Visual pathway function and structure in Wolfram syndrome: Patient age, variation and progression

Background/aimsTo report alterations in visual acuity and visual pathway structure over an interval of 1–3 years in a cohort of children, adolescents and young adults who have Wolfram syndrome (WFS) and to describe the range of disease severity evident in patients with WFS whose ages differed by as much as 20 years at first examination.MethodsAnnual, prospective ophthalmological examinations were performed in conjunction with retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) analysis. Diffusion tensor MRI-derived fractional anisotropy was used to assess the microstructural integrity of the optic radiations (OR FA).ResultsMean age of the 23 patients with WFS in the study was 13.8 years (range 5–25 years). Mean log minimum angle resolution visual acuity was 0.66 (20/91). RNFL thickness was subnormal in even the youngest patients with WFS. Average RNFL thickness in patients with WFS was 57±8 µ or ~40% thinner than that measured in normal (94±10 µ) children and adolescents (P&lt;0.01). Lower OR FA correlated with worse visual acuity (P=0.006). Subsequent examinations showed declines (P&lt;0.05) in visual acuity, RNFL thickness and OR FA at follow-up intervals of 12–36 months. However, a wide range of disease severity was evident across ages: some of the youngest patients at their first examination had deficits more severe than the oldest patients.ConclusionThe genetic mutation of WFS causes damage to both pregeniculate and postgeniculate regions of the visual pathway. The damage is progressive. The decline in visual pathway structure is accompanied by declines of visual function. Disease severity differs widely in individual patients and cannot be predicted from their age.</jats:sec

General Anaesthesia Protocols for Patients Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy : Retrospective analysis of 504 sessions over a five-year period at a tertiary care hospital in Oman

Objectives: This study aimed to review general anaesthesia protocols for patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at a tertiary care hospital in Oman, particularly with regards to clinical profile, potential drug interactions and patient outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study took place at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH), Muscat, Oman. The electronic medical records of patients undergoing ECT at SQUH between January 2010 and December 2014 were reviewed for demographic characteristics and therapy details. Results: A total of 504 modified ECT sessions were performed on 57 patients during the study period. All of the patients underwent a uniform general anaesthetic regimen consisting of propofol and succinylcholine; however, they received different doses between sessions, as determined by the treating anaesthesiologist. Variations in drug doses between sessions in the same patient could not be attributed to any particular factor. Self-limiting tachycardia and hypertension were periprocedural complications noted among all patients. One patient developed aspiration pneumonitis (1.8%). Conclusion: All patients undergoing ECT received a general anaesthetic regimen including propofol and succinylcholine. However, the interplay of anaesthetic drugs with ECT efficacy could not be established due to a lack of comprehensive data, particularly with respect to seizure duration. In addition, the impact of concurrent antipsychotic therapy on anaesthetic dose and subsequent complications could not be determined

Peer Leader Perspectives From a PLTL Implementation in a Hispanic-serving Institution

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a pedagogical approach that has been shown to benefit all students, especially underrepresented minority students and peer leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this work, we present results from our study of the impact of PLTL on our peer leaders from a controlled implementation in general biology, general chemistry, and statistics courses at a Hispanic-serving, minority-serving institution. More specifically, we have measured our PLTL program’s impact on our peer leaders\u27 skill development, engagement with the subject material, and sense of belonging as peer leaders. Weekly peer leader reflections analyzed using the Dreyfus model exhibited a consistent set of skills, while those analyzed using the Pazos model revealed a consistent type of student-peer leader interactions, allowing for peer leaders to be assigned to specific levels in the hierarchy of each of the models. Analysis of eight skill-based Likert-scale questions on the SALG survey showed an overall positive shift at the highest level. Independent of the skill or interaction level of the peer leader, we observed several instances of peer leaders acknowledging development in their communication skills, sincere attempts at creating an engaging classroom, and a deep investment in their student’s success. Peer leaders also reported improvements in understanding of the subjects they were teaching, wanting to persevere and solve problems independently, and feeling passionate about helping other students

Economic Evaluation of Conservation Concepts for Municipal Water Systems

Five concepts for conservation of municipal water supply are analyzed from an economic efficiency perspectice. They include: 1) seasonal pricing (for reduction of peak period water use), 2) dual water systems (separate high quality drinking water and untreated outdoor irrigation systems), 3) imported water transmission facility capacity optimization, 4) flow restricting devices, and 5) short-term rationing concepts. Optimization models, including generalized model generators, were developed for analysis of the first three concepts and demonstrated by applications to cities in Utah. The flow restricting device and short-term rationsing concept analyses applied approaches taken from the literature to example sites in Utah. The final chapter is a comparison of results and summary of conditions which favor each approach to conservation. Conclusions include: Seasonal pricing was demonstarted to reduce peak period water use but is not justified in Salt Lake City because the added cost of metering exceeds the additional benefits. Dual water systems are potentially an important concept for matching various qualities of water with appropriate uses and producing net economic benefits. Determination of capacity of an imported water facility is dominated more by the decision maker\u27s attitude toward risk than by pricing policy. Flow restricting devices produce economic benefits only if the change in quality of service is ignored. Price elasticity is much lower during a drought than during normal conditions

Butterfly eyespots evolved via co-option of the antennal gene-regulatory network

Butterfly eyespots are beautiful novel traits with an unknown developmental origin. Here we show that eyespots likely originated via co-option of the antennal gene-regulatory network (GRN) to novel locations on the wing. Using comparative transcriptome analysis, we show that eyespots cluster with antennae relative to multiple other tissues. Furthermore, three genes essential for eyespot development (Distal-less (Dll), spalt (sal), and Antennapedia (Antp)) share similar regulatory connections as those observed in the antennal GRN. CRISPR knockout of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) for Dll and sal led to the loss of eyespots and antennae, and also legs and wings, demonstrating that these CREs are highly pleiotropic. We conclude that eyespots likely re-used the ancient antennal GRN, a network previously implicated also in the development of legs and wings

Universality of large N phase transitions in Wilson loop operators in two and three dimensions

The eigenvalue distribution of a Wilson loop operator of fixed shape undergoes a transition under scaling at infinite N. We derive a large N scaling function in a double scaling limit of the average characteristic polynomial associated with the Wilson loop operator in two dimensional QCD. We hypothesize that the transition in three and four dimensional large N QCD are also in the same universality class and provide a numerical test for our hypothesis in three dimensions.Comment: 43 pages, 1 table, 18 figures, uses JHEP3.cls, one reference added, replaced Figure 3 and a small change to eqn (4.8

Butterfly eyespots evolved via cooption of an ancestral gene-regulatory network that also patterns antennae, legs, and wings

Butterfly eyespots are beautiful novel traits with an unknown developmental origin. Here we show that eyespots likely originated via cooption of parts of an ancestral appendage gene-regulatory network (GRN) to novel locations on the wing. Using comparative transcriptome analysis, we show that eyespots cluster most closely with antennae, relative to multiple other tissues. Furthermore, three genes essential for eyespot development, (), (), and (), share similar regulatory connections as those observed in the antennal GRN. CRISPR knockout of -regulatory elements (CREs) for and led to the loss of eyespots, antennae, legs, and also wings, demonstrating that these CREs are highly pleiotropic. We conclude that eyespots likely reused an ancient GRN for their development, a network also previously implicated in the development of antennae, legs, and wings

Analysis of Kink Reduction in SOI MOSFET Using Selective Back Oxide Structure

This paper presents a complete analysis of the kink effect in SOI MOSFET and proposes a method for eliminating kink effect observed in the current-voltage output characteristics of a partially depleted SOI MOSFET device. In this method, back oxide for the device is introduced at selected regions below the source and drain and not continuously as in an SOI device giving rise to what is termed a “SELBOX” structure. Selective back oxide structure with different gap lengths and thicknesses was studied. Results obtained through numerical simulations indicate that the proposed structure can significantly reduce the kink while still preserving major advantages offered by conventional SOI structure. Although the new structure is capable of eliminating kink, for narrow gaps the device may still exhibit some kink effect. A device model that explains the kink behavior of the structure for varying gap lengths is also developed

DBAli tools: mining the protein structure space

The DBAli tools use a comprehensive set of structural alignments in the DBAli database to leverage the structural information deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). These tools include (i) the DBAlit program that allows users to input the 3D coordinates of a protein structure for comparison by MAMMOTH against all chains in the PDB; (ii) the AnnoLite and AnnoLyze programs that annotate a target structure based on its stored relationships to other structures; (iii) the ModClus program that clusters structures by sequence and structure similarities; (iv) the ModDom program that identifies domains as recurrent structural fragments and (v) an implementation of the COMPARER method in the SALIGN command in MODELLER that creates a multiple structure alignment for a set of related protein structures. Thus, the DBAli tools, which are freely accessible via the World Wide Web at http://salilab.org/DBAli/, allow users to mine the protein structure space by establishing relationships between protein structures and their functions

Salivary levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers in periodontitis patients with and without acute myocardial infarction: implications for cardiovascular risk assessment.

BACKGROUND Periodontitis is initiated by a dysbiotic activity and furthermore leads to a chronic inflammatory response. The presence of pro-inflammatory markers plays an important role in the inflammatory load. Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are pro- inflammatory biomarkers that quantify clinical and subclinical inflammation in cardiac ischemia in cardiac inflammation and disease. Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory marker associated with good health. The susceptibility of periodontitis patients to cardiovascular events needs to be evaluated. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the levels of biomarkers in periodontitis patients with and without acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared to controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory analytes were examined by collecting unstimulated saliva from three groups (n = 20/each): healthy individuals, individuals with stage III periodontitis, and post-myocardial infarction patients with stage III periodontitis. The samples were collected within 48 h of AMI. RESULTS Adiponectin levels were significantly lower in patients with periodontitis with and without AMI compared to controls, while CRP and MIP-1α were significantly higher in patients with periodontitis with and without AMI compared to controls. The highest titers for MIP-1α and CRP were detected among patients with periodontitis with and AMI. CONCLUSION Our study provides possible evidence of the association between periodontitis and salivary analytes that occur in tandem with cardiovascular disease. The lower levels of Adiponectin and higher levels of CRP and MIP-1α in patients with periodontitis indicate that this condition is a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The findings emphasize the importance of early detection and intervention for periodontitis patients to prevent cardiovascular events