Left ventricular myocardial deformation and mechanical dyssynchrony in children with normal ventricular shortening fraction after anthracycline therapy

Objective: The M-mode-derived left ventricular shortening fraction is incorporated into most of the paediatric oncology protocols for monitoring of cardiotoxicity. This study tested the hypothesis that alteration of left ventricular myocardial deformation and mechanical dyssynchrony may occur in asymptomatic children after anthracycline therapy despite having left ventricular shortening fractions within the limits of normal. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Tertiary paediatric cardiac centre. Methods: Left ventricular longitudinal, circumferential and radial myocardial deformation was determined using speckle tracking echocardiography in 45 patients aged 15.3±5.8 years. Real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic data were acquired for the measurement of left ventricular volumes and systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI), the latter derived from the dispersion of time-to-minimum regional volume using a 16-segment model. The results were compared with those of 44 controls. Results: Compared with controls, patients had reduced left ventricular global systolic longitudinal strain (p=0.012), circumferential strain (p4.96%) in patients was 16% (95% CI 6% to 29%). In patients, SDI correlated negatively with left ventricular ejection fraction (r=-0.52, p<0.001), radial strain (r=-0.35, p=0.021), circumferential strain (r=-0.37, p=0.015) and circumferential SR (r=-0.43, p=0.004), but not with the cumulative anthracycline dose (p=0.82). Conclusions: Impaired left ventricular myocardial deformation and mechanical dyssynchrony may exist in children after anthracycline therapy despite having normal left ventricular shortening fractions.published_or_final_versio

Plasmonic colloidal nanoparticles with open eccentric cavities via acid-induced chemical transformation

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been considered a promising technique for the detection of trace molecules in biomedicine and environmental monitoring. The ideal metal nanoparticles for SERS must not only fulfill important requirements such as high near-field enhancement and a tunable far-field response but also overcome the diffusion limitation at extremely lower concentrations of a target material. Here, we introduce a novel method to produce gold nanoparticles with open eccentric cavities by selectively adapting the structure of non-plasmonic nanoparticles via acid-mediated surface replacement. Copper oxide nanoparticles with open eccentric cavities are first prepared using a microwave-irradiation-assisted surfactant-free hydrothermal reaction and are then transformed into gold nanoparticles by an acidic gold precursor while maintaining their original structure. Because of the strong near-field enhancement occurring at the mouth of the open cavities and the very rough surfaces resulting from the uniformly covered hyperbranched sharp multi-tips and the free access of SERS molecules inside of the nanoparticles without diffusion limitation, adenine, one of the four bases in DNA, in an extremely diluted aqueous solution (1.0 pM) was successfully detected with excellent reproducibility upon laser excitation with a 785-nm wavelength. The gold nanoparticles with open eccentric cavities provide a powerful platform for the detection of ultra-trace analytes in an aqueous solution within near-infrared wavelengths, which is essential for highly sensitive, reliable and direct in vivo analysis.None1132sciescopu

Where on Earth Are the Best-50 Time Servers?

© 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG. We present a list of the Best-50 public IPv4 time servers by mining a high-resolution dataset of Stratum-1 servers for Availability, Stratum Constancy, Leap Performance, and Clock Error, broken down by continent. We find that a server with ideal leap performance, high availability, and low stratum variation is often clock error-free, but this is no guarantee. We discuss the relevance and lifetime of our findings, the scalability of our approach, and implications for load balancing and server ranking

Structural Characterization of Anticancer Drug Paclitaxel and Its Metabolites Using Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry and Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a popular anticancer drug used in the treatment of various types of cancers. PTX is metabolized in the human liver by cytochrome P450 to two structural isomers, 3&apos;-p-hydroxypaclitaxel (3p-OHP) and 6 alpha-hydroxypaclitaxel (6 alpha-OHP). Analyzing PTX and its two metabolites, 3p-OHP and 6 alpha-OHP, is crucial for understanding general pharmacokinetics, drug activity, and drug resistance. In this study, electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry (ESI-IM-MS) and collision induced dissociation (CID) are utilized for the identification and characterization of PTX and its metabolites. Ion mobility distributions of 3p-OHP and 6 alpha-OHP indicate that hydroxylation of PTX at different sites yields distinct gas phase structures. Addition of monovalent alkali metal and silver metal cations enhances the distinct dissociation patterns of these structural isomers. The differences observed in the CID patterns of metalated PTX and its two metabolites are investigated further by evaluating their gas-phase structures. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the observed structural changes and dissociation pathways are the result of the interactions between the metal cation and the hydroxyl substituents in PTX metabolites.1155Ysciescopu

Is constant needle motion during soft tissue filler injections a safer procedure?:A theoretical mathematical model for evaluating patient safety

BackgroundThe safety rationale behind the constant needle motion injection technique is based on the assumption that due to the constant needle motion and simultaneous soft tissue filler material administration a smaller amount of product per area may be injected into an artery if an artery within the range of the moving needle is inadvertently entered.ObjectiveTo perform mathematical calculations for determining the probability for causing intra-arterial product administration when constantly moving the needle during facial aesthetic soft tissue filler injections.MethodsThis study was designed as a theoretical investigation into the probabilities for causing adverse events due to intravascular injection of soft tissue filler material when constantly moving a 27-G needle during facial soft tissue filler administration.ResultsIt was revealed that with a higher number of conducted injection passes a greater soft tissue area can be covered by the needle. The odds of encountering an artery within the covered soft tissue volume and the odds of injecting any volume greater than zero into the arterial blood stream increases with the number of performed injection passes. This increase is greatest between 1 and 10 performed injection passes.ConclusionThis model demonstrates that the constant needle motion technique increases the probability of encountering an artery within the treatment area and thus increases the odds for intra-arterial product administration. The constant needle motion technique does not increase safety but rather may increase the odds of causing intra-arterial product administration with the respective adverse consequences for the patient

Specific subsystems of the inferior parietal lobule are associated with hand dysfunction following stroke: A cross-sectional resting-state fMRI study

Aim The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) plays important roles in reaching and grasping during hand movements, but how reorganizations of IPL subsystems underlie the paretic hand remains unclear. We aimed to explore whether specific IPL subsystems were disrupted and associated with hand performance after chronic stroke. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 65 patients who had chronic subcortical strokes and 40 healthy controls from China. Each participant underwent the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Hand and Wrist and resting-state fMRI at baseline. We mainly explored the group differences in resting-state effective connectivity (EC) patterns for six IPL subregions in each hemisphere, and we correlated these EC patterns with paretic hand performance across the whole stroke group and stroke subgroups. Moreover, we used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to distinguish the stroke subgroups with partially (PPH) and completely (CPH) paretic hands. Results Stroke patients exhibited abnormal EC patterns with ipsilesional PFt and bilateral PGa, and five sensorimotor-parietal/two parietal–temporal subsystems were positively or negatively correlated with hand performance. Compared with CPH patients, PPH patients exhibited abnormal EC patterns with the contralesional PFop. The PPH patients had one motor-parietal subsystem, while the CPH patients had one sensorimotor-parietal and three parietal-occipital subsystems that were associated with hand performance. Notably, the EC strength from the contralesional PFop to the ipsilesional superior frontal gyrus could distinguish patients with PPH from patients with CPH. Conclusions The IPL subsystems manifest specific functional reorganization and are associated with hand dysfunction following chronic stroke.Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, Grant/Award Number: LGF19H270001; Shanghai Sailing Program, Grant/Award Number: 20YF144510

Establishment of a normal medakafish spermatogonial cell line capable of sperm production in vitro

Spermatogonia are the male germ stem cells that continuously produce sperm for the next generation. Spermatogenesis is a complicated process that proceeds through mitotic phase of stem cell renewal and differentiation, meiotic phase, and postmeiotic phase of spermiogenesis. Full recapitulation of spermatogenesis in vitro has been impossible, as generation of normal spermatogonial stem cell lines without immortalization and production of motile sperm from these cells after long-term culture have not been achieved. Here we report the derivation of a normal spermatogonial cell line from a mature medakafish testis without immortalization. After 140 passages during 2 years of culture, this cell line retains stable but growth factor-dependent proliferation, a diploid karyotype, and the phenotype and gene expression pattern of spermatogonial stem cells. Furthermore, we show that this cell line can undergo meiosis and spermiogenesis to generate motile sperm. Therefore, the ability of continuous proliferation and sperm production in culture is an intrinsic property of medaka spermatogonial stem cells, and immortalization apparently is not necessary to derive male germ cell cultures. Our findings and cell line will offer a unique opportunity to study and recapitulate spermatogenesis in vitro and to develop approaches for germ-line transmission.Spermatogonia are the male germ stem cells that continuously produce sperm for the next generation. Spermatogenesis is a complicated process that proceeds through mitotic phase of stem cell renewal and differentiation, meiotic phase, and postmeiotic phase of spermiogenesis. Full recapitulation of spermatogenesis in vitro has been impossible, as generation of normal spermatogonial stem cell lines without immortalization and production of motile sperm from these cells after long-term culture have not been achieved. Here we report the derivation of a normal spermatogonial cell line from a mature medakafish testis without immortalization. After 140 passages during 2 years of culture, this cell line retains stable but growth factor-dependent proliferation, a diploid karyotype, and the phenotype and gene expression pattern of spermatogonial stem cells. Furthermore, we show that this cell line can undergo meiosis and spermiogenesis to generate motile sperm. Therefore, the ability of continuous proliferation and sperm production in culture is an intrinsic property of medaka spermatogonial stem cells, and immortalization apparently is not necessary to derive male germ cell cultures. Our findings and cell line will offer a unique opportunity to study and recapitulate spermatogenesis in vitro and to develop approaches for germ-line transmission

Investigation of the IoT Device Lifetime with Secure Data Transmission

This paper represents the approach for estimation of the lifetime of the IoT end devices. The novelty of this approach is in the taking into account not only the energy consumption for data transmission, but also for ensuring the security by using the encryption algorithms. The results of the study showed the effect of using data encryption during transmission on the device lifetime depending on the key length and the principles of the algorithm used

Gene × Gene interaction between MnSOD and GPX-1 and breast cancer risk: a nested case-control study

BACKGROUND: Germ-line mutations in genes such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and ATM can cause a substantial increase in risk of breast cancer. However, these mutations are rare in the general population, and account for little of the incidence of sporadic breast cancer in the general population. Therefore, research has been focused on examining associations between common polymorphisms and breast cancer risk. To date, few associations have been described. This has led to the hypothesis that breast cancer is a complex disease, whereby a constellation of very low penetrance alleles need to be carried to present a risk phenotype. Polymorphisms in the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX-1) genes have been proposed as low penetrance alleles, and have not been clearly associated with breast cancer. We investigated whether variants at both polymorphisms, while not independently associated with breast cancer risk, could influence breast cancer risk when considered together. METHODS: A case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study was performed comparing 1262 women diagnosed with breast cancer to 1533 disease free women. The MnSOD (Val16Ala, rs1799725) and GPX-1 (Pro198Leu, rs1050450) were genotyped via TaqMan assay. Disease risk was evaluated using logistic regression. RESULTS: While neither allele alone shows any change in breast cancer risk, an increase in the risk of breast cancer (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.09 – 3.19) is observed in individuals who carry both the Ala16Ala genotype of MnSOD and the Leu198Leu genotype of GPX-1. CONCLUSION: Polymorphisms in the GPX-1 and MnSOD genes are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer