB/c mice by chromogenic in situ hybridization targeting SAG2 mRNA].

OBJECTIVE: To observe dynamically the location and time of attachment and invasion of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites to murine intestinal mucosa by chromogenic in situ hybridization targeting SAG2 mRNA. METHODS: Thirty 7- to 8-week-old BALB/c mice were randomly divided into experiment group (24 mice) and control group (6 mice). Each animal in the experiment group was given 2 x 10(4) tachyzoites of RH stain in 0.2 ml PBS by intragastric administration and that in the control group was given 0.2 ml PBS. Four mice in the experiment group and one in the control group were sacrificed at 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h and 8 h after infection, respectively, and paraffin sections of duodenum, jejunum and ileum were prepared to perform the in situ hybridization with Dig-labeled oligonucleotide probe complementary to SAG2 mRNA of T. gondii. RESULTS: Tachyzoites were found on the striated border of small intestine epithelial cells (absorptive cells, goblet cells and endocrine cells), in or between two absorptive cells or in the lamina propria. At 15 min-2 h after infection, there was significant difference in the number of attachment on jejunum and ileum (P<0.05); the number of invasion in jejunum was significantly higher than in duodenum and ileum at minute 15 and 30 after infection (P<0.05) . Following the lapse of time, the number of attaching tachyzoites gradually reduced, whereas the number of invading tachyzoites gradually increased. Compared with 15 min after infection, for all the intestinal sections, the number of attachment significantly reduced at 8 h after infection (P<0.05), in contrast, the number of invasion significantly increased at 4 h and 8 h after infection (P<0.05) . Between 4 h and 8 h after infection, a significant increase in the number of invasion was showed in jejunum and ileum (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Although the cell selectivity of attachment has not been observed, the location selectivity of invasion is present, jejunum is more susceptible to the tachyzoite invasion.

Pacemaker implantation for treating migraine-like headache secondary to cardiac arrhythmia: A case report.

RATIONALE: Co-occurrence of headache and arrhythmia is not rare. However, their causal relationship remains unclear. Here, we described a case of migraine-like headache relieving with pacemaker implantation. Our case study indicates that arrhythmia is causal for migraine-like headache, which, to our knowledge, has never been reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 63-year-old woman patient suffered from paroxysmal headache with a visual aura presenting like migraine for 2 years. No ophthalmic or neurological disorder was found, but cardiac examination detected bradycardia, which was confirmed by 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram (DCG) revealing sinus bradycardia mixed with ventricular premature beats and supraventricular tachycardia. Transcranial doppler (TCD) detected an equal echo flat plaque on the anterolateral wall of the common carotid artery (CA) bifurcation. DIAGNOSIS: Migraine-like headaches secondary to arrhythmia. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent pacemaker implantation. OUTCOMES: Both visual aura and headache were resolved following pacemaker implantation. LESSONS: To the best of the authors' knowledge, we are the first to report migraine-like headache as a secondary symptom of arrhythmia. Arrhythmia may aggravate insufficient blood supply to the brain due to CA lesion and induce a migraine-like headache. This case study indicated that pacemaker implantation could be a fundamental treatment for migraine-like headaches caused by cardiac arrhythmia.

[Intranasal immunization with mucosal complex vaccine protects mice against Toxoplasma gondii].

OBJECTIVE: To study the mucosal and systemic immune response after intranasal immunization with mucosal complex vaccine for Toxoplasma gondii, and to observe the protective effect on mice. METHODS: The mucosal complex vaccine was made of soluble tachyzoite antigen (STAg) and cholera toxin (CT), which were mixed and dissolved in PBS (1 ml PBS containing 1 mg STAg and 50 microg CT). Fifty-two BALB/c mice were randomly divided into two groups: immunized group and control. Mice were intranasally immunized with 20 microl mucosal complex vaccine (20 microg STAg and l microg CT) per mouse twice at an interval of two weeks, while the control mice were given PBS solution instead. Six mice of each group were killed by dislocation of cervical vertebra on day 14 after the last immunization. The specific IgG antibodies in serum and IgA in feces were detected by ELISA. Lymphocytes in spleen, Peyer's patches (PP) and intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) were isolated and counted. Percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was determined by immunocytochemistry. Other mice were challenged intragastrically each with 4 x 10(4) tachyzoites of RH strain Toxoplasma gondii on day 14 after the last immunization. Their health condition was observed and the number of tachyzoites in liver and brain was determined microscopically on the 30 th day after challenge. RESULTS: IgG antibodies in serum and IgA antibodies in feces of immunized mice were higher than the control (P < 0.05). Lymphocytes in spleen, PP and IEL significantly increased after immunization (P < 0.01). The CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were both higher than that of the control (P < 0.05) in spleen and PP. The number of CD8+ T cells in IEL increased significantly (P < 0.01), and the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was reversed with significance (P < 0.05). On the day 30 after challenge, the survival rate of immunized mice was higher than that of control (P < 0.05), while the tachyzoite load in liver and brain was significantly smaller respectively. CONCLUSION: Intranasal inoculation with mucosal complex vaccine effectively induces the mucosal and systemic immune response, and protects mice against Toxoplasma gondii.

An extended inequality approach for evaluating decision making units with a single output.

In this work, an extended evaluation approach for decision making units (DMUs) with a single output is proposed. Firstly, the input and output data for each DMU are changed in the same proportion until all the outputs are equal, and then the coordinate system is established with input i as the ith coordinate axis. Secondly, in the coordinate system, the production possibility set, which is spanned by all the DMUs without the evaluated DMU, is expressed by inequalities. Moreover, the mathematical expression of the line segment joining the origin to the evaluated DMU is given. Thirdly, the efficiency measure of the evaluated DMU is obtained from the relationship between the production possibility set and the line segment. In order to distinguish the weak efficiency and efficiency, the partially ordered set and minimal element are introduced in the paper. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the proposed approach.