Quantitative X-ray microradiography for high-throughput phenotyping of osteoarthritis in mice

Objective To investigate and validate digital X-ray microradiography as a novel, high-throughput and cost-effective screening approach to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice. Method Digital X-ray microradiography was used to quantify the subchondral bone mineral content (BMC) in the medial tibial plateau. Accuracy and reproducibility of the method were determined in 22 samples from C57BL/6(B6Brd;B6Dnk;B6N-Tyrc-Brd) wild-type mice. The method was then validated in wild-type mice that had undergone surgical destabilisation of medial meniscus (DMM) and in a genetically modified mouse strain with an established increase in trabecular bone mass. Results The measurement of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography had a coefficient of variation of 3.6%. Digital X-ray microradiography was able to demonstrate significantly increased subchondral BMC in the medial tibial plateau of male mice 4 and 8 weeks after DMM surgery and in female mice 8 weeks after surgery. Furthermore, digital X-ray microradiography also detected the increase in subchondral BMC in a genetically modified mouse strain with high trabecular bone mass. Conclusion Quantitation of subchondral BMC by digital X-ray microradiography is a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method to identify abnormal joint phenotypes in mice of both genders at several ages

The Opium Question in China 1860-1887.

The Opium Question in China from 1360 to 1887 was composed of three inter-related aspects: the taxation of foreign opium; Chinese customs blockade of Hong Kong (and Macao); and the growth of native (Chinese) opium. The Question arose as a result of the legalization of the opium trade in 1860. During the period that this Question was in existences attempts were made by the Chinese and British, governments to reach an agreement over the taxation of foreign opium and to devise means to put an end to smuggling from Hong Kong so that the blockade could be lifted. The Alcock Convention of 1869 and the Chefoo convention of 1876 contained stipulations that would, provide solutions to these out-standing problems. Their rejection by the British government meant that negotiations had to be continued, both at Peking and. London, and on the local scene, at Hong Kong and Canton. Signing of the Additional Article to the Chefoo Convention in 1885 provided settlement of the taxation issue; and promulgation of the Ordinance on opium in 1887 by the Hong Kong government solved the blockade issue. During this period, the growth of native opium Greatly increased and it competed successfully with the Indian import in China. This fact, together with the increasing activity of the Anti-opium society in Britain, contributed much to the agreement of 1885. This dissertation is concerned with an analysis of the Opium Question briefly explained in the preceding paragraph. It also analyses the various governments and personalities involved. For Britain, these included the Home government with its Foreign, colonial and India Offices; the Hong Kong and. Indian governments; and the diplomatic service in China and the Governors of Hong Kong. For China, these included the Imperial and provincial Governments, the Foreign Inspectorate, and responsible officials such as Li Hung-chang, Tso Tsung-t'ang and Tseng Chi-tse. A more astute understanding of Sino-British relations during this period, both diplomatic and commercial, is reached by such analyses

Connections between Rape Myth Acceptance and Favorite Musical Artist among College Students

The focus of this study is to examine the relationship between the characteristics of a person’s favorite musical artist and their level of rape myth acceptance (RMA). I asked 115 undergraduates from the subject pool to rate the most frequently mentioned musical artists from the study done by Miller, McAuslan, and Leonard (under review). The participants rated the artists on factors related to sexuality, aggressiveness, narcissism and whether they see these artists as a “role model.” This data is then incorporated with the data from approximately 337 emerging adults from Miller, McAuslan, and Lenoard’s (under review) study who have taken an RMA scale. The results indicated that gender plays a role in RMA and who we identify is our favorite musical artist. However, sexuality, aggression, arrogance and bad/good role model behaviors did not predict RMA scores. Results provides further evidence for gender’s role in RMA and the identification and parasocial interaction theory and provides direction for further research to extinguish rape myths and the acceptance of such myths

N-Cadherin cleavage during activated hepatic stellate cell apoptosis is inhibited by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1. [In supplement: 11th International Symposium on the Cells of the Hepatic Sinusoid and their Relation to Other Cells]

Apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) has previously been shown to occur during spontaneous resolution of experimental liver fibrosis. TIMP-1 has also been shown to have a key role because of its ability to inhibit apoptosis of HSC via matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibition. This has led to further study of novel substrates for MMPs that might impact on HSC survival. N-Cadherin is known to mediate cell-cell contacts in fibroblasts. In this study we demonstrate that N-Cadherin is expressed by activated rat HSC. Furthermore, during apoptosis of HSC, the N-Cadherin is cleaved into smaller fragments. Apoptosis of HSC may be inhibited by TIMP-1. This is associated with reduced fragmentation of N-Cadherin. N-Cadherin may have an important role in supporting HSC survival while N-Cadherin cleavage may play a part in promoting HSC apoptosis in recovery from liver fibrosis

A Midbrain Circuit that Mediates Headache Aversiveness in Rats.

Migraines are a major health burden, but treatment is limited because of inadequate understanding of neural mechanisms underlying headache. Imaging studies of migraine patients demonstrate changes in both pain-modulatory circuits and reward-processing regions, but whether these changes contribute to the experience of headache is unknown. Here, we demonstrate a direct connection between the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that contributes to headache aversiveness in rats. Many VTA neurons receive monosynaptic input from the vlPAG, and cranial nociceptive input increases Fos expression in VTA-projecting vlPAG neurons. Activation of PAG inputs to the VTA induces avoidance behavior, while inactivation of these projections induces a place preference only in animals with headache. This work identifies a distinct pathway that mediates cranial nociceptive aversiveness

Dysnatremia is a predictor for morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Context: Dysnatremia is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with bacterial pneumonia. There is paucity of data about the incidence and prognostic impact of abnormal sodium concentration in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objective: This work aimed to examine the association of serum sodium during hospitalization with key clinical outcomes, including mortality, need for advanced respiratory support and acute kidney injury (AKI), and to explore the role of serum sodium as a marker of inflammatory response in COVID-19. Methods: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study, including all adult patients who presented with COVID-19 to 2 hospitals in London over an 8-week period, evaluated the association of dysnatremia (serum sodium  145 mmol/L, hyponatremia, and hypernatremia, respectively) at several time points with inpatient mortality, need for advanced ventilatory support, and AKI. Results: The study included 488 patients (median age, 68 years). At presentation, 24.6% of patients were hyponatremic, mainly due to hypovolemia, and 5.3% hypernatremic. Hypernatremia 2 days after admission and exposure to hypernatremia at any time point during hospitalization were associated with a 2.34-fold (95% CI, 1.08-5.05; P = .0014) and 3.05-fold (95% CI, 1.69-5.49; P < .0001) increased risk of death, respectively, compared to normonatremia. Hyponatremia at admission was linked with a 2.18-fold increase in the likelihood of needing ventilatory support (95% CI, 1.34-3.45, P = .0011). Hyponatremia was not a risk factor for in-hospital mortality, except for the subgroup of patients with hypovolemic hyponatremia. Sodium values were not associated with the risk for AKI and length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Abnormal sodium levels during hospitalization are risk factors for poor prognosis, with hypernatremia and hyponatremia being associated with a greater risk of death and respiratory failure, respectively. Serum sodium values could be used for risk stratification in patients with COVID-19