Neuropsychological profiles of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: early onset versus late onset

In this study, we assess the neuropsychological profiles of both early and late symptom-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. The early and late-onset OCD patients are compared to the control group with a series of neuropsychological measurements. The late-onset OCD patients exhibited impaired performance on the immediate and the delayed recall conditions of the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT) and the letter and category fluency of the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWA), compared to the normal controls and the early-onset OCD patients. The controls and early-onset OCD patients did not differ on any of the neuropsychological measurements taken in this study. These results suggest that different neurophysiological mechanisms are in play in early and late-onset OCD patients, and age of onset can serve as a potential marker for the subtyping of OCD

Modified underwater endoscopic mucosal resection for intermediate-sized sessile colorectal polyps

IntroductionUnderwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) is effective for treating intermediate-sized colorectal polyps. However, it is sometimes difficult to obtain visibility in underwater conditions.MethodsThis prospective, observational, single-center study included consecutive patients with intermediate-sized (10–20 mm) sessile colorectal polyps. Modified UEMR method was used to initially snare the lesion without injection or water infusion. Thereafter, water was infused until the lesion was submerged, then it was resected using electrocautery. We also evaluated the rates of complete resection and procedure-related complications.ResultsForty-two patients with 47 polyps were enrolled in the study. The median procedure time and fluid infusion were 71 s (42–607) and 50 mL (30–130), respectively. The rates of R0 resection and en bloc resection were 80.9 and 97.9%, respectively, with 100% technical success. R0 resection was observed in 42.9% of polyps sized ≥15 mm and 87.5% sized <15 mm (p < 0.01). Muscle entrapment was found in 71.4% of patients with polyps sized ≥15 mm and 10% <15 mm (p < 0.01). Immediate bleeding occurred in 12.8% of cases and was controlled using a snare tip or hemostatic forceps. Snare-tip ablation and hemostatic forceps ablation were performed in 27.7 and 6.4% of patients, respectively. No delayed bleeding, perforation, or any other complications were reported.ConclusionModified UEMR can be used in cases in which securing visibility or performing the existing UEMR is challenging. Careful treatment is required when removing polyps >15 mm in size

Crystallization Characteristics of CaO-Al2O3-Based Mold Flux and Their Effects on In-Mold Performance during High-Aluminum TRIP Steels Continuous Casting

Crystallization behaviors of the newly developed lime-alumina-based mold fluxes for high-aluminum transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels casting were experimentally studied, and compared with those of lime-silica-based mold fluxes. The effects of mold flux crystallization characteristics on heat transfer and lubrication performance in casting high-Al TRIP steels were also evaluated. The results show that the crystallization temperatures of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes are much lower than those of lime-silica-based mold fluxes. Increasing B2O3 addition suppresses the crystallization of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes, while Na2O exhibits an opposite effect. In continuous cooling of lime-alumina-based mold fluxes with high B2O3 contents and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 3.3, faceted cuspidine precipitates first, followed by needle-like CaO center dot B2O3 or 9CaO center dot 3B(2)O(3)center dot CaF2. In lime-alumina-based mold flux with low B2O3 content (5.4 mass pct) and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 1.2, the formation of fine CaF2 takes place first, followed by blocky interconnected CaO center dot 2Al(2)O(3) as the dominant crystalline phase, and rod-like 2CaO center dot B2O3 precipitates at lower temperature during continuous cooling of the mold flux. In B2O3-free mold flux, blocky interconnected 3CaO center dot Al2O3 precipitates after CaF2 and 3CaO center dot 2SiO(2) formation, and takes up almost the whole crystalline fraction. The casting trials show that the mold heat transfer rate significantly decreases near the meniscus during the continuous casting using lime-alumina-mold fluxes with higher crystallinity, which brings a great reduction of surface depressions on cast slabs. However, excessive crystallinity of mold flux causes poor lubrication between mold and solidifying steel shell, which induces various defects such as drag marks on cast slab. Among the studied mold fluxes, lime-alumina-based mold fluxes with higher B2O3 contents and a CaO/Al2O3 ratio of 3.3 show comparatively improved performance.ope

Soil metagenome-derived 3-hydroxypalmitic acid methyl ester hydrolases suppress extracellular polysaccharide production in Ralstonia solanacearum

Autoinducers are indispensable for bacterial cell–cell communication. However, due to the reliance on culture-based techniques, few autoinducer-hydrolyzing enzymes are known. In this study, we characterized soil metagenome-derived unique enzymes capable of hydrolyzing 3-hydroxypalmitic acid methyl ester (3-OH PAME), an autoinducer of the plant pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. Among 146 candidate lipolytic clones from a soil metagenome library, 4 unique enzymes capable of hydrolyzing the autoinducer 3-OH PAME, termed ELP86, ELP96, ELP104, and EstDL33, were selected and characterized. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that metagenomic enzymes were novel esterase/lipase candidates as they clustered as novel subfamilies of family I, V, X, and family XI. The purified enzymes displayed various levels of hydrolytic activities towards 3-OH PAME with optimum activity at 40–50 °C and pH 7–10. Interestingly, ELP104 also displayed N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone hydrolysis activity. Heterologous expression of the gene encoding 3-OH PAME hydrolase in R. solanacearum significantly decreased exopolysaccharide production without affecting bacterial growth. mRNA transcription analysis revealed that genes regulated by quorum-sensing, such as phcA and xpsR, were significantly down-regulated in the stationary growth phase of R. solanacearum. Therefore, metagenomic enzymes are capable of quorum-quenching by hydrolyzing the autoinducer 3-OH PAME, which could be used as a biocontrol strategy against bacterial wilt

Anti-Prion Screening for Acridine, Dextran, and Tannic Acid using Real Time-Quaking Induced Conversion: A Comparison with PrPSc-Infected Cell Screening.

Prion propagation is mediated by the structural alteration of normal prion protein (PrPC) to generate pathogenic prion protein (PrPSc). To date, compounds for the inhibition of prion propagation have mainly been screened using PrPSc-infected cells. Real time-quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) is one alternative screening method. In this study, we assessed the propagation inhibition effects of known anti-prion compounds using RT-QuIC and compared the results with those from a PrPSc-infected cell assay. Compounds were applied to RT-QuIC reactions at 0 h or 22 h after prion propagation to determine whether they inhibited propagation or reduced amplified aggregates. RT-QuIC reactions in presence of acridine, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and tannic acid inhibited seeded aggregation with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease at 0 h. After treatment at 22 h, amplified fluorescence was decreased in wells treated with either acridine or tannic acid. Compound activities were verified by western blot of RT-QuIC products and in a dye-independent conversion assay, the Multimer Detection System. Protease K-resistant PrPSc fragments (PrPres) were reduced by DSS and tannic acid in the PrPSc-infected cell assay. Importantly, these inhibitory effects were similar despite different treatment times (0 h versus 3 days). Consequentially, RT-QuIC enabled the more specific classification of compounds according to action (i.e., inhibition of prion propagation versus reduction of amplified aggregates). RT-QuIC addresses the limitations of cell-based screening methods and can be used to further aid our understanding of the mechanisms of action of anti-prion compounds