Acute infarct of the corpus callosum presenting as alien hand syndrome: evidence of diffusion weighted imaging and magnetic resonance angiography

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infarcts of the corpus callosum are rare and have not been well documented previously. As for a variety of signs and symptoms presented, alien hand syndrome (AHS) can be easily overlooked.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this report, we present a patient with a mixed types of AHS coexistence secondary to the corpus callosum infarction, including a motor type of AHS by intermanual conflict (callosal type AHS) and a sensory type of AHS by alien hand and left hemianesthesia (posterior AHS).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our case may contribute to the early recognition of AHS and to explore the abnormal neural mechanism of AHS. To our knowledge, rare reports have ever documented such mixed AHS coexisting secondary to the callosal lesion, based on advanced neuroimaging methods as in our case.</p

Control of magnetic anisotropy by orbital hybridization in (La0.67Sr0.33MnO3)n/(SrTiO3)n superlattice

The asymmetry of chemical nature at the hetero-structural interface offers an unique opportunity to design desirable electronic structure by controlling charge transfer and orbital hybridization across the interface. However, the control of hetero-interface remains a daunting task. Here, we report the modulation of interfacial coupling of (La0.67Sr0.33MnO3)n/(SrTiO3)n superlattices by manipulating the periodic thickness with n unit cells of SrTiO3 and n unit cells La0.67Sr0.33MnO3. The easy axis of magnetic anisotropy rotates from in-plane (n = 10) to out-of-plane (n = 2) orientation at 150 K. Transmission electron microscopy reveals enlarged tetragonal ratio > 1 with breaking of volume conservation around the (La0.67Sr0.33MnO3)n/(SrTiO3)n interface, and electronic charge transfer from Mn to Ti 3d orbitals across the interface. Orbital hybridization accompanying the charge transfer results in preferred occupancy of 3d3z2-r2 orbital at the interface, which induces a stronger electronic hopping integral along the out-of-plane direction and corresponding out-of-plane magnetic easy axis for n = 2. We demonstrate that interfacial orbital hybridization in superlattices of strongly correlated oxides may be a promising approach to tailor electronic and magnetic properties in device applications

Luminescent Organic–Inorganic Hybrids of Functionalized Mesoporous Silica SBA-15 by Thio-Salicylidene Schiff Base

Novel organic–inorganic mesoporous luminescent hybrid material N, N′-bis(salicylidene)-thiocarbohydrazide (BSTC-SBA-15) has been obtained by co-condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and the organosilane in the presence of Pluronic P123 surfactant as a template. N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-thiocarbohydrazide (BSTC) grafted to the coupling agent 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl isocyanate (TESPIC) was used as the precursor for the preparation of mesoporous materials. In addition, for comparison, SBA-15 doped with organic ligand BSTC was also synthesized, denoted as BSTC/SBA-15. This organic–inorganic hybrid material was well-characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and photoluminescence spectra, which reveals that they all have high surface area, uniformity in the mesostructure. The resulting materials (BSTC-SBA-15 and BSTC/SBA-15) exhibit regular uniform microstructures, and no phase separation happened for the organic and the inorganic compounds was covalently linked through Si–O bonds via a self-assemble process. Furthermore, the two materials have different luminescence range: BSTC/SBA-15 presents the strong dominant green luminescence, while BSTC-functionalized material BSTC-SBA-15 shows the dominant blue emission

Type I Gaucher disease with exophthalmos and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation

BACKGROUND: Gaucher disease type I, the non-neuropathic type, usually presents in adulthood with hepatosplenomegaly. We report here an adult with type I Gaucher disease presented with unusual and severe clinical manifestations. CASE PRESENTATION: Hepatosplenomegaly, bone crisis and fractures occurred at early childhood, and splenectomy was performed at the age of 5. Exophthalmos with increase in retrobulbar space was noted when the patient was 30. Cerezyme infusion started at the age of 32; but unfortunately, pulmonary arteriovenous malformation with dyspnea and hypoxemia was found two years later. Gene analysis revealed V375L/L444P mutations in the β-glucocerebrosidase gene. CONCLUSION: Although both eye and lung diseases have been associated with Gaucher disease, this is the first reported demonstration of exophthalmos and pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in the same patient. This case may therefore present an extremely severe and unusual form of type I Gaucher disease

Disparities and risks of sexually transmissible infections among men who have sex with men in China: a meta-analysis and data synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including Hepatitis B and C virus, are emerging public health risks in China, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). This study aims to assess the magnitude and risks of STIs among Chinese MSM. METHODS: Chinese and English peer-reviewed articles were searched in five electronic databases from January 2000 to February 2013. Pooled prevalence estimates for each STI infection were calculated using meta-analysis. Infection risks of STIs in MSM, HIV-positive MSM and male sex workers (MSW) were obtained. This review followed the PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO. RESULTS: Eighty-eight articles (11 in English and 77 in Chinese) investigating 35,203 MSM in 28 provinces were included in this review. The prevalence levels of STIs among MSM were 6.3% (95% CI: 3.5-11.0%) for chlamydia, 1.5% (0.7-2.9%) for genital wart, 1.9% (1.3-2.7%) for gonorrhoea, 8.9% (7.8-10.2%) for hepatitis B (HBV), 1.2% (1.0-1.6%) for hepatitis C (HCV), 66.3% (57.4-74.1%) for human papillomavirus (HPV), 10.6% (6.2-17.6%) for herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) and 4.3% (3.2-5.8%) for Ureaplasma urealyticum. HIV-positive MSM have consistently higher odds of all these infections than the broader MSM population. As a subgroup of MSM, MSW were 2.5 (1.4-4.7), 5.7 (2.7-12.3), and 2.2 (1.4-3.7) times more likely to be infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HCV than the broader MSM population, respectively. CONCLUSION: Prevalence levels of STIs among MSW were significantly higher than the broader MSM population. Co-infection of HIV and STIs were prevalent among Chinese MSM. Integration of HIV and STIs healthcare and surveillance systems is essential in providing effective HIV/STIs preventive measures and treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO NO: CRD42013003721

Genetic Structure of the Tree Peony (Paeonia rockii) and the Qinling Mountains as a Geographic Barrier Driving the Fragmentation of a Large Population

Tree peonies are great ornamental plants associated with a rich ethnobotanical history in Chinese culture and have recently been used as an evolutionary model. The Qinling Mountains represent a significant geographic barrier in Asia, dividing mainland China into northern (temperate) and southern (semi-tropical) regions; however, their flora has not been well analyzed. In this study, the genetic differentiation and genetic structure of Paeonia rockii and the role of the Qinling Mountains as a barrier that has driven intraspecific fragmentation were evaluated using 14 microsatellite markers.Twenty wild populations were sampled from the distributional range of P. rockii. Significant population differentiation was suggested (F(ST) value of 0.302). Moderate genetic diversity at the population level (H(S) of 0.516) and high population diversity at the species level (H(T) of 0.749) were detected. Significant excess homozygosity (F(IS) of 0.076) and recent population bottlenecks were detected in three populations. Bayesian clusters, population genetic trees and principal coordinate analysis all classified the P. rockii populations into three genetic groups and one admixed Wenxian population. An isolation-by-distance model for P. rockii was suggested by Mantel tests (r = 0.6074, P<0.001) and supported by AMOVA (P<0.001), revealing a significant molecular variance among the groups (11.32%) and their populations (21.22%). These data support the five geographic boundaries surrounding the Qinling Mountains and adjacent areas that were detected with Monmonier's maximum-difference algorithm.Our data suggest that the current genetic structure of P. rockii has resulted from the fragmentation of a formerly continuously distributed large population following the restriction of gene flow between populations of this species by the Qinling Mountains. This study provides a fundamental genetic profile for the conservation and responsible exploitation of the extant germplasm of this species and for improving the genetic basis for breeding its cultivars

Elucidation on the Effect of Operating Temperature to the Transport Properties of Polymeric Membrane Using Molecular Simulation Tool

Existing reports of gas transport properties within polymeric membrane as a direct consequence of operating temperature are in a small number and have arrived in diverging conclusion. The scarcity has been associated to challenges in fabricating defect free membranes and empirical investigations of gas permeation performance at the laboratory scale that are often time consuming and costly. Molecular simulation has been proposed as a feasible alternative of experimentally studied materials to provide insights into gas transport characteristic. Hence, a sequence of molecular modelling procedures has been proposed to simulate polymeric membranes at varying operating temperatures in order to elucidate its effect to gas transport behaviour. The simulation model has been validated with experimental data through satisfactory agreement. Solubility has shown a decrement in value when increased in temperature (an average factor of 1.78), while the opposite has been observed for gas diffusivity (an average factor of 1.32) when the temperature is increased from 298.15Â K to 323.15Â K. In addition, it is found that permeability decreases by 1.36 times as the temperature is increased

Mutual Inhibition between Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Lytic Replication Initiators in Dually-Infected Primary Effusion Lymphoma

Background: Both Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are members of the human gamma herpesvirus family: each is associated with various human cancers. The majority of AIDS-associated primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) are co-infected with both KSHV and EBV. Dually-infected PELs selectively switch from latency to lytic replication of either KSHV or EBV in response to chemical stimuli. KSHV replication and transcription activator (K-RTA) is necessary and sufficient for the switch from KSHV latency to lytic replication, while EBV BZLF1 gene product (EBV-Z) is a critical initiator for induction of EBV lytic replication. Methodology/Principal Findings: We show K-RTA and EBV-Z are co-localized and physically interact with each other in dually-infected PELs. K-RTA inhibits the EBV lytic replication by nullifying EBV-Z-mediated EBV lytic gene activation. EBV-Z inhibits KSHV lytic gene expression by blocking K-RTA-mediated transactivations. The physical interaction between K-RTA and EBV-Z are required for the mutual inhibition of the two molecules. The leucine heptapeptide repeat (LR) region in K-RTA and leucine zipper region in EBV-Z are involved in the physical interactions of the two molecules. Finally, initiation of KSHV lytic gene expression is correlated with the reduction of EBV lytic gene expression in the same PEL cells. Conclusions/Significance: In this report, how the two viruses interact with each other in dually infected PELs is addressed. Our data may provide a possible mechanism for maintaining viral latency and for selective lytic replication in dually infected PELs, i.e., through mutual inhibition of two critical lytic replication initiators. Our data about putative interactions between EBV and KSHV would be applicable to the majority of AIDS-associated PELs and may be relevant to the pathogenesis of PELs