Selenocysteine modulates resistance to environmental stress and confers anti-aging effects in C. elegans

OBJECTIVE: The free radical theory of aging suggests that cellular oxidative damage caused by free radicals is a leading cause of aging. In the present study, we examined the effects of a well-known anti-oxidant amino acid derivative, selenocysteine, in response to environmental stress and aging using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. METHOD: The response to oxidative stress induced by H2O2 or ultraviolet irradiation was compared between the untreated control and selenocysteine-treated groups. The effect of selenocysteine on lifespan and fertility was then determined. To examine the effect of selenocysteine on muscle aging, we monitored the change in motility with aging in both the untreated control and selenocysteine-treated groups. RESULTS: Dietary supplementation with selenocysteine significantly increased resistance to oxidative stress. Survival after ultraviolet irradiation was also increased by supplementation with selenocysteine. Treatment with selenocysteine confers a longevity phenotype without an accompanying reduction in fertility, which is frequently observed in lifespan-extending interventions as a trade-off in C. elegans. In addition, the age-related decline in motility was significantly delayed by supplementation of selenocysteine. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that dietary supplementation of selenocysteine can modulate response to stressors and lead to lifespan extension, thus supporting the free radical theory of aging

Schwannomatosis of the tibial nerve

Schwannoma is the most common type of benign tumor arising from the sheaths of the peripheral nerves. It occurs as a solitary tumor in most cases, but when it appears in multiple forms, it is necessary to differentiate it from plexiform schwannoma, schwannomatosis, neurofibroma and malignant peripheral nerve tumors. The authors experienced schwannomatosis in the tibial nerve without the features of neurofibromatosis type 2, so here we present a case report and literature review

First Confirmed Report of Powdery Mildew Caused by Erysiphe aquilegiae on Casuarina cunninghamiana in Argentina

Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq. (Fam. Casuarinaceae) is native to Australia and was introduced to Argentina and used as a windbreak, shade tree and for ornamental purposes. In autumn 2009, the potted seedlings in the nursery of La Plata University were found to be infected with a powdery mildew. Symptoms first appeared as thin white colonies, which subsequently developed into an abundant growth on the leaves and young stems. The damage caused by the powdery mildew infection has been observed every year after this initial infection and was again confirmed in April, 2011. There have been a few reports on the presence of powdery mildew on Casuarina spp. (Mantz et al., 2008; Farr and Rossman, 2011). In all the reports, the pathogen was cited to be Oidium sp. Thus, the aim of this work was to identify the causal agent of the powdery mildew observed on casuarina in Argentina

Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Nephroureterectomy with Bladder Cuff Excision for Upper Urinary Tract Transitional-Cell Carcinoma: Technical Details Based on Oncologic Principles

Purpose: To describe our technical details of laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision for the management of upper urinary tract transitional-cell carcinoma (TCC) based on oncologic principles. Patients and Methods: Two patients underwent LESS nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract TCC. In both cases, we used a homemade single-port device that consisted of a wound retractor and a surgical glove. Using the flexible laparoscopic instruments, nephrectomy was performed using procedures similar to those of conventional laparoscopic nephrectomy. Bladder cuff excision was performed laparoscopically using the same procedure with open technique. Results: All procedures were completed successfully without conversion to conventional laparoscopic or open surgery and without additional extraumbilical trocars or incisions. LESS nephreoureterectomy with bladder cuff excision was performed in 385 and 285 minutes with estimated blood loss of 100 and 350 mL, respectively. Both patients were discharged on postoperative day 3 without perioperative complications. Conclusions: LESS nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision for upper urinary tract TCC is a minimally invasive technique that may reproduce the open surgical technique and adhere to oncologic principles.White WM, 2009, UROLOGY, V74, P801, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2009.04.030Desai MM, 2009, UROLOGY, V74, P805, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2009.02.083Ponsky LE, 2009, UROLOGY, V74, P482, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2009.06.002Park YH, 2009, J ENDOUROL, V23, P833, DOI 10.1089/end.2009.0025STOLZENBURG JU, 2009, WORLD J UROL 0801Brown JA, 2005, UROLOGY, V66, P1192, DOI 10.1016/j.urology.2005.06.086ELFETTOUH HA, 2002, EUR UROL, V42, P447Shalhav AL, 2000, J UROLOGY, V163, P1100Gill IS, 1999, J UROLOGY, V161, P430CLAYMAN RV, 1991, J LAPAROENDOSC SURG, V1, P343MCDONALD HP, 1952, J UROLOGY, V67, P804

Automatic Internal Stray Light Calibration of AMCW Coaxial Scanning LiDAR Using GMM and PSO

In this paper, an automatic calibration algorithm is proposed to reduce the depth error caused by internal stray light in amplitude-modulated continuous wave (AMCW) coaxial scanning light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Assuming that the internal stray light generated in the process of emitting laser is static, the amplitude and phase delay of internal stray light are estimated using the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). Specifically, the pixel positions in a raw signal amplitude map of calibration checkboard are segmented by GMM with two clusters considering the dark and bright image pattern. The loss function is then defined as L1-norm of difference between mean depths of two amplitude-segmented clusters. To avoid overfitting at a specific distance in PSO process, the calibration check board is actually measured at multiple distances and the average of corresponding L1 loss functions is chosen as the actual loss. Such loss is minimized by PSO to find the two optimal target parameters: the amplitude and phase delay of internal stray light. According to the validation of the proposed algorithm, the original loss is reduced from tens of centimeters to 3.2 mm when the measured distances of the calibration checkboard are between 1 m and 4 m. This accurate calibration performance is also maintained in geometrically complex measured scene. The proposed internal stray light calibration algorithm in this paper can be used for any type of AMCW coaxial scanning LiDAR regardless of its optical characteristics

Highly precise AMCW time-of-flight scanning sensor based on digital-parallel demodulation

In this paper, a novel amplitude-modulated continuous wave (AMCW) time-of-flight (ToF) scanning sensor based on digital-parallel demodulation is proposed and demonstrated in the aspect of distance measurement precision. Since digital-parallel demodulation utilizes a high-amplitude demodulation signal with zero-offset, the proposed sensor platform can maintain extremely high demodulation contrast. Meanwhile, as all cross correlated samples are calculated in parallel and in extremely short integration time, the proposed sensor platform can utilize a 2D laser scanning structure with a single photo detector, maintaining a moderate frame rate. This optical structure can increase the received optical SNR and remove the crosstalk of image pixel array. Based on these measurement properties, the proposed AMCW ToF scanning sensor shows highly precise 3D depth measurement performance. In this study, this precise measurement performance is explained in detail. Additionally, the actual measurement performance of the proposed sensor platform is experimentally validated under various conditions

Antimicrobial, Antioxidative, Elastase and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effect of Supercritical and Hydrothermal Halopteris scoparia Extract

To find out a good candidate of cosmetic source and screened for antimicrobial, antioxidant and whitening activities. In the antioxidant experiment, supercritical Halopteris scoparia extraction (SHE) and hydrothermal Halopteris scoparia extraction (HHE) were slightly different depending on the experimental method (Total polyphenol content measurement, DPPH radical scavenging ability, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and SOD-like activity) and in the enzyme experiment (Elastase, Tyrosinase inhibition activity), the supercritical extract was more effective. In supercritical fluid, Halopteris scoparia extracts showed good antimicrobial activity against Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli but hydrothermal extract had no effect about the rest of the strains. Therefore, it can be expected that the supercritical Halopteris scoparia extract with excellent antibacterial activity can be used as a cosmetic material