Diets containing sea cucumber (Isostichopus badionotus) meals are hypocholesterolemic in young rats

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Linking Oviposition Site Choice to Offspring Fitness in Aedes aegypti: Consequences for Targeted Larval Control of Dengue Vectors

Controlling the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the predominant dengue vector, requires understanding the ecological and behavioral factors that influence population abundance. Females of several mosquito species are able to identify high-quality egg-laying sites, resulting in enhanced offspring development and survival, and ultimately promoting population growth. Here, the authors investigated egg-laying decisions of Ae. aegypti. Paradoxically, they found that larval survival and development were poorest in the containers females most often selected for egg deposition. Thus, egg-laying decisions may contribute to crowding of larvae and play a role in regulating mosquito populations. The authors also tested whether removal of the containers producing the most adult mosquitoes, a World Health Organization-recommended dengue prevention strategy, changes the pattern of how females allocate their eggs. Elimination of the most productive containers led to a more even distribution of eggs in one trial, but not another. These results suggest that behavioral adjustments by egg-laying females may lessen the effectiveness of a common mosquito control tactic. The authors advocate incorporating control strategies that take advantage of the natural egg-laying preferences of this vector species, such as luring egg-laying females to traps or places where their eggs will accumulate, but not develop

Characterisation of the dip-bump structure observed in proton-proton elastic scattering at root s=8 TeV

The TOTEM collaboration at the CERN LHC has measured the differential cross-section of elastic proton-proton scattering at root s = 8 TeV in the squared four-momentum transfer range 0.2 GeV2 < vertical bar t vertical bar < 1.9 GeV2. This interval includes the structure with a diffractive minimum ("dip") and a secondary maximum ("bump") that has also been observed at all other LHC energies, where measurements were made. A detailed characterisation of this structure for root s = 8 TeV yields the positions, vertical bar t vertical bar(dip) = (0.521 +/- 0.007) GeV2 and vertical bar t vertical bar(bump) = (0.695 +/- 0.026) GeV2, as well as the cross-section values, d sigma/dt vertical bar(dip) = (15.1 +/- 2.5) mu b/GeV2 and d sigma/dt vertical bar(bump) = (29.7 +/- 1.8) mu b/Ge-2, for the dip and the bump, respectively

Pre-operative pulmonary assessment for patients with hip fracture

Hip fracture is a common injury among the elderly. Although patients who receive hip fracture surgery carry the best functional recovery compared to other treatment modalities, the presence of postoperative pulmonary complications, such as atelectasis, pneumonia, and pulmonary thromboembolism, may contribute to increased length of hospital stay, perioperative morbidity, and mortality. This review aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for preoperative assessment and perioperative strategies to reduce the risk of pulmonary complications after hip fracture surgery. Clinical assessment and basic laboratory results are sufficient to stratify the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Well-documented risk factors for pulmonary complications include advanced age, poor general health status, current infections, pre-existing cardiopulmonary diseases, hypoalbuminemia, and impaired renal function. Apart from optimizing the patient's medical conditions, interventions such as lung expansion maneuvers and thromboprophylaxis have been proven to be effective in reducing the risk of pulmonary complications after hip fracture surgery

DNA damage by lipid peroxidation products: implications in cancer, inflammation and autoimmunity

Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation (LPO) induced by inflammation, excess metal storage and excess caloric intake cause generalized DNA damage, producing genotoxic and mutagenic effects. The consequent deregulation of cell homeostasis is implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of malignancies and degenerative diseases. Reactive aldehydes produced by LPO, such as malondialdehyde, acrolein, crotonaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, react with DNA bases, generating promutagenic exocyclic DNA adducts, which likely contribute to the mutagenic and carcinogenic effects associated with oxidative stress-induced LPO. However, reactive aldehydes, when added to tumor cells, can exert an anticancerous effect. They act, analogously to other chemotherapeutic drugs, by forming DNA adducts and, in this way, they drive the tumor cells toward apoptosis. The aldehyde-DNA adducts, which can be observed during inflammation, play an important role by inducing epigenetic changes which, in turn, can modulate the inflammatory process. The pathogenic role of the adducts formed by the products of LPO with biological macromolecules in the breaking of immunological tolerance to self antigens and in the development of autoimmunity has been supported by a wealth of evidence. The instrumental role of the adducts of reactive LPO products with self protein antigens in the sensitization of autoreactive cells to the respective unmodified proteins and in the intermolecular spreading of the autoimmune responses to aldehyde-modified and native DNA is well documented. In contrast, further investigation is required in order to establish whether the formation of adducts of LPO products with DNA might incite substantial immune responsivity and might be instrumental for the spreading of the immunological responses from aldehyde-modified DNA to native DNA and similarly modified, unmodified and/or structurally analogous self protein antigens, thus leading to autoimmunity

Meier-Gorlin syndrome

Meier-Gorlin syndrome (MGS) is a rare autosomal recessive primordial dwarfism disorder, characterized by microtia, patellar applasia/hypoplasia, and a proportionate short stature. Associated clinical features encompass feeding problems, congenital pulmonary emphysema, mammary hypoplasia in females and urogenital anomalies, such as cryptorchidism and hypoplastic labia minora and majora. Typical facial characteristics during childhood comprise a small mouth with full lips and micro-retrognathia. During ageing, a narrow, convex nose becomes more prominent. The diagnosis MGS should be considered in patients with at least two of the three features of the clinical triad of microtia, patellar anomalies, and pre- and postnatal growth retardation. In patients with short stature and/or microtia, the patellae should be assessed with care by ultrasonography before age 6 or radiography thereafter. Mutations in one of five genes (ORC1, ORC4, ORC6, CDT1, and CDC6) of the pre-replication complex, involved in DNA-replication, are detected in approximately 67-78 % of patients with MGS. Patients with ORC1 and ORC4 mutations appear to have the most severe short stature and microcephaly. Management should be directed towards in-depth investigation, treatment and prevention of associated problems, such as growth retardation, feeding problems, hearing loss, luxating patellae, knee pain, gonarthrosis, and possible pulmonary complications due to congenital pulmonary emphysema with or without broncho- or laryngomalacia. Growth hormone treatment is ineffective in most patients with MGS, but may be effective in patients in whom growth continues to decrease after the first year of life (usually growth velocity normalizes after the first year) and with low levels of IGF1. At present, few data is available about reproduction of females with MGS, but the risk of premature labor might be increased. Here, we propose experience-based guidelines for the regular care and treatment of MGS patients

Search for Supersymmetry with Gauge-Mediated Breaking in Diphoton Events with Missing Transverse Energy at CDF II

accepted to Phys. Rev. LettWe present the results of a search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated breaking and \NONE\to\gamma\Gravitino in the $\gamma\gamma$+missing transverse energy final state. In 2.6$\pm$0.2 \invfb of $p{\bar p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}$$=$1.96 TeV recorded by the CDF II detector we observe no candidate events, consistent with a standard model background expectation of 1.4$\pm$0.4 events. We set limits on the cross section at the 95% C.L. and place the world's best limit of 149\gevc on the \none mass at $\tau_{\tilde{\chi}_1^0}$$We present the results of a search for supersymmetry with gauge-mediated breaking and χ˜10→γG˜ in the γγ+missing transverse energy final state. In 2.6±0.2  fb-1 of pp̅ collisions at √s=1.96  TeV recorded by the CDF II detector we observe no candidate events, consistent with a standard model background expectation of 1.4±0.4 events. We set limits on the cross section at the 95% C.L. and place the world’s best limit of 149  GeV/c2 on the χ˜10 mass at τχ˜10≪1  ns. We also exclude regions in the χ˜10 mass-lifetime plane for τχ˜10≲2  ns.Peer reviewe

Measurements of branching fraction ratios and CP asymmetries in B+/- ->D_CP K+/- decays in hadron collisions

We reconstruct B+/- -> D K+/- decays in a data sample collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider corresponding to 1 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We select decay modes where the D meson decays to either K- pi+ (flavor eigenstate) or K- K+, pi- pi+ (CP-even eigenstates), and measure the direct CP asymmetry A_CP+ = 0.39 +/- 0.17(stat) +/- 0.04(syst), and the double ratio of CP-even to flavor eigenstate branching fractions R_CP+ = 1.30 +/- 0.24(stat) +/- 0.12(syst). These measurements will improve the determination of the CKM angle gamma. They are performed here for the first time using data from hadron collisions.We reconstruct B±→DK± decays in a data sample collected by the CDF II detector at the Tevatron collider corresponding to 1  fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We select decay modes where the D meson decays to either K-π+ (flavor eigenstate) or K-K+, π-π+ (CP-even eigenstates), and measure the direct CP asymmetry ACP+=0.39±0.17(stat)±0.04(syst), and the double ratio of CP-even to flavor eigenstate branching fractions RCP+=1.30±0.24(stat)±0.12(syst). These measurements will improve the determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa angle γ. They are performed here for the first time using data from hadron collisions.Peer reviewe