Nonlocal Flow of Convex Plane Curves and Isoperimetric Inequalities

In the first part of the paper we survey some nonlocal flows of convex plane curves ever studied so far and discuss properties of the flows related to enclosed area and length, especially the isoperimetric ratio and the isoperimetric difference. We also study a new nonlocal flow of convex plane curves and discuss its evolution behavior. In the second part of the paper we discuss necessary and sufficient conditions (in terms of the (mixed) isoperimetric ratio or (mixed) isoperimetric difference) for two convex closed curves to be homothetic or parallel.Comment: 23 page

The effects of rear-wheel camber on the kinematics of upper extremity during wheelchair propulsion

BACKGROUND: The rear-wheel camber, defined as the inclination of the rear wheels, is usually used in wheelchair sports, but it is becoming increasingly employed in daily propulsion. Although the rear-wheel camber can increase stability, it alters physiological performance during propulsion. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of rear-wheel cambers on temporal-spatial parameters, joint angles, and propulsion patterns. METHODS: Twelve inexperienced subjects (22.3±1.6 yr) participated in the study. None had musculoskeletal disorders in their upper extremities. An eight-camera motion capture system was used to collect the three-dimensional trajectory data of markers attached to the wheelchair-user system during propulsion. All participants propelled the same wheelchair, which had an instrumented wheel with cambers of 0°, 9°, and 15°, respectively, at an average velocity of 1 m/s. RESULTS: The results show that the rear-wheel camber significantly affects the average acceleration, maximum end angle, trunk movement, elbow joint movement, wrist joint movement, and propulsion pattern. The effects are especially significant between 0° and 15°. For a 15° camber, the average acceleration and joint peak angles significantly increased (p < 0.01). A single loop pattern (SLOP) was adopted by most of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The rear-wheel camber affects propulsion patterns and joint range of motion. When choosing a wheelchair with camber adjustment, the increase of joint movements and the base of support should be taken into consideration

Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 induces endotoxin tolerance phenotype in Caco-2 cells

Background: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the major types of chronic inflammatory bowel diseaseoccurring in the colon and small intestine. A growing body of research has proposed that probiotics are able toattenuate the inflammatory symptoms of these diseases in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism of probioticactions remains unclear.Results: Our results suggested Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 inhibited inflammation in Caco-2 cells throughregulation of gene expressions of TOLLIP, SOCS1, SOCS3, and IκBα, rather than SHIP-1 and IRAK-3.Conclusions: We proposed that live/ heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 and bacterial cell wall extracttreatments impaired TLR4-NFκb signal transduction through Tollip, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 activation, thus inducing LPStolerance. Our findings suggest that either heat-killed probiotics or probiotic cell wall extracts are able to attenuateinflammation through pathways similar to that of live bacteria

Frequent utilization of the emergency department for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Little is known about patients who frequently visit the emergency department (ED) for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). We aimed to quantify the proportion and characteristics of patients with frequent ED visits for AECOPD and associated healthcare utilization. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults aged ≥40 years with at least one ED visit for AECOPD between 2010 and 2011, derived from population-based all-payer data of State ED and Inpatient Databases for two large and diverse states: California and Florida. Outcome measures were frequency of ED visits for AECOPD, 30-day ED revisits, subsequent hospitalizations, near-fatal events (AECOPD involving mechanical ventilation), and charges for both ED and inpatient services (available only for Florida) during the year after the first ED visit. Results: The analytic cohort comprised 98,280 unique patients with 154,736 ED visits for AECOPD. During the 1-year period, 29.4% (95% CI, 29.1%-29.7%) of the patients had two or more (frequent) visits, accounting for 55.2% (95% CI, 54.9%-55.4%) of all ED visits for AECOPD. In the multivariable model, significant predictors of frequent ED visits were age 55–74 years (vs. 40–54 years), male sex, non-Hispanic white or black race, Medicaid insurance (vs. private), and lower median household income (all P < 0.001). At the visit-level, 12.3% of ED visits for AECOPD were 30-day revisit events (95% CI, 12.1%-12.4%). Additionally, 62.8% of ED visits for AECOPD (95% CI, 62.6%-63.0%) resulted in a hospitalization; patients with frequent ED visits comprised 55.5% (95% CI, 55.2%-55.8%) of all hospitalizations. Furthermore, 7.3% (95% CI, 7.3%-7.5%) of ED visits for AECOPD led to a near-fatal event; patients with frequent ED visits accounted for 64.4% (95% CI, 63.5%-65.3%) of all near-fatal events. Total charges for AECOPD were $1.94 billion (95$1.90-1.97 billion) in Florida; patients with frequent ED visits accounted for $1.07 billion (95$1.04-1.09 billion). Conclusions: In this large cohort study, we found that 29% had frequent ED visits for AECOPD and that lower socioeconomic status was significantly associated with a higher frequency of ED visits. Individuals with frequent ED visits for AECOPD accounted for a substantial amount of healthcare utilization and financial burden

Differentiation of Foot-and-Mouth Disease-Infected pigs from Vaccinated Pigs Using Antibody-Detecting Sandwich ELISA

The presence of serum antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can differentiate FMDV-infected animals from vaccinated animals. In this study, a sandwich ELISA was developed for rapid detection of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) antibodies; it was based on an Escherichia coli-expressed, highly conserved region of the 3ABC nonstructural protein of the FMDV O/TW/99 strain and a monoclonal antibody derived from the expressed protein. The diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was 98.4%, and the diagnostic specificity was 100% for naïve and vaccinated pigs; the detection ability of the assay was comparable those of the PrioCHECK and UBI kits. There was 97.5, 93.4 and 66.6% agreement between the results obtained from our ELISA and those obtained from the PrioCHECK, UBI and CHEKIT kits, respectively. The kappa statistics were 0.95, 0.87 and 0.37, respectively. Moreover, antibodies for nonstructural proteins of the serotypes A, C, Asia 1, SAT 1, SAT 2 and SAT 3 were also detected in bovine sera. Furthermore, the absence of cross-reactions generated by different antibody titers against the swine vesicular disease virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was also highlighted in this assay's specificit

Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with tubo-ovarian abscess at a tertiary care hospital in Northern Taiwan

Background/PurposeControversy exists regarding the need for surgical intervention in patients with tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA). This study was aimed at investigating the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in patients with TOA at a tertiary care hospital in Taiwan.MethodsThe medical records of 83 patients who presented at the hospital with TOA between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007, were retrospectively reviewed. Outcomes of patients who received medical treatment alone or underwent surgical intervention were analyzed using univariate and logistic regression analyses.ResultsAmong the 83 patients with TOA, 13 patients (15.7%) underwent surgical intervention, and 70 patients (84.3%) received medical treatment alone. Significant variables related to surgical treatment in the univariate analysis were length of stay (short vs. long; t = −2.267, p = 0.026), department of admission (emergency room vs. outpatient department; χ2 = 7.459, p = 0.006), number of live births (nulliparous vs. multiparous; χ2 = 18.202, p = 0.001), and C-reactive protein (CRP) level (high vs. low; t = −2.250, p = 0.028). Logistic regression analysis performed to determine influential factors for surgical treatment showed that the operation odds ratio of three to four live births versus no live births was 33.995 (p = 0.043) and that of two live births versus no live births was 13.598 (p = 0.026).ConclusionPatients with TOA who underwent surgery had a longer duration of hospitalization. Among the patients who underwent surgical intervention, those admitted to the emergency room had higher CRP levels and were more likely to be multiparous

Maintaining the structural integrity of thebamboo mosaic virus 3′ untranslated region isnecessary for retaining the catalytic constant forminus-strand RNA synthesis

Background: Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) and the Potato virus X (PVX) are members of the genus Potexvirus andhave a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome. The 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the BaMV RNA genomewas mapped structurally into ABC (a cloverleaf-like), D (a stem-loop), and E (pseudoknot) domains. The BaMVreplicase complex that was isolated from the infected plants was able to recognize the 3′ UTR of PVX RNA toinitiate minus-strand RNA synthesis in vitro.Results: To investigate whether the 3′ UTR of PVX RNA is also compatible with BaMV replicase in vivo, weconstructed chimera mutants using a BaMV backbone containing the PVX 3′ UTR, which was inserted in or used toreplace the various domains in the 3′ UTR of BaMV. None of the mutants, except for the mutant with the PVX3′ UTR inserted upstream of the BaMV 3′ UTR, exhibited a detectable accumulation of viral RNA in Nicotianabenthamiana plants. The in vitro BaMV RdRp replication assay demonstrated that the RNA products were generatedby the short RNA transcripts, which were derived from the chimera mutants to various extents. Furthermore, theVmax/KM of the BaMV 3′ UTR (rABCDE) was approximately three fold higher than rABCP, rP, and rDE in minus-strandRNA synthesis. These mutants failed to accumulate viral products in protoplasts and plants, but were adequatelyreplicated in vitro.Conclusions: Among the various studied BaMV/PVX chimera mutants, the BaMV-S/PABCDE that containednon-interrupted BaMV 3′ UTR was the only mutant that exhibited a wild-type level of viral product accumulation inprotoplasts and plants. These results indicate that the continuity of the domains in the 3′ UTR of BaMV RNA wasnot interrupted and the domains were not replaced with the 3′ UTR of PVX RNA in vivo