Commentary on C. Trevor & D. Huron Are Humoresques Humorous? On the Similarity Between Laughter and Staccato

This commentary discusses and comments on the study by Trevor and Huron on the acoustical similarities between human laughter and staccato articulation in music

The Centrosomal Protein Pericentrin Identified at the Basal Body Complex of the Connecting Cilium in Mouse Photoreceptors

BACKGROUND: Pericentrin (Pcnt), a conserved protein of the pericentriolar material, serves as a multifunctional scaffold for numerous proteins and plays an important role in microtubule organization. Recent studies indicate that Pcnt mutations are associated with a range of diseases including primordial dwarfism and ciliopathies. To date, three Pcnt splice variants from orthologous genes in mice and humans are known. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We generated a specific Pcnt antiserum detecting all known Pcnt splice variants and examined the cellular and subcellular distribution of Pcnt in ciliated tissues of the mouse, the olfactory epithelium and the retina. For the first time, we identified Pcnt and its centrosomal interaction partners at the basal body complex of mouse retinal photoreceptors. Photoreceptors are morphologically and functionally subdivided into the light sensitive outer segment and the inner segment comprising the metabolic function of the cell. The two compartments are linked via a modified, specialized, non-motile cilium, the connecting cilium. Here, Pcnt colocalized with the whole protein machinery responsible for transport processes between the two compartments. Surprisingly, photoreceptors expressed a small Pcnt splice transcript - most likely a modified variant of Pcnt S - which was not present in receptor neurons of the olfactory epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest distinct functional roles of several Pcnt variants in different ciliated tissues and sensory neurons, like the olfactory epithelium and the retina of the mouse. The individual patchwork of different Pcnt splice transcripts seems to reflect the complexity of Pcnt function, an assumption corroborated by the heterogeneous clinical manifestations associated with mutations in the Pcnt gene

Pellet bells and bells from the Avar Period in the Hungarian National Museum

The Great Migration Period collection of the Hungarian National Museum houses more than 67 pellet bells and bells from the Avar Period, which are part of the research project ‘Metallic Idiophones between 800 BC and 800 AD in Central Europe’. They originate from 17 archaeological sites. The idiophones are presented within their find context and classified into types. Chemical analyses were carried out non-destructively by using a handheld XRF. The sounds of the original objects were recorded and analysed about their frequency ranges and psychoacoustic parameters. Several suggestions of the idiophones function complete the article. Ten textiles were analysed on the pellet bells, revealing some information on possible pieces of clothing and the positioning in the burial

Patient experiences of a bariatric group programme for managing obesity:a qualitative interview study

Objectives: People with obesity experience a range of physical and psychological ill-health outcomes. This study examined patients' experiences of a group-based programme for the management of morbid obesity delivered within the UK National Health Service. The focus of the study was on the emerging dynamic of the group and patients' perceptions of its impact on health outcomes. Design: A qualitative interview study was conducted and involved patients recruited from a Tier 3 bariatric service in South West England. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Methods: Twenty patients (12 females) with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 participated in a semi-structured one-to-one interview. Participants had been registered with the bariatric service for at least 6 months. None of the participants had had bariatric surgery. Results: Most participants felt that they had benefited from participating in the group programme and talked about the group as a resource for lifestyle change. Participants' narratives centred on the emergence of a sense of self based upon their participation in the group: establishing psychological connections to other patients, or shared social identity, was regarded as a key mechanism through which the programme's educational material was accessed, and underpinned the experience of social support within the group. Through interaction with other patients, involving the sharing of personal experiences and challenges, participants came to experience their weight 'problem' through a collective lens that they felt empowered them to initiate and sustain individual lifestyle change. Discussion: Bariatric care groups have the potential to support lifestyle change and weight loss and may help address the psychological needs of patients. Nurturing a sense of shared social identity amongst patients with morbid obesity should be a core aim of the care pathway and may provide the foundation for successful translation of dietetic content in group programmes. Statement of contribution: What is already known on this subject? Services for people with obesity who require specialist care are often supported by group-based bariatric programmes. There are no specific guidelines for the organization of bariatric groups beyond the recommendation for lifestyle interventions delivered by a multidisciplinary care team. Research with other health conditions suggests that the psychological connections formed between participants in bariatric programmes may play an important role in structuring programme effectiveness. What does this study add? Establishing psychological connections with other patients underpins bariatric patients' group experience. Shared social identity structures behaviour change in patients on bariatric programmes. Nurturing shared social identity should be a core aim of the bariatric care pathway

Superfluid to normal phase transition and extreme regularity of superdeformed bands

We derive the exact semiclassical expression for the second inertial parameter $\cal B$ for the superfluid and normal phases. Interpolation between these limiting values shows that the function ${\cal B}(I)$ changes sign at the spin $I_c$, which is critical for a rotational spectrum. The quantity $\cal B$ turns out to be a sensitive measure of the change in static pairing correlations. The superfluid-to-normal transition reveals itself in the specific variation of the ratio ${\cal B}/{\cal A}$ versus spin $I$ with the plateau characteristic of the normal phase. We find this dependence to be universal for normal deformed and superdeformed bands. The long plateau with a small value ${\cal B}/{\cal A}\sim A^{-8/3}$ explains the extreme regularity of superdeformed bands.Comment: 30 pages in LaTeX, 6 figures (PostScript). To be published in Yadernaya Fizika (Physics of Atomic Nuclei), special edition dedecated to the 90th birthday of Prof. I. I. Gurevit

Congenital microcephaly

The underlying etiologies of genetic congenital microcephaly are complex and multifactorial. Recently, with the exponential growth in the identification and characterization of novel genetic causes of congenital microcephaly, there has been a consolidation and emergence of certain themes concerning underlying pathomechanisms. These include abnormal mitotic microtubule spindle structure, numerical and structural abnormalities of the centrosome, altered cilia function, impaired DNA repair, DNA Damage Response signaling and DNA replication, along with attenuated cell cycle checkpoint proficiency. Many of these processes are highly interconnected. Interestingly, a defect in a gene whose encoded protein has a canonical function in one of these processes can often have multiple impacts at the cellular level involving several of these pathways. Here, we overview the key pathomechanistic themes underlying profound congenital microcephaly, and emphasize their interconnected nature

Optimierung von Impfsicherheitsbeobachtungen sowie der Meldung und Differentialdiagnose von unerwarteten Ereignissen nach Impfung in der klinischen Forschung und pädiatrischen Akutversorgung

Accurate and timely reporting of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) is key to vaccine safety surveillance. Before the causality of a presumed AEFI can be investigated, the AEFI need to be ‘ascertained’, i.e. mapped to pre- defined case definitions (CD). Common symptoms in pediatrics, such as fever and influenza-like-illness are often mistaken for AEFI. We conducted a systematic review (Medline, Embase, 1989–2011) of developing country randomized clinical vaccine trials (RCT) studying utilization of CD for the reporting of safety outcomes. We also conducted a 31-item online questionnaire among members of the Russian and German Professional Pediatric Associations, assessing exposure to vaccine safety training, awareness of reporting pathways and utilization of CD. At Charité, we tested the value of point-of-care diagnostics for influenza and RSV as a means of differentiating “natural infection” from AEFI. In 50 vaccine safety clinical trials, 70% used at least one CD. The most commonly defined AEFI was fever, but 16 different CD were used. Logistic regression showed a positive correlation between implementation of any fever CD with the likelihood of detecting fever as an AEFI (p=0.027). Analysis of 1.632 online questionnaires from German and Russian pediatricians revealed that at least one hour per workday was spent on vaccine consultations, even though the majority (57%) had never received any vaccine safety training. Accurate AEFI reporting pathways were known to 35%, CD to only one-third. Pediatricians who had been trained in vaccine safety, were significantly more likely to apply CD and to report AEFI accurately (p<0.05). Novel fluorescence-labeled point-of-care tests for influenza and RSV (SOFIA™) were compared to “traditional” rapid tests, (QuickVue™) using real-time PCR at the Robert Koch Institute as gold standard. Novel, fluorescence-based SOFIATM tests showed increased sensitivities/specificities of 78.6/93.9% (RSV), 80.6/99.3% (Influenza A) and 71.9/99.0% (Influenza B) compared to real-time PCR. Vaccine safety reporting relies on accurate AEFI ascertainment. International standards are available and should be streamlined to facilitate the pooled analysis of large numbers of vaccine safety data across sites, ensuring ‘meta-analyzability’ and the detection of rare AEFI. Second- generation point-of-care tests for influenza and RSV provide highly accurate results assisting in the timely vaccine safety communication in the acute care setting. Formal vaccine safety training is urgently needed to strengthen pediatric core competencies for AEFI reporting and the accurate conduct of vaccine clinical trials.Präzise und zeitgerechte Meldungen von unerwarteten Ereignissen nach Impfung (UENI) sind entscheidend für die Auswertung von Impfsicherheitssignalen. Bevor ein kausaler Zusammenhang zwischen der verabreichten Impfung und dem Ereignis untersucht werden kann, muss dieses durch z.B. definierte Falldefinitionen erhoben werden. Typische pädiatrische Symptome, wie Fieber und Influenza- ähnliche Erkrankungen werden in der Pädiatrie oft als UENI fehlinterpretiert. Wir erstellten eine systematische Übersicht (Medline, Embase, 1989-2011) welche die Verwendung von Falldefinitionen zur Erhebung von Impfsicherheitssignalen in randomisierten, klinischen Studien in Entwicklungsländern analysiert. Eine Onlineumfrage unter Mitgliedern der Deutschen und Russischen pädiatrischen Vereinigungen, untersuchte die Integrierung einer formalen Impfausbildung in der pädiatrischen Weiterbildung, die Kenntnis von Meldewegen sowie die Nutzung von Falldefinitionen zur Erhebung von UENI. An der Charité wurde der Nutzen von Influenza- und RSV- Schnelltests zur Differenzierung eines UENI von einer natürlichen Infektion untersucht. In 70% der 50 Impfsicherheitsstudien wurde ≥1 Falldefinition genutzt. Fieber wurde am häufigsten definiert; 16 verschiedene Fieberdefinitionen wurden verzeichnet. Die logistische Regressionsanalyse zeigte eine positive Korrelation zwischen der Verwendung einer beliebigen Fieberdefinition und der Wahrscheinlichkeit Fieber als ein UENI zu detektieren (p=0.027). Unter 1.632 analysierten Onlinefragebögen zeigte sich, dass Pädiater ≥1 Stunde/Arbeitstag für die Impfberatung aufwenden, obwohl die Mehrheit (57%) nie eine Impfausbildung erhielt. Korrekte Meldewege für UENI kannten 35%, Falldefinitionen nur ein Drittel der Befragten. Impfsicherheitsgeschulte Pädiater wendeten signifikant häufiger Falldefinitionen und korrekte Meldewege an (p<0.05). Fluoreszenz-basierte Influenza- und RSV-Schnelltests (SOFIA™) wurden mit Immunoassay-basierten Schnelltests (QuickVue™) verglichen; als Goldstandard diente die am Robert Koch Institut durchgeführte quantitative Echtzeit-PCR. Fluoreszenz-basierte Schnelltests zeigten höhere Sensitivitäten/Spezifitäten für RSV (78.6/93.9%) und Influenza A (80.6/99.3%) und Influenza B (71.9/99.0%). Die Analyse von Impfsicherheitssignalen ist stark von der exakten Erhebung von UENI abhängig. Durch die Optimierung vorhandener, internationaler Impfsicherheitsstandards können umfassende Metaanalysen zahlreicher Impfsicherheitsdaten vereinfacht und somit seltene UENI besser detektiert werden. Zuverlässige fluoreszenz- basierte Influenza- und RSV-Schnelltests stellen eine sinnvolle Ergänzung zur Impfsicherheitskommunikation in der pädiatrischen Grundversorgung dar. Eine pädiatrische Impfsicherheitsausbildung ist unbedingt erforderlich, um das Wissen um die Meldung von UENI, in Zulassungsstudien und auch Anwendungsbeobachtungen von Impfstoffen, zu stärken