The Practice of Child Labor in Developing Countries

The use of child labor in developing countries, especially by U.S. companies is a hot-button issue in the modern business world. Often times, when prominent companies, such as Nike and Gap, are exposed for their use and/or exploitation of child labor, the backlash from the general public can have a drastic effect on the company’s bottom line. Our investigation questions whether the issue of child labor is perceived so negatively in the public eye because of its inherent nature, or because of how it is portrayed by the general media. There are seemingly countless reports of instances when U.S. companies have abused their authority as job providers in developing countries. But, it is also reasonable to believe that, when executed appropriately and humanely, the economic benefits of child labor can become a great asset to a growing country’s economy. American companies have high standards for their workers in the United States, but the very nature of a developing country makes it nearly impossible, and therefore easier, to adopt less stringent labor laws and regulations. Whether this issue centers on simply the physical conditions children often work in, the fact that children are being used as a labor source to begin with, or biased media coverage, this business practice has more aspects than many people realize. Our objective is to show that there is an ethical side of using children in the work force

Efficient Generation of Genome-Modified Mice Using Campylobacter jejuni-Derived CRISPR/Cas

Mammalian zygote-mediated genome-engineering by Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas is currently used for the generation of genome-modified animals. Here, we report that a Campylobacter jejuni-derived orthologous CRISPR/Cas system recognizes a 5′-NNNVRYAC sequence as a protospacer-adjacent motif in mouse zygotes, and is applicable for efficient generation of knockout mice. Moreover, this novel CRISPR/Cas can be used for zygote-mediated knock-in at a unique locus, suggesting that this system could help to expand the feasibility of the zygote-mediated generation of genome-modified animals

Patch Grafting Using a Cryopreserved Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty Flap for Treating Corneal Perforation

A 73-year-old woman with a corneal perforation of undetermined etiology was treated with corneal patch grafting. A residual partial-thickness corneal button obtained during a previous Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) surgery and stored at –80°C in Optisol GS for 3 months was used as a patch graft. Five days postoperatively, the anterior chamber was reformed and the perforation was masked by the donor cornea. During the next several weeks, gradual displacement of the anterior edge of the donor cornea in the limbal direction occurred. Seven weeks postoperatively, further displacement of the donor cornea resulted in unmasking of the perforated area. At this time, the corneal defect was closed by stromal scar tissue and corneal epithelium. Five months postoperatively, best corrected visual acuity was 1.0 without marked astigmatism and intraocular pressure was 9 mm Hg in the left eye. From this case, we learned that cryopreserved DSAEK flaps stored longer than reported previously can be used as patch grafts to treat emergency conditions. Scar tissue can fill a corneal stromal defect 1 mm in diameter during temporary patch grafting for less than 2 months

Incidence of elevated intraocular pressure after intravitreal injection in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration

Abstract The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) after intravitreal injection (IVI) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). A retrospective study of chart review of patients who underwent ≥ 10 intravitreal anti-VEGF injections between April 2009 and December 2019 was conducted. Elevated IOP was defined as IOP ≥ 25 mmHg at one visit. Cases with elevated IOP resulting from IVI were identified. Furthermore, the association between elevated IOP and some parameters, as the risk factors that influence elevated IOP, was investigated. A total of 402 eyes of 370 patients were included in this study. Twenty-eight eyes of 26 patients (7.0%) were identified as cases with elevated IOP after IVI. The mean time of elevation after baseline was 50.6 ± 26.5 months. History of glaucoma (p = 0.021; odds ratio, 5.85), treatment modality (p = 0.019; odds ratio, 6.32), and total number of injections (p = 0.003; odds ratio, 1.03) were significantly associated with elevated IOP. A late complication of elevated IOP is associated with IVI in patients with AMD. Particularly, history of glaucoma and treat and extend regimen with frequent injections were found to be risk factors of elevated IOP

Protocol for measuring mitochondrial size in mouse and human liver tissues

Summary: Mitochondrial dynamic process is important for cell viability, metabolic activity, and mitochondria health. Here, we present a protocol for measuring mitochondrial size through immunofluorescence staining, confocal imaging, and analysis in ImageJ. We describe the steps for tissue processing, antigen retrieval, mitochondrial staining using an integrating immunofluorescence assay, and computerized image analysis to measure each mitochondrial size in mouse and human liver tissues. This protocol reduces tissue sample volume and processing time for the preparation of primary cells.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Pearah et al.1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics

Clinical Heterogeneity of Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinsonism Linked to Chromosome 17 Caused by MAPT N279K Mutation in Relation to Tau Positron Emission Tomography Features

BACKGROUND: While mechanistic links between tau abnormalities and neurodegeneration have been proven in frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 caused by MAPT mutations, variability of the tau pathogenesis and its relation to clinical progressions in the same MAPT mutation carriers are yet to be clarified.OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to analyze clinical profiles, tau accumulations, and their correlations in 3 kindreds with frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 attributed to the MAPT N279K mutation.METHODS: Four patients with N279K mutant frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17/MAPT underwent [11 C]PBB3-PET to estimate regional tau loads.RESULTS: Haplotype assays revealed that these kindreds originated from a single founder. Despite homogeneity of the disease-causing MAPT allele, clinical progression was more rapid in 2 kindreds than in the other. The kindred with slow progression showed mild tau depositions, mostly confined to the midbrain and medial temporal areas. In contrast, kindreds with rapid progression showed profoundly increased [11 C]PBB3 binding in widespread regions from an early disease stage.CONCLUSIONS: [11 C]PBB3-PET can capture four-repeat tau pathologies characteristic of N279K mutant frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17/MAPT. Our findings indicate that, in addition to the mutated MAPT allele, genetic and/or epigenetic modifiers of tau pathologies lead to heterogeneous clinicopathological features. © 2019 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Urinary Metabolome Analyses of Patients with Acute Kidney Injury Using Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as a rapid decline in kidney function. The associated syndromes may lead to increased morbidity and mortality, but its early detection remains difficult. Using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-TOFMS), we analyzed the urinary metabolomic profile of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after invasive surgery. Urine samples were collected at six time points: before surgery, at ICU admission and 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after. First, urine samples from 61 initial patients (non-AKI: 23, mild AKI: 24, severe AKI: 14) were measured, followed by the measurement of urine samples from 60 additional patients (non-AKI: 40, mild AKI: 20). Glycine and ethanolamine were decreased in patients with AKI compared with non-AKI patients at 6–24 h in the two groups. The linear statistical model constructed at each time point by machine learning achieved the best performance at 24 h (median AUC, area under the curve: 89%, cross-validated) for the 1st group. When cross-validated between the two groups, the AUC showed the best value of 70% at 12 h. These results identified metabolites and time points that show patterns specific to subjects who develop AKI, paving the way for the development of better biomarkers