Zinc from foliar-applied nanoparticle fertiliser is translocated to wheat grain: A 65Zn radiolabelled translocation study comparing conventional and novel foliar fertilisers.

Foliar zinc (Zn) fertilisers can be used to supplement or replace soil applications of Zn in situations where soil properties may decrease the plant bioavailability of Zn. However, conventional foliar Zn formulations such as zinc sulfate can cause leaf damage due to the rapid release of high amounts of Zn2+ into leaf tissue which can be locally phytotoxic. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) offer an alternative approach by providing a more sustained release of Zn into leaf tissue, and potentially avoiding the need for multiple applications. We compared the efficacy of ZnO-NPs and microparticles (ZnO-MPs) to that of conventional formulations (ZnCl2 and ZnEDTA) in wheat. This is the first study to use 65Zn radiolabelled formulations and gamma spectrometry to determine the translocation of Zn to the grains and subsequent efficiency of foliar-applied ZnO-NP fertilisers. We found that ZnEDTA was the most efficient fertiliser in terms of the proportion of applied Zn translocated to wheat grain. We also investigated the effect of Zn application rate on fertiliser efficiency. For all forms of Zn, when plants were treated with Zn at 750 mg/L or 75 mg/L, there were no significant differences in the concentration of applied Zn translocated to the grain. This suggests that current Zn application rates could be decreased while still maintaining the nutritional quality of grain. Finally, using photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) autoradiography and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) we showed that the grain distribution of foliar-applied Zn mirrors that of Zn derived from root uptake.

Plutonium and other radionuclides persist across marine-to-terrestrial ecotopes in the Montebello Islands sixty years after nuclear tests.

Since the 1956 completion of nuclear testing at the Montebello Islands, Western Australia, this remote uninhabited island group has been relatively undisturbed (no major remediations) and currently functions as high-value marine and terrestrial habitat within the Montebello/Barrow Islands Marine Conservation Reserves. The former weapons testing sites, therefore, provide a unique opportunity for assessing the fate and behaviour of Anthropocene radionuclides subjected to natural processes across a range of shallow-marine to island-terrestrial ecological units (ecotopes). We collected soil, sediment and biota samples and analysed their radionuclide content using gamma and alpha spectrometry, photostimulated luminescence autoradiography and accelerator mass spectrometry. We found the activity levels of the fission and neutron-activation products have decreased by ~hundred-fold near the ground zero locations. However, Pu concentrations remain elevated, some of which are high relative to most other Australian and international sites (up to 25,050 Bq kg-1 of 239+240+241Pu). Across ecotopes, Pu ranked from highest to lowest in the following order: island soils > dunes > foredunes > marine sediments > and beach intertidal zone. Low values of Pu and other radionuclides were detected in all local wildlife tested including endangered species. Activity concentrations ranked (highest to lowest) terrestrial arthropods > terrestrial mammal and reptile bones > algae > oyster flesh > whole crab > sea turtle bone > stingray and teleost fish livers > sea cucumber flesh > sea turtle skin > teleost fish muscle. The three detonations (one from within a ship and two from 30 m towers) resulted in differing contaminant forms, with the ship detonation producing the highest activity concentrations and finer more inhalable particulate forms. The three sites are distinct in their 240/239Pu and 241/239Pu atom ratios, including the Pu transported by natural process or within migratory living organisms.

Comparison of in vivo binding properties of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) ligands [(18)F]PBR102 and [ (18)F]PBR111 in a model of excitotoxin-induced neuroinflammation.

PURPOSE: The in vivo binding parameters of the novel imidazopyridine TSPO ligand [(18)F]PBR102 were assessed and compared with those of [(18)F]PBR111 in a rodent model of neuroinflammation. The validity of the key assumptions of the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) for estimation of binding potential (BP) was determined, with validation against a two-tissue compartment model (2TC). METHODS: Acute neuroinflammation was assessed 7 days after unilateral stereotaxic administration of (R,S)-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolopropionique (AMPA) in anaesthetized adult Wistar rats. Anaesthetized rats were implanted with a femoral arterial cannula then injected with a low mass of [(18)F]PBR102 or [(18)F]PBR111 and dynamic images were acquired over 60 min using an INVEON PET/CT camera. Another population of rats underwent the same PET protocol after pretreatment with a presaturating mass of the same unlabelled tracer (1 mg/kg) to assess the validity of the reference region for SRTM analysis. Arterial blood was sampled during imaging, allowing pharmacokinetic determination of radiotracer concentrations. Plasma activity concentration-time curves were corrected for unchanged tracer based on metabolic characterization experiments in a separate cohort of Wistar rats. The stability of neuroinflammation in both imaging cohorts was assessed by [(125)I] CLINDE TSPO quantitative autoradiography, OX42/GFAP immunohistochemistry, Fluoro-Jade C histology, and elemental mapping using microparticle-induced x-ray emission spectroscopy. The BP of each ligand were assessed in the two cohorts of lesioned animals using both SRTM and a 2TC with arterial parent compound concentration, coupled with the results from the presaturation cohort for comparison and validation of the SRTM. RESULTS: The BPs of [(18)F]PBR102 [(18)F]PBR111 were equivalent, with improved signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity compared with [(11)C]PK11195. The presaturation study showed differences in the volume of distribution between the ipsilateral striatum and the striatum contralateral to the injury (0.7) indicating that an assumption of the SRTM was not met. The modelling indicated that the BPs were consistent for both ligands. Between the SRTM and 2TC model, the BPs were highly correlated, but there was a bias in BP. CONCLUSION: [(18)F]PBR102 and [(18)F]PBR111 have equivalent binding properties in vivo, displaying significantly greater BPs with lower signal-to-noise ratio than [(11)C]PK11195. While an assumption of the SRTM was not met, this modelling approach was validated against 2TC modelling for both ligands, facilitating future use in longitudinal PET imaging of neuroinflammation.

Student performance and course evaluations before and after use of the Classroom Performance System ™ in a third-year veterinary radiology course.

Effective teaching of veterinary radiology can be challenging in a traditional classroom environment. Audience response systems, colloquially known as "clickers," provide a means of encouraging student interaction. The purpose of this study was to compare student performance and course evaluations before and after using the Classroom Performance System™ in the third-year (fifth semester) didactic radiology course at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Overall student performance was assessed by comparing median numeric final course grades (%) between years without and with use of the Classroom Performance System™. Grades of students were determined for individual instructors' sections. Student evaluations of the radiology course were compared for the years available (2007-2010). Student interactions were also evaluated subjectively by instructors who used the Classroom Performance System™. There was a significant difference (p = 0.009) between the median student grade before (2005 - 2008, median 82.2%; interquartile range 77.6-85.7%; range 61.9-95.5%) and after use of the classroom performance system (2009-2010, median 83.6%; interquartile range 79.9-87.9%; range 68.2-93.2%). There was no statistically significant difference in median student grades for individual instructors over the study period. The radiology course student evaluation scores were significantly higher in years where the Classroom Performance System™ was used in comparison to previous years (P = 0.019). Subjectively, students appeared more involved when using clickers. Findings indicated that the Classroom Performance System™ may be a useful tool for enhancing veterinary radiology education.

Social deprivation and prognostic benefits of cardiac surgery: observational study of 44 902 patients from five hospitals over 10 years.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of social deprivation on survival after cardiac surgery and to examine the influence of potentially modifiable risk factors. DESIGN: Analysis of prospectively collected data. Prognostic models used to examine the additional effect of social deprivation on the end points. SETTING: Birmingham and north west England. PARTICIPANTS: 44 902 adults undergoing cardiac surgery, 1997-2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Social deprivation with census based 2001 Carstairs scores. All cause mortality in hospital and at mid-term follow-up. RESULTS: In hospital mortality for all cardiac procedures was 3.25% and mid-term follow-up (median 1887 days; range 1180-2725 days) mortality was 12.4%. Multivariable analysis identified social deprivation as an independent predictor of mid-term mortality (hazard ratio 1.024, 95% confidence interval 1.015 to 1.033; P<0.001). Smoking (P<0.001), body mass index (BMI, P<0.001), and diabetes (P<0.001) were associated with social deprivation. Smoking at time of surgery (1.294, 1.191 to 1.407, P<0.001) and diabetes (1.305, 1.217 to 1.399, P<0.001) were independent predictors of mid-term mortality. The relation between BMI and mid-term mortality was non-linear and risks were higher in the extremes of BMI (P<0.001). Adjustment for smoking, BMI, and diabetes reduced but did not eliminate the effects of social deprivation on mid-term mortality (1.017, 1.007 to 1.026, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Smoking, extremes of BMI, and diabetes, which are potentially modifiable risk factors associated with social deprivation, are responsible for a significant reduction in survival after surgery, but even after adjustment for these variables social deprivation remains a significant independent predictor of increased risk of mortality.

Epicardial adipose tissue as a source of nuclear factor-kappaB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase mediated inflammation in patients with coronary artery disease.

CONTEXT: Visceral adipose tissue (AT) is known to confer a significantly higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Epicardial AT has been shown to be related to cardiovascular disease and myocardial function through unidentified mechanisms. Epicardial AT expresses an inflammatory profile of proteins; however, the mechanisms responsible are yet to be elucidated. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to: 1) examine key mediators of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NFkappaB) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways in paired epicardial and gluteofemoral (thigh) AT from coronary artery disease (CAD) and control patients and 2) investigate circulating endotoxin levels in CAD and control subjects. DESIGN: Serums and AT biopsies (epicardial and thigh) were obtained from CAD (n = 16) and non-CAD (n = 18) patients. Inflammation was assessed in tissue and serum samples through Western blot, real-time PCR, ELISAs, and activity studies. RESULTS: Western blotting showed epicardial AT had significantly higher NFkappaB, inhibitory-kappaB kinase (IKK)-gamma, IKKbeta, and JNK-1 and -2 compared with thigh AT. Epicardial mRNA data showed strong correlations between CD-68 and toll-like receptor-2, toll-like receptor-4, and TNF-alpha. Circulating endotoxin was elevated in patients with CAD compared with matched controls [CAD: 6.80 +/- 0.28 endotoxin unit(EU)/ml vs. controls: 5.52 +/- 0.57 EU/ml; P<0.05]. CONCLUSION: Epicardial AT from patients with CAD shows increased NFkappaB, IKKbeta, and JNK expression compared with both CAD thigh AT and non-CAD epicardial AT, suggesting a depot-specific as well as a disease-linked response to inflammation. These studies implicate both NFkappaB and JNK pathways in the inflammatory profile of epicardial AT and highlight the role of the macrophage in the inflammation within this tissue.

Ruptured inflammatory aortic aneurysm with aortoenteric fistula and infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae: a review of the literature.

We present a case report of a 65-year-old gentleman who presented with an aortoenteric fistula along with a review of the literature. He was found, in addition, to have an inflammatory infrarenal aortic aneurysm with a posterior rupture. Cultures of the aneurysm sac confirmed a Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. The patient had previously presented with pneumonia. Antibody testing revealed an isolated pneumococcal IgG deficiency. The case demonstrates the diverse pathologies associated with aortic aneurysms and a need to be vigilant and occasionally expect the unusual.

The role of the Met98Lys optineurin variant in inherited optic nerve diseases.

AIMS: To investigate the role of the common OPTN Met98Lys variant as a risk allele in open-angle glaucoma (OAG), autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). METHODS: The presence of the Met98Lys variant was determined in a total of 498 (128 with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG)) patients with OAG, 29 patients who had myocilin-related OAG, 101 patients from ADOA pedigrees, 157 patients from LHON pedigrees and 218 examined OAG age-matched normal controls. RESULTS: 17 of 218 (7.8%) controls had the Met98Lys variant. 28 (5.6%) patients with OAG were Met98Lys positive. More Met98Lys carriers were found in the NTG group than in the high-tension glaucoma (HTG) group (p = 0.033). However, no significant difference was observed between the NTG and control cohorts (p = 0.609). Two MYOC mutation carriers were found to have the variant. The variant was found in 1 of 10 pedigrees with ADOA and in 8 of 35 pedigrees with LHON. CONCLUSION: Data from this study do not support a strong role for the OPTN Met98Lys variant in glaucoma, ADOA or LHON. However, a weak association was observed of the variant with NTG compared with that with HTG. Meta-analysis of all published data on the variant and glaucoma confirmed that the association, although weak, is highly statistically significant in the cohort with glaucoma versus controls.

Post-acute dispositions of older adults hospitalized for depression.

This study addressed factors associated with six-month post-acute dispositions (continuous community stay, medical hospitalization, psychiatric rehospitalization, nursing home placement, death) for older adults hospitalized for depression and discharged to the community. The sample included 199 older adults; and data were collected via medical records, interviews with discharge planners, patients, and family members. Over half of the sample remained in the community throughout the observation period; 23% experienced psychiatric re-admission and 10% entered a nursing home. Several factors associated with nursing home placement were identified: less improvement in depression during the hospitalization, lower Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores at discharge; and less mental health service use in the post-acute period. Those at higher risk of psychiatric re-admission had more previous psychiatric hospitalizations and were marginally more likely to be married and have lower Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores at discharge. Differentiating those at risk for nursing home placement may be easier than differentiating those at risk of psychiatric readmission.

Configuration of services used by depressed older adults.

As a more comprehensive service use measure, this study identifies service use configurations based on the use of 17 services. Factors associated with service use configurations are examined guided by the Andersen and Network Episode models. Self-report data at admission and at six-month follow-up were collected, along with information from medical charts among 140 older adults hospitalized for major depression. The data document service access and levels of use in three sectors of care (psychiatric, medical, and psychosocial services) and assess need, predisposing, enabling, and social network factors associated with use. Three distinct service use configurations were identified with cluster analysis: (1) home care users; (2) moderate users of outpatient mental health services; and (3) heavy users of all formal services. Rather than psychiatric needs, post-acute service use was related to: (1) concurrent physical conditions; (2) the availability of formal and informal services; and (3) financial stability. No difference in psychiatric outcomes was found by service use configuration. It is important to understand service use patterns as a measure of service use, given the co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial conditions of older adults and corresponding needs in multiple sectors of care.

Sequence variation in mitochondrial complex I genes: mutation or polymorphism?

BACKGROUND: Defects of the mitochondrial genome are recognised as common causes of genetic disease. Sequencing of large portions or even the entire mitochondrial genome is routine in many laboratories for the investigation of mitochondrial disease. However, establishing whether a detected sequence change is polymorphic or pathogenic is still a major difficulty because of its highly polymorphic nature. This has major implications for the patient and the family. OBJECTIVE: To describe a scoring system for determining the likelihood that a given sequence variant in one of the seven mitochondrially encoded complex I (MTND) genes is truly pathogenic. RESULTS: The scoring system was applied to 50 reported MTND mutations. Using this system, 21 of the mutations analysed fell into the group of neutral sequence variants, 10 were classified as possibly pathogenic, three as probably pathogenic, and 16 as almost certainly pathogenic. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed scoring system should advance the interpretation of sequence variants and ensure that candidate pathogenic mutations are rigorously investigated.

Identification of Native American founder mtDNAs through the analysis of complete mtDNA sequences: some caveats.

In this study, a detailed analysis of both previously published and new data was performed to determine whether complete, or almost complete, mtDNA sequences can resolve the long-debated issue of which Asian mtDNAs were founder sequences for the Native American mtDNA pool. Unfortunately, we now know that coding region data and their analysis are not without problems. To obtain and report reasonably correct sequences does not seem to be a trivial task, and to discriminate between Asian and Native American mtDNA ancestries may be more complex than previously believed. It is essential to take into account the effects of mutational hot spots in both the control and coding regions, so that the number of apparent Native American mtDNA founder sequences is not erroneously inflated. As we report here, a careful analysis of all available data indicates that there is very little evidence that more than five founder mtDNA sequences entered Beringia before the Last Glacial Maximum and left their traces in the current Native American mtDNA pool.

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy triggered by antiretroviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features of two cases of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) precipitated by antiretroviral treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. METHODS: Two cases of LHON (from an expected four new cases a year throughout Australia) were identified in men on treatment for HIV infection. RESULTS: Two HIV-infected men were receiving combination antiretroviral therapy that included nucleoside analogues. Both patients carried the 14 484 mitochondrial DNA mutation and were distantly related (seventh cousins). Although both men presented with sequential visual loss typical of LHON and one had a known close relative affected by LHON, the correct diagnosis was delayed in both cases. The final visual outcome was profoundly reduced in both instances and cessation of antiretroviral therapy did not result in recovery of vision in one patient. CONCLUSION: Patients with a family history of LHON who require antiretroviral treatment should be warned of the high risk of severe visual loss. The underlying mechanism of antiretroviral side effects may help characterize the other trigger factors for LHON.

The epidemiology of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy in the North East of England.

We performed the first population-based clinical and molecular genetic study of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in a population of 2,173,800 individuals in the North East of England. We identified 16 genealogically unrelated families who harbor one of the three primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations that cause LHON. Two of these families were found to be linked genetically to a common maternal founder. A de novo mtDNA mutation (G3460A) was identified in one family. The minimum point prevalence of visual failure due to LHON within this population was 3.22 per 100,000 (95% CI 2.47-3.97 per 100,000), and the minimum point prevalence for mtDNA LHON mutations was 11.82 per 100,000 (95% CI 10.38-13.27 per 100,000). These results indicate that LHON is not rare but has a population prevalence similar to autosomally inherited neurological disorders. The majority of individuals harbored only mutant mtDNA (homoplasmy), but heteroplasmy was detected in approximately 12% of individuals. Overall, however, approximately 33% of families with LHON had at least one heteroplasmic individual. The high incidence of heteroplasmy in pedigrees with LHON raises the possibility that a closely related maternal relative of an index case may not harbor the mtDNA mutation, highlighting the importance of molecular genetic testing for each maternal family member seeking advice about their risks of visual failure.