A Note on Phonological Phrasing in South Kyungsang

http://roa.rutgers.edu/files/1131-0111/1131-KENSTOWICZ-0-0.PDFThe contrasting tonal profiles of swul (H[approximately equal to]L), mwul (HH), and ton (LH) are used as probes of phonological phrasing. It is shown that monosyllables combine with the following phonological word to form a single Minor Phrase when they appear at the beginning of a Major Phrase in a variety of syntactic constructions

Aqueous ethanolic extract of Cochlospermum planchonii rhizome enhances spermatogenesis in male albino rats

Cochlospermum planchonii has numerous therapeutic benefits and is widely used in folklore medicine of many African countries. This study was designed to investigate the effects of aqueous ethanolic extract of Cochlospermum planchonii root on sperm characteristics of albino rats. Animals were assigned into four groups comprising a control, which received only distilled water and treatment groups at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight daily for 30 days, respectively. The aqueous ethanolic extract of C. planchonii did significantly increase (P<0.05) the weights of the testes and accessory sex organs. Sperm count and sperm motility of rats given the extract increased (P<0.05) relative to the control. Percentages of abnormal sperm cells remained unchanged. The results of this study indicate that aqueous ethanolic extract of Cochlospermum planchonii increased spermatogenesis in the male rats.Keywords: Cochlospermum planchonii, sperm characteristics, reproduction, Wistar rat

Biased learning of phonological alternations

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 198-203).What is the initial state of the grammar when children begin to figure out patterns of phonological alternations? This thesis documents the developmental stages of children acquiring Korean verb and noun paradigms, and provides a unified account using the initial Output-Output correspondence (OO-CORR) bias. It is claimed that OO-CORR constraints are undominated in the initial state but the empirical evidence for this claim is primarily anecdotal. I provide experimental support for the claim. In the acquisition literature, children's innovative forms are normally attributed to imperfect or incomplete mastery of the adult grammar. The evidence presented in this thesis suggests that children in some intermediate stages are able to produce adult forms when the syntactic context demands it, but otherwise they avoid doing so if the forms involve phonological alternations. The specific way that children satisfy OO-CORR constraints is to inflect forms so that the output is faithful to one specific slot of the paradigm, the base form. I show that children select the base form by considering both phonological informativeness and the availability of the surface forms, and try to achieve paradigm uniformity on the basis of the base form in their production. Assuming an initial bias to output-output correspondence constraints, I model the attested learning trajectories. The observed intermediate stages are correctly predicted, showing that the learning of certain alternations is facilitated when they share structural changes with other alternations. Artificial grammar learning experiments confirm that featural overlap of alternations facilitates the learning of the patterns. I propose a learning model that incorporates the attested learning biases.by Young Ah Do.Ph.D

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation: A novel treatment of facial venous malformation

We performed radiofrequency ablation to treat a symptomatic facial venous malformation of a 24-year-old woman under ultrasound scan-guidance. The 20.25-cm sized original facial venous malformation in her right cheek markedly reduced without any scar formation and was grossly not visible after 1 month of the procedure. In the 3-month follow-up magnetic resonance imaging, original venous malformation reduced in volume to 5.40 cm. Radiofrequency ablation may provide an alternative treatment for facial venous malformations

Therapeutic Co-targeting of WEE1 and ATM Downregulates PD-L1 Expression in Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, but there are currently no effective treatments. The DNA damage response (DDR) is under investigation for the development of novel anti-cancer drugs. Since DNA repair pathway alterations have been found frequently in PC, the purpose of this study was to test the DDR-targeting strategy in PC using WEE1 and ATM inhibitors. Materials and Methods We performed in vitro experiments using a total of ten human PC cell lines to evaluate antitumor effect of AZD1775 (WEE1 inhibitor) alone or combination with AZD0156 (ATM inhibitor). We established Capan-1-mouse model for in vivo experiments to confirm our findings. Results In our research, we found that WEE1 inhibitor (AZD1775) as single agent showed anti-tumor effects in PC cells, however, targeting WEE1 upregulated p-ATM level. Here, we observed that co-targeting of WEE1 and ATM acted synergistically to reduce cell proliferation and migration, and to induce DNA damage in vitro. Notably, inhibition of WEE1 or WEE1/ATM downregulated programmed cell death ligand 1 expression by blocking glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta serine 9 phosphorylation and decrease of CMTM6 expression. In Capan-1 mouse xenograft model, AZD1775 plus AZD0156 (ATM inhibitor) treatment reduced tumor growth and downregulated tumor expression of programmed cell death ligand 1, CMTM6, CD163, and CXCR2, all of which contribute to tumor immune evasion. Conclusion Dual blockade of WEE1 and ATM might be a potential therapeutic strategy for PC. Taken together, our results support further clinical development of DDR-targeting strategies for PC.

Inhibition of ATR Increases the Sensitivity to WEE1 Inhibitor in Biliary Tract Cancer

Purpose Currently, the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway represents a key target for new cancer drug development. Advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) has a poor prognosis because of the lack of efficacious treatment options. Although DNA repair pathway alterations have been reported in many patients with BTC, little is known regarding the effects of DDR-targeted agents against BTC. Materials and Methods In this study, nine BTC cell lines were exposed to the WEE1 inhibitor (AZD1775). In vitro, MTT assay, colony-forming assay, cell cycle analysis, phospho-histone H3 staining assay, Transwell migration assay, and western blot were performed. Then, to enhance the antitumor effect of AZD1775, the combination treatment of WEE1 inhibitor and ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3 related (ATR) inhibitor (AZD6738) was conducted using MTT assay and comet assay. Finally, HuCCT-1 and SNU2670 xenograft models were established to confirm the anti-tumor effect of AZD1775 alone. Furthermore, the combination treatment was also evaluated in SNU2670 xenograft models. Results AZD1775 blocked the phosphorylation of CDC2 and CDC25C in all cell lines, but significantly increased apoptosis and S phase arrest in sensitive cells. However, increased p-ATR and phosphorylated ataxia telangiectasia mutated levels were observed in less sensitive cells. In addition, in vitro and in vivo data illustrated that AZD1775 combined with AZD6738 exerted more potent anti-tumor effects than either drug alone. Although WEE1 inhibition has promising anti-tumor effects in some BTC cells, the addition of ATR inhibitors could enhance its efficacy. Conclusion Taken together, this study supports further clinical development of DDR-targeted strategies as monotherapy or combination regimens for BTC.

Aseptic Spondylodiscitis Resulting from Intradiscal Radiofrequency Ablation (IDRA) in Patients with Herniated Disc Disease: A Report of Ten Cases

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical presentation, radiological features, management, and outcomes of aseptic spondylodiscitis after Intradiscal radiofrequency ablation (IDRA). Methods Between 2014 and 2015, ten patients were diagnosed with aseptic spondylodiscitis due to significant back pain after IDRA and were assessed with medical record review, telephone interviews, and imaging. The follow-up period was 12 months. Results The patients developed significant axial pain after the procedure (VAS, 2±1.6 to 8±0.7, p<0.001). Laboratory findings, including WBC, ESR, and CRP, were nonspecific. Magnetic Ressonance Imaging (MRI) showed low intensity on T1-weighted images, heterogeneous intensity on T2-weighted images, and contrast enhancement on the subchondral area adjacent to the endplate. All patients were treated conservatively with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Back pain improved gradually in 3 months (VAS, 5.5±1.3, p<0.01).All patients had no sequelae at final follow up. Conclusion IDRA may cause thermal injury to adjacent vertebrae. If a patient complains of significant back pain after IDRA and show osteonecrosis characteristic on MRI, aseptic spondylodiscitis should be considered. To prevent this complication, the correct location of the IDRA tip distant from the endplate should be confirmed by fluoroscopy during the procedure

Robotic Surgery for Giant Presacral Dumbbell-Shape Schwannoma

Objective: To demonstrate the feasibility of using da Vinci robotic surgical system to perform spinal surgery.Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of a 29-year-old female patient complaining right pelvic pain for 1 month revealed a 17x8x10 cm non-homogeneous dumbbell shape encapsulated mass with cystic change located in the pelvic cavity and caused an anterior displacement of urinary bladder and colon.Results: There was no systemic complication and pain decrease 24 hours after surgery and  during 2 years of follow up. The patient started a diet 6 hours after the surgery and was discharged 72 hours after the surgery. The pathological diagnosis of the tumor was schwannoma. Conclusions: Giant dumbbell shape presacral schwannomas are rare tumours and their surgical treatment is challenging because of the complex anatomy of the presacral. Clinical application of da Vinci robotic surgical system in the spinal surgical field is currently confined to the treatment of some specific diseases or procedures. However, robotic surgery is expected to play a practical future role as it is minimally invasive. The advent of robotic technology will prove to be a boon to the neurosurgeon.Keywords: da Vinci robotic surgical system, presacral, schwannoma DOI: 10.15850/ijihs.v3n1.40