Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography: the ABC of MRCP

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a technique that has evolved over the past two decades. It continues to have a fundamental role in the non-invasive investigation of many pancreatico-biliary disorders. The purpose of this review is to summarise the key concepts behind MRCP, the different techniques that are currently employed (including functional and secretin-stimulated MRCP), the pitfalls the reader should be aware of, and the main clinical indications for its use

Accurate <i>ab initio</i> ro-vibronic spectroscopy of the X²&#8719; CCN radical using explicitly correlated methods

Explicitly correlated CCSD(T)-F12b calculations have been carried out with systematic sequences of correlation consistent basis sets to determine accurate near-equilibrium potential energy surfaces for the X&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&#8719; and a&lt;sup&gt;4&lt;/sup&gt;&#931;&lt;sup&gt;−&lt;/sup&gt; electronic states of the CCN radical. After including contributions due to core correlation, scalar relativity, and higher order electron correlation effects, the latter utilizing large-scale multireference configuration interaction calculations, the resulting surfaces were employed in variational calculations of the ro-vibronic spectra. These calculations also included the use of accurate spin-orbit and dipole moment matrix elements. The resulting ro-vibronic transition energies, including the Renner-Teller sub-bands involving the bending mode, agree with the available experimental data to within 3 cm&lt;sup&gt;−1&lt;/sup&gt; in all cases. Full sets of spectroscopic constants are reported using the usual second-order perturbation theory expressions. Integrated absorption intensities are given for a number of selected vibronic band origins. A computational procedure similar to that used in the determination of the potential energy functions was also utilized to predict the formation enthalpy of CCN, &#916;H&lt;sub&gt;f&lt;/sub&gt;(0K) = 161.7 &#177; 0.5 kcal/mol

Cold preservation of the human colon and ileum with University of Wisconsin solution

The inclusion of the colon in the intestinal graft resulted in worsening patient and graft outcome and increased the incidence of infection and rejection. In this study, we examine the role of ischemia on the barrier function of the epithelium during cold ischemia. Samples were collected from 15 harvested and transplanted human donor grafts (colon, 10; ileum, 6), which were immersed in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution. Ischemia (6, 12, 24, and 45 h) and reoxygenation were performed to evaluate the mucosal electrical status using the Ussing chamber technique. The functions of enterocytes and crypt cells were tested by glucose and theophylline challenge. Modified Park's classification was applied to evaluate the severity of mucosal damage under light microscopy. The colon had higher levels of baseline potential difference, short-circuit current, and resistance than the ileum during 6-48 h of ischemia. Colonic epithelial cells responded well to theophylline stimulation at 24 h of ischemia, while there was no ileal response. The colonic mucosa was histopathologically well preserved in UW solution for 48 h, and mucosal damage induced by reoxygenation was less than in the ileum. In conclusion, electrophysiologically and histopathologically, the colon is less susceptible to cold preservation damage than the ileum during storage with UW solution

Leading logarithmic QCD corrections to the B_s --> \gamma \gamma decays in the two Higgs doublet model

We calculate the leading logarithmic QCD corrections to the decay B_s --> \gamma \gamma in the two Higgs doublet model (2HDM) including O_7 type long distance effects and estimate the restrictions of the 2HDM parameters, tan\beta and m_H, using the experimental data of B --> X_s \gamma decay provided by the CLEO collaboration. A lower bound for the charged Higgs mass m_H as a function of the renormalization scale \mu is given for 2HDM model II. We further present the dependencies of the branching ratio Br(B_s --> \gamma \gamma) and the ratio |A^{+}|^2/|A^{-}|^2 on m_H and tan\beta including leading logarithmic QCD corrections. The dependence on the renormalization scale is found to be strong for both ratios. An additional uncertainty arises from the variation of the parameters of the bound state model, (m_b, \bar{\Lambda}_s). We see, that to look for charged Higgs effects the measurement of the branching ratio Br(B_s --> \gamma \gamma) is promising.Comment: 25 pages, 19 figures (required epsf.sty

Asynchronous release sites align with NMDA receptors in mouse hippocampal synapses

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Li, S., Raychaudhuri, S., Lee, S. A., Brockmann, M. M., Wang, J., Kusick, G., Prater, C., Syed, S., Falahati, H., Ramos, R., Bartol, T. M., Hosy, E., & Watanabe, S. Asynchronous release sites align with NMDA receptors in mouse hippocampal synapses. Nature Communications, 12(1), (2021): 677, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21004-x.Neurotransmitter is released synchronously and asynchronously following an action potential. Our recent study indicates that the release sites of these two phases are segregated within an active zone, with asynchronous release sites enriched near the center in mouse hippocampal synapses. Here we demonstrate that synchronous and asynchronous release sites are aligned with AMPA receptor and NMDA receptor clusters, respectively. Computational simulations indicate that this spatial and temporal arrangement of release can lead to maximal membrane depolarization through AMPA receptors, alleviating the pore-blocking magnesium leading to greater activation of NMDA receptors. Together, these results suggest that release sites are likely organized to activate NMDA receptors efficiently.e also thank the Marine Biological Laboratory and their Neurobiology course for supporting the initial set of experiments (course supported by National Institutes of Health grant R25NS063307). S.W. and this work were supported by start-up funds from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Discovery funds, and the National Science Foundation (1727260), the National Institutes of Health (1DP2 NS111133-01 and 1R01 NS105810-01A1) awarded to S.W. S.W. is an Alfred P. Sloan fellow, McKnight Foundation Scholar, and Klingenstein and Simons Foundation scholar. G.K. was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health to the Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Program of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (T32 GM007445) and is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow (2016217537). E.H. and T.M.B. are supported by CRCNS-NIH-ANR grant AMPAR-T. The EM ICE high-pressure freezer was purchased partly with funds from an equipment grant from the National Institutes of Health (S10RR026445) awarded to Scot C Kuo

Elastin is Localised to the Interfascicular Matrix of Energy Storing Tendons and Becomes Increasingly Disorganised With Ageing

Tendon is composed of fascicles bound together by the interfascicular matrix (IFM). Energy storing tendons are more elastic and extensible than positional tendons; behaviour provided by specialisation of the IFM to enable repeated interfascicular sliding and recoil. With ageing, the IFM becomes stiffer and less fatigue resistant, potentially explaining why older tendons become more injury-prone. Recent data indicates enrichment of elastin within the IFM, but this has yet to be quantified. We hypothesised that elastin is more prevalent in energy storing than positional tendons, and is mainly localised to the IFM. Further, we hypothesised that elastin becomes disorganised and fragmented, and decreases in amount with ageing, especially in energy storing tendons. Biochemical analyses and immunohistochemical techniques were used to determine elastin content and organisation, in young and old equine energy storing and positional tendons. Supporting the hypothesis, elastin localises to the IFM of energy storing tendons, reducing in quantity and becoming more disorganised with ageing. These changes may contribute to the increased injury risk in aged energy storing tendons. Full understanding of the processes leading to loss of elastin and its disorganisation with ageing may aid in the development of treatments to prevent age related tendinopathy

Disaster management in low- and middle-income countries: scoping review of the evidence base

Introduction: Globally, there has been an increase in the prevalence and scale of disasters with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) tending to be more affected. Consequently, disaster risk reduction has been advocated as a global priority. However, the evidence base for disaster management in these settings is unclear. Methods: This study is a scoping review of the evidence base for disaster management in LMIC. Potentially relevant articles between 1990 and 2011 were searched for, assessed for relevance and subsequently categorised using a thematic coding framework based on the US Integrated Emergency Management System model. Results: Out of 1545 articles identified, only 178 were from LMIC settings. Most were of less robust design such as event reports and commentaries, and 66% pertained to natural disasters. There was a paucity of articles on disaster mitigation or recovery, and more were written on disaster response and preparedness issues. Discussion: Considerably more articles were published from high-income country settings that may reflect a publication bias. Current grey literature on disaster management tends not to be peer reviewed, is not well organised and not easy to access. The paucity of peer-reviewed publications compromises evidence review initiatives that seek to provide an evidence-base for disaster management in LMIC. As such, there is an urgent need for greater research and publication of findings on disaster management issues from these settings

In the dedicated pursuit of dedicated capital: restoring an indigenous investment ethic to British capitalism

Tony Blair’s landslide electoral victory on May 1 (New Labour Day?) presents the party in power with a rare, perhaps even unprecedented, opportunity to revitalise and modernise Britain’s ailing and antiquated manufacturing economy.* If it is to do so, it must remain true to its long-standing (indeed, historic) commitment to restore an indigenous investment ethic to British capitalism. In this paper we argue that this in turn requires that the party reject the very neo-liberal orthodoxies which it offered to the electorate as evidence of its competence, moderation and ‘modernisation’, which is has internalised, and which it apparently now views as circumscribing the parameters of the politically and economically possible

Derivation of Pre-X Inactivation Human Embryonic Stem Cells under Physiological Oxygen Concentrations

The presence of two active X chromosomes (XaXa) is a hallmark of the ground state of pluripotency specific to murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Human ESCs (hESCs) invariably exhibit signs of X chromosome inactivation (XCI) and are considered developmentally more advanced than their murine counterparts. We describe the establishment of XaXa hESCs derived under physiological oxygen concentrations. Using these cell lines, we demonstrate that (1) differentiation of hESCs induces random XCI in a manner similar to murine ESCs, (2) chronic exposure to atmospheric oxygen is sufficient to induce irreversible XCI with minor changes of the transcriptome, (3) the Xa exhibits heavy methylation of the XIST promoter region, and (4) XCI is associated with demethylation and transcriptional activation of XIST along with H3K27-me3 deposition across the Xi. These findings indicate that the human blastocyst contains pre-X-inactivation cells and that this state is preserved in vitro through culture under physiological oxygen.Susan WhiteheadHillel and Liliana Bachrac

1968

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