Curvature effects on surface electron states in ballistic nanostructures

The curvature effect on the electronic states of a deformed cylindrical conducting surface of variable diameter is theoretically investigated. The quantum confinement of electrons normal to the curved surface results in an effective potential energy that affects the electronic structures of the system at low energies. This suggests the possibility that ballistic transport of electrons in low-dimensional nanostructures can be controlled by inducing a local geometric deformation.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

A Chinese immigrant paradox? Low coronary heart disease incidence but higher short?term mortality in western?dwelling Chinese immigrants: a systematic review and meta?analysis.

Background-—Chinese form a large proportion of the immigrant population in Western countries. There is evidence that Chineseimmigrants experience an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) after immigration in part due to cultural habits andacculturation. This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to examine the risk of CHD in people of Chineseethnicity living in Western countries, in comparison with whites and another major immigrant group, South Asians.Methods and Results-—Literature on the incidence, mortality, and prognosis of CHD among Chinese living in Western countrieswas searched systematically in any language using 6 electronic databases up to December 2014. Based on the meta-analysis,Chinese had lower incidence of CHD compared with whites (odds ratio 0.29; 95% CI: 0.24–0.34) and South Asians (odds ratio 0.37;95% CI: 0.24–0.57) but higher short-term mortality after first hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction compared with whites(odds ratio 1.34; 95% CI, 1.04–1.73) and South Asians (odds ratio 1.82; 95% 1.33–2.50). There was no significant differencebetween Chinese immigrants and whites in long-term outcomes (mortality and recurrent events) after acute myocardial infarction.Conclusions-—These findings provide an important focus for resource planning to enhance early secondary prevention of CHD toimprove short-term survival outcomes among Western-dwelling Chinese immigrants

Curvature effects on collective excitations in dumbbell-shaped hollow nanotubes

We investigate surface-curvature induced alteration in the Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL) states of a one-dimensional (1D) deformed hollow nanotube with a dumbbell-shape. Periodic variation of the surface curvature along the axial direction is found to enhance the TLL exponent significantly, which is attributed to an effective potential field that acts low-energy electrons moving on the curved surface. The present results accounts for the experimental observation of the TLL properties of 1D metallic peanut-shaped fullerene polymers whose enveloping surface is assumed to be a dumbbell-shaped hollow tube.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The Cell Wall Integrity Pathway Contributes to the Early Stages of Aspergillus Fumigatus Asexual Development

Aspergillus fumigatus is a major cause of human disease. The survival of this fungus is dependent on the cell wall organization and function of its components. The cell wall integrity pathway (CWIP) is the primary signaling cascade that controls de novo synthesis of the cell wall in fungi. Abundant conidiation is a hallmark in A. fumigatus, and uptake of conidia by a susceptible host is usually the initial event in infection. The formation of conidia is mediated by the development of fungus-specific specialized structures, conidiophores, which are accompanied by cell wall remodeling. The molecular regulation of these changes in cell wall composition required for the rise of conidiophore from the solid surface and to disperse the conidia into the air is currently unknown. Here, we investigated the role of CWIP in conidiation. We show that CWIP pkcAG579R, ΔmpkA, and ΔrlmA mutants displayed reduced conidiation during synchronized asexual differentiation. The transcription factor RlmA directly regulated the expression of regulators of conidiation, including flbB, flbC, brlA, abaA, and rasB, as well as genes involved in cell wall synthesis and remodeling, and this affected the chitin content in aerial hyphae. Phosphorylation of RlmA and MpkA was increased during asexual differentiation. We also observed that MpkA physically associated with the proteins FlbB, FlbC, BrlA, and RasB during this process, suggesting another level of cross talk between the CWIP and asexual development pathways. In summary, our results support the conclusion that one function of the CWIP is the regulation of asexual development in filamentous fungi. IMPORTANCE A remarkable feature of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is its ability to produce impressive amounts of infectious propagules known as conidia. These particles reach immunocompromised patients and may initiate a life-threatening mycosis. The conidiation process in Aspergillus is governed by a sequence of proteins that coordinate the development of conidiophores. This process requires the remodeling of the cell wall so that the conidiophores can rise and withstand the chains of conidia. The events regulating cell wall remodeling during conidiation are currently unknown. Here, we show that the cell wall integrity pathway (CWIP) components RlmA and MpkA directly contribute to the activation of the conidiation cascade by enabling transcription or phosphorylation of critical proteins involved in asexual development. This study points to an essential role for the CWIP during conidiation and provides further insights into the complex regulation of asexual development in filamentous fungi.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo 2015/17541-0, 2016/07870-9, 2017/19694-3Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 462383/2014-

Intoxicação crônica por chumbo após acidente por arma de fogo - relato de caso

A intoxicação por chumbo, também conhecida como saturnismo ou plumbismo, pode surgir por meio de várias fontes de exposição a esse metal. Como por exemplo, a intoxicação endógena decorrente de projétil retido após ferimento por arma de fogo. A toxicidade do chumbo pode afetar qualquer sistema orgânico e entre as manifestações mais comuns estão as gastrointestinais, hematológicas e neurológicas. O diagnóstico requer alto índice de suspeição, porque os sintomas são inespecíficos, e é confirmado pelo aumento dos níveis séricos ou urinários de chumbo, ou ainda pela mensuração de elementos que representam o efeito do chumbo na cadeia de formação da hemoglobina, por exemplo, pela dosagem dos níveis urinários de ácido delta aminolevulínico. O tratamento clínico envolve terapia quelante, sendo a remoção cirúrgica do projétil o tratamento definitivo. Relatamos o caso clínico de uma paciente que desenvolveu intoxicação por chumbo em razão de projétil retido no pé por 17 anos, evoluindo com anemia acentuada, dor abdominal e distúrbios neurológicos graves

A bovine lymphosarcoma cell line infected with theileria annulata exhibits an irreversible reconfiguration of host cell gene expression

Theileria annulata, an intracellular parasite of bovine lymphoid cells, induces substantial phenotypic alterations to its host cell including continuous proliferation, cytoskeletal changes and resistance to apoptosis. While parasite induced modulation of host cell signal transduction pathways and NFκB activation are established, there remains considerable speculation on the complexities of the parasite directed control mechanisms that govern these radical changes to the host cell. Our objectives in this study were to provide a comprehensive analysis of the global changes to host cell gene expression with emphasis on those that result from direct intervention by the parasite. By using comparative microarray analysis of an uninfected bovine cell line and its Theileria infected counterpart, in conjunction with use of the specific parasitacidal agent, buparvaquone, we have identified a large number of host cell gene expression changes that result from parasite infection. Our results indicate that the viable parasite can irreversibly modify the transformed phenotype of a bovine cell line. Fifty percent of genes with altered expression failed to show a reversible response to parasite death, a possible contributing factor to initiation of host cell apoptosis. The genes that did show an early predicted response to loss of parasite viability highlighted a sub-group of genes that are likely to be under direct control by parasite infection. Network and pathway analysis demonstrated that this sub-group is significantly enriched for genes involved in regulation of chromatin modification and gene expression. The results provide evidence that the Theileria parasite has the regulatory capacity to generate widespread change to host cell gene expression in a complex and largely irreversible manner

TDAH e sua relação com abuso de drogas

O Transtorno do Déficit de Atenção/Hiperatividade (TDAH), transtorno que geralmente se desenvolve na infância e tende a acompanhar o indivíduo durante toda a sua vida é caracterizado principalmente por dificuldade de autocontrole, distrair-se com facilidade e agitação em excesso. O (TDAH) possui impactos significativos e negativos em vários aspectos da vida do indivíduo, dos quais destaca-se uma maior propensão ao abuso de drogas. Assim, o estudo, por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa busca explicitar quais são os fatores dessa relação causal, visto que a compreensão destes juntamente com um plano de tratamento, contribuíram para uma melhora da qualidade de vida desses indivíduos

Identification of a novel functional deletion variant in the 5'-UTR of the DJ-1 gene

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>DJ-1 forms part of the neuronal cellular defence mechanism against oxidative insults, due to its ability to undergo self-oxidation. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of central nervous system damage in different neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD). Various mutations in the <it>DJ-1 </it>(<it>PARK7</it>) gene have been shown to cause the autosomal recessive form of PD. In the present study South African PD patients were screened for mutations in <it>DJ-1 </it>and we aimed to investigate the functional significance of a novel 16 bp deletion variant identified in one patient.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The possible effect of the deletion on promoter activity was investigated using a Dual-Luciferase Reporter assay. The <it>DJ-1 </it>5'-UTR region containing the sequence flanking the 16 bp deletion was cloned into a pGL4.10-Basic luciferase-reporter vector and transfected into HEK293 and BE(2)-M17 neuroblastoma cells. Promoter activity under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress conditions was also investigated. Computational (<it>in silico</it>) <it>cis</it>-regulatory analysis of <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter sequence was performed using the transcription factor-binding site database, TRANSFAC via the PATCH™ and rVISTA platforms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A novel 16 bp deletion variant (g.-6_+10del) was identified in <it>DJ-1 </it>which spans the transcription start site and is situated 93 bp 3' from a Sp1 site. The deletion caused a reduction in luciferase activity of approximately 47% in HEK293 cells and 60% in BE(2)-M17 cells compared to the wild-type (<it>P </it>< 0.0001), indicating the importance of the 16 bp sequence in transcription regulation. The activity of both constructs was up-regulated during oxidative stress. Bioinformatic analysis revealed putative binding sites for three transcription factors AhR, ARNT, HIF-1 within the 16 bp sequence. The frequency of the g.-6_+10del variant was determined to be 0.7% in South African PD patients (2 heterozygotes in 148 individuals).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first report of a functional <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter variant, which has the potential to influence transcript stability or translation efficiency. Further work is necessary to determine the extent to which the g.-6_+10del variant affects the normal function of the <it>DJ-1 </it>promoter and whether this variant confers a risk for PD.</p

Pilot study of an interactive voice response system to improve medication refill compliance

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sub-optimal adherence to prescribed medications is well documented. Barriers to medication adherence include medication side effects, cost, and forgetting to take or refill medications. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems show promise as a tool for reminding individuals to take or refill medications. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of using an IVR system for prescription refill and daily medication reminders. We tested two novel features: personalized, medication-specific reminder messages and communication via voice recognition.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients enrolled in a study of electronic prescribing and medication management in Quebec, Canada who were taking chronic disease-related drugs were eligible to participate. Consenting patients had their demographic, telephone, and medication information transferred to an IVR system, which telephoned patients to remind them to take mediations and/or refill their prescriptions. Facilitators and barriers of the IVR system use and acceptability of the IVR system were assessed through a structured survey and open-ended questions administered by telephone interview.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 528 eligible patients who were contacted, 237 refused and 291 consented; 99 participants had started the pilot study when it was terminated because of physician and participant complaints. Thirty-eight participants completed the follow-up interview. The majority found the IVR system's voice acceptable, and did not have problems setting up the time and location of reminder calls. However, many participants experienced technical problems when called for reminders, such as incorrect time of calls and voice recognition difficulties. In addition, most participants had already refilled their prescriptions when they received the reminder calls, reporting that they did not have difficulties remembering to refill prescriptions on their own. Also, participants were not receptive to speaking to an automated voice system.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IVR systems designed to improve medication compliance must address key technical and performance issues and target those individuals with reported memory difficulties or complex medication regimens in order to improve the utility of the system. Future research should also identify characteristics of medication users who are more likely to be receptive to IVR technology.</p