Investigating hyper-vigilance for social threat of lonely children

The hypothesis that lonely children show hypervigilance for social threat was examined in a series of three studies that employed different methods including advanced eye-tracking technology. Hypervigilance for social threat was operationalized as hostility to ambiguously motivated social exclusion in a variation of the hostile attribution paradigm (Study 1), scores on the Children’s Rejection-Sensitivity Questionnaire (Study 2), and visual attention to socially rejecting stimuli (Study 3). The participants were 185 children (11 years-7 months to 12 years-6 months), 248 children (9 years-4 months to 11 years-8 months) and 140 children (8 years-10 months to 12 years-10 months) in the three studies, respectively. Regression analyses showed that, with depressive symptoms covaried, there were quadratic relations between loneliness and these different measures of hypervigilance to social threat. As hypothesized, only children in the upper range of loneliness demonstrated elevated hostility to ambiguously motivated social exclusion, higher scores on the rejection sensitivity questionnaire, and disengagement difficulties when viewing socially rejecting stimuli. We found that very lonely children are hypersensitive to social threat

High-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE) for non-thermal ablation without muscle contraction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Therapeutic irreversible electroporation (IRE) is an emerging technology for the non-thermal ablation of tumors. The technique involves delivering a series of unipolar electric pulses to permanently destabilize the plasma membrane of cancer cells through an increase in transmembrane potential, which leads to the development of a tissue lesion. Clinically, IRE requires the administration of paralytic agents to prevent muscle contractions during treatment that are associated with the delivery of electric pulses. This study shows that by applying high-frequency, bipolar bursts, muscle contractions can be eliminated during IRE without compromising the non-thermal mechanism of cell death.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A combination of analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques were performed to investigate high-frequency irreversible electroporation (H-FIRE). A theoretical model for determining transmembrane potential in response to arbitrary electric fields was used to identify optimal burst frequencies and amplitudes for <it>in vivo </it>treatments. A finite element model for predicting thermal damage based on the electric field distribution was used to design non-thermal protocols for <it>in vivo </it>experiments. H-FIRE was applied to the brain of rats, and muscle contractions were quantified via accelerometers placed at the cervicothoracic junction. MRI and histological evaluation was performed post-operatively to assess ablation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No visual or tactile evidence of muscle contraction was seen during H-FIRE at 250 kHz or 500 kHz, while all IRE protocols resulted in detectable muscle contractions at the cervicothoracic junction. H-FIRE produced ablative lesions in brain tissue that were characteristic in cellular morphology of non-thermal IRE treatments. Specifically, there was complete uniformity of tissue death within targeted areas, and a sharp transition zone was present between lesioned and normal brain.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>H-FIRE is a feasible technique for non-thermal tissue ablation that eliminates muscle contractions seen in IRE treatments performed with unipolar electric pulses. Therefore, it has the potential to be performed clinically without the administration of paralytic agents.</p

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common acute hyperglycaemic emergency in people with diabetes mellitus. A diagnosis of DKA is confirmed when all of the three criteria are present — ‘D’, either elevated blood glucose levels or a family history of diabetes mellitus; ‘K’, the presence of high urinary or blood ketoacids; and ‘A’, a high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Early diagnosis and management are paramount to improve patient outcomes. The mainstays of treatment include restoration of circulating volume, insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement and treatment of any underlying precipitating event. Without optimal treatment, DKA remains a condition with appreciable, although largely preventable, morbidity and mortality. In this Primer, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors and diagnosis of DKA and provide practical recommendations for the management of DKA in adults and children

Elicitor-induced β-glucan contents in fruit body of cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis latifolia)

Strain KFRI 723 was used for the cultivation of fruit body to promote the production of β-glucan induced by the elicitor using physical stimulation in the superior cultivated fruit body. Three different elicitor treatments on the physical stimulation (UV, temperature, and harvest time) were treated on the primodia of fruit body. Elicitor controlled by UV light has an effect on the change of the β-glucan contents in flabellae and stipe of cauliflower mushroom, both parts have the highest concentration of β-glucan in strains irradiated by UV for 10 min: 41.36 ± 2.96% of flabellae and 42.16 ± 2.90% of stipe. Both flabellae and stipe represented β-glucan contents in order of low (10 ± 1 °C) - mid (21 ± 1 °C; control) - high temperature (25 ± 1 °C). In the different harvest time, the β-glucan contents of flabellae and stipe show high contents at 21st and 26th day and decreased since 31st day of harvesting

Moniliophthora conchata Antonin, R. Ryoo

Moniliophthora conchata (Har. Takah.) Antonín, R. Ryoo & K.-H. Ka, comb. nov. Basionym: Crinipellis conchata Har. Takah., Mycoscience 43: 343, 2002. Syn.: Chaetocalathus conchatus (Har. Takah.) Vizzini, Rivista di Micologia 51: 66, 2008. Mycobank MB 808334 During our field research an almost identical fungus was found.It only differed in having distinctly smaller basidiospores, and, therefore, is described as a new variety here.Published as part of Antonín, Vladimír, Ryoo, Rhim, Ka, Kang-Hyeon & Sou, Hong-Duck, 2014, Three new species of Crinipellis and one new variety of Moniliophthora (Basidiomycota, Marasmiaceae) described from the Republic of Korea, pp. 86-102 in Phytotaxa 170 (2) on page 96, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.170.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/513896