A large geometric distortion in the first photointermediate of rhodopsin, determined by double-quantum solid-state NMR

Double-quantum magic-angle-spinning NMR experiments were performed on 11,12-C-13(2)-retinylidene-rhodopsin under illumination at low temperature, in order to characterize torsional angle changes at the C11-C12 photoisomerization site. The sample was illuminated in the NMR rotor at low temperature (similar to 120 K) in order to trap the primary photointermediate, bathorhodopsin. The NMR data are consistent with a strong torsional twist of the HCCH moiety at the isomerization site. Although the HCCH torsional twist was determined to be at least 40A degrees, it was not possible to quantify it more closely. The presence of a strong twist is in agreement with previous Raman observations. The energetic implications of this geometric distortion are discussed

Alcohol-induced retrograde facilitation renders witnesses of crime less suggestible to misinformation

RATIONALE: Research has shown that alcohol can have both detrimental and facilitating effects on memory: intoxication can lead to poor memory for information encoded after alcohol consumption (anterograde amnesia) and may improve memory for information encoded before consumption (retrograde facilitation). This study examined whether alcohol consumed after witnessing a crime can render individuals less vulnerable to misleading post-event information (misinformation). METHOD: Participants watched a simulated crime video. Thereafter, one third of participants expected and received alcohol (alcohol group), one third did not expect but received alcohol (reverse placebo), and one third did not expect nor receive alcohol (control). After alcohol consumption, participants were exposed to misinformation embedded in a written narrative about the crime. The following day, participants completed a cued-recall questionnaire about the event. RESULTS: Control participants were more likely to report misinformation compared to the alcohol and reverse placebo group. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that we may oversimplify the effect alcohol has on suggestibility and that sometimes alcohol can have beneficial effects on eyewitness memory by protecting against misleading post-event information

Oxygen-sensitive 3He-MRI in bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation

Oxygen-sensitive 3He-MRI was studied for the detection of differences in intrapulmonary oxygen partial pressure (pO2) between patients with normal lung transplants and those with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). Using software developed in-house, oxygen-sensitive 3He-MRI datasets from patients with normal lung grafts (n = 8) and with BOS (n = 6) were evaluated quantitatively. Datasets were acqiured on a 1.5-T system using a spoiled gradient echo pulse sequence. Underlying diseases were pulmonary emphysema (n = 10 datasets) and fibrosis (n = 4). BOS status was verified by pulmonary function tests. Additionally, 3He-MRI was assessed blindedly for ventilation defects. Median intrapulmonary pO2 in patients with normal lung grafts was 146 mbar compared with 108 mbar in patients with BOS. Homogeneity of pO2 distribution was greater in normal grafts (standard deviation pO2 34 versus 43 mbar). Median oxygen decrease rate during breath hold was higher in unaffected patients (−1.75 mbar/s versus −0.38 mbar/s). Normal grafts showed fewer ventilation defects (5% versus 28%, medians). Oxygen-sensitive 3He-MRI appears capable of demonstrating differences of intrapulmonary pO2 between normal lung grafts and grafts affected by BOS. Oxygen-sensitive 3He-MRI may add helpful regional information to other diagnostic techniques for the assessment and follow-up of lung transplant recipients

Prospective Study Examining Clinical Outcomes Associated with a Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System and Barker’s Vacuum Packing Technique

Background The open abdomen has become a common procedure in the management of complex abdominal problems and has improved patient survival. The method of temporary abdominal closure (TAC) may play a role in patient outcome. Methods A prospective, observational, open-label study was performed to evaluate two TAC techniques in surgical and trauma patients requiring open abdomen management: Barker’s vacuum-packing technique (BVPT) and the ABTheraTM open abdomen negative pressure therapy system (NPWT). Study endpoints were days to and rate of 30-day primary fascial closure (PFC) and 30-day all-cause mortality. Results Altogether, 280 patients were enrolled from 20 study sites. Among them, 168 patients underwent at least 48 hours of consistent TAC therapy (111 NPWT, 57 BVPT). The two study groups were well matched demographically. Median days to PFC were 9 days for NPWT versus 12 days for BVPT (p = 0.12). The 30-day PFC rate was 69 % for NPWT and 51 % for BVPT (p = 0.03). The 30-day all-cause mortality was 14 % for NPWT and 30 % for BVPT (p = 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that patients treated with NPWT were significantly more likely to survive than the BVPT patients [odds ratio 3.17 (95 % confidence interval 1.22–8.26); p = 0.02] after controlling for age, severity of illness, and cumulative fluid administration. Conclusions Active NPWT is associated with significantly higher 30-day PFC rates and lower 30-day all-cause mortality among patients who require an open abdomen for at least 48 h during treatment for critical illness

A Novel Estimator for the Rate of Information Transfer by Continuous Signals

The information transfer rate provides an objective and rigorous way to quantify how much information is being transmitted through a communications channel whose input and output consist of time-varying signals. However, current estimators of information content in continuous signals are typically based on assumptions about the system's linearity and signal statistics, or they require prohibitive amounts of data. Here we present a novel information rate estimator without these limitations that is also optimized for computational efficiency. We validate the method with a simulated Gaussian information channel and demonstrate its performance with two example applications. Information transfer between the input and output signals of a nonlinear system is analyzed using a sensory receptor neuron as the model system. Then, a climate data set is analyzed to demonstrate that the method can be applied to a system based on two outputs generated by interrelated random processes. These analyses also demonstrate that the new method offers consistent performance in situations where classical methods fail. In addition to these examples, the method is applicable to a wide range of continuous time series commonly observed in the natural sciences, economics and engineering

Monophasic synovial sarcoma of the pharynx: a case report

Synovial sarcomas are a rare form of soft tissue sarcomas. We present a case of a 62 year-old male presenting with a left thyroid lump initially though to be a thyroid adenoma but subsequently diagnosed as a monophasic synovial sarcoma of the pharynx. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment of this case

Mapping the encounter state of a transient protein complex by PRE NMR spectroscopy

Many biomolecular interactions proceed via a short-lived encounter state, consisting of multiple, lowly-populated species invisible to most experimental techniques. Recent development of paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has allowed to directly visualize such transient intermediates in a number of protein-protein and protein-DNA complexes. Here we present an analysis of the recently published PRE NMR data for a protein complex of yeast cytochrome c (Cc) and cytochrome c peroxidase (CcP). First, we describe a simple, general method to map out the spatial and temporal distributions of binding geometries constituting the Cc-CcP encounter state. We show that the spatiotemporal mapping provides a reliable estimate of the experimental coverage and, at higher coverage levels, allows to delineate the conformational space sampled by the minor species. To further refine the encounter state, we performed PRE-based ensemble simulations. The generated solutions reproduce well the experimental data and lie within the allowed regions of the encounter maps, confirming the validity of the mapping approach. The refined encounter ensembles are distributed predominantly in a region encompassing the dominant form of the complex, providing experimental proof for the results of classical theoretical simulations

SLO-2 Is Cytoprotective and Contributes to Mitochondrial Potassium Transport

Mitochondrial potassium channels are important mediators of cell protection against stress. The mitochondrial large-conductance “big” K+ channel (mBK) mediates the evolutionarily-conserved process of anesthetic preconditioning (APC), wherein exposure to volatile anesthetics initiates protection against ischemic injury. Despite the role of the mBK in cardioprotection, the molecular identity of the channel remains unknown. We investigated the attributes of the mBK using C. elegans and mouse genetic models coupled with measurements of mitochondrial K+ transport and APC. The canonical Ca2+-activated BK (or “maxi-K”) channel SLO1 was dispensable for both mitochondrial K+ transport and APC in both organisms. Instead, we found that the related but physiologically-distinct K+ channel SLO2 was required, and that SLO2-dependent mitochondrial K+ transport was triggered directly by volatile anesthetics. In addition, a SLO2 channel activator mimicked the protective effects of volatile anesthetics. These findings suggest that SLO2 contributes to protection from hypoxic injury by increasing the permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane to K+