Gender difference in the effect of uric acid on striatal dopamine in early Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High uric acid (UA) levels have been shown to exert a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson's disease (PD) by inhibiting oxidative stress in the nigrostriatal pathway. However, the association between striatal dopamine activity and UA level has not been clarified. METHODS: A total of 213 patients with early PD were enrolled. All patients underwent positron emission tomography using 18 F-N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2beta-carbon ethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane and a venous blood test for quantification of serum UA. All patients were stratified into either the lower UA group or the higher UA group using the median UA level. After normalizing the positron emission tomography images, differences in the regional standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were analyzed with a volume-of-interest template. All tested SUVRs were also compared after categorizing patients by gender. RESULTS: The UA affected dopamine transporter SUVRs in different ways by gender. In female patients, the higher UA level group showed a smaller reduction in dopamine transporter uptake in the posterior putamen, whereas there was no such association observed in male patients. CONCLUSIONS: Higher UA levels were correlated with higher dopamine transporter uptake in the putamen in female patients with early PD. This finding suggests that UA has a neuroprotective effect, as demonstrated by the relatively preserved striatal dopamine activity in women.

Thoracic recurrence in patients with curatively-resected colorectal cancer: incidence, risk factors, and value of chest CT as a postoperative surveillance tool.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence of thoracic recurrence and the diagnostic value of chest CT for postoperative surveillance in curatively-resected colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS: This retrospective study consisted of 648 CRC patients (M:F, 393:255; mean age, 66.2 years) treated with curative surgery between January 2010 and December 2012. The presence of CRC recurrence over follow-ups was analysed and recurrence-free survival and risk factors of recurrence were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test and Cox-regression analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 57 months, thoracic recurrence occurred in 8.0% (52/648) of patients with a median recurrence-free survival rate of 19.5 months. Among the 52 patients with thoracic recurrence, 18 (2.7%) had isolated thoracic recurrence, and only five (0.8%) were diagnosed through chest CT. Risk factors of overall thoracic recurrence included age, positive resection margin, presence of venous invasion, positive pathologic N-class, and presence of abdominal recurrence (odds ratio [OR] = 1.78, 19.691, 2.993, 2.502, and 31.137; p = 0.045, 0.004, 0.001, 0.005, and p < 0.001, respectively). As for isolated thoracic recurrence, serum carcinoembryonic antigen level ≥ 5 ng/mL during postoperative follow-up (OR = 9.112; p < 0.001) was demonstrated to be the only predictive factor. There were no thoracic recurrences in patients with CRC stages 0 and I. CONCLUSION: In patients with curatively-resected CRCs, routine surveillance using chest CT may be of limited value, particularly in those with CRC stages 0 or I, as recurrence only detectable through chest CT was shown to be rare. KEY POINTS: • Postoperative thoracic recurrence only detectable through chest CT was shown to be rare. • There were no thoracic recurrences in colorectal cancers stage 0 and I. • Postoperative surveillance chest CT is of limited value in patients with curatively resected colorectal cancers.

Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of the substrate for hyposmia in patients with Parkinson's disease.

AIM: To assess whether multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could detect neuroanatomical substrates that are distinctive to hyposmic Parkinson's disease (PD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 102 PD patients, 62 were hyposmic and 40 were normosmic. For each patient, a sagittal structural three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted image was obtained with the magnetisation-prepared rapid acquisition of the gradient-echo sequence to generate subcortical grey matter masking templates and to perform a voxel-based morphometry analysis of the subcortical grey matter volumes. A 3D multi-echo gradient sequence was run to obtain axial magnitude and phase images to produce a quantitative susceptibility map (QSM), and a diffusion-weighted image was acquired to generate an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. The volumes and average QSM and ADC values of the 15 subcortical grey matter structures were calculated, and the group differences were evaluated using a one-way analysis of covariance with age and gender as covariates. RESULTS: The QSM of the left thalamus significantly increased, while that of the right thalamus significantly decreased in hyposmia. No effects on the cortical volume changes were found other than aging. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that accumulation of disease-related substances in the left and right thalamus and the increasing asymmetry between the two sides are associated with hyposmia in PD.

Outcomes of Patients Treated in the UK Proton Overseas Programme: Central Nervous System Group.

AIMS: In 2008, the UK National Health Service started the Proton Overseas Programme (POP), to provide access for proton beam therapy (PBT) abroad for selected tumour diagnoses while two national centres were being planned. The clinical outcomes for the patient group treated for central nervous system (CNS), base of skull, spinal and paraspinal malignancies are reported here. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since the start of the POP, an agreement between the National Health Service and UK referring centres ensured outcomes data collection, including overall survival, local tumour control and late toxicity data. Clinical and treatment-related data were extracted from this national patient database. Grade ≥3 late toxicities were reported following Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v 4.0 definition, occurring later than 90 days since the completion of treatment. RESULTS: Between 2008 and September 2020, 830 patients were treated within the POP for the above listed malignancies. Overall survival data were available for 815 patients and local control data for 726 patients. Toxicity analysis was carried out on 702 patients, with patients excluded due to short follow-up (<90 days) and/or inadequate toxicity data available. After a median follow-up of 3.34 years (0.06-11.58), the overall survival was 91.2%. The local control rate was 85.9% after a median follow-up of 2.81 years (range 0.04-11.58). The overall grade ≥3 late toxicity incidence was 11.97%, after a median follow-up of 1.72 years (0.04-8.45). The median radiotherapy prescription dose was 54 GyRBE (34.8-79.2). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate the safety of PBT for CNS tumours. Preliminary clinical outcomes following PBT for paediatric/teen and young adult and adult CNS tumours treated within the POP are encouraging, which reflects accurate patient selection and treatment quality. The rate of late effects compares favourably with published cohorts. Clinical outcomes from this patient cohort will be compared with those of UK-treated patients since the start of the national PBT service in 2018.

Synthesis of sea urchin-like carbon nanotubes on nano-diamond powder.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique atomic structure and properties, such as a high aspect ratio and high mechanical, electrical and thermal properties. On the other hand, the agglomeration and entanglement of CNTs restrict their applications. Sea urchin-like multiwalled carbon nanotubes, which have a small aspect ratio, can minimize the problem of dispersion. The high hardness, thermal conductivity and chemical inertness of the nano-diamond powder make it suitable for a wide range of applications in the mechanical and electronic fields. CNTs were synthesized on nano-diamond powder by thermal CVD to fabricate a filler with suitable mechanical properties and chemical stability. This paper reports the growth of CNTs with a sea urchin-like structure on the surface of the nano-diamond powder. Nano-diamond powders were dispersed in an attritional milling system using zirconia beads in ethanol. After the milling process, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS) was added as a linker. Silanization was performed between the nano-diamond particles and the metal catalyst. Iron chloride was used as a catalyst for the fabrication of the CNTs. After drying, catalyst-attached nano-diamond powders could be achieved. The growth of the carbon nanotubes was carried out by CVD. The CNT morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mean diameter and length of the CNTs were 201 nm and 3.25 microm, respectively.

Cognitive regulation of emotion in bipolar I disorder and unaffected biological relatives.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the use of particular cognitive strategies for regulating negative emotion in relation to mood and temperament in BD-I, unaffected relatives of bipolar patients (UR), and healthy controls (HC). METHOD: Participants were 105 patients with BD-I, 124 UR, and 63 HC; all participants completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), and the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS). RESULTS: The BD-I group reported more frequent use of rumination, catastrophizing and self-blame, and less frequent use of putting into perspective, in response to negative life events, relative to the UR and HC groups. In BD-I, more frequent use of rumination was associated with increased DASS and HPS scores. By contrast, within the UR group, more frequent use of catastrophizing and self-blame were associated with increased DASS and HPS scores. In all participants, less frequent use of adaptive cognitive reframing strategies (e.g. putting into perspective) were associated with increased DASS scores. CONCLUSION: Both BD-I and UR groups reported more frequent use of maladaptive regulatory strategies previously associated with depression. Emotion regulation strategies of catastrophizing, self-blame, and cognitive reframing techniques may be associated with vulnerability for mood disorders, with the latter active within the general population regardless of biological vulnerability to disorder.

Single cell protein production of Euglena gracilis and carbon dioxide fixation in an innovative photo-bioreactor.

The biological fixation using microalgae has been known as an effective and economical carbon dioxide reduction technology. Carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation by microalgae has been shown to be effective and economical. Among various algae, a species Euglena gracilis was selected as it has advantages such as high protein content and high digestibility for animal feed. A kinetic model was studied in order to determine the relationship between specific growth rate and light intensity. The half-saturation constant for light intensity in the Monod model was 178.7 micromol photons/m2/s. The most favorable initial pH, temperature, and CO2 concentration were found to be 3.5, 27 degrees C, and 5-10% (vol/vol), respectively. Light intensity and hydraulic retention time were tested for effects on cell yield in a laboratory-scale photo-bioreactor of 100l working volume followed by semi-continuous and continuous culture. Subsequently, an innovative pilot-scale photo-bioreactor that used sunlight and flue gas was developed to increase production of this bioresource. The proposed pilot-scale reactor showed improved cell yield compared with the laboratory-scale reactor.

Switching bipolar hepatic radiofrequency ablation using internally cooled wet electrodes: comparison with consecutive monopolar and switching monopolar modes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether switching bipolar radiofrequency ablation (SB-RFA) using three internally cooled wet (ICW) electrodes can induce coagulations >5 cm in porcine livers with better efficiency than consecutive monopolar (CM) or switching monopolar (SM) modes. METHODS: A total of 60 coagulations were made in 15 in vivo porcine livers using three 17-gauge ICW electrodes and a multichannel radiofrequency (RF) generator. RF energy (approximately 200 W) was applied in CM mode (Group A, n = 20) for 24 min, SM mode for 12 min (Group B, n = 20) or switching bipolar (SB) mode for 12 min (Group C, n = 20) in in vivo porcine livers. Thereafter, the delivered RFA energy, as well as the shape and dimension of coagulations were compared among the groups. RESULTS: Spherical- or oval-shaped ablations were created in 30% (6/20), 85% (17/20) and 90% (18/20) of coagulations in the CM, SM and SB groups, respectively (p = 0.003). SB-RFA created ablations >5 cm in minimum diameter (Dmin) in 65% (13/20) of porcine livers, whereas SM- or CM-RFA created ablations >5 cm in only 25% (5/20) and 20% (4/20) of porcine livers, respectively (p = 0.03). The mean Dmin of coagulations was significantly larger in Group C than in Groups A and B (5.1 ± 0.9, 3.9 ± 1.2 and 4.4 ± 1.0 cm, respectively, p = 0.002) at a lower delivered RF energy level (76.8 ± 14.3, 120.9 ± 24.5 and 114.2 ± 18.3 kJ, respectively, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: SB-RFA using three ICW electrodes can create coagulations >5 cm in diameter with better efficiency than do SM- or CM-RFA. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: SB-RFA can create large, regular ablation zones with better time-energy efficiency than do CM- or SM-RFA.

A micromachined silicon depth probe for multichannel neural recording.

A process of making a new type of silicon depth-probe microelectrode array is described using a combination of plasma and wet etch. The plasma etch, which is done using a low temperature oxide (LTO) mask, enables probe thickness to be controlled over a range from 5 to 90 mu. Bending tests show that the probe's mechanical strength depends largely on shank thickness. More force can be applied to thicker shanks while thinner shanks are more flexible. One can then choose a thickness and corresponding mechanical strength using the process developed. The entire probe shaping process is performed only at low temperature, and thus is consistent with the standard CMOS fabrication. Using the probe in recording from rat's somatosensory cortex, we obtained four channel simultaneous recordings which showed clear independence among channels with a signal-to-noise ratio performance comparable with that obtained using other devices.

Operational factors of submerged inorganic membrane bioreactor for organic wastewater treatment: sludge concentration and aeration rate.

Various sludge concentrations and aeration rates were evaluated to find the optimal operation condition of a submerged ceramic membrane filtration system. 5.6 g/L of sludge was diluted with water to concentrations of 2.8 g/L and 1.4 g/L, and the three sludge concentrations were compared in terms of titration characteristics such as pressure and filtrate flux. Flux was at the highest value of about 30 L/m2 x hr at 50 kPa when sludge concentration was 1.4 g/L. In contrast, when sludge concentrations increased to 2.8 g/L and 5.6 g/L, the flux at 50 kPa decreased significantly to 18 L/m2 x hr and 10 L/m2 x hr, respectively. It was concluded that the sludge concentration directly affected the filtration efficiency, and low sludge concentration was suitable for improving filtration efficiency. Adjusting the aeration rate from 2 L/min to 4 L/min at 5.6 g/L of sludge and 50 kPa of pressure increased flux from 10 L/m2 x hr to 13 L/m2 x hr. It was obvious that the vigorous aeration improved the filtration efficiency, but the aeration rate did not seem to be high enough to maintain flux lower than critical flux.

Characterization of antigen purified from type 3 strains of Pasteurella multocida and its use for an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Surface antigens were purified from a type 3, 4 rabbit isolate of Pasteurella multocida designated as R11146. Two protein peaks were obtained by gel filtration with Sephadex G-200 from crude saline extract. Major antigenic activity was detected in the first peak. The first peak was absorbed onto DEAE-cellulose and eluted by a linear gradient of NaCl. Four fractions eluted from the column contained a single antigen which was identical to an antigen purified from another type 3 strain, P-1059. Also, they uniformly contained two protein species of molecular weights of 44,000 and 25,500. Six Pasteurella-free rabbits were infected intranasally with R11146 isolate and antibody response was determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the use of an antigen purified from P-1059 strain. Serum samples from the infected rabbits showed ELISA titers at the plateau stage by 21 or 28 days post-inoculation. Highest titers ranged from 1:15,000 to 1:16,000, while all the preinoculation sera had titers lower than 1:10. The high titers generally persisted for longer than 98 days after the infection. These results indicate that ELISA using a purified type 3 antigen is useful to detect P. multocida infection in rabbits by a type 3-related strain.

[Neonatal chylous ascites: report of two cases].

Chylous ascites in neonates is an unusual and etiologically poor understood entity. Our first case was a female newborn who suffered from abdominal distension and recurrent vomiting after birth. The history, physical, laboratory, and radiologic evaluations were not diagnostic except the evidence of obvious ascites. Paracentesis was performed and ascitic fluid was obtained. She was later discharged on a strict low-fat medium-chain triglycerides formula. She was found to have continue increase in abdominal girth, poor growth and development, and respiratory distress in which led her to readmission at 8 months of age. Exploratory laparotomy was done in order to rule out an anatomical lesion in which may be obstructing the lymphatic flow; but no such lesion could be found. She expired at 1 year of age with chylothorax, chylopericardium and lobar pneumonia. The second case, a 37-day-old male baby, who was admitted because of right inguinal hernia. Milky ascitic fluid in the abdomen was incidentally found during herniorrhaphy. Analysis of the fluid revealed protein 1,616 mg/dl, glucose 487 mg/dl, and triglyceride 796 mg/dl. Culture of peritoneal fluid grew no bacteria. Other laboratory findings were: serum protein 4.8 mg/dl, and BUN 14 mg/dl. A plain film of abdomen and sonogram showed massive ascites. The infant was then put on Pregestimil with the hope that the medium-chain triglyceride formula would improve his condition. Since then the child's abdominal girth did not increase and he continued to growth and develop normally at 4 months follow up.