On the Mass-Period Distributions and Correlations of Extrasolar Planets

In addition to fitting the data of 233 extra-solar planets with power laws, we construct a correlated mass-period distribution function of extrasolar planets, as the first time in this field. The algorithm to generate a pair of positively correlated beta-distributed random variables is introduced and used for the construction of correlated distribution functions. We investigate the mass-period correlations of extrasolar planets both in the linear and logarithm spaces, determine the confidence intervals of the correlation coefficients, and confirm that there is a positive mass-period correlation for the extrasolar planets. In addition to the paucity of massive close-in planets, which makes the main contribution on this correlation, there are other fine structures for the data in the mass-period plane.Comment: to be published in AJ, tentatively in December 200

Disease progression in Plasmodium knowlesi malaria is linked to variation in invasion gene family members.

Emerging pathogens undermine initiatives to control the global health impact of infectious diseases. Zoonotic malaria is no exception. Plasmodium knowlesi, a malaria parasite of Southeast Asian macaques, has entered the human population. P. knowlesi, like Plasmodium falciparum, can reach high parasitaemia in human infections, and the World Health Organization guidelines for severe malaria list hyperparasitaemia among the measures of severe malaria in both infections. Not all patients with P. knowlesi infections develop hyperparasitaemia, and it is important to determine why. Between isolate variability in erythrocyte invasion, efficiency seems key. Here we investigate the idea that particular alleles of two P. knowlesi erythrocyte invasion genes, P. knowlesi normocyte binding protein Pknbpxa and Pknbpxb, influence parasitaemia and human disease progression. Pknbpxa and Pknbpxb reference DNA sequences were generated from five geographically and temporally distinct P. knowlesi patient isolates. Polymorphic regions of each gene (approximately 800 bp) were identified by haplotyping 147 patient isolates at each locus. Parasitaemia in the study cohort was associated with markers of disease severity including liver and renal dysfunction, haemoglobin, platelets and lactate, (r = ≥ 0.34, p =  <0.0001 for all). Seventy-five and 51 Pknbpxa and Pknbpxb haplotypes were resolved in 138 (94%) and 134 (92%) patient isolates respectively. The haplotypes formed twelve Pknbpxa and two Pknbpxb allelic groups. Patients infected with parasites with particular Pknbpxa and Pknbpxb alleles within the groups had significantly higher parasitaemia and other markers of disease severity. Our study strongly suggests that P. knowlesi invasion gene variants contribute to parasite virulence. We focused on two invasion genes, and we anticipate that additional virulent loci will be identified in pathogen genome-wide studies. The multiple sustained entries of this diverse pathogen into the human population must give cause for concern to malaria elimination strategists in the Southeast Asian region

AD51B in Familial Breast Cancer

Common variation on 14q24.1, close to RAD51B, has been associated with breast cancer: rs999737 and rs2588809 with the risk of female breast cancer and rs1314913 with the risk of male breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RAD51B variants in breast cancer predisposition, particularly in the context of familial breast cancer in Finland. We sequenced the coding region of RAD51B in 168 Finnish breast cancer patients from the Helsinki region for identification of possible recurrent founder mutations. In addition, we studied the known rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 SNPs and RAD51B haplotypes in 44,791 breast cancer cases and 43,583 controls from 40 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) that were genotyped on a custom chip (iCOGS). We identified one putatively pathogenic missense mutation c.541C&gt;T among the Finnish cancer patients and subsequently genotyped the mutation in additional breast cancer cases (n = 5259) and population controls (n = 3586) from Finland and Belarus. No significant association with breast cancer risk was seen in the meta-analysis of the Finnish datasets or in the large BCAC dataset. The association with previously identified risk variants rs999737, rs2588809, and rs1314913 was replicated among all breast cancer cases and also among familial cases in the BCAC dataset. The most significant association was observed for the haplotype carrying the risk-alleles of all the three SNPs both among all cases (odds ratio (OR): 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.19, P = 8.88 x 10−16) and among familial cases (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.16–1.32, P = 6.19 x 10−11), compared to the haplotype with the respective protective alleles. Our results suggest that loss-of-function mutations in RAD51B are rare, but common variation at the RAD51B region is significantly associated with familial breast cancer risk

Pharmacologic Augmentation of Computerized Auditory Training in Chronic Psychosis: Preliminary Findings From a Single-Site, Double-Blind Study

BackgroundComputerized auditory training (AT) modestly improves symptoms, cognition, and functioning in schizophrenia. We assessed whether d-amphetamine (AMPH) or memantine (MEM) can enhance gains from 30-h of AT.MethodsAntipsychotic-medicated individuals with chronic psychosis (n = 68; mean age 47.03y; M:F = 39:29) completed up to 30 AT sessions (2-3/week; n = 50 completed 30 sessions) in 3 groups: "AMPH group" (AMPH (5&nbsp;mg po) 1-h before each AT session); "MEM group" (titrated to 10&nbsp;mg MEM bid and maintained that dose throughout training); "PBO group" (PBO dosed identically to either AMPH or MEM). Primary (PANSS total, MCCB Composite, WHODAS) and secondary (PANSS positive, PANSS negative, YMRS, PHQ-9, PSYRATS) outcome measures were acquired at baseline, after 10, 20, and 30 AT sessions, and 12 weeks post-training. Pill identity (active/PBO) was blind to subjects and staff.ResultsMarginally significant between-group gains for AMPH vs PBO were detected for one of three primary outcomes (WHODAS, P =.050; but not PANSS total or MCCB Composite), and for 3 of 5 secondary clinical outcomes (PANSS positive, YMRS, PSYRATS, P's≤.027-.049). Within-subject gains over time were detected for primary and secondary clinical measures for AMPH (P's≤.014-.004) and MEM (P's≤.02-.001) groups; some of these would not survive conservative correction for multiple comparisons. No measures detected symptom worsening; treatment satisfaction exceeded subjects' expectations.ConclusionsResults are mixed; drug-associated gains in several measures vs PBO suggest that these regimens may augment AT-induced functional and clinical improvement in psychosis patients, independent of changes in neurocognition. Assessment in larger samples seems warranted

Parental Monitoring During Early Adolescence Deters Adolescent Sexual Initiation: Discrete-Time Survival Mixture Analysis

We used discrete-time survival mixture modeling to examine 5,305 adolescents from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth regarding the impact of parental monitoring during early adolescence (ages 14–16) on initiation of sexual intercourse and problem behavior engagement (ages 14–23). Four distinctive parental-monitoring groups were identified and labeled as “High,” “Increasing,” “Decreasing,” and “Low”. About 68% of adolescents received a high level of parental monitoring from ages 14 to 16 (High), 6 and 9% respectively exhibited an accelerated (Increasing) and a decelerated trajectory (Decreasing), and 17% had consistently low parental monitoring (Low). Relative to participants in the Low group, adolescents in the High group delayed sexual initiation by 1.5 years. Males, relative to females, were more likely to have had a low trajectory of parental monitoring, and were more likely to initiate sexual intercourse before age 14. In contrast to White Adolescents, Hispanics and Blacks were less likely to receive High parental monitoring, and had a higher rate of early sexual initiation before age 14. The study demonstrates the temporal relationship of parental monitoring with adolescent sexual initiation from a longitudinal perspective. An increase of parental monitoring across ages is accompanied with a decrease of sexual risk. The continual high level of parental monitoring from ages 14 to 16 also mitigated the risk of engagement in substance use and delinquent behaviors from ages 14 to 23

Metabolic syndrome in a Taiwanese metropolitan adult population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of medical disorders that increase one's risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Little information exists on the prevalence of MS in a general adult population in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We did a cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of 2,359 Chinese adults aged 40 years and over who lived in a metropolitan city, Taiwan in 2004–05. MS was defined by Adult Treatment Panel III criteria modified for Asians.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of MetS was 35.32% and 43.23% in men aged 40–64 years and 65 years and over, respectively, and 24.19% and 51.82% in women aged 40–64 years and 65 years and over. Older age, postmenopausal status, higher body mass index, current smoking, low education attainment, low household income, no alcohol consumption, lower level of occupation physical activity, and a family history of diabetes were associated with increased odds of MetS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>MetS was present in more than 30% of the Taiwan adult population aged 40 years and over in a metropolitan area; there were substantial variations by age and body mass index groups.</p

Role of the Interaction Motif in Maintaining the Open Gate of an Open Sodium Channel

Voltage-gated sodium channels undergo transitions between open, closed and inactivated states, enabling regulation of the translocation of sodium ions across membranes. A recently-published crystal structure of the full length prokaryotic NavMs crystal structure in the activated open conformation (Sula et al, 2017) has revealed the presence of a novel motif consisting of an extensive network of salt bridges involving residues in the voltage sensor, S4-S5 linker, pore, and C-terminal domains. This motif has been proposed to be responsible for maintaining an open conformation which enables ion translocation through the channel. In this study we have used long-time molecular dynamics calculations without artificial restraints to demonstrate that the interaction network of full-length NavMs indeed prevents a rapid collapse and closure of the gate, in marked difference to earlier studies of the pore-only domain, in which the gate had to be restrained to remain open. Interestingly, a frequently discussed “hydrophobic gating” mechanism at nanoscopic level is also observed in our simulations, where the discontinuous water wire close to the gate region leads to an energetic barrier for ion conduction. In addition, we demonstrate the effects of in-silico mutations of several of the key residues in the motif on the open channel stability and functioning, correlating them with existing functional studies on this channel and homologous disease-associated mutations in human sodium channels; we also examine the effects of truncating/removing the voltage sensor and C-terminal domains in maintaining an open gate

A Splice Isoform of DNedd4, DNedd4-Long, Negatively Regulates Neuromuscular Synaptogenesis and Viability in Drosophila

Neuromuscular (NM) synaptogenesis is a tightly regulated process. We previously showed that in flies, Drosophila Nedd4 (dNedd4/dNedd4S) is required for proper NM synaptogenesis by promoting endocytosis of commissureless from the muscle surface, a pre-requisite step for muscle innervation. DNedd4 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase comprised of a C2-WW(x3)-Hect domain architecture, which includes several splice isoforms, the most prominent ones are dNedd4-short (dNedd4S) and dNedd4-long (dNedd4Lo).We show here that while dNedd4S is essential for NM synaptogenesis, the dNedd4Lo isoform inhibits this process and causes lethality. Our results reveal that unlike dNedd4S, dNedd4Lo cannot rescue the lethality of dNedd4 null (DNedd4(T121FS)) flies. Moreover, overexpression of UAS-dNedd4Lo specifically in wildtype muscles leads to NM synaptogenesis defects, impaired locomotion and larval lethality. These negative effects of dNedd4Lo are ameliorated by deletion of two regions (N-terminus and Middle region) unique to this isoform, and by inactivating the catalytic activity of dNedd4Lo, suggesting that these unique regions, as well as catalytic activity, are responsible for the inhibitory effects of dNedd4Lo on synaptogenesis. In accord with these findings, we demonstrate by sqRT-PCR an increase in dNedd4S expression relative to the expression of dNedd4Lo during embryonic stages when synaptogenesis takes place.Our studies demonstrate that splice isoforms of the same dNedd4 gene can lead to opposite effects on NM synaptogenesis

Chronic kidney-disease screening service quality: questionnaire survey research evidence from Taichung city

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious public health problem in Taiwan and the world. The most effective, affordable treatments involve early prevention/detection/intervention, requiring screening. Successfully implementing CKD programs requires good patient participation, affected by patient perceptions of screening service quality. Service quality improvements can help make such programs more successful. Thus, good tools for assessing service quality perceptions are important. Aim: to investigate using a modified SERVQUAL questionnaire in assessing patient expectations, perceptions, and loyalty towards kidney disease screening service quality.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>1595 kidney disease screening program patients in Taichung City were requested to complete and return a modified kidney disease screening SERVQUAL questionnaire. 1187 returned them. Incomplete ones (102) were culled and 1085 were chosen as effective for use. Paired t-tests, correlation tests, ANOVA, LSD test, and factor analysis identified the characteristics and factors of service quality. The paired t-test tested expectation score and perception score gaps. A structural equation modeling system examined satisfaction-based components' relationships.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The effective response rate was 91.4%. Several methods verified validity. Cronbach's alpha on internal reliability was above 0.902. On patient satisfaction, expectation scores are high: 6.50 (0.82), but perception scores are significantly lower 6.14 (1.02). Older patients' perception scores are lower than younger patients'. Expectation and perception scores for patients with different types of jobs are significantly different. Patients higher on education have lower scores for expectation (r = -0.09) and perception (r = -0.26). Factor analysis identified three factors in the 22 item SERVQUAL form, which account for 80.8% of the total variance for the expectation scores and 86.9% of the total variance for the satisfaction scores. Expectation and perception score gaps in all 22 items are significant. The goodness-of-fit summary of the SEM results indicates that expectations and perceptions are positively correlated, perceptions and loyalty are positively correlated, but expectations and loyalty are not positively correlated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this research suggest that the SERVQUAL instrument is a useful measurement tool in assessing and monitoring service quality in kidney disease screening services, enabling the staff to identify where service improvements are needed from the patients' perspectives.</p