Linear and nonlinear EEG indexes in relation to the severity of coma

Glascow's coma scale (GCS) is a clinical standard for assessing the severity of coma in intensive care units (ICUs). The EEG monitoring can be on-line work, soon responds to the change in the brain wave, and allows long-term continuous monitoring of brain activity. In this paper, several EEG parameters, including spectral possession distribution and nonlinear description (approximate entropy and Lempel-Ziv complexity) were used to assess the capability of EEG indexes for the severity of coma. Our results demonstrated that all EEG parameters are moderately related to the GCS, with the Spearman statistical correlation of 0.62-0.71 between the spectral possession distribution and the GCS and 0.62-0.66 between nonlinear measures and the GCS. The moderate correlation between EEG parameters and the GCS implies the possibility of the EEG-derived index to reveal the neurological status of patients in coma.

Impacts of diabetes and hypertension on the risk of hospitalization among less educated people

Coexisting hypertension increases the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes, and may be more so in less educated people. We analysed data from 49 904 Canadians 40-64 years of age who participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2000-2001. Multiple classification analysis was used to adjust for covariates. Population weight and design effect of the survey were taken into account in the analysis. The association between hypertension and hospitalization varied according to diabetes and education. The adjusted difference in hospitalization incidence attributable to hypertension was significantly higher for the lower education group than the higher education group, and such a pattern tended to be more pronounced among diabetic people. The adjusted incidence difference attributable to hypertension was higher in the diabetic group (8.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.6, 13.0%) than in the non-diabetic group (4.6, 95% CI: 3.6, 5.6%) for people with low education, but was similar for those with well-educated people. Possible reasons for the modifying effect of education on the relationship among hypertension, diabetes and hospitalization were discussed.

Alloimmunization among patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia in Taiwan

The development of erythrocyte alloantibodies complicates transfusion therapy in patients with thalassemia. However, no data are available on the frequency of erythrocyte alloimmunization in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia in Taiwan. We analysed the clinical and transfusion records of 30 individuals (15 females and 15 males; mean age, 20 years; range, 4-31 years) with thalassemia who had regular transfusions for periods ranging from 0.5 to 20 years. Of the 30 patients, 28 who had beta-thalassemia major and two who had Hb H disease (alpha thalassemia), 11 (37%) were found to carry alloantibodies. All alloantibodies were clinically significant specificities, including four cases of anti-E, two of anti-E + c, two of anti-'Mi(a)', one of anti-'Mi(a)' + E, one of anti-D and one of anti-S. Alloimmunization to erythrocyte antigens is a frequent complication in transfusion-dependent thalassemia.

A novel HLA-B allele, B*5612, identified by sequence-based typing method

HLA-B*5612, found in Taiwan using sequence-based typing method, was identical to HLA-B*5502 in exon 2 but differed in exon 3 by 10 nucleotide substitutions at positions 353-420 leading to five amino acid change at codon 94, 95, 97, 103 and 116. As this sequence motif was not found in the Asian population, it is likely that HLA-B*5612 is the product of a complex mechanism of implying a dual gene conversion event.

A high yield robotic synthesis of 9-(4-[18F]-fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine ([18F]FHBG) and 9-[3-[18F]fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine([18F] FHPG) for gene expression imaging

The aim of this study was to develop an automated synthesis of 9-(4-[(18)F]-fluoro-3-hydroxymethylbutyl)guanine ([(18)F]FHBG) and 9-[(3-[(18)F]fluoro-1-hydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine ([(18)F]FHPG) using a Scanditronix Anatech RB III robotic system. [(18)F]HF was produced via (18)O(p, n)(18)F using a Scanditronix MC17F cyclotron. On average, a typical run produced [(18)F]FHBG and [(18)F]FHPG with an uncorrected radiochemical yield of 19% and 16%, respectively, at end of synthesis (EOS) from irradiation of 95% enriched [(18)O]water. The total synthesis time was 80 min. The retention time of [(18)F]FHBG and [(18)F]FHPG (the radio-peak) was 3.9 and 4.0 min, respectively, which was consistent with the [(19)F]FHBG and [(19)F]FHPG ultraviolet peak. The radiochemical purity was greater than 97%. A robotic, automated method for [(18)F]FHBG and [(18)F]FHPG radiosynthesis is therefore feasible. The radiation burden for the operator can be reduced as much as possible. Sufficient radioactivities of [(18)F]FHBG and [(18)F]FHPG could be obtained for non-invasive monitoring the expression of transfected gene in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET).

Association between diabetes and depression: Sex and age differences

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between diabetes and the prevalence of depression in different sex and age groups by analysing the cross-sectional data from the National Population Health Survey, conducted in Canada in 1996-1997.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 53072 people aged 20-64 years were included in the analysis. Depression was defined as depression scale 5, based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short-Form (CIDI-SF). Respondents who answered the following question affirmatively were considered to have diabetes: 'do you have diabetes diagnosed by a health professional?'.

METHODS

A multiple logistic regression model was used to adjust for potential confounding effects, and a bootstrap procedure was used to take sampling weights and design effects into account.

RESULTS

The prevalence of diabetes was much higher in people aged 40-64 years than in people aged 20-39 years (men: 4.7% vs. 0.5%; women: 3.5% vs. 0.8%, respectively). In contrast, people aged 20-39 years had a slightly higher prevalence of depression than those aged 40-64 years (men: 3.1% vs. 2.9%; women: 6.6% vs. 5.4%, respectively). Diabetes was significantly associated with depression in women aged 20-39 years (odds ratio [OR]=2.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19, 5.32), but not in women aged 40-64 years (OR=1.62, and 95% CI=0.65, 4.06). The association was not significant in both age groups in men, but it tended to be stronger in the younger age group.

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that diabetes is significantly associated with depression, particularly in young adults.

Inhibition of Listeria innocua in hummus by a combination of nisin and citric acid

The effect of nisin or citric acid or combinations of these two inhibitors on the inactivation of a cocktail of three Listeria innocua strains was investigated in a model brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and hummus (chickpea dip). In BHI broth, citric acid had a limited ability to inhibit L. innocua growth. Nisin initially reduced L. innocua concentrations by about 3 log cycles; however, L. innocua reached concentrations similar to those of the control after 5 days at 22 degrees C. In combination, the effects of 500 IU/ml nisin and 0.2% citric acid were synergistic and resulted in complete elimination of L. innocua in the BHI broth. The inhibition of L. innocua by nisin (500 or 1,000 IU/g), citric acid (0.1, 0.2, or 0.3%), or their combinations also was evaluated in hummus. Citric acid alone did not affect L. innocua growth or the aerobic bacterial plate count. A combination of 1,000 IU/g nisin and 0.3% citric acid was somewhat effective (approximately 1.5-log reduction) in controlling the concentration of L. innocua and the aerobic plate count for up to 6 days. This combination also may be useful, in addition to proper hygienic practices, for minimizing the growth of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in hummus.

DNA copy number gains in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Gene amplification, a common mechanism for oncogene activation in cancer, has been used as a tag for the identification of novel oncogenes. DNA amplification is frequently observed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and potential oncogenes have already been reported. We applied restriction landmark genome scanning (RLGS) to study gene amplifications and low-level copy number changes in HNSCC in order to locate previously uncharacterized regions with copy number gains in primary tumor samples. A total of 63 enhanced RLGS fragments, indicative of DNA copy number changes, including gains of single alleles, were scored. Enhanced sequences were identified from 33 different chromosomal regions including those previously reported (e.g. 3q26.3 and 11q13.3) as well as novel regions (e.g. 3q29, 8q13.1, 8q22.3, 9q32, 10q24.32, 14q32.32, 17q25.1 and 20q13.33). Furthermore, our data suggest that amplicons 11q13.3 and 3q26.3-q29 may be divided into possibly two and three independent amplicons, respectively, an observation supported by published microarray expression data.

Creatine in Huntington disease is safe, tolerable, bioavailable in brain and reduces serum 8OH2'dG

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 64 subjects with Huntington disease (HD), 8 g/day of creatine administered for 16 weeks was well tolerated and safe. Serum and brain creatine concentrations increased in the creatine-treated group and returned to baseline after washout. Serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8OH2'dG) levels, an indicator of oxidative injury to DNA, were markedly elevated in HD and reduced by creatine treatment.

Treatment of volatile organic compounds from polyurethane and epoxy manufacture by a trickle-bed air biofilter

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a trickle-bed air biofilter (TBAB) for the removal of volatile organic compound (VOC) produced during polyurethane (PU) and epoxy manufacture. The major VOCs emitted are ethyl acetate (EA) for PU and EA and xylene for epoxy production. For the treatment of VOCs emitted during PU production, the employed coal carbon appears to be efficient as a VOC concentration buffer in the biofiltration of waste gases. Based on the results of EA and total hydrocarbon (THC) removal, it was concluded that the TBAB is suitable for controlling VOC emission during PU manufacture. For the treatment of VOCs emitted during epoxy production, it was found that the performance of the TBAB is relatively poor due to the lack of VOC sources. However, this problem could be easily solved by mixing the VOCs emitted during PU and epoxy manufacture.

Sequencing drug response with HapMap

The information about how DNA sequence varies across the human genome is crucial for unravelling the genetic basis of drug response. A haplotype map, or HapMap, intended to reveal such a variation pattern, has been recently developed by the International HapMap Consortium. Here, we present a conceptual model for directly characterizing specific DNA sequence variants that are responsible for drug response based on the haplotype structure provided by HapMap. Our model is developed in the maximum likelihood context, incorporated by clinically meaningful mathematical functions that model drug response and implemented with the EM algorithm. Our model is employed to a pharmacogenetic study of cardiovascular disease with 107 patients. We found that the haplotype constituted by allele Gly16 (G) at codon 16 and allele Glu27 (G) at codon 27 genotyped within the beta2AR candidate gene exhibits a different effect on heart rate curve from the rest haplotypes. Parents with the diplotype consisting of two copies of haplotype GG are more sensitive in heart rate to increasing dosages of dobutamine than those with other haplotypes. This model provides a powerful tool for elucidating the genetic variants of drug response and ultimately designing personalized medications based on each patient's genetic constitution.