Time sequencing the TRAP-18 indicators

A time sequence analysis is conducted on 125 lone-actor terrorists, most of whom mounted attacks in Europe and North America, utilizing the Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol (TRAP-18), a structured professional judgment instrument with demonstrable interrater reliability and criterion, discriminant, and predictive validity. Both frequency filters (≥3) and coefficient filters (>.50) were applied to the data. Results indicate that virtually all distal characteristics, such as criminal violence, mental disorder, and ideology, preceded the proximal warning behaviors, such as pathway, fixation, identification, leakage, last resort, and directly communicated threats. Indicators that were “gatekeepers” and “turning point events” were also identified (Taylor et al., 2008). The time sequence analysis further validates the model of the TRAP-18 as a risk instrument for the assessment and management of lone-actor terrorist violence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved

Contribution of hydrogen sulfide to the control of coronary blood flow

This study examined the mechanisms by which H2S modulates coronary microvascular resistance and myocardial perfusion at rest and in response to cardiac ischemia. Experiments were conducted in isolated coronary arteries and in open-chest anesthetized dogs. We found that the H2S substrate L-cysteine (1-10 mM) did not alter coronary tone of isolated arteries in vitro or coronary blood flow in vivo. In contrast, intracoronary (ic) H2S (0.1-3 mM) increased coronary flow from 0.49 ± 0.08 to 2.65 ± 0.13 ml/min/g (P□0.001). This increase in flow was unaffected by inhibition of Kv channels with 4-aminopyridine (P=0.127) but was attenuated (0.23 ± 0.02 to 1.13 ± 0.13 ml/min/g) by the KATP channel antagonist glibenclamide (P□0.001). Inhibition of NO synthesis (L-NAME) did not attenuate coronary responses to H2S. Immunohistochemistry revealed expression of cystathionine gamma-lyase (CSE), an endogenous H2S enzyme, in myocardium. Inhibition of CSE with β-cyano-L-alanine (10 µM) had no effect on baseline coronary flow or responses to a 15 sec coronary occlusion (P=0.82). These findings demonstrate that exogenous H2S induces potent, endothelial-independent dilation of the coronary microcirculation predominantly through the activation of KATP channels, however, our data do not support a functional role for endogenous H2S in the regulation of coronary microvascular resistance

Dietary patterns and β-amyloid deposition in aging Australian women

Introduction: Evidence indicates that associations between diet and Alzheimer's disease may occur through biomarker pathways such as amyloid-β (Aβ); however, few studies have investigated dietary/Aβ relationships, and no study has investigated this relationship in women.Methods: Dietary patterns were extrapolated for 115 participants from the Women's Health Aging Project. Aβ deposition was measured via in vivo F-18 florbetaben positron emission tomography scanning.Results: Participants were, on average, aged 70 years (±2.63 SD), had 13 years of education (±3.57 SD), a BMI of 28 kg/m2 (±5.46 SD), and a daily energy intake of 5161 kJ (±1679.03 SD). Four dietary patterns were identified: high fat, Mediterranean, junk food, and low fat. Adherence to the junk food diet was a significant predictor of Aβ deposition (β = .10, P = .03).Discussion: This study highlights the potential of diet to influence neurodegenerative disease and as a potential modifiable lifestyle risk factor for Alzheimer's disease

Chronic Embolic Pulmonary Hypertension Caused by Pulmonary Embolism and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Inhibition

Our understanding of the pathophysiological basis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) will be accelerated by an animal model that replicates the phenotype of human CTEPH. Sprague-Dawley rats were administered a combination of a single dose each of plastic microspheres and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist in polystyrene microspheres (PE) + tyrosine kinase inhibitor SU5416 (SU) group. Shams received volume-matched saline; PE and SU groups received only microspheres or SU5416, respectively. PE + SU rats exhibited sustained pulmonary hypertension (62 ± 13 and 53 ± 14 mmHg at 3 and 6 weeks, respectively) with reduction of the ventriculoarterial coupling in vivo coincident with a large decrement in peak rate of oxygen consumption during aerobic exercise, respectively. PE + SU produced right ventricular hypokinesis, dilation, and hypertrophy observed on echocardiography, and 40% reduction in right ventricular contractile function in isolated perfused hearts. High-resolution computed tomographic pulmonary angiography and Ki-67 immunohistochemistry revealed abundant lung neovascularization and cellular proliferation in PE that was distinctly absent in the PE + SU group. We present a novel rodent model to reproduce much of the known phenotype of CTEPH, including the pivotal pathophysiological role of impaired vascular endothelial growth factor-dependent vascular remodeling. This model may reveal a better pathophysiological understanding of how PE transitions to CTEPH in human treatments

Pioglitazone Prevents Capillary Rarefaction in Streptozotocin-Diabetic Rats Independently of Glucose Control and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression

Background/Aims: Reduction of capillary network density occurs early in the development of metabolic syndrome and may be relevant for the precipitation of diabetes. Agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma transcription factor are vasculoprotective, but their capacity for structural preservation of the microcirculation is unclear. Methods: Male Wistar rats were rendered diabetic by streptozotocin and treated with pioglitazone in chow for up to 12 weeks. Capillary density was determined in heart and skeletal muscle after platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1) immunostaining. Hallmarks of apoptosis and angiogenesis were determined. Results: Capillary density deteriorated progressively in the presence of hyperglycemia (from 971/mm(2) to 475/mm(2) in quadriceps muscle during 13 weeks). Pioglitazone did not influence plasma glucose, left ventricular weight, or body weight but nearly doubled absolute and relative capillary densities compared to untreated controls (1.2 vs. 0.6 capillaries/myocyte in heart and 1.5 vs. 0.9 capillaries/myocyte in quadriceps muscle) after 13 weeks of diabetes. No antiapoptotic or angiogenic influence of pioglitazone was detected while a reduced expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-3 alpha and PPAR coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) mRNA as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein possibly occurred as a consequence of improved vascularization. Conclusion: Pioglitazone preserves microvascular structure in diabetes independently of improvements in glycemic control and by a mechanism unrelated to VEGF-mediated angiogenesis. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Characterisation of ball degradation events in professional tennis

This is an Open Acces Article. It is published by Springer under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Tennis balls are acknowledged to degrade with use and are replaced at regular intervals during professional matches to maintain consistency and uniformity in performance, such that the game is not adversely affected. Balls are subject to the international tennis federation’s (ITF) ball approval process, which includes a degradation test to ensure a minimum standard of performance. The aim of this investigation was to establish if the ITF degradation test can assess ball longevity and rate of degradation and determine if there is a need for a new degradation test that is more representative of in-play conditions. Ball tracking data from four different professional events, spanning the three major court surfaces, including both men’s and women’s matches were analysed. The frequency of first serves, second serves, racket impacts and surface impacts were assessed and the corresponding distribution of ball speed and (for surface impacts) impact angle was determined. Comparison of ball impact frequency and conditions between in-play data and the ITF degradation test indicated the development of a new test, more representative of in-play data, would be advantageous in determining ball longevity and rate of degradation with use. Assessment of data from different surfaces highlighted that grass court subjected the ball to fewer racket and surface impacts than hard court or clay. In turn, this appears to influence the distribution of ball speed on impact with the surface or racket, suggesting a surface-specific degradation test may be beneficial. As a result of these findings a new test protocol has been proposed, utilising the in-play data, to define the frequency of impacts and impact conditions to equate to nine games of professional tennis across the different surfaces

Whither Magnetic Hyperthermia? A Tentative Roadmap

The scientific community has made great efforts in advancing magnetic hyperthermia for the last two decades after going through a sizeable research lapse from its establishment. All the progress made in various topics ranging from nanoparticle synthesis to biocompatibilization and in vivo testing have been seeking to push the forefront towards some new clinical trials. As many, they did not go at the expected pace. Today, fruitful international cooperation and the wisdom gain after a careful analysis of the lessons learned from seminal clinical trials allow us to have a future with better guarantees for a more definitive takeoff of this genuine nanotherapy against cancer. Deliberately giving prominence to a number of critical aspects, this opinion review offers a blend of state-of-the-art hints and glimpses into the future of the therapy, considering the expected evolution of science and technology behind magnetic hyperthermia

Seeing SPIOs Directly In Vivo with Magnetic Particle Imaging

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new molecular imaging technique that directly images superparamagnetic tracers with high image contrast and sensitivity approaching nuclear medicine techniques—but without ionizing radiation. Since its inception, the MPI research field has quickly progressed in imaging theory, hardware, tracer design, and biomedical applications. Here, we describe the history and field of MPI, outline pressing challenges to MPI technology and clinical translation, highlight unique applications in MPI, and describe the role of the WMIS MPI Interest Group in collaboratively advancing MPI as a molecular imaging technique. We invite interested investigators to join the MPI Interest Group and contribute new insights and innovations to the MPI field. © 2017, World Molecular Imaging Society

Distinct hemodynamic responses to (pyr)apelin-13 in large animal models

This study tested the hypothesis that (pyr)apelin-13 dose-dependently augments myocardial contractility and coronary blood flow, irrespective of changes in systemic hemodynamics. Acute effects of intravenous (pyr)apelin-13 administration (10 to 1,000 nM) on blood pressure, heart rate, left ventricular pressure and volume, and coronary parameters were measured in dogs and pigs. Administration of (pyr)apelin-13 did not influence blood pressure (P = 0.59), dP/dtmax (P = 0.26), or dP/dtmin (P = 0.85) in dogs. However, heart rate dose-dependently increased > 70% (P < 0.01), which was accompanied by a significant increase in coronary blood flow (P < 0.05) and reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic volume and stroke volume (P < 0.001). In contrast, (pyr)apelin-13 did not significantly affect hemodynamics, coronary blood flow, or indexes of contractile function in pigs. Furthermore, swine studies found no effect of intracoronary (pyr)apelin-13 administration on coronary blood flow (P = 0.83) or vasorelaxation in isolated, endothelium-intact (P = 0.89) or denuded (P = 0.38) coronary artery rings. Examination of all data across (pyr)apelin-13 concentrations revealed an exponential increase in cardiac output as peripheral resistance decreased across pigs and dogs (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.78). Assessment of the Frank-Starling relationship demonstrated a significant linear relationship between left ventricular end-diastolic volume and stroke volume across species (P < 0.001; R2 = 0.70). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that (pyr)apelin-13 does not directly influence myocardial contractility or coronary blood flow in either dogs or pigs