The effectiveness of dance movement therapy for individuals with Down syndrome: a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) exhibit deficits in static and dynamic balance abilities and maladaptive functions. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) group intervention in individuals with DS. METHODS: The 31 participating individuals with DS, aged 5-29 years, were randomly divided into intervention (n = 16) and control (n = 15) groups. Posturography was used for static balance measurement, timed up and go test for dynamic balance measurement and the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) questionnaire for adaptive function and behavioural problem measurement in participants before and after the DMT interventions. The intervention group underwent 60-min DMT intervention once a week for 10 times, while the control group had usual daily activities. RESULTS: The results revealed a statistically significant difference and large effect sizes in dynamic balance [(f(1, 29) = 4.52, P = 0.04, ηp 2 = 0.14)] in the intervention group compared with the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in static balance and ASEBA scores between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the DMT interventions helped to improve the dynamic balance in individuals with DS.

Versatility of HDA19-deficiency in increasing the tolerance of Arabidopsis to different environmental stresses.

Histone acetylation is controlled by HATs and HDACs, which are essential epigenetic elements that regulate plant response to environmental stresses. A previous study revealed that a deficiency in an HDAC isoform (HDA19) increases tolerance to high salinity stress in the Arabidopsis wild-type Col-0 background. Here, the increased tolerance of hda19 to drought and heat stresses is demonstrated. Results indicate that hda19 plants have greater tolerance than wild-type plants to stress conditions. The data indicate that the stress response pathway coordinated by HDA19 plays a pivotal role in increasing tolerance to a variety of different abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis, including salinity, drought, and heat. The greater level of tolerance of hda19 plants to several different environmental stresses suggests that HDA19 represents a promising target for pharmacological manipulation in order to enhance abiotic stress tolerance in plants. ABBREVIATIONS: HAT, histone acetyltransferase; HDAC, histone deacetylase; HSF, heat shock transcription factor; RPD3, reduced potassium dependency 3; SIRT, Silent Information Regulator 2.

Endoscopic photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium for recurrent intranasal carcinomas after radiotherapy in three dogs.

Radiation is the treatment of choice for canine nasal tumours but, in almost all cases, there is local recurrence associated with poor prognosis. This report describes the effect of endoscopic photodynamic therapy using talaporfin sodium for canine intranasal carcinoma recurring after radiation therapy. Rhinoscopic photodynamic therapy was administered after radiation therapy in three dogs with recurrent intranasal carcinoma. Two to 24 illuminations of a 665-nm diode laser were performed two hours after intravenous bolus injection of 5·0 mg/kg of talaporfin sodium. Photodynamic therapy induced almost complete remission and prolonged survival time in all cases suggesting that it might be a useful treatment for intranasal carcinomas that recur after radiation.

Evidence and molecular characterization of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas in neotropical bats in Brazil.

The order Chiroptera is considered the second largest group of mammals in the world, hosting important zoonotic virus and bacteria. Bartonella and hemotropic mycoplasmas are bacteria that parasite different mammals' species, including humans, causing different clinical manifestations. The present work aimed investigating the occurrence and assessing the phylogenetic positioning of Bartonella spp. and Mycoplasma spp. in neotropical bats sampled from Brazil. Between December 2015 and April 2016, 325 blood and/or tissues samples were collected from 162 bats comprising 19 different species sampled in five states of Brazil. Out of 322 bat samples collected, while 17 (5·28%) were positive to quantitative PCR for Bartonella spp. based on nuoG gene, 45 samples (13·97%) were positive to cPCR assays for hemoplasmas based on 16S rRNA gene. While seven sequences were obtained for Bartonella (nuoG) (n = 3), gltA (n = 2), rpoB (n = 1), ftsZ (n = 1), five 16S rRNA sequences were obtained for hemoplasmas. In the phylogenetic analysis, the Bartonella sequences clustered with Bartonella genotypes detected in bats sampled in Latin America countries. All five hemoplasmas sequences clustered together as a monophyletic group by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses. The present work showed the first evidence of circulation of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas among bats in Brazil.

Long-term outcome of 6-month maintenance chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children.

In the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), excess shortening of maintenance therapy resulted in high relapse rate, as shown by our previous trial, TCCSG L92-13, in which maintenance therapy was terminated at 1 year from initiation of treatment. In this study, we aimed to confirm the long-term outcome of L92-13, and to identify who can or cannot be cured by shorter duration of maintenance therapy. To obtain sentinel cytogenetics information that had been missed before, we performed genetic analysis with genomic microarray and target intron-capture sequencing from diagnostic bone marrow smear. Disease-free survival (DFS) at 10 years from the end of therapy was 66.0±2.8%. Females (n=138) had better DFS (74.6±3.7%) than males (n=142, 57.5±4.2%, P=0.002). Patients with TCF3-PBX1 (n=11) and ETV6-RUNX1 (n=16) had excellent DFS (90.9±8.7% and 93.8±6.1%, respectively), whereas high hyperdiploidy (n=23) was the most unfavorable subgroup, with 56.6±10.3% of DFS. Short duration of therapy can cure more than half of pediatric ALL, especially females, TCF3-PBX1 and ETV6-RUNX1. Our retrospective observations suggest a gender/karyotype inhomogeneity on the impact of brief therapy.

Adult phenylketonuria presenting with subacute severe neurologic symptoms.

We report a 48-year-old Japanese woman with phenylketonuria (PKU) who presented with severe neurological symptoms more than 30 years after discontinuation of dietary treatment. She was diagnosed with PKU at 6-years-old and was treated with a phenylalanine restricted diet until she was 15 years old. When she was 48-years-old she started having difficulty walking. After several months, she presented with severe disturbance of consciousness and was admitted. She was diagnosed as having neurological complications associated with PKU. We observed temporal changes in her laboratory data, brain MRI and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan findings. Brain MRI on T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and diffusion-weighted images revealed high intensity lesions in her bilateral frontal lobes and 123I-IMP SPECT showed marked and diffuse hypoperfusion in the bilateral cerebrum and cerebellum. After the resumption of dietary treatment, serum phenylalanine concentrations immediately decreased to the normal range. However, her neurological symptoms took longer to improve. We also found no clear temporal association between MRI findings and clinical severity. SPECT abnormalities showed marked improvement after treatment. It is well known that PKU patients who discontinue the dietary restriction from their childhood develop minor neurological impairments. However, PKU patients with late-onset severe neurological symptoms are very rare. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding SPECT findings of PKU patients with late-onset severe neurological deterioration.

Total skin electron beam therapy using an inclinable couch on motorized table and a compensating filter.

Total skin electron beam is a specialized technique that involves irradiating the entire skin from the skin surface to only a few millimetres in depth. In the Stanford technique, the patient is in a standing position and six different directional positions are used during treatment. Our technique uses large electron beams in six directions with an inclinable couch on motorized table and a compensating filter was also used to spread the electron beam and move its intensity peak. Dose uniformity measurements were performed using Gafchromic films which indicated that the surface dose was 2.04 ± 0.05 Gy. This technique can ensure the dose reproducibility because the patient is fixed in place using an inclinable couch on a motorized table.

Effects of professional oral health care on elderly: randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the role of the professional oral health care for elderly in improving geriatric oral health, the effects of short-term professional oral health care (once per week for 1 month) on oral microbiological parameters were assessed. METHODS: Parallel, open-labelled, randomize-controlled trial was undertaken in a nursing home for elderly in Shizuoka, Japan. Thirty-four dentate elderly over 74 years were randomly assigned from ID number to the intervention (17/34) and control (17/34) groups. The outcomes were changes in oral microbiological parameters (number of bacteria in unstimulated saliva; whole bacteria, Streptococcus, Fusobacterium and Prevotella: opportunistic pathogens detection: and index of oral hygiene evaluation [Dental Plaque Index, DPI]) within the intervention period. Each parameter was evaluated at before and after intervention period. Four elderly were lost from mortality (1), bone fracture (1), refused to participate (1) and multi-antibiotics usage (1). Finally, 30 elderly were analysed (14/intervention and 16/control). RESULTS: At baseline, no difference was found between the control and intervention groups. After the intervention period, the percentage of Streptococcus species increased significantly in the intervention group (Intervention, 86% [12/14]; Control, 50% [8/16]: Fisher's, right-tailed, P < 0.05). Moreover, DPI significantly improved in the intervention group (Intervention, 57% [8/14]; Control, 13% [2/16]: Fisher's, two-tailed, P < 0.05). The improvement in DPI extended for 3 months after intervention. None of side effects were reported. CONCLUSION: The short-term professional oral health care can improve oral conditions in the elderly.

Intraoperative identification of canine hepatocellular carcinoma with indocyanine green fluorescent imaging.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of high-sensitivity near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green for intraoperative identification of hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs. METHODS: Twelve hepatic nodules were surgically resected from six dogs. In each dog, 0 · 5 mg/kg indocyanine green was intravenously injected for 12 to 18 hours preoperatively. The hepatic nodules were investigated under laparotomy using a near-infrared fluorescence imaging light camera system prior to resection. Resected nodules were histopathologically diagnosed and their fluorescence images were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 12 hepatic nodules, 6 were diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma and 6 as nodular hyperplasia. Indocyanine green-fluorescence was observed in four large hepatocellular carcinoma nodules and one case of nodular hyperplasia, whereas it was absent in the remaining nodules. The sensitivity and positive predictive values of indocyanine green fluorescent imaging for hepatocellular carcinoma was 71 · 4 and 80 · 0%, respectively. Complete resection of the hepatic masses was achieved in all dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging may be feasible for intraoperative mapping of hepatocellular carcinomas in hepatic lobes and may help increase the chance of complete resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccination reduces PCV2 in a PCV2 and Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis coinfection model.

We previously reported that prior porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection potentiates the severity of clinical signs, lung lesions, and fecal shedding and tissue dissemination of Salmonella enterica serovar Choleraesuis in infected pigs. Here, we evaluated whether PCV2 vaccination is effective in reducing fecal shedding and tissue dissemination of S. Choleraesuis and improving clinical signs associated with PCV2 and S. Choleraesuis infection in 15 Cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs randomly assigned to 3 groups (n=5/group). The vaccinated and co-infected (VAC-COINF) group received 2 ml of a commercial PCV2 vaccine at age 3 weeks. The VAC-COINF and co-infected (COINF) groups were inoculated intranasally with PCV2 and S. Choleraesuis at 5 and 7 weeks of age, respectively. The CONTROL group pigs received a similar volume of PBS for sham-vaccination and sham-inoculation. PCV2 vaccination clearly reduced PCV2 DNA load in the serum and postmortem tissue samples and decreased PCV2 antigen levels in tissue samples of the VAC-COINF group. After S. Choleraesuis infection, the incidence of several clinical signs increased in the VAC-COINF group compared to that in the COINF group. The microscopic lung lesions and weight gain, fecal shedding and tissue dissemination of S. Choleraesuis except in the spleen were not significantly different in the VAC-COINF and COINF groups. Thus, PCV2 vaccination reduced PCV2 in the S. Choleraesuis and PCV2 coinfection model and the effects on S. Choleraesuis were minimal.

Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 suppresses pneumonia induced by Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice.

AIMS: Oral administration of probiotics has been known to improve inflammatory responses against infectious diseases. Here, we describe the inhibitory effect of oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus pentosus strain b240 (b240) on pneumococcal pneumonia in a murine experimental model. METHOD AND RESULTS: The mice treated with oral b240 for 21 days before Streptococcus pneumoniae infection exhibited prolonged survival time and less body weight loss, compared with saline-treated control mice. Mild pneumonia with significantly reduced secretion of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines according to related mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling molecules (phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase) was found in b240-treated mice, whereas severe pneumonia with hypercytokinemia was evident in control mice. Prominent reduction in the number of pneumococci and elevated expression of Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 in the lung tissues was concomitantly noted in b240-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that b240 has inhibitory effects on pneumococcal pneumonia induced by Strep. pneumoniae infection and improves inflammatory tissue responses, resulting in reduced damages to the respiratory tissues. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: These results demonstrate that oral administration of b240 might protect host animals from Strep. pneumoniae infection by augmentation of innate immune response.

Serum hyaluronic acid in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the serum level of hyaluronic acid in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt with that in healthy dogs and to investigate the perioperative change in serum hyaluronic acid following shunt attenuation. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 29 congenital portosystemic shunt dogs before the operation, and 2 and 4 weeks after the operation from 17 and 7 dogs, respectively. The serum hyaluronic acid level of these dogs was measured and compared with that of 10 healthy beagles. RESULTS: The median preoperative hyaluronic acid level in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt was significantly elevated compared with that in healthy dogs. Furthermore, the median postoperative hyaluronic acid level significantly decreased compared with the median preoperative levels in congenital portosystemic shunt dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: In the case of dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt, the reduction of intrahepatic portal blood flow might lower the clearance rate of hyaluronic acid in hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, so hyaluronic acid clearance could be improved by attenuation of a shunt vessel. Hence, serum hyaluronic acid levels might be useful to evaluate liver function and also have the potential to evaluate successful attenuation of a shunt vessel in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt. Further investigations are required to clarify whether serum hyaluronic acid offers significant benefits over existing markers such as serum bile acid or ammonia concentrations.

High serum levels of procollagen type III N-terminal amino peptide in patients with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: The serum concentration of aminoterminal procollagen type III (PIIIP) is considered a useful marker of tissue fibrogenesis. The present study tested the hypothesis that: serum PIIIP levels are elevated in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) and abnormal haemodynamic loading and/or hypoxaemia; PIIIP levels are associated with the severity of haemodynamic load or hypoxaemia, both of which enhance myocardial fibrosis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum PIIIP levels were measured in five groups of CHD patients (42 patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD), 26 with coarctation of the aorta (COA, n = 19) or aortic stenosis (AS, n = 7), 36 with atrial septal defect (ASD), 39 with pulmonary stenosis (PS) and 20 with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF)). PIIIP levels of CHD patients were significantly higher than those of 42 control subjects (p<0.05, each). Serum PIIIP levels increased in parallel with increased ventricular volume load in VSD and ASD, and with the severity of PS. In TOF patients, PIIIP levels correlated negatively with arterial oxygen saturation. Treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) was associated with low levels of PIIIP in COA/AS patients despite the existing haemodynamic load. CONCLUSION: The increased serum PIIIP levels in proportion to the severity of ventricular load or cyanosis suggest enhanced myocardial synthesis of collagen type III in patients with CHD. Suppression of the PIIIP level by ACEI suggests the involvement of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in myocardial fibrosis. These data provide the basis for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in patients with CHD.

Tear function and lipid layer alterations in dry eye patients with chronic graft-vs-host disease.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in the tear film lipid layer in haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients with dry eye (DE) associated with chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) and compare with HSCT recipients without DE. METHODS: We performed a prospective study in 10 HSCT patients with DE associated with cGVHD and 11 HSCT recipients without DE. We performed Schirmer's test, tear film break up time examinations, ocular surface dye staining and meibum expressibility test and DR-1 tear film lipid layer interferometry. DR-1 interferometry images of the tear film surface were assigned a 'DR-1 grade' according to the Yokoi severity grading system. The DR-1 grades were analysed according to the presence or absence of DE, conjunctival fibrosis and systemic cGVHD. RESULTS: The mean DR-1 severity grade in patients with DE related to cGVHD (DE/cGVHD group; 3.9+/-0.9) was significantly higher than in patients without DE after HSCT (non-DE/non-cGVHD group; 1.3+/-0.6; P<0.05). The DR-1 grade for HSCT recipients with conjunctival fibrosis was significantly higher than in patients without conjunctival fibrosis (P<0.05). When DE severity was graded according to the recommendation of the 2007 Dry Eye Workshop Report, our results showed a correlation between the severity of DE and DR-1 grades (r=0.8812, P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: DR-1 interferometry may be applicable to diagnosing DE and evaluating its progression subsequent to HSCT.

Raman scattering study of multiferroic Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) thin films.

Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) crystallizes in a body-centered cubic lattice and shows no ferroelectricity because of its highly symmetric (centrosymmetric) crystal structure. However, in heteroepitaxially grown thin films, Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) may exhibit ferroelectricity because of lattice strains induced by the substrate. In this work, heteroepitaxial films of Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) were grown with different thicknesses of 50-160 nm and studied by x-ray diffraction and Raman scattering. The results were compared with those of bulk polycrystals to characterize residual strains. At room temperature, Raman spectra of films revealed a phonon frequency shift from those of bulk samples, showing lattice distortion. There was a difference in the lattice distortion scheme between the thinner and thicker films. Results of x-ray diffraction were well correlated with the Raman data. Raman measurements at 300-800 K showed the existence of lattice strain up to ∼650 K. This suggests a remanent-polarization character of Ho(3)Fe(5)O(12) films up to this temperature. Closeness between the magnetic ordering temperature T(N) = 567 K and T(C)∼650 K may bring us the ideal multiferroic material with an enhanced magnetoelectric effect at room temperature.

Liver transection using the LigaSure sealing system.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the LigaSure vessel sealing system on a large scale when used for liver resection. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the short-term outcomes of 277 patients undergoing hepatectomies with the use of the LigaSure system. RESULTS: There were two hospital deaths (0.7%), and the morbidity rate was 25.3%. Mean blood loss during liver transection was 352+/-422 ml, and the liver transection speed was 1.9+/-0.86 cm(2)/min. The number of ties required during liver transection was 13.2+/-13. The morbidity and mortality rate was similar when comparing patients with injured livers (chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis) and those with normal livers, but liver transection speed was faster in those with normal livers when compared with those with injured livers (2.00+/-0.88 vs. 1.57+/-0.63 cm(2)/min, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The LigaSure system can be applied safely in patients undergoing liver resection, regardless of whether cirrhosis is present or not.

Gabexate mesilate suppresses influenza pneumonia in mice through inhibition of cytokines.

Gabexate mesilate is a synthetic protease inhibitor that is effective for acute pancreatitis. The effect of gabexate mesilate in influenza pneumonia in mice was investigated by examining the changes in pulmonary inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Pathological changes in the lungs of treated mice were extremely mild, compared with changes in infected, untreated mice. Intrapulmonary levels of interleukin-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 decreased in treated mice compared with untreated mice, despite similar viral titres in the lungs. Survival terms for treated and untreated groups were similar. These data indicate that gabexate mesilate has beneficial effects on influenza pneumonia, which may be due to the modulation of inflammatory cytokine/chemokine responses.

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis in simultaneous influenza pneumonia and bacterial infection in mice.

Severe pneumonia is found in simultaneous influenza pneumonia and bacterial infection, and suggests a relationship with immunological mechanisms. Here, we performed two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to detect immunological molecules related to the fulminant pneumonia caused by influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae co-infection in mice. We found two spots that were expressed strongly in co-infected mouse lungs, compared with S. pneumoniae or influenza virus singly infected mouse lungs. The spots were analysed by mass spectrometry, and identified as alpha-1 anti-trypsin (A1AT), known as an anti-protease for neutrophil-derived proteolytic enzymes, and creatine kinase, which reflects a greater degree of lung damage and cell death. A1AT expression was increased significantly, and proteolytic enzymes from neutrophils, such as neutrophil elastase, myeloperoxidase and lysozyme, were also secreted abundantly in influenza virus and S. pneumoniae co-infected lungs compared with S. pneumoniae or influenza virus singly infected lungs. These data suggest that A1AT may play a central role as a molecule with broad anti-inflammatory properties, and regulation of the neutrophil-mediated severe lung inflammation is important in the pathogenesis of co-infection with influenza virus and bacteria.

Contagem de reticulócitos de cães saudáveis ou anêmicos pela citometria de fluxo / Count of reticulocyte counts of healthy or anemic dogs by flow cytometry

Compararam-se os resultados da contagem de reticulócitos pela microscopia de luz e pelo método da citometria de fluxo em 25 cães saudáveis (controle), 60 cães com anemia regenerativa e 40 com anemia arregenerativa. Houve diferença nas contagens absolutas obtidas pela microscopia de luz e pela citometria de fluxo nos três grupos estudados. A contagem de reticulócitos foi mais alta pela citometria de fluxo que a contagem pela microscopia de luz, mostrando ser um método mais sensível, simples e seguro para a quantificação de reticulócitos.

Counts of reticulocytes using both the light microscopy and flow cytometry (FC) methods in 25 healthy control dogs, 60 dogs with regenerative anemia, and 40 dogs with non-regenerative anemia were compared. The absolute counts were submitted to the paired t-Student test, which determined significant differences (P<0.0001) between those methods in the three studied groups. Counts of retyculocytes were higher under flow cytometry, which proved to be a more sensitive method. Flow cytometry is a simple and reliable method for the quantification of reticulocytes.