The Arf6 activator Efa6/PSD3 confers regional specificity and modulates ethanol consumption in Drosophila and humans.

Ubiquitously expressed genes have been implicated in a variety of specific behaviors, including responses to ethanol. However, the mechanisms that confer this behavioral specificity have remained elusive. Previously, we showed that the ubiquitously expressed small GTPase Arf6 is required for normal ethanol-induced sedation in adult Drosophila. Here, we show that this behavioral response also requires Efa6, one of (at least) three Drosophila Arf6 guanine exchange factors. Ethanol-naive Arf6 and Efa6 mutants were sensitive to ethanol-induced sedation and lacked rapid tolerance upon re-exposure to ethanol, when compared with wild-type flies. In contrast to wild-type flies, both Arf6 and Efa6 mutants preferred alcohol-containing food without prior ethanol experience. An analysis of the human ortholog of Arf6 and orthologs of Efa6 (PSD1-4) revealed that the minor G allele of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs13265422 in PSD3, as well as a haplotype containing rs13265422, was associated with an increased frequency of drinking and binge drinking episodes in adolescents. The same haplotype was also associated with increased alcohol dependence in an independent European cohort. Unlike the ubiquitously expressed human Arf6 GTPase, PSD3 localization is restricted to the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that the same PSD3 haplotype was also associated with a differential functional magnetic resonance imaging signal in the PFC during a Go/No-Go task, which engages PFC-mediated executive control. Our translational analysis, therefore, suggests that PSD3 confers regional specificity to ubiquitous Arf6 in the PFC to modulate human alcohol-drinking behaviors.

Prevalence and Correlates of Smoking among Low-Income Adults Residing in New York City Public Housing Developments-2015.

To guide targeted cessation and prevention programming, this study assessed smoking prevalence and described sociodemographic, health, and healthcare use characteristics of adult smokers in public housing. Self-reported data were analyzed from a random sample of 1664 residents aged 35 and older in ten New York City public housing developments in East/Central Harlem. Smoking prevalence was 20.8%. Weighted log-binomial models identified to be having Medicaid, not having a personal doctor, and using health clinics for routine care were positively associated with smoking. Smokers without a personal doctor were less likely to receive provider quit advice. While most smokers in these public housing developments had health insurance, a personal doctor, and received provider cessation advice in the last year (72.4%), persistently high smoking rates suggest that such cessation advice may be insufficient. Efforts to eliminate differences in tobacco use should consider place-based smoking cessation interventions that extend cessation support beyond clinical settings.

Probiotic bacteria survive in Cheddar cheese and modify populations of other lactic acid bacteria.

AIMS: Starter lactic acid bacteria in Cheddar cheese face physico-chemical stresses during manufacture and ageing that alter their abilities to survive and to interact with other bacterial populations. Nonstarter bacteria are derived from milk handling, cheese equipment and human contact during manufacture. Probiotic bacteria are added to foods for human health benefits that also encounter physiological stresses and microbial competition that may mitigate their survival during ageing. We added probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis to full-fat, reduced-fat and low-fat Cheddar cheeses, aiming to study their survival over 270 days of ageing and to determine the role of the cheese matrix in their survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: Probiotic and other lactic acid bacterial populations were enumerated by quantitative PCR using primers specifically targeting the different bacterial genera or species of interest. Bifidobacteria were initially added at 10(6) CFU g(-1) cheese and survived variably in the different cheeses over the 270-day ageing process. Probiotic lactobacilli that were added at 10(7) CFU g(-1) cheese and incident nonstarter lactobacilli (initially at 10(8) CFU g(-1) cheese) increased by 10- to 100-fold over 270 days. Viable bacterial populations were differentiated using propidium monoazide followed by species-specific qPCR assays, which demonstrated that the starter and probiotic microbes survived over ageing, independent of cheese type. Addition of probiotic bacteria, at levels 100-fold below that of starter bacteria, modified starter and nonstarter bacterial levels. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that starter lactococci, nonstarter lactobacilli and probiotic bacteria are capable of surviving throughout the cheesemaking and ageing process, indicating that delivery via hard cheeses is possible. Probiotic addition at lower levels may also alter starter and nonstarter bacterial survival. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: We applied qPCR to study multispecies survival and viability and distinctly enumerated bacterial species in commercial-scale Cheddar cheese manufacture.

Epiedaphic Ground Beetle (Carabidae) Diversity in Ecosystems Transformed by Plantations of Eucalyptus pellita in the Orinoco Region of Colombia.

Patterns of land use are changing dramatically in the Orinoco region of Colombia, including extensive commercial forestation of Pinus caribaea, Acacia mangium, and Eucalyptus pellita that are replacing savannas, with unknown consequences for biodiversity. We studied the effects of E. pellita plantations on the diversity of epiedaphic carabid beetles (Carabidae) sampled with pitfall traps at El Vita (Vichada) and Villanueva (Casanare). Furthermore, we assessed stand structure data (basal area, and canopy cover), and soil physical and chemical properties to explain differences in ground beetle composition using redundancy analysis (RDA). We compared diversity and species turnover using Hill numbers and Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, respectively. Low differences in richness were observed between savannas and plantations (at El Vita) and between pastures and plantations (at Villanueva). In general, carabid richness was significantly (not overlap in 95% confidence intervals) higher during the rainy season, and in young plantations than in other habitats. Variation in carabid species composition was mainly explained by a gradient of volumetric humidity, number of trees, basal area at El Vita and pH, nitrogen content of the soil, number of trees, soil clay content, and area of exposed ground at Villanueva. Thirteen carabid (which eight are commons in natural forests) species were identified as indicators of 3- and 14-year-old E. pellita plantations and pastures. Results suggest a strong response of ground beetles (Carabidae) to changes in land use, seasonality, and plantation age. Further research is needed to better understand how landscape heterogeneity, and distance to contiguous of natural habitats, influences biodiversity.

Radionecrosis versus disease progression in brain metastasis. Value of (18)F-DOPA PET/CT/MRI. / Radionecrosis versus progresión de la enfermedad en metástasis cerebrales: valor del (18)F-DOPA PET/TC/RM.

The use of (18)F-DOPA PET/CT with magnetic resonance imaging fusion and the use of visual methods and quantitative analysis helps to differentiate between changes post-radiosurgery vs. suspicion of disease progression in a patient with brain metastases from melanoma, thus facilitating taking early surgical action.

[Diagnosis and localization of hyperparathyroidism by nuclear medicine procedures]. / Contribución de las técnicas de medicina nuclear al diagnóstico y localización del hiperparatiroidismo.

Primary hyperparathryoidism is a PTH hypersecretion caused by the parathyroid glands. In most cases (85%), the origin is to be due to the existence of a parathyroid adenoma, despite the intrinsic difficulty in being localized under certain circumstances. From some time now, we can count with the invaluable help of a nuclear medicine technique, namely the parathyroid scintigraphy with Technetium 99m-sestamibi (Tc99m-MIBI), a technique which is easy to perform, cheap and with excellent results, and which additionally can provide us with the above mentioned necessary information regarding location. We present here the case of a patient suffering from primary hyperparatyiroidism, in whom both the disease and the precise location of the hyperfunctioning tissue were identified by means of the parathyroid scintigraphy. Another nuclear medicine procedure, the one known as bone scintigraphy, also contributed meaningfully to the correct diagnosis in the same patient.

[Transanal endorectal pull-through alone as treatment of Hirschsprung's disease]. / Descenso endorectal transanal exclusivo para el tratamiento de la enfermedad de Hirschsprung.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this work is to present our experience in the treatment of Hirschsprung's disease (HD) with the technique described by De la Torre. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven children diagnosed with recto-sigmoid aganglionism have been treated with this surgical technique, to which a few modifications have been done. RESULTS: There were no intra- nor early postoperative complications. Surgical time ranged 150 to 240 minutes (average 198). All children began oral feedings 2 or 3 days postoperatively (average 2.4). Hospital stay averaged 5.2 days. Follow-up ranges from 6 months to 3 years (average 16 months). Two late complications were seen--one anastomotic stricture and one constipation--and successfully treated as out patients. CONCLUSIONS: The transanal only approach carries a rapid recovery. Family satisfaction is high because of the lack of scars. We believe this is the treatment of choice when confronting rectosigmoid aganglionism.

[Intestinal obstruction caused by milk curds in newborns]. / Obstrucción intestinal por tapón de leche en neonatos.

Intestinal obstruction due to milk curds syndrome may present with a clinical picture and radiological findings which suggest the correct diagnosis. This type of intestinal obstruction usually affects neonates, previously healthy, with concentrated formula feeding. Surgical treatment may be avoided in some cases by the administration of Gastrografin enemas. Two patients with milk curd obstruction treatment in our Hospital, are presented.

Use of soft x-ray diagnostic on the COMPASS tokamak for investigations of sawteeth crash neighborhood and of plasma position using fast inversion methods.

The soft x-ray diagnostic is suitable for monitoring plasma activity in the tokamak core, e.g., sawtooth instability. Moreover, spatially resolved measurements can provide information about plasma position and shape, which can supplement magnetic measurements. In this contribution, fast algorithms with the potential for a real-time use are tested on the data from the COMPASS tokamak. In addition, the soft x-ray data are compared with data from other diagnostics in order to discuss possible connection between sawtooth instability on one side and the transition to higher confinement mode, edge localized modes and productions of runaway electrons on the other side.

Vertebroplastia percutánea guiada por tomografía para el manejo del dolor en pacientes con fractura del cuerpo vertebral / CT-guided Vertebroplasty for Painful Vertebral Fractures

Objetivo Describir la técnica y resultados en cuanto a la mejoría del dolor y complicaciones al realizar este procedimiento mediante guía por tomografía computada. Materiales y Métodos Estudio observacional descriptivo de una serie de 108 pacientes a quienes se les realizó vertebroplastia percutánea guiada por tomografía computada realizadas en dos hospitales universitarios, entre mayo 2007 y mayo 2017. Todos los procedimientos se realizaron de forma ambulatoria con anestesia local y se valoró el dolor mediante la escala visual análoga. Resultados Se realizaron 125 vertebroplastias, en el 87,9% de los pacientes (n = 95) se realizó el procedimiento en un cuerpo vertebral, en el 8,3% (n = 9) y 3,7% (n = 4) de los pacientes se cementaron 2 y 3 vertebras respectivamente. El rango de dolor según la escala visual análoga (EVA) previo al tratamiento varió entre 5 y 10, donde un 94% (n = 102) de los pacientes manifestaban una intensidad 10/10. En el postratamiento el rango de dolor varió entre 0a7dondeel 98% de la población reportó un valor menor o igual a 3. Se presentaron 3 complicaciones: tromboembolismo pulmonar por metil-metacrilato, extravasación al plexo de Batson y extravasación al espacio interdiscal, cada una en tres pacientes diferentes. Conclusión La vertebroplastia percutánea guiada por TC ofrece una indiscutible mejora inmediata del dolor en pacientes con fractura de uno o más cuerpos vertebrales, con una baja tasa de complicaciones.

Objetive Describe the technique, results in terms of pain improvement and complications to perform this procedure by computed tomography. Materials and Methods A descriptive observational study of a 108 cases series of percutaneous vertebroplasty guided by computed tomography performed in two university hospitals between May 2007 and May 2017. All procedures were performed with local anesthesia on an outpatient basis, pain was assessed by means of the Visual analogue scale (VAS). Results A total of 125vertebroplasties were performed. In 87.9% (n = 95) of the patients, the procedure was performed in one vertebral body, in 8.3% (n = 9) and 3.7% (n = 4) of the patientshad two or three vertebrae cemented respectively. The range of pain according to VAS prior to treatment varied between 5 and 10, where 94% (n = 102) of the patients manifested a 10/10 intensity; after treatment, the range of pain varied between 0 to 7 where 98% of the population reported a value less than or equal to 3. Three complications were reported, one pulmonary thromboembolism due to methylmethacrylate, one extravasation in to the Batson plexus and one extravasation of cement to the interdiscal space. Conclusion CT-guided percutaneous vertebroplasty offers an undeniable immediate improvement of pain in patients with fracture of one or more vertebral bodies, with a low rate of complications.

Utilidad de la relación aclaramiento de creatinina-índice de resistencia de la ecografía Doppler renal como predictor de rechazo agudo en riñones trasplantados / Usefulness of the association between doppler ultrasound resistance index and creatinine clearance as a predictor of acute rejection in kidney transplant

Objetivo: Analizar la utilidad de la asociación del índice de resistencia (IR) en las arterias arcuatas renales con el aclaramiento de creatinina (Cl Cr) para predecir el rechazo agudo del riñón trasplantado. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo de una cohorte de 87 pacientes que fueron sometidos a una biopsia renal por alteraciones clínicas de la función renal. Se les midió el IR junto con el Cl Cr mediante el método de modificación de la dieta en la enfermedad renal. Resultados: La sensibilidad de la asociación IR mayor de 0,7 y Cl Cr 0-30 fue del 53,3% (intervalo de confianza [IC] de 95%: 34,3-71,7%) y la especificidad del 98,2% (95% IC: 90,4-100%). El área bajo la curva fue de 0,758 (95% IC: 0,665-0,85), el likelihood ratio positivo de 22,9 (95% IC: 4,16-214), el likelihood ratio negativo de 0,475 (95% IC: 0,324- 0,685), el odds ratio de 62,9, el valor predictivo positivo de 94,1% (95% IC: 71,3- 99,9%) y el valor predictivo negativo de 79,1% (95% IC: 68,3-88,4%). Conclusión: La asociación IR mayor de 0,7 y Cl Cr 0-30 demostró ser útil para confirmar la posibilidad de rechazo renal agudo, al tener una buena especificidad (98,2%) a pesar de su baja sensibilidad (53%).

Objective: To determine the usefulness of the association between the resistance index (RI) values in renal arcuate arteries and creatinine clearance (Cr Cl) levels in order to predict or detect acute rejection in a kidney transplant patient. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted on a cohort of 87 patients who were subjected to a kidney biopsy due to clinical changes in renal function. The RI was measured, and Cr Cl levels determined using the modification of diet in renal disease formula. Results: The sensitivity of an RI association higher than 0.7 and a Cr Cl 0-30 was 53.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 34.3-71.7%), with a specificity of 98.2% (95% CI: 90.4-100%). The area under the curve was 0.758 (95% CI: 0.665-0.85), the positive and negative likelihood ratio was 22.9 (95% CI: 4.16-214) and 0.475 (95% CI: 0.324-0.685), respectively. The odds ratio was 62.9, and the positive and negative predicted value was 94.1% (95% CI: 71.3-99.9%) and 79.1% (95% CI: 68.3-88.4%), respectively. Conclusion: The RI association higher than 0.7- Cr Cl 0-30 showed to be useful to detect the possibility of acute renal rejection, with its good specificity (98.2%), although with a low sensitivity (53%).

Biopsia prostética randomizada: ¿influye el número de muestras y el valor del PSA para la detección del cáncer prostético? / Randomized prosthetic biopsy: does the number of samples and the value of PSA influence the detection of prostate cancer?

Objetivo: Determinar si la realización de un mayor número de muestras según el valor del antígeno prostático específico (PSA) incrementa la detección del cáncer prostático (CaP). Materiales y métodos: Se estudió transversalmente a 994 pacientes sometidos a una biopsia prostática transrrectal ecodirigida randomizada (BPTE), con sospecha de CaP. Los casos fueron divididos en dos grupos: A (esquema de 8 muestras y ampliado) con protocolo normal (n = 819) y B (esquema de 12 muestras o más) con protocolo extendido (n = 175). Estos se subdividieron de acuerdo con el valor del PSA en tres niveles (< 3,9ng/ml, 4-9,9 ng/ml y > 10ng/ml) y se evaluó la tasa de detección de CaP en cada subgrupo. Los datos clínicos fueron analizados con las pruebas T de student, chi-cuadrado y regresión logística, tomando como estadísticamente significativo un valor inferior a 0,05. Resultados: La tasa de detección de CaP en el grupo A fue mayor que la del B: 43,71%vs. 34,29%; p = 0,022. Al analizar los resultados, teniendo en cuenta la subdivisión de los valores de PSA, no encontramos diferencias estadísticamente significativas para la detección de malignidad entre los dos grupos. Conclusión: Aumentar el número de muestras en la BPTE no incrementó la tasa de detección de CaP de forma independiente ni en cada subgrupo de PSA, así como tampoco en los subgrupos de volumen prostático. Por otro lado, a mayor edad y PSA, hubo más detecciones de CaP.

Objective: To determine whether obtaining a larger number of core specimens, depending on the PSA value, increases the detection of prostate cancer. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 994 patients with suspected prostate cancer who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. The patients weredivided intogroup Awith a standard protocol (8 core specimens or more scheme) and group B with an extended protocol (12 core specimens or more scheme), and subdivided according to the PSA values into three groups (<3.9ng/ml, 4 to 9.9ng/ml, and > 10ng/ml). The prostate cancer detection rate was evaluated in each subgroup. Clinical data was analysed using the Student t and chisquared tests and logistic regression analysis, taking a P< 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: The detection rate of prostate cancer in the group A was higher than group B: 43.71% vs. 34.29%; P = 0.022. When analysing the results, taking into account the sub-division of PSA results, no significant statistical differences were found in the detection of malignancy in the two groups of patients evaluated. Conclusión: Increasing the number of core specimens in transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy, does not increase the overall detection rate of prostate cancer in either of the PSA sub-groups, or in either of the of prostate volume sub-groups. On the other hand, the older the patient and the higher the PSA value, the greater the detection of prostate cancer.

Family-based treatment of children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa: Guidelines for the community physician.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious life-threatening illness that typically has its onset during the adolescent years. Evidence regarding the optimal treatment of AN in children and teenagers is growing; however, much remains unknown. Although current treatment approaches vary in Canada and elsewhere, the evidence to date indicates that family-based treatment (FBT) is the most effective treatment for children and teenagers with AN. A key component of the FBT model is that the parents are given the responsibility to return their child to physical health and ensure full weight restoration. An understanding of the basic principles and philosophy underlying FBT allows the physician to initiate elements of this evidence-based intervention to young patients with AN and their families.

Nine novel, polymorphic microsatellite markers for the study of threatened Caribbean acroporid corals.

Caribbean reef-building corals in the genus Acropora have been declining dramatically since the 1980s and are now listed as threatened. The study of their complex reproductive system (mixed asexual and sexual) and their population structure requires highly polymorphic nuclear genetic markers. Of eight previously developed microsatellite loci for A. palmata, only five behaved in a Mendelian fashion and only four reliably amplified the sister species, A. cervicornis. Here, nine novel microsatellite markers are presented that dramatically increase the power to distinguish between asexual and sexual reproductive events and may help to refine population boundaries and gene flow across their ranges.

Drier summers cancel out the CO2 uptake enhancement induced by warmer springs.

An increase in photosynthetic activity of the northern hemisphere terrestrial vegetation, as derived from satellite observations, has been reported in previous studies. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle of the annually detrended atmospheric CO(2) in the northern hemisphere (an indicator of biospheric activity) also increased during that period. We found, by analyzing the annually detrended CO(2) record by season, that early summer (June) CO(2) concentrations indeed decreased from 1985 to 1991, and they have continued to decrease from 1994 up to 2002. This decrease indicates accelerating springtime net CO(2) uptake. However, the CO(2) minimum concentration in late summer (an indicator of net growing-season uptake) showed no positive trend since 1994, indicating that lower net CO(2) uptake during summer cancelled out the enhanced uptake during spring. Using a recent satellite normalized difference vegetation index data set and climate data, we show that this lower summer uptake is probably the result of hotter and drier summers in both mid and high latitudes, demonstrating that a warming climate does not necessarily lead to higher CO(2) growing-season uptake, even in high-latitude ecosystems that are considered to be temperature limited.

Identification of patients with eating disorders. The signs and symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

The optimal medical assessment of an eating disorder patient depends on a knowledge of the associated signs and symptoms, many of which are rarely seen in general medicine. Some of these signs are diagnostic of eating disorders. This paper presents a systematic review of the history and physical examination, including the special signs and symptoms in tabular form. In addition, the significance of the signs and symptoms of eating disorders is reviewed.

A possible role of PMN in a casein-induced enhancement of PFC response to sheep erythrocytes in mice.

The effect of inflammation induced by sodium caseinate or aluminum hydroxide on the splenic plaque-forming cells (PFC) response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was studied in mice. Direct and indirect splenic PFC responses were enhanced when suboptimal SRBC doses (3 x 10(6)) were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) within 9 hr of i.p. inflammatory stimulation; antigen administration 48 hr or more after such stimulation resulted in a slight suppression of the direct response. The inflammation had no effect on the secondary immune response, nor did intravenous antigen administration enhance the PFC response. Enhancement occurred when early (3 hr), casein-induced peritoneal exudate cells (PEC, consisting mostly of neutrophils) were adoptively transferred at the same time as antigen. Treatment of the 3-hr PEC with anti-Thy-1 and complement did not decrease their PFC-enhancing capability. Late (96-hr) PEC, consisting mostly of macrophages, manifested only a slight enhancing effect. We suggest that enhancement of the splenic PFC response in the presence of an ongoing inflammation, may be partially attributable to neutrophil function.

Higher northern latitude normalized difference vegetation index and growing season trends from 1982 to 1999.

Normalized difference vegetation index data from the polar-orbiting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorological satellites from 1982 to 1999 show significant variations in photosynthetic activity and growing season length at latitudes above 35 degrees N. Two distinct periods of increasing plant growth are apparent: 1982-1991 and 1992-1999, separated by a reduction from 1991 to 1992 associated with global cooling resulting from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991. The average May to September normalized difference vegetation index from 45 degrees N to 75 degrees N increased by 9% from 1982 to 1991, decreased by 5% from 1991 to 1992, and increased by 8% from 1992 to 1999. Variations in the normalized difference vegetation index were associated with variations in the start of the growing season of -5.6, +3.9, and -1.7 days respectively, for the three time periods. Our results support surface temperature increases within the same period at higher northern latitudes where temperature limits plant growth.