Measurement of the main and critical parameters for optimal laser treatment of heart disease

Abstract: Laser light is frequently used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. As in traditional treatments such as medication, bypass surgery, and minimally invasive ways, laser treatment can also fail and present serious side effects. The true reason for laser treatment failure or the side effects thereof, remains unknown. From the literature review conducted, and experimental results generated we conclude that an optimal laser treatment for coronary artery disease (named heart disease) can be obtained if certain critical parameters are correctly measured and understood. These parameters include the laser power, the laser beam profile, the fluence rate, the treatment time, as well as the absorption and scattering coefficients of the target treatment tissue. Therefore, this paper proposes different, accurate methods for the measurement of these critical parameters to determine the optimal laser treatment of heart disease with a minimal risk of side effects. The results from the measurement of absorption and scattering properties can be used in a computer simulation package to predict the fluence rate. The computing technique is a program based on the random number (Monte Carlo) process and probability statistics to track the propagation of photons through a biological tissue

Multinational survey of osteoporotic fracture management

Abstract Osteoporosis is characterized by a decreased bone mass and an increased bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture

The role of clathrin in post-golgi trafficking in toxoplasma gondii

Apicomplexan parasites are single eukaryotic cells with a highly polarised secretory system that contains unique secretory organelles (micronemes and rhoptries) that are required for host cell invasion. In contrast, the role of the endosomal system is poorly understood in these parasites. With many typical endocytic factors missing, we speculated that endocytosis depends exclusively on a clathrin-mediated mechanism. Intriguingly, in Toxoplasma gondii we were only able to observe the endogenous clathrin heavy chain 1 (CHC1) at the Golgi, but not at the parasite surface. For the functional characterisation of Toxoplasma gondii CHC1 we generated parasite mutants conditionally expressing the dominant negative clathrin Hub fragment and demonstrate that CHC1 is essential for vesicle formation at the trans-Golgi network. Consequently, the functional ablation of CHC1 results in Golgi aberrations, a block in the biogenesis of the unique secretory microneme and rhoptry organelles, and of the pellicle. However, we found no morphological evidence for clathrin mediating endocytosis in these parasites and speculate that they remodelled their vesicular trafficking system to adapt to an intracellular lifestyle

One Gene, Many Facets: Multiple Immune Pathway Dysregulation in SOCS1 Haploinsufficiency.

BACKGROUND: Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) present with a large phenotypic spectrum of disease, which can pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a key negative regulator of cytokine signaling, and has recently been associated with a novel IEI. Of patients described to date, it is apparent that SOCS1 haploinsufficiency has a pleiotropic effect in humans. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate whether dysregulation of immune pathways, in addition to STAT1, play a role in the broad clinical manifestations of SOCS1 haploinsufficiency. METHODS: We assessed impacts of reduced SOCS1 expression across multiple immune cell pathways utilizing patient cells and CRISPR/Cas9 edited primary human T cells. RESULTS: SOCS1 haploinsufficiency phenotypes straddled across the International Union of Immunological Societies classifications of IEI. We found that reduced SOCS1 expression led to dysregulation of multiple intracellular pathways in immune cells. STAT1 phosphorylation is enhanced, comparably with STAT1 gain-of-function mutations, and STAT3 phosphorylation is similarly reduced with concurrent reduction of Th17 cells. Furthermore, reduced SOCS1 E3 ligase function was associated with increased FAK1 in immune cells, and increased AKT and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase phosphorylation. We also found Toll-like receptor responses are increased in SOCS1 haploinsufficiency patients. CONCLUSIONS: SOCS1 haploinsufficiency is a pleiotropic monogenic IEI. Dysregulation of multiple immune cell pathways may explain the variable clinical phenotype associated with this new condition. Knowledge of these additional dysregulated immune pathways is important when considering the optimum management for SOCS1 haploinsufficient patients

Quality of reporting according to the CONSORT, STROBE and Timmer instrument at the American Burn Association (ABA) annual meetings 2000 and 2008

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The quality of oral and poster conference presentations differ. We hypothesized that the quality of reporting is better in oral abstracts than in poster abstracts at the American Burn Association (ABA) conference meeting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All 511 abstracts (2000: N = 259, 2008: N = 252) from the ABA annual meetings in year 2000 and 2008 were screened. RCT's and obervational studies were analyzed by two independent examiners regarding study design and quality of reporting for randomized-controlled trials (RCT) by CONSORT criteria, observational studies by the STROBE criteria and additionally the Timmer instrument.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 13 RCT's in 2000 and 9 in 2008, 77 observational studies in 2000 and 98 in 2008 were identified. Of the presented abstracts, 5% (oral; 7%(n = 9) vs. poster; 3%(n = 4)) in 2000 and 4% ((oral; 5%(n = 7) vs. poster; 2%(n = 2)) in 2008 were randomized controlled trials. The amount of observational studies as well as experimental studies accepted for presentation was not significantly different between oral and poster in both years. Reporting quality of RCT was for oral vs. poster abstracts in 2000 (CONSORT; 7.2 ± 0.8 vs. 7 ± 0, p = 0.615, CI -0.72 to 1.16, Timmer; 7.8 ± 0.7 vs. 7.5 ± 0.6,) and 2008 (CONSORT; 7.2 ± 1.4 vs. 6.5 ± 1, Timmer; 9.7 ± 1.1 vs. 9.5 ± 0.7). While in 2000, oral and poster abstracts of observational studies were not significantly different for reporting quality according to STROBE (STROBE; 8.3 ± 1.7 vs. 8.9 ± 1.6, p = 0.977, CI -37.3 to 36.3, Timmer; 8.6 ± 1.5 vs. 8.5 ± 1.4, p = 0.712, CI -0.44 to 0.64), in 2008 oral observational abstracts were significantly better than posters (STROBE score; 9.4 ± 1.9 vs. 8.5 ± 2, p = 0.005, CI 0.28 to 1.54, Timmer; 9.4 ± 1.4 vs. 8.6 ± 1.7, p = 0.013, CI 0.32 to 1.28).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Poster abstract reporting quality at the American Burn Association annual meetings in 2000 and 2008 is not necessarily inferior to oral abstracts as far as study design and reporting quality of clinical trials are concerned. The primary hypothesis has to be rejected. However, endorsement for the comprehensive use of the CONSORT and STROBE criteria might further increase the quality of reporting ABA conference abstracts in the future.</p

A New Heterobinuclear FeIIICuII Complex with a Single Terminal FeIII–O(phenolate) Bond. Relevance to Purple Acid Phosphatases and Nucleases

A novel heterobinuclear mixed valence complex [Fe^IIICu^II(BPBPMP)(OAc)_2]ClO_4, 1, with the unsymmetrical N_5O_2 donor ligand 2-bis[{(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl}-6-{(2-hydroxybenzyl)(2-pyridylmethyl)} aminomethyl]-4-methylphenol (H_2BPBPMP) has been synthesized and characterized. A combination of data from mass spectrometry, potentiometric titrations, X-ray absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, as well as kinetics measurements indicates that in ethanol/water solutions an [Fe^III-(nu)OH-Cu^IIOH_2]+ species is generated which is the likely catalyst for 2,4-bis(dinitrophenyl)phosphate and DNA hydrolysis. Insofar as the data are consistent with the presence of an Fe_III-bound hydroxide acting as a nucleophile during catalysis, 1 presents a suitable mimic for the hydrolytic enzyme purple acid phosphatase. Notably, 1 is significantly more reactive than its isostructural homologues with different metal composition (Fe^IIIM^II, where M^II is Zn^II, Mn^II, Ni^II,or Fe^II). Of particular interest is the observation that cleavage of double-stranded plasmid DNA occurs even at very low concentrations of 1 (2.5 nuM), under physiological conditions (optimum pH of 7.0), with a rate enhancement of 2.7 x 10^7 over the uncatalyzed reaction. Thus, 1 is one of the most effective model complexes to date, mimicking the function of nucleases

Population Structure of Staphylococcus aureus from Remote African Babongo Pygmies

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that colonizes humans worldwide. The anterior nares are its main ecological niche. Carriers of S. aureus are at a higher risk of developing invasive infections. Few reports indicated a different clonal structure and profile of virulence factors in S. aureus isolates from Sub-Saharan Africa. As there are no data about isolates from remote indigenous African populations, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of S. aureus nasal carriage in Gabonese Babongo Pygmies. The isolates were characterized regarding their susceptibility to antibiotic agents, possession of virulence factors and clonal lineage. While similar carriage rates were found in populations of industrialized countries, isolates that encode the genes for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were clearly more prevalent than in European countries. Of interest, many methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates from Babongo Pygmies showed the same genetic background as pandemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clones. We advocate a surveillance of S. aureus in neglected African populations to control the development of resistance to antibiotic drugs with particular respect to MRSA and to assess the impact of the high prevalence of PVL-positive isolates