A randomized controlled trial comparing different sites of high-velocity low amplitude thrust on sensorimotor integration parameters

Increasing evidence suggests that a high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) thrust directed at a dysfunctional vertebral segment in people with subclinical spinal pain alters various neurophysiological measures, including somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). We hypothesized that an HVLA thrust applied to a clinician chosen vertebral segment based on clinical indicators of vertebral dysfunction, in short, segment considered as "relevant" would significantly reduce the N30 amplitude compared to an HVLA thrust applied to a predetermined vertebral segment not based on clinical indicators of vertebral dysfunction or segment considered as "non-relevant". In this double-blinded, active-controlled, parallel-design study, 96 adults with recurrent mild neck pain, ache, or stiffness were randomly allocated to receiving a single thrust directed at either a segment considered as "relevant" or a segment considered as "non-relevant" in their upper cervical spine. SEPs of median nerve stimulation were recorded before and immediately after a single HVLA application delivered using an adjusting instrument (Activator). A linear mixed model was used to assess changes in the N30 amplitude. A significant interaction between the site of thrust delivery and session was found (F1,840 = 9.89, p &lt; 0.002). Pairwise comparisons showed a significant immediate decrease in the N30 complex amplitude after the application of HVLA thrust to a segment considered "relevant" (- 16.76 ± 28.32%, p = 0.005). In contrast, no significant change was observed in the group that received HVLA thrust over a segment considered "non-relevant" (p = 0.757). Cervical HVLA thrust applied to the segment considered as "relevant" altered sensorimotor parameters, while cervical HVLA thrust over the segment considered as "non-relevant" did not. This finding supports the hypothesis that spinal site targeting of HVLA interventions is important when measuring neurophysiological responses. Further studies are needed to explore the potential clinical relevance of these findings.</p

Mammalian Keratin Associated Proteins (KRTAPs) Subgenomes: Disentangling Hair Diversity and Adaptation to Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments

Background: Adaptation of mammals to terrestrial life was facilitated by the unique vertebrate trait of body hair, which occurs in a range of morphological patterns. Keratin associated proteins (KRTAPs), the major structural hair shaft proteins, are largely responsible for hair variation. Results: We exhaustively characterized the KRTAP gene family in 22 mammalian genomes, confirming the existence of 30 KRTAP subfamilies evolving at different rates with varying degrees of diversification and homogenization. Within the two major classes of KRTAPs, the high cysteine (HS) subfamily experienced strong concerted evolution, high rates of gene conversion/recombination and high GC content. In contrast, high glycine-tyrosine (HGT) KRTAPs showed evidence of positive selection and low rates of gene conversion/recombination. Species with more hair and of higher complexity tended to have more KRATP genes (gene expansion). The sloth, with long and coarse hair, had the most KRTAP genes (175 with 141 being intact). By contrast, the hairless dolphin had 35 KRTAPs and the highest pseudogenization rate (74% relative to the 19% mammalian average). Unique hair-related phenotypes, such as scales (armadillo) and spines (hedgehog), were correlated with changes in KRTAPs. Gene expression variation probably also influences hair diversification patterns, for example human have an identical KRTAP repertoire as apes, but much less hair. Conclusions: We hypothesize that differences in KRTAP gene repertoire and gene expression, together with distinct rates of gene conversion/recombination, pseudogenization and positive selection, are likely responsible for micro and macro-phenotypic hair diversification among mammals in response to adaptations to ecological pressures

Functional quality of optimized peach‐based beverage developed by application of ultrasonic processing

The influence of thermal treatment (at 90°C for 10 min) and sonication (at 20 kHz and 130 W for 30, 60, and 90 min on room temperature) on the physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and organic acids of fresh formulated functional peach beverage was investigated. The results indicated that conventional pasteurization and sonication treatment did not show any significant changes in pH value and Brix amount of juice, and however, a rise in cloud value was observed under all processing conditions. The thermal treatment caused the decrement in total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant activity (assessed by diphenyl dipicryl hydrazyl (DPPH), ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS)), and organic acids of juice, whereas sonication treatment for 90 min increased maximum the activity of bioactive compounds (TPC: 600.61 µg/100 ml; TFC: 177 µg CE/100 ml), antioxidants (DPPH: 51.87%; FRAP: 506.13 µmol Trolox/L; ABTS: 1,507.375 µmol Trolox/L), and organic acids (malic acid: 998; citric acid: 128; oxalic acid: 145; shikimic acid: 63 µg/100 ml) as compared to other treatment conditions and control. Multivariate data analysis was done by principal component analysis as it identifies patterns in data by comparing data sets which is further expressed based on their similarities and discriminations, respectively

The Effects of Four Weeks of Chiropractic Spinal Adjustments on Blood Biomarkers in Adults with Chronic Stroke:Secondary Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Certain blood biomarkers are associated with neural protection and neural plasticity in healthy people and individuals with prior brain injury. To date, no studies have evaluated the effects chiropractic care on serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in people with stroke. This manuscript reports pre-specified, exploratory, secondary outcomes from a previously completed parallel group randomized controlled trial. We evaluated differences between four weeks of chiropractic spinal adjustments combined with the usual physical therapy (chiro + PT) and sham chiropractic with physical therapy (sham + PT) on resting serum BDNF, IGF-II and GDNF in 63 adults with chronic stroke. Blood samples were assessed at baseline, four weeks (post-intervention), and eight weeks (follow-up). Data were analyzed using a linear multivariate mixed effects model. Within both groups there was a significant decrease in the mean log-concentration of BDNF and IGF-II at each follow-up, and significant increase log-concentration of GDNF at eight-weeks’ follow-up. However, no significant between-group differences in any of the blood biomarkers at each time-point were found. Further research is required to explore which factors influence changes in serum BDNF, IGF-II and GDNF following chiropractic spinal adjustments and physical therapy

Enteric fever: a slow response to an old plague

Man is irremediably embedded in nature with complex interactions with all living organisms. Historically, the establishment of contemporary human societies has been influenced by our coexistence with other microorganisms living in highly interconnected habitats and ecologies. As a result, with the progression from unicellular to multicellular life, bacteria have coexisted with humans. In this biological journey, while there are important benefits provided by bacterial guests to the human host living in complex relationships and becoming part of their microbiome, some organisms are able to cause a wide spectrum of diseases. Among the large Enterobacteriaceae family, the genus Salmonella, a pathotype of Escherichia coli, is one example. Salmonella is further classified into S. enterica and S. bongori serotypes based on its lipopolysaccharide cell wall (somatic O antigen), its flagellar (H antigen), and its surface Vi antigen (present only in S. typhi, S. Paratyphi C, Citrobacter freundii, and S. Dublin) [1]. S. enterica subspecies I, one of the six subspecies of S. enterica, is a major contributor to human disease (Fig 1) [2]. This group of pathogens includes those frequently causing gastroenteritis, such as S. Typhimurium, those causing invasive disease in the forms of bacteremia, such as S. Choleraesius, or the typhoidal Salmonella species causing enteric fever, including S. typhi (typhoid fever) and S. Paratyphi A, B, and C (paratyphoid fever) [1,2]

Rapid single step atmospheric pressure plasma jet deposition of a SERS active surface

A helium gas atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is used to prepare a silver-based SERS substrate. The Raman enhancement from substrates created using APPJ compares well with two commercially available silver-based SERS substrates and an in-house prepared physical deposition of pre-synthesised silver nanoparticles. An aqueous solution of rudimentary silver salt was required as an ink to deposit zero valent silver in a single step with no post processing. An array of 16 × 16 silver ‘islands’ are printed on borosilicate glass, each island taking 5 seconds to print with a power of < 14 W to sustain the plasma. The SERS response was assessed using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and rhodamine 6G as model analytes, with a calculated detection limit of 1 × 10−6 M. Also demonstrated is the removal of analyte from the surface after Raman measurement by exposure to helium APPJ doped with oxygen followed by hydrogen to restore zero baseline. This regeneration takes less than 10 seconds and allows for replicate measurements using the same SERS substrate

Whole genome identification, phylogeny and evolution of the cytochrome P450 family 2 (CYP2) sub-families in birds

The cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily defends organisms from endogenous and noxious environmental compounds, and thus is crucial for survival. However, beyond mammals the molecular evolution of CYP2 subfamilies is poorly understood. Here, we characterized the CYP2 family across 48 avian whole genomes representing all major extant bird clades. Overall,12 CYP2 subfamilies were identified, including the first description of the CYP2F, CYP2G, and several CYP2AF genes in avian genomes. Some of the CYP2 genes previously described as being lineage-specific, such as CYP2K and CYP2W, are ubiquitous to all avian groups. Furthermore, we identified a large number of CYP2J copies, which have been associated previously with water reabsorption. We detected positive selection in the avian CYP2C, CYP2D, CYP2H, CYP2J, CYP2K, and CYP2AC subfamilies. Moreover, we identified new substrate recognition sites (SRS0, SRS2_SRS3, and SRS3.1) and heme binding areas that influence CYP2 structure and function of functional importance as under significant positive selection. Some of the positively selected sites in avian CYP2D are located within the same SRS1 region that was previously linked with the metabolism of plant toxins.Additionally,we find that selective constraint variations in some avian CYP2 subfamilies are consistently associated with different feeding habits (CYP2H and CYP2J), habitats (CYP2D, CYP2H, CYP2J, and CYP2K), and migratory behaviors (CYP2D, CYP2H, and CYP2J). Overall, our findings indicate that there has been active enzyme site selection on CYP2 subfamilies and differential selection associated with different life history traits among birds

Risk factors associated with typhoid fever in children aged 2-16 years in Karachi, Pakistan

We analysed the data from the control group in a typhoid vaccine trial in Karachi to assess the differences in individual-, household-and cluster-level characteristics for developing typhoid fever. The annual incidence of typhoid in children aged 2-16 years in the control arm of the vaccine trial was 151/100 000 population. After adjustment, the risk of typhoid was lower with increasing age [risk ratio (RR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83-0.95], was higher with an increase in population density (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.05-1.21) and was lower in the households using a safe drinking-water source (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.99). Typhoid fever affects younger children living in areas of high population density and lack of access to safe water in Pakistan. A combination of environmental and biological interventions is required to prevent the continued epidemiological and economic impact of typhoid fever in high-risk areas of Pakistan