Potential transceptor AtNRT1.13 modulates shoot architecture and flowering time in a nitrate-dependent manner.

Compared with root development regulated by external nutrients, less is known about how internal nutrients are monitored to control plasticity of shoot development. In this study, we characterize an Arabidopsis thaliana transceptor, NRT1.13 (NPF4.4), of the NRT1/PTR/NPF family. Different from most NRT1 transporters, NRT1.13 does not have the conserved proline residue between transmembrane domains 10 and 11; an essential residue for nitrate transport activity in CHL1/NRT1.1/NPF6.3. As expected, when expressed in oocytes, NRT1.13 showed no nitrate transport activity. However, when Ser 487 at the corresponding position was converted back to proline, NRT1.13 S487P regained nitrate uptake activity, suggesting that wild-type NRT1.13 cannot transport nitrate but can bind it. Subcellular localization and ß-glucuronidase reporter analyses indicated that NRT1.13 is a plasma membrane protein expressed at the parenchyma cells next to xylem in the petioles and the stem nodes. When plants were grown with a normal concentration of nitrate, nrt1.13 showed no severe growth phenotype. However, when grown under low-nitrate conditions, nrt1.13 showed delayed flowering, increased node number, retarded branch outgrowth, and reduced lateral nitrate allocation to nodes. Our results suggest that NRT1.13 is required for low-nitrate acclimation and that internal nitrate is monitored near the xylem by NRT1.13 to regulate shoot architecture and flowering time.

Genetic exploration of roles of acid-sensing ion channel subtypes in neurosensory mechanotransduction including proprioception.

Although acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are proton-gated ion channels responsible for sensing tissue acidosis, accumulating evidence has shown that ASICs are also involved in neurosensory mechanotransduction. However, in contrast to Piezo ion channels, evidence of ASICs as mechanically gated ion channels has not been found using conventional mechanoclamp approaches. Instead, ASICs are involved in the tether model of mechanotransduction, with the channels gated via tethering elements of extracellular matrix and intracellular cytoskeletons. Methods using substrate deformation-driven neurite stretch and micropipette-guided ultrasound were developed to reveal the roles of ASIC3 and ASIC1a, respectively. Here we summarize the evidence supporting the roles of ASICs in neurosensory mechanotransduction in knockout mouse models of ASIC subtypes and provide insight to further probe their roles in proprioception.

Mouse Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Model Induced by Periarterial Incubation of Papain.

For decades, numerous experimental animal models have been developed to examine the pathophysiologic mechanisms and potential treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in diverse species with varying chemical or surgical approaches. This study aimed to create an AAA mouse model by the periarterial incubation with papain, which can mimic human AAA with advantages such as simplicity, convenience, and high efficiency. Eighty C57BL/6J male mice were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 groups: papain (1.0 or 2.0 mg), porcine pancreatic elastase, and phosphate-buffered solution. The aortic segment was wrapped for 20 minutes, and the diameter was measured using ultrasound preoperatively and postoperative days 7 and 14. Then, the mice were killed for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses. According to ultrasound measurements and histomorphometric analyses, on postoperative day 7, 65% of mice in the 1.0-mg papain group and 60% of mice in the 2.0-mg papain group developed AAA. In both papain groups, 100% of mice developed AAA, and 65% of mice in the porcine pancreatic elastase group developed AAA on postoperative day 14. Furthermore, hematoxylin/eosin, elastin van Gieson, and Masson staining of tissues from the papain group revealed thickened media and intimal hyperplasia, collagen sediments, and elastin destruction, indicating that AAA histochemical alteration was similar to that of humans. In addition, the immunohistochemical analysis was conducted to detect infiltrated inflammatory cells, such as macrophages and leukocytes, in the aortic wall and hyperplasic adventitia. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9 was significantly upregulated in papain and human AAA tissues. Periarterial incubation with 1.0 mg of papain for 20 minutes can successfully create an experimental AAA model in mice for 14 days, which can be used to explore the mechanism and treatment of human AAA.

Pediatric Cardiac Lymphoblastic Lymphoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Cardiac lymphoma is rare in children. Treatment typically includes chemotherapy, combination of radiotherapy, or surgery. We report a case of stage IV precursor B lymphoblastic lymphoma with secondary involvement of the heart in an 11-year-old girl who was treated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia-based chemotherapy. Also, we review the literature on this uncommon malignancy.

Assessing traffic-related air pollution-induced fiber-specific white matter degradation associated with motor performance declines in aged rats.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is thought to exacerbate Parkinson's disease (PD) in the elderly, and early detection of PD progression may prevent further irreversible damage. Therefore, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for probing microstructural changes after late-life chronic traffic-related PM2.5 exposure. Herein, 1.5-year-old Fischer 344 rats were exposed to clean air (control), high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-filtered ambient air (HEPA group), and ambient traffic-related PM2.5 (PM2.5 group, 9.933 ± 1.021 µg/m3) for 3 months. Rotarod test, DTI tractographic analysis, and immunohistochemistry were performed in the end of study period. Aged rats exposed to PM2.5 exhibited motor impairment with decreased fractional anisotropy and tyrosine hydroxylase expression in olfactory and nigrostriatal circuits, indicating disrupted white matter integrity and dopaminergic (DA) neuronal loss. Additionally, increased radial diffusivity and lower expression of myelin basic protein in PM2.5 group suggested ageing progression of demyelination exacerbated by PM2.5 exposure. Significant production of tumor necrosis factor-α was also observed after PM2.5 exposure, revealing potential inflammation of injury to multiple fiber tracts of DA pathways. Microstructural changes demonstrated potential links between PM2.5-induced inflammatory white matter demyelination and behavioral performance, with indication of pre-manifestation of DTI-based biomarkers for early detection of PD progression in the elderly.

[Oral Care to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia].

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), one of the most common nosocomial infections in critical care units, has been associated with adverse outcomes such as higher medical expenses, prolonged hospital stays, and higher mortality rates. Although studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of oral care in reducing VAP incidence and enhancing patient comfort, few critically ill patients are able to perform oral care independently. Moreover, related evaluations and execution require specialized nursing techniques that rely on well-trained nurses. Unfortunately, descriptions of oral evaluations, caring practices, and hygiene related to pathogenic mechanisms in critically ill patients are scarce in both textbooks and the scientific literature. Based on a review of the related literature, this article discusses: the pathogenic mechanism of VAP; the purpose, principals, and steps of providing oral care to endotracheal tube ventilated patients, with particular emphasis on current evidence on the effect of chlorhexidine on oral care; and the major factors impacting oral care effectiveness. This article is expected to raise awareness of oral care, update the current evidence-based knowledge base, and increase the quality of nursing care provided to critically ill populations.

Reduction in Allergenicity and Induction of Oral Tolerance of Glycated Tropomyosin from Crab.

Tropomyosin (TM) is an important crustacean (Scylla paramamosain) allergen. This study aimed to assess Maillard-reacted TM (TM-G) induction of allergenic responses with cell and mouse models. We analyzed the difference of sensitization and the ability to induce immune tolerance between TM and TM-G by in vitro and in vivo models, then we compared the relationship between glycation sites of TM-G and epitopes of TM. In the in vitro assay, we discovered that the sensitization of TM-G was lower than TM, and the ability to stimulate mast cell degranulation decreased from 55.07 ± 4.23% to 27.86 ± 3.21%. In the serum of sensitized Balb/c mice, the level of specific IgE produced by TM-G sensitized mice was significantly lower than TM, and the levels of interleukins 4 and interleukins 13 produced by Th2 cells in spleen lymphocytes decreased by 82.35 ± 5.88% and 83.64 ± 9.09%, respectively. In the oral tolerance model, the ratio of Th2/Th1 decreased from 4.05 ± 0.38 to 1.69 ± 0.19. Maillard reaction masked the B cell epitopes of TM and retained some T cell epitopes. Potentially, Maillard reaction products (MRPs) can be used as tolerance inducers for allergen-specific immunotherapy.

[Using the Model of Motivation to Improve the Accuracy of Nurses Conducting Aerosol Therapy in Mechanically Ventilated Patients].

ACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Aerosol therapy is increasingly used in pulmonary critical care and in patients with respiratory disease. However, improper application of the aerosol delivery device will decrease the therapeutic effect as well as increase the incidence of pulmonary infection. An initial assessment conducted in our intensive care unit found an accuracy rate for nursing staff aerosol-therapy execution of only 55.9%. Possible reasons identified for this low rate included lack of learning experience and resources, lack of related standard operating procedures, lack of related performance assessments, complicated / unfamiliar device assembly procedure, diffuse storage of device components, and a lack of illustrations. PURPOSE: This project was developed to increase the accuracy rate of performing aerosol therapy to over 90% in our intensive care unit. METHODS: We designed diverse learning materials using the model of motivation, developed an evaluation system, simplified the assembly of components based on evidence-based research, improved the storage situation, and added reference illustrations. RESULTS: The accuracy rate in aerosol therapy execution for our nursing staff increased from 55.9% to 95.0% after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: This project used the model of motivation to develop the teaching materials. By using diverse teaching methods, including both in-person classes and online interactive quizzes, we realized high learning satisfaction and efficacy. Along with simplifying equipment handling, improving the working environment, enhancing nurses' aerosol therapy techniques, establishing standard operating procedure guidelines, and adding an evaluation system, we standardized the entire procedure for potential promotion to other intensive care units.

Electrostatic Reaction Inhibition in Nanoparticle Catalysis.

Electrostatic reaction inhibition in heterogeneous catalysis emerges if charged reactants and products with similar charges are adsorbed on the catalyst and thus repel the approaching reactants. In this work, we study the effects of electrostatic inhibition on the reaction rate of unimolecular reactions catalyzed on the surface of a spherical model nanoparticle using particle-based reaction-diffusion simulations. Moreover, we derive closed rate equations based on an approximate Debye-Smoluchowski rate theory, valid for diffusion-controlled reactions, and a modified Langmuir adsorption isotherm, relevant for reaction-controlled reactions, to account for electrostatic inhibition in the Debye-Hückel limit. We study the kinetics of reactions ranging from low to high adsorptions on the nanoparticle surface and from the surface- to diffusion-controlled limits for charge valencies 1 and 2. In the diffusion-controlled limit, electrostatic inhibition drastically slows down the reactions for strong adsorption and low ionic concentration, which is well described by our theory. In particular, the rate decreases with adsorption affinity because, in this case, the inhibiting products are generated at a high rate. In the (slow) reaction-controlled limit, the effect of electrostatic inhibition is much weaker, as semiquantitatively reproduced by our electrostatic-modified Langmuir theory. We finally propose and verify a simple interpolation formula that describes electrostatic inhibition for all reaction speeds ("diffusion-influenced" reactions) in general.

Altered sensory nerve excitability in fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To investigate nerve excitability changes in patients with fibromyalgia and the correlation with clinical severity. METHODS: We enrolled 20 subjects with fibromyalgia and 22 sex and age-matched healthy subjects to receive nerve excitability test and nerve conduction study to evaluate the peripheral axonal function. RESULTS: In the fibromyalgia cohort, the sensory axonal excitability test revealed increased superexcitability (%) (P = 0.029) compared to healthy control. Correlational study showed a negative correlation between increased subexcitability (%) (r = -0.534, P = 0.022) with fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) score. Computer modeling confirmed that the sensory axon excitability pattern we observed in fibromyalgia cohort was best explained by increased Barrett-Barrett conductance, which was thought to be attributed to paranodal fast K+ channel dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that paranodal sensory K+ conductance was altered in patients with fibromyalgia. The altered conductance indicated dysfunction of paranodal fast K+ channels, which is known to be associated with the generation of pain.

The SMAC mimetic LCL161 is a direct ABCB1/MDR1-ATPase activity modulator and BIRC5/Survivin expression down-regulator in cancer cells.

Upregulation of ABCB1/MDR1 (P-gp) and BIRC5/Survivin promotes multidrug resistance in a variety of human cancers. LCL161 is an anti-cancer DIABLO/SMAC mimetic currently being tested in patients with solid tumors, but the molecular mechanism of action of LCL161 in cancer cells is still incompletely understood. It is still unclear whether LCL161 is therapeutically applicable for patients with ABCB1-overexpressing multidrug resistant tumors. In this study, we found that the potency of LCL161 is not affected by the expression of ABCB1 in KB-TAX50, KB-VIN10, and NTU0.017 cancer cells. Besides, LCL161 is equally potent towards the parental MCF7 breast cancer cells and its BIRC5 overexpressing, hormone therapy resistance subline MCF7-TamC3 in vitro. Mechanistically, we found that LCL161 directly modulates the ABCB1-ATPase activity and inhibits ABCB1 multi-drug efflux activity at low cytotoxic concentrations (i.e. 0.5xIC50 or less). Further analysis revealed that LCL161 also decreases intracellular ATP levels in part through BIRC5 downregulation. Therapeutically, co-treatment with LCL161 at low cytotoxic concentrations restored the sensitivity to the known ABCB1 substrate, paclitaxel, in ABCB1-expressing cancer cells and increased the sensitivity to tamoxifen in MCF7-TamC3 cells. In conclusion, LCL161 has the potential for use in the management of cancer patients with ABCB1 and BIRC5-related drug resistance. The findings of our study provide important information to physicians for designing a more "patient-specific" LCL161 clinical trial program in the future.

A seed resource for screening functionally redundant genes and isolation of new mutants impaired in CO2 and ABA responses.

The identification of homologous genes with functional overlap in forward genetic screens is severely limited. Here, we report the generation of over 14000 artificial microRNA (amiRNA)-expressing plants that enable screens of the functionally redundant gene space in Arabidopsis. A protocol was developed for isolating robust and reproducible amiRNA mutants. Examples of validation approaches and essential controls are presented for two new amiRNA mutants that exhibit genetically redundant phenotypes and circumvent double mutant lethality. In a forward genetic screen for abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated inhibition of seed germination, amiRNAs that target combinations of known redundant ABA receptor and SnRK2 kinase genes were rapidly isolated, providing a strong proof of principle for this approach. A new ABA-insensitive amiRNA line that targets three avirulence-induced gene 2(-like) genes was isolated . A thermal imaging screen for plants with impaired stomatal opening in response to low CO2 exposure led to the isolation of a new amiRNA targeting two essential proteasomal subunits, PAB1 and PAB2. The seed library of 11000 T2 amiRNA lines (with 3000 lines in progress) generated here provides a new platform for forward genetic screens and has been made available to the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC). Optimized procedures for amiRNA screening and controls are described.

[Reducing Blood Culture Contamination Rates in the Emergency Department].

BACKGROUND: Rate of contamination is a well-known indicator of quality of care in the emergency department. Blood-culture results may affect clinical decision making. From January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, the contamination rate of blood culture in our emergency department was 5.63%, which exceeded the maximum of 3% suggested by the American Society for Microbiology and the clinical laboratory at our hospital. PURPOSE: Using a quality improvement strategy, this project aimed to (1) identify potential factors contributing to the high blood culture contamination rate and (2) achieve a blood culture contamination rate below 3%. RESOLUTION: The factors that were identified as potentially contributing to the high blood culture contamination rate were: (a) Nursing staff: lack of related education and training and ignorance of related clinical guidelines; (b) The system: inconsistent and non-evidence-based clinical guidelines (e.g., no requirement to use sterile gloves when obtaining blood cultures and changing disinfectants); (c) The patient: older patients, residents of long-term care facility, and patients whose blood culture were in the first set were associated with higher blood culture contamination rates. Our quality improvement strategy included: design a new bedside working plate, develop slogans and posters illustrating the proper blood-drawing procedure, make a video introducing current standard technology, provide continuing education, monitor contamination rates, and provide individual feedback and retraining for those with higher contamination rates. RESULTS: The strategy was implemented from October 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016, during which period the blood culture contamination rate reduced from 5.63% to 1.51%. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusion: Improving equipment, using multiple teaching methods, and providing regular feedback not only significantly reduced the blood culture contamination rate but also enhanced the knowledge and skills of nursing staff in terms of blood culture sampling. We hope that our results are referenced by other nursing departments and used to improve the blood culture contamination rates in other clinical settings.

Functional and anatomical dissociation between the orthographic lexicon and the orthographic buffer revealed in reading and writing Chinese characters by fMRI.

The contribution of orthographic representations to reading and writing has been intensively investigated in the literature. However, the distinction between neuronal correlates of the orthographic lexicon and the orthographic (graphemic) buffer has rarely been examined in alphabetic languages and never been explored in non-alphabetic languages. To determine whether the neural networks associated with the orthographic lexicon and buffer of logographic materials are comparable to those reported in the literature, the present fMRI experiment manipulated frequency and the stroke number of Chinese characters in the tasks of form judgment and stroke judgment, which emphasized the processing of character recognition and writing, respectively. It was found that the left fusiform gyrus exhibited higher activation when encountering low-frequency than high-frequency characters in both tasks, which suggested this region to be the locus of the orthographic lexicon that represents the knowledge of character forms. On the other hand, the activations in the posterior part of the left middle frontal gyrus and in the left angular gyrus were parametrically modulated by the stroke number of target characters only in the stroke judgment task, which suggested these regions to be the locus of the orthographic buffer that represents the processing of stroke sequence in writing. These results provide the first evidence for the functional and anatomical dissociation between the orthographic lexicon and buffer in reading and writing Chinese characters. They also demonstrate the critical roles of the left fusiform area and the frontoparietal network to the long-term and short-term representations of orthographic knowledge, respectively, across different orthographies.

A Decision Tree Based Classifier to Analyze Human Ovarian Cancer cDNA Microarray Datasets.

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological disease because of the high mortality rate and there is no any symptom in cancer early stage. It was often the terminal cancer period when patients were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and thus delays a good opportunity of treatment. The current common method for detecting ovarian cancer is blood testing for analyzing the tumor marker CA-125 of serum. However, specificity and sensitivity of CA-125 are insufficient for early detection. Therefore, it has become an urgent issue to look for an efficient method which precisely detects the tumor markers for ovarian cancer. This study aims to find the target genes of ovarian cancer by different algorithms of information science. Feature selection and decision tree were applied to analyze 9600 ovarian cancer-related genes. After screening the target genes, candidate genes will be analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software to create a genetic pathway model and to understand the interactive relationship in the different pathological stages of ovarian cancer. Finally, this research found 9 oncogenes associated with ovarian cancer and some genes had not been discovered in previous studies. This system will assist medical staffs in diagnosis and treatment at cancer early stage and improve the patient's survival.

Neural correlates of merging number words.

Complex number words (e.g., "twenty two") are formed by merging together several simple number words (e.g., "twenty" and "two"). In the present study, we explored the neural correlates of this operation and investigated to what extent it engages brain areas involved processing numerical quantity and linguistic syntactic structure. Participants speaking two typologically distinct languages, French and Chinese, were required to read aloud sequences of simple number words while their cerebral activity was recorded by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Each number word could either be merged with the previous ones (e.g., 'twenty three') or not (e.g., 'three twenty'), thus forming four levels ranging from lists of number words to complex numerals. When a number word could be merged with the preceding ones, it was named faster than when it could not. Neuroimaging results showed that the number of merges correlated with activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus and in the left inferior parietal lobule. Consistent findings across Chinese and French participants suggest that these regions serve as the neural bases for forming complex number words in different languages.

Impact of marital coping on the relationship between body image and sexuality among breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: The aims of the study were (1) to understand the relationship between women's marital coping efforts and body image as well as sexual relationships and (2) to test a hypothesized model suggesting that marital coping efforts have a mediating effect on the relationship between body image and sexual relationships among breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A total of 135 breast cancer survivors who had finished cancer treatment completed a self-reported questionnaire concerning body image, marital coping efforts, and sexual relationship. RESULTS: Body image, marital coping, and sexual relationship were found to be significantly correlated with each other. The final path model showed that negative marital coping efforts, including avoidance and self-blame, significantly mediated the effect of women's body image on their sexual relationships. Although a positive approach did not correlate with body image, it did significantly correlate with women's sexual relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that negative marital coping using self-blame and avoidance mediated the association between body image and sexual relationship. Future interventions to address the body image and sexual life of breast cancer survivors should be considered using positive approaches that prevent disengaged avoidance or self-blame coping efforts intended to deal with marital stress.

Phonological similarity and orthographic similarity affect probed serial recall of Chinese characters.

The previous literature on working memory (WM) has indicated that verbal materials are dominantly retained in phonological representations, whereas other linguistic information (e.g., orthography, semantics) only contributes to verbal WM minimally, if not negligibly. Although accumulating evidence has suggested that multiple linguistic components jointly support verbal WM, the visual/orthographic contribution has rarely been addressed in alphabetic languages, possibly due to the difficulty of dissociating the effects of word forms from the effects of their pronunciations in relatively shallow orthography. In the present study, we examined whether the orthographic representations of Chinese characters support the retention of verbal materials in this language of deep orthography. In Experiments 1a and 2, we independently manipulated the phonological and orthographic similarity of horizontal and vertical characters, respectively, and found that participants' accuracy of probed serial recall was reduced by both similar pronunciations and shared phonetic radicals in the to-be-remembered stimuli. Moreover, Experiment 1b showed that only the effect of phonological, but not that of orthographic, similarity was affected by concurrent articulatory suppression. Taken together, the present results indicate the indispensable contribution of orthographic representations to verbal WM of Chinese characters, and suggest that the linguistic characteristics of a specific language not only determine long-term linguistic-processing mechanisms, but also delineate the organization of verbal WM for that language.

An ionic-polymer-metallic composite actuator for reconfigurable antennas in mobile devices.

In this paper, a new application of an electro-active-polymer for a radio frequency (RF) switch is presented. We used an ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) switch to change the operating frequency of an inverted-F antenna. This switch is light in weight, small in volume, and low in cost. In addition, the IPMC is suitable for mobile devices because of its driving voltage of 3 volts and thickness of 200 µm. The IPMC acts as a normally-on switch to control the operating frequency of a reconfigurable antenna in mobile phones. We experimentally demonstrated by network analysis that the IPMC switch could shift its operating frequency from 1.1 to 2.1 GHz, with return losses of than -10 dB at both frequencies. To minimize electrolysis and maximize the operation time in air, propylene carbonate electrolyte with lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) was applied inside the IPMC. The results showed that when the IPMC was actuated over three months at 3.5 V, the tip displacement fell by less than 10%. Therefore, an IPMC actuator is a promising choice for application to a reconfigurable antenna.