Rhodococcus equi Infection after Alemtuzumab Therapy for T-cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia

Rhodococcus equi, mainly known from veterinary medicine as a pathogen in domestic animals, can also cause infections in immunocompromised humans, especially in those with defects in cellular immunity. Alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, causes lymphocytopenia by eliminating CD52-positive cells. We report a patient in whom Rhodococcus equi infection developed after alemtuzumab therapy

Five-year follow-up of a cordotomy

Percutaneous cervical cordotomy is an invasive procedure to treat severe, opioid-resistant cancer pain. It is usually proposed for patients with a limited life expectancy. As a consequence, objective quantification of the long-term effects of this procedure is lacking. The present report describes a patient who was treated with a right-sided percutaneous cervical cordotomy for refractory cancer pain. Afterward, disseminated seminoma was diagnosed, which was cured with chemotherapy. Five years after the procedure, a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the long-term effects was performed. Sensory dysfunction was observed in the left side of the body, but no motor neuron or autonomic dysfunction was observed. The influence of these long-term effects on the patient’s daily activities was limited

Developmental function and state transitions of a gene expression oscillator in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract Gene expression oscillators can structure biological events temporally and spatially. Different biological functions benefit from distinct oscillator properties. Thus, finite developmental processes rely on oscillators that start and stop at specific times, a poorly understood behavior. Here, we have characterized a massive gene expression oscillator comprising > 3,700 genes in Caenorhabditis elegans larvae. We report that oscillations initiate in embryos, arrest transiently after hatching and in response to perturbation, and cease in adults. Experimental observation of the transitions between oscillatory and non‐oscillatory states at high temporal resolution reveals an oscillator operating near a Saddle Node on Invariant Cycle (SNIC) bifurcation. These findings constrain the architecture and mathematical models that can represent this oscillator. They also reveal that oscillator arrests occur reproducibly in a specific phase. Since we find oscillations to be coupled to developmental processes, including molting, this characteristic of SNIC bifurcations endows the oscillator with the potential to halt larval development at defined intervals, and thereby execute a developmental checkpoint function

Developmental function and state transitions of a gene expression oscillator in Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract Gene expression oscillators can structure biological events temporally and spatially. Different biological functions benefit from distinct oscillator properties. Thus, finite developmental processes rely on oscillators that start and stop at specific times, a poorly understood behavior. Here, we have characterized a massive gene expression oscillator comprising > 3,700 genes in Caenorhabditis elegans larvae. We report that oscillations initiate in embryos, arrest transiently after hatching and in response to perturbation, and cease in adults. Experimental observation of the transitions between oscillatory and non‐oscillatory states at high temporal resolution reveals an oscillator operating near a Saddle Node on Invariant Cycle (SNIC) bifurcation. These findings constrain the architecture and mathematical models that can represent this oscillator. They also reveal that oscillator arrests occur reproducibly in a specific phase. Since we find oscillations to be coupled to developmental processes, including molting, this characteristic of SNIC bifurcations endows the oscillator with the potential to halt larval development at defined intervals, and thereby execute a developmental checkpoint function

Heart Rate Variability Parameters Do Not Correlate with Pain Intensity in Healthy Volunteers

<p>Objective. When patients cannot indicate pain, physiological parameters may be useful. We tested whether heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, as reflection of sympathetic and vagal tone, can be used to quantify pain intensity.</p><p>Design. Prospective study.</p><p>Subjects and Setting. A standardized heat stimulus was applied to the forearm in 75 healthy volunteers during three study periods of 2 minutes.</p><p>Methods. Before and after each application, pain intensity was measured by a visual analog scale (VAS) and inter beat interval (IBI) was recorded. Standard deviation of normal to normal beat intervals (SDNN) of the IBI, the power of the low (LF, 0.07-0.14 Hz) and high frequency (HF, 0.15-0.50 Hz) band, and LF/HF ratio were calculated. Log transformation resulted in normal distribution. Correlation between HRV parameters and pain intensity was assessed by Pearson's correlation coefficient.</p><p>Results. Data from 73 volunteers (44 women) could be analyzed. The mean age was 30 +/- 11 years. Compared with baseline, during all heat periods, pain intensity measured by VAS increased from 2 +/- 3 mm, 3 +/- 5 mm, and 2 +/- 4 mm, to 40 +/- 20 mm, 42 +/- 21 mm, and 44 +/- 22 mm, respectively. Log transformed SDNN (lnSDNN) and LF (lnLF) decreased; lnSDNN from 4.0 +/- 0.4 to 3.9 +/- 0.5, P = 0.002; 4.0 +/- 0.4 to 3.9 +/- 0.5, P = 0.016; and 4.1 +/- 0.4 to 3.9 +/- 0.4, P = 0.004, respectively; lnLF from 6.3 +/- 1.0 to 6.1 +/- 1.2, P = 0.001; 6.4 +/- 1.0 to 6.2 +/- 1.1, P = 0.019; and 6.5 +/- 1.0 to 6.2 +/- 1.1, P = 0.020, respectively. No correlation of any HRV parameter with VAS score was found.</p><p>Conclusion. HRV parameters may detect responses to heat pain, but are not suitable to assess pain intensity.</p>

A process synthesis approach for isolation of isoflavones from okara

Owing to the complexity of food matrices, process synthesis methodologies have not been as widely applied in the food industry as in the chemical industry. Here, we describe the application of a process synthesis methodology to design a system to separate valuable components from a byproduct of the soymilk production. The method yielded a number of potential processing pathways and relevant mechanistic questions, which required experimental input. The combination of considering the overall system on the level of general transformations, heuristics, and additional insights through experiments resulted in a simplified conceptual process design for the separation of isoflavones from okara with a globally more sustainable choice. The holistic approach within process design as an implication of the methodology is discussed