929 research outputs found
Turkish migrant workers in the Federal Republic of Germany : an anthropological study of migration.
SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D42308/82 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
Automated discrimination of psychotropic drugs in mice via computer vision-based analysis
Cataloged from PDF version of article.We developed an inexpensive computer vision-based method utilizing an algorithm which differentiates
drug-induced behavioral alterations. The mice were observed in an open-field arena and their activity
was recorded for 100 min. For each animal the first 50 min of observation were regarded as the drug-free
period. Each animal was exposed to only one drug and they were injected (i.p.) with either amphetamine
or cocaine as the stimulant drugs or morphine or diazepam as the inhibitory agents. The software divided
the arena into virtual grids and calculated the number of visits (sojourn counts) to the grids and instantaneous
speeds within these grids by analyzing video data. These spatial distributions of sojourn counts and
instantaneous speeds were used to construct feature vectors which were fed to the classifier algorithms
for the final step of matching the animals and the drugs. The software decided which of the animals were
drug-treated at a rate of 96%. The algorithm achieved 92% accuracy in sorting the data according to the
increased or decreased activity and then determined which drug was delivered. The method differentiated
the type of psychostimulant or inhibitory drugs with a success ratio of 70% and 80%, respectively.
This method provides a new way to automatically evaluate and classify drug-induced behaviors in mice.
Crown Copyright © 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Association of polymorphisms in APOE, p53, and p21 with primary open-angle glaucoma in Turkish patients
Purpose To investigate the association between Apolipoprotein E (APOE), tumor suppressor protein p53 (p53), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21) genes and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in a cohort of Turkish subjects. Methods Seventy-five POAG patients (49 women, 26 men) and 119 healthy subjects (67 women, 52 men) were genotyped with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Allele and genotype frequencies between healthy subjects and glaucoma patients were compared by the Ï2 test, and intraocular pressure (IOP), cup/disc ratio (C/D) and visual field indices (MD and PSD) were compared among different APOE, p53, and p21 genotypes in POAG group. A p value 0.05). POAG subjects with the Δ2Δ3 genotype had a worse PSD value (median=2.2) than those with the Δ3Δ4 genotype (median=1.77; p=0.01) and POAG subjects with the Δ3Δ3 genotype had worse MD and PSD values (median= -7.4 and 3.4, respectively) than those with the Δ3Δ4 genotype (median= -4.1 and 1.77, respectively; p=0.034 and 0.028, respectively). Conclusions Our study found no link between polymorphisms in APOE, p53, and p21 genes and POAG in Turkish patients, although a larger sample is required to elucidate the role of these polymorphisms in the pathogenesis and course of glaucoma
The effect of continuous diffusion of oxygen treatment on cytokines, perfusion, bacterial load, and healing in patients with diabetic foot ulcers
To evaluate continuous diffusion of oxygen therapy (CDO) on cytokines, perfusion, and bacterial load in diabetic foot ulcers we evaluated 23 patients for 3 weeks. Tissues biopsies were obtained at each visit to evaluate cytokines and quantitative bacterial cultures. Perfusion was measured with hyperspectral imaging and transcutaneous oxygen. We used paired T tests to compare continuous variables and independent T tests to compare healers and nonhealers. There was an increase from baseline to week 1 in TGF-ÎČ (P =.008), TNF-α (P =.014), VEGF (P =.008), PDGF (P =.087), and IGF-1 (P =.058); baseline to week 2 in TGF-ÎČ (P =.010), VEGF (P =.051), and IL-6 (P =.031); and baseline to week 3 with TGF-ÎČ (P =.055) and IL-6 (P =.054). There was a significant increase in transcutaneous oxygen after 1 week of treatment on both medial and lateral foot (P =.086 and.025). Fifty-three percent of the patients had at least a 50% wound area reduction (healers). At baseline, there were no differences in cytokines between healers and nonhealers. However, there was an increase in CXCL8 after 1 week of treatment (P =.080) and IL-6 after 3 weeks of treatment in nonhealers (P =.099). There were no differences in quantitative cultures in healers and nonhealers
Multiple Orbitoides dâOrbigny lineages in the Maastrichtian? Data from the Central Sakarya Basin (Turkey) and Arabian Platform successions (Southeastern Turkey and Oman)
The standard reconstruction of species of Orbitoides dâOrbigny into a single lineage during the late Santonian to the end of the Maastrichtian is based upon morphometric data from Western Europe. An irreversible increase in the size of the embryonic apparatus, and the formation of a greater number of epi-embryonic chamberlets (EPC) with time, is regarded as the main evolutionary trends used in species discrimination. However, data from Maastrichtian Orbitoides assemblages from Central Turkey and the Arabian Platform margin (Southeastern Turkey and Oman) are not consistent with this record. The Maastrichtian Besni Formation of the Arabian Platform margin in Southeastern Turkey yields invariably biconvex specimens, with small, tri- to quadrilocular embryons and a small number of EPC, comparable to late Campanian Orbitoides medius (dâArchiac). The upper Maastrichtian Taraklı Formation from the Sakarya Basin of Central Turkey contains two distinct, yet closely associated forms of Orbitoides, easily differentiated by both external and internal features. Flat to biconcave specimens possess a small, tri- to quadrilocular embryonic apparatus of Orbitoides medius-type and a small number of EPC, whereas biconvex specimens possess a large, predominantly bilocular embryonic apparatus, and were assigned to Orbitoides ex. interc. gruenbachensis Pappâapiculatus Schlumberger based on morphometry. The flat to biconcave specimens belong to a long overlooked species Orbitoides pamiri Meriç, originally described from the late Maastrichtian of the Tauride Mountains in SW Turkey. This species is herein interpreted to be an offshoot from the main Orbitoides lineage during the Maastrichtian, as are forms that we term Orbitoides âmediusâ, since they recall this species, yet are younger than normal occurrence with the accepted morphometrically defined lineage. The consistent correlation between the external and internal test features in O. pamiri implies that the shape of the test is not an ecophenotypic variation, but appears to be biologically controlled. We, therefore, postulate that more than one lineage of Orbitoides exists during the Maastrichtian, with a lineage that includes O. âmediusâ and O. pamiri displaying retrograde evolutionary features
Impact of cerebral hypoperfusion-reperfusion on optic nerve integrity and visual function in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE
One of the most important risk factors for developing a glaucomatous optic neuropathy is elevated intraocular pressure. Moreover, mechanisms such as altered perfusion have been postulated to injure the optical path. In a mouse model, we compare first negative effects of cerebral perfusion/reperfusion on the optic nerve structure versus alterations by elevated intraocular pressure. Second, we compare the alterations by isolated hypoperfusion-reperfusion and isolated intraocular pressure to the combination of both.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Mice were divided in four groups: (1) controls; (2) perfusion altered mice that underwent transient bi-common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) for 40âmin; (3) glaucoma group (DBA/2J mice); (4) combined glaucoma and altered perfusion (DBA/2J mice with transient BCCAO). Optic nerve sections were stereologically examined 10-12 weeks after intervention.
RESULTS
All experimental groups showed a decreased total axon number per optic nerve compared with controls. In DBA/2J and combined DBA/2J & BCCAO mice the significant decrease was roughly 50%, while BCCAO leaded to a 23% reduction of axon number, however reaching significance only in the direct t-test. The difference in axon number between BCCAO and both DBA/2J mice was almost 30%, lacking statistical significance due to a remarkably high variation in both DBA/2J groups.
CONCLUSION
Elevated intraocular pressure in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma leads to a much more pronounced optic nerve atrophy compared with transient forebrain hypoperfusion and reperfusion by BCCAO. A supposed worsening effect of an altered perfusion added to the pressure-related damage could not be detected
Antifungal activity of antimicrobial peptides and proteins against Aspergillus fumigatus
This is the final published version, also available from MDPI via the DOI in this record.Antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) provide an important line of defence against invading microorganisms. However, the activity of AMPs against the human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus remains poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterise the anti-Aspergillus activity of specific human AMPs, and to determine whether A. fumigatus can possess resistance to specific AMPs, as a result of in-host adaptation. AMPs were tested against a wide range of clinical isolates of various origins (including cystic fibrosis patients, as well as patients with chronic and acute aspergillosis). We also tested a series of isogenic A. fumigatus isolates obtained from a single patient over a period of 2 years. A range of environmental isolates, obtained from soil in Scotland, was also included. Firstly, the activity of specific peptides was assessed against hyphae using a measure of fungal metabolic activity. Secondly, the activity of specific peptides was assessed against germinating conidia, using imaging flow cytometry as a measure of hyphal growth. We showed that lysozyme and histones inhibited hyphal metabolic activity in all the A. fumigatus isolates tested in a dose-dependent fashion. In addition, imaging flow cytometry revealed that histones, ÎČ-defensin-1 and lactoferrin inhibited the germination of A. fumigatus conidia.Wellcome TrustMedical Research Council (MRC
Impact of facial conformation on canine health: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome
The domestic dog may be the most morphologically diverse terrestrial mammalian species known to man; pedigree dogs are artificially selected for extreme aesthetics dictated by formal Breed Standards, and breed-related disorders linked to conformation are ubiquitous and diverse. Brachycephalyâforeshortening of the facial skeletonâis a discrete mutation that has been selected for in many popular dog breeds e.g. the Bulldog, Pug, and French Bulldog. A chronic, debilitating respiratory syndrome, whereby soft tissue blocks the airways, predominantly affects dogs with this conformation, and thus is labelled Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). Despite the name of the syndrome, scientific evidence quantitatively linking brachycephaly with BOAS is lacking, but it could aid efforts to select for healthier conformations. Here we show, in (1) an exploratory study of 700 dogs of diverse breeds and conformations, and (2) a confirmatory study of 154 brachycephalic dogs, that BOAS risk increases sharply in a non-linear manner as relative muzzle length shortens. BOAS only occurred in dogs whose muzzles comprised less than half their cranial lengths. Thicker neck girths also increased BOAS risk in both populations: a risk factor for human sleep apnoea and not previously realised in dogs; and obesity was found to further increase BOAS risk. This study provides evidence that breeding for brachycephaly leads to an increased risk of BOAS in dogs, with risk increasing as the morphology becomes more exaggerated. As such, dog breeders and buyers should be aware of this risk when selecting dogs, and breeding organisations should actively discourage exaggeration of this high-risk conformation in breed standards and the show ring
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