Genetic typing of Candida albicans strains isolated from the oral cavity of patients with denture stomatitis before and after itraconazole therapy

This study determined, by molecular typing of C. albicans species isolated from denture stomatitis patients with a mycological relapse six months after successful itraconazole therapy, whether there had been recurrence of infection with the same strain(s), selection of particular strains or infection with new strains of C. albicans. Forty patients with long-standing Candida-associated denture stomatitis were assigned either cyclodextrin itraconazole solution or itraconazole capsules (100mg b.d. for 15 days). Palatal erythema was measured and imprint cultures undertaken at baseline and at 15 days, four weeks and six months after treatment commenced. Yeast isolates were formally identified and chromosomal DNA was extracted from pairs of isolates from those patients with C. albicans present at baseline and six months after treatment commenced. Southern blotting of EcoRI-digested chromosomal DNA was performed using the C. albicans-specific 27A repetitive element as a probe. Eighteen of 36 patients were infected with C. albicans at baseline and six months after treatment commenced. Overall, 13 genetically different strains of C. albicans were found. However, in 17 of 18 patients, the C. albicans strains isolated prior to itraconazole therapy and six months later were the same. Thus recurrence of denture stomatitis in these individuals was due to re-colonisation by the original strain, rather than re-infection with a different strain. Key words: Genotyping, C. albicans, denture stomatitis

Gold substrate-induced single-mode lasing of GaN nanowires

We demonstrate a method for mode-selection by coupling a GaN nanowire laser to an underlying gold substrate. Multimode lasing of GaN nanowires is converted to single-mode behavior following placement onto a gold film. A mode-dependent loss is generated by the absorbing substrate to suppress multiple transverse-mode operation with a concomitant increase in lasing threshold of only ∼13%. This method provides greater flexibility in realizing practical single-mode nanowire lasers and offers insight into the design of metal-contacted nanoscale optoelectronics

THE EFFECTS OF BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION ON MEASURES OF GROSS MOTOR COORDINATION DURING THE WINGATE ANAEROBIC TEST

To date little research has addressed the impact of blood flow restriction (BFR) training upon gross motor coordination measures (GMCM) during a wide variety of maximal activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of BFR on GMCM exhibited during maximal cycling. The performance of 14 females between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five were analyzed during the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). The participants completed the test under two conditions, using BFR and without. Results showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between conditions for dependent variables assessed throughout this common 30 second test of maximal cycling. These findings suggest that BFR negatively influenced GMCM exhibited during the WAnT

BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION DOES NOT AFFECT ACUTE MEASURES OF POWER AND FATIGUE DURING MAXIMAL CYCLING AMONG WOMEN

While it is known that blood flow restriction (BFR) can positively affect training and rehabilitation progression timelines, the physiological basis of this intervention is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the short-term impact of BFR upon power and fatigue performance measures during maximal cycling. In this study, maximal cycling was assessed using the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). Using a counterbalanced design, fourteen female participants completed standardized BFR and non-BFR protocols while completing the WAnT. No statistically-significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found between conditions for measures of peak power (PP), low power (LP) or fatigue index (FI). These findings suggest that BFR had no statistically-significant acute effect on these performance measures commonly assessed during the WAnT

Case Report: A Truck Driver with Pelvic Pain

Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a relatively rare soft tissue malignancy, originally described in the 1950s and characterized as a distinct entity from chondrosarcoma of the bone in the 1970s. These tumors most commonly originate in the proximal extremities, and their occurrence in the genitourinary tract is exceedingly rare, with few case reports citing origination in its component organs. We present a clinical case report of an EMC originating from the base of the penis with significant local involvement of the bony pelvis

Developmental programming of cardiovascular dysfunction by prenatal hypoxia and oxidative stress.

Fetal hypoxia is a common complication of pregnancy. It has been shown to programme cardiac and endothelial dysfunction in the offspring in adult life. However, the mechanisms via which this occurs remain elusive, precluding the identification of potential therapy. Using an integrative approach at the isolated organ, cellular and molecular levels, we tested the hypothesis that oxidative stress in the fetal heart and vasculature underlies the molecular basis via which prenatal hypoxia programmes cardiovascular dysfunction in later life. In a longitudinal study, the effects of maternal treatment of hypoxic (13% O(2)) pregnancy with an antioxidant on the cardiovascular system of the offspring at the end of gestation and at adulthood were studied. On day 6 of pregnancy, rats (n = 20 per group) were exposed to normoxia or hypoxia ± vitamin C. At gestational day 20, tissues were collected from 1 male fetus per litter per group (n = 10). The remaining 10 litters per group were allowed to deliver. At 4 months, tissues from 1 male adult offspring per litter per group were either perfusion fixed, frozen, or dissected for isolated organ preparations. In the fetus, hypoxic pregnancy promoted aortic thickening with enhanced nitrotyrosine staining and an increase in cardiac HSP70 expression. By adulthood, offspring of hypoxic pregnancy had markedly impaired NO-dependent relaxation in femoral resistance arteries, and increased myocardial contractility with sympathetic dominance. Maternal vitamin C prevented these effects in fetal and adult offspring of hypoxic pregnancy. The data offer insight to mechanism and thereby possible targets for intervention against developmental origins of cardiac and peripheral vascular dysfunction in offspring of risky pregnancy

Support and Assessment for Fall Emergency Referrals (SAFER 1) trial protocol. Computerised on-scene decision support for emergency ambulance staff to assess and plan care for older people who have fallen: evaluation of costs and benefits using a pragmatic cluster randomised trial

Background: Many emergency ambulance calls are for older people who have fallen. As half of them are left at home, a community-based response may often be more appropriate than hospital attendance. The SAFER 1 trial will assess the costs and benefits of a new healthcare technology - hand-held computers with computerised clinical decision support (CCDS) software - to help paramedics decide who needs hospital attendance, and who can be safely left at home with referral to community falls services. Methods/Design: Pragmatic cluster randomised trial with a qualitative component. We shall allocate 72 paramedics ('clusters') at random between receiving the intervention and a control group delivering care as usual, of whom we expect 60 to complete the trial. Patients are eligible if they are aged 65 or older, live in the study area but not in residential care, and are attended by a study paramedic following an emergency call for a fall. Seven to 10 days after the index fall we shall offer patients the opportunity to opt out of further follow up. Continuing participants will receive questionnaires after one and 6 months, and we shall monitor their routine clinical data for 6 months. We shall interview 20 of these patients in depth. We shall conduct focus groups or semi-structured interviews with paramedics and other stakeholders. The primary outcome is the interval to the first subsequent reported fall (or death). We shall analyse this and other measures of outcome, process and cost by 'intention to treat'. We shall analyse qualitative data thematically. Discussion: Since the SAFER 1 trial received funding in August 2006, implementation has come to terms with ambulance service reorganisation and a new national electronic patient record in England. In response to these hurdles the research team has adapted the research design, including aspects of the intervention, to meet the needs of the ambulance services. In conclusion this complex emergency care trial will provide rigorous evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of CCDS for paramedics in the care of older people who have fallen

Comparative analysis and visualization of multiple collinear genomes

Abstract Background Genome browsers are a common tool used by biologists to visualize genomic features including genes, polymorphisms, and many others. However, existing genome browsers and visualization tools are not well-suited to perform meaningful comparative analysis among a large number of genomes. With the increasing quantity and availability of genomic data, there is an increased burden to provide useful visualization and analysis tools for comparison of multiple collinear genomes such as the large panels of model organisms which are the basis for much of the current genetic research. Results We have developed a novel web-based tool for visualizing and analyzing multiple collinear genomes. Our tool illustrates genome-sequence similarity through a mosaic of intervals representing local phylogeny, subspecific origin, and haplotype identity. Comparative analysis is facilitated through reordering and clustering of tracks, which can vary throughout the genome. In addition, we provide local phylogenetic trees as an alternate visualization to assess local variations. Conclusions Unlike previous genome browsers and viewers, ours allows for simultaneous and comparative analysis. Our browser provides intuitive selection and interactive navigation about features of interest. Dynamic visualizations adjust to scale and data content making analysis at variable resolutions and of multiple data sets more informative. We demonstrate our genome browser for an extensive set of genomic data sets composed of almost 200 distinct mouse laboratory strains

Modeled Effect of Coastal Biogeochemical Processes, Climate Variability, and Ocean Acidification on Aragonite Saturation State in the Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is highly vulnerable to ocean acidification (OA) due to naturally cold, poorly buffered waters and ocean mixing processes. Harsh weather conditions within this rapidly changing, geographically remote environment have limited the quantity of carbon chemistry data, thereby hampering efforts to understand underlying spatial-temporal variability and detect long-term trends. We add carbonate chemistry to a regional biogeochemical model of the Bering Sea to explore the underlying mechanisms driving carbon dynamics over a decadal hindcast (2003–2012). The results illustrate that coastal processes generate considerable spatial variability in the biogeochemistry and vulnerability of Bering Sea shelf water to OA. Substantial seasonal biological productivity maintains high supersaturation of aragonite on the outer shelf, whereas riverine freshwater runoff loaded with allochthonous carbon decreases aragonite saturation states (ΩArag) to values below 1 on the inner shelf. Over the entire 2003–2012 model hindcast, annual surface ΩArag decreases by 0.025 – 0.04 units/year due to positive trends in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in surface waters and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Variability in this trend is driven by an increase in fall phytoplankton productivity and shelf carbon uptake, occurring during a transition from a relatively warm (2003–2005) to cold (2010–2012) temperature regime. Our results illustrate how local biogeochemical processes and climate variability can modify projected rates of OA within a coastal shelf system

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes