Socio-economic inequalities in undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus in Bangladesh: is there a gender difference?

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine: (1) the prevalence and socio-economic distribution of undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM); (2) the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled DM; and (3) if this relationship is mediated by gender.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional nationally representative household-based survey.

METHODS

We used data from the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey from 2017 to 18. Our findings were based on the responses of 12,144 individuals aged 18 years and older. As a measure of SES, we focused on standard of living (hereinafter referred to as wealth). The study's outcome variables were prevalence of total (diagnosed + undiagnosed), undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled DM. We used three regression-based approaches-adjusted odds ratio, relative inequality index, and slope inequality index-to assess different aspects of SES differences in the prevalence of total, undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled DM. We used logistic regression analysis to look at the adjusted association between SES and the outcomes after gender stratification to see whether gender status moderates the association between SES and the targeted outcomes.

RESULTS

In our sample analysis, the age-adjusted prevalence of total, undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled DM was 9.1%, 61.4%, 64.7%, and 72.1%, respectively. Females had a higher prevalence of DM and undiagnosed, untreated, and uncontrolled DM than males. When compared to people in the poor SES group, people in the rich and middle SES groups had 2.60 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.05-3.29) and 1.47 times (95% CI 1.18-1.83) higher chance of developing DM. When compared to individuals in the poor SES group, those in the rich SES groups were 0.50 (95% CI 0.33-0.77) and 0.55 times (95% CI 0.36-0.85) less likely to have undiagnosed and untreated DM.

CONCLUSIONS

In Bangladesh, rich SES groups were more likely than poor SES groups to have DM, whereas poor SES groups with DM were less likely than rich SES groups to be aware of their disease and obtain treatment. The government and other concerned parties are urged by this study to pay more attention to developing suitable policy measures to reduce the risk of DM, particularly among rich SES groups, as well as targeted efforts to screen for and diagnose DM in socio-economically disadvantaged groups.

Clinical variables and pre-operative depression levels for prediction of pain severity in patients undergoing heart surgery

Objective: In patients undergoing heart surgery, severe pain is common and may raise the risk of heart conditions, morbidity, and death. The study's goals were to evaluate post-cardiac surgery pain predictors, such as clinical variables and depression, as well as perioperative Pain Severity (PS). Methods: The research included 98 heart surgery patients in total. PS was analysed utilizing a Numerical Rating System (NRS). From the second day after surgery through the seventh day, pain levels were monitored daily. Clinical data was obtained, and depression levels were determined utilizing the Center for Epidemiological Study of Depression (CES-D). Results: From pre-operative levels, pain severe dramatically increased while hospitalized, peaking at day 2 after surgery. Higher CES-D preoperative values in gender, heart function, smoking, and a high Body mass index (BMI). Preoperative CES-D ratings were considerably higher for patients in severe pain than for those with no pain or mild pain. Patients experiencing severe pain (NRS 7 to 10) exhibited considerably greater white blood cell (WBC) counts than those free of pain or mild pain (NRS 0 to 6) (p=0.01). However, there was no association between maximum WBC levels after surgery and CES-D scores. Conclusion: Following surgery, PS considerably increased and was linked to depressive symptoms, gender, heart function, BMI, and smoking. These variables could be used as a starting point for detection and treatment to help stop the progression of acute pain into chronic pain.

Diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis, and precautionary measures for severe renal damage linked with heart surgery: a retrospective analysis

Background: Heart surgery (HS) complications such as renal damage (RD), which is a frequent and major consequence, are linked to higher mortality and morbidity rates as well as a significant financial burden. Several different pathophysiological ideas might explain the multifaceted complexity of the HS-RD pathogenesis. Aim: The purpose of this research is to identify RD after HS and to evaluate the results of diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis, and preventative measures. Methods: This retrospective analysis of HS patients examined the occurrence and impact of several definitions of RD, Renal Damage Network (RDN), and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) or risk, injury, failure, loss, and end-stage kidney disease (RIFLE). We also defined transient RD and sustained RD. Results: RIFLE-Risk had the greatest positive probability ratio of every definition, continued with sustained RD (positive likelihood ratio = 2.27) for the best definition. 39 patients with KDIGO RD and all 80 patients having late RD were excluded from the RD defined by RDN criteria. Conclusion: The pathogenesis, definition, diagnosis, and preventative measures of RD in HS patients are discussed in this article. Based on the capacity to forecast short-term mortality, the risk was shown to be the most accurate definition of RD, followed by injury, failure, loss, and end-stage RD.

Role of C and B4C barrier layers in controlling diffusion propagation across the interface of Cr/Sc multilayers

The optical performance of low-bilayer-thickness metallic multilayers (ML) can be improved significantly by limiting the intermixing of consecutive layers at the interfaces. Barrier layers are supposed to exhibit a decisive role in controlling diffusion across the interfaces. The element-specific grazing incidence extended X-ray absorption fine structure technique using synchrotron radiation has been used in conjunction with grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity and diffuse X-ray scattering measurements to study the impact of the two most common barrier layers, viz., C and B₄C, at the interfaces of Cr/Sc MLs. The diffusion propagation is reduced by both the barrier layers; however, it is found that the improvement is more significant with the B₄C barrier layer. It is seen that C forms an intermixed layer with Sc and leads to carbide formation at the interface, which then acts as shielding and prevents further interdiffusion, while B₄C hardly penetrates into Sc and stops the overlap between Sc and Cr directly by wetting the corresponding interface. Thus, the above measurements reveal crucial and precise information regarding the elemental diffusion kinetics at the interfaces of Cr/Sc MLs in a non-destructive way, which is very important for technological applications of these MLs as X-ray optical devices.

Characterization of nanocellulose production by strains of Komagataeibacter sp. isolated from organic waste and Kombucha

Bacterial nanocellulose production is gaining popularity owing to its applications in food, cosmetics and medical industry. Three Acetobacter strains isolated from organic waste and fermented tea were identified using 16S rDNA sequencing and their ability to produce nanocellulose was studied. Strain isolated from Kombucha has 99% homology with Komagataeibacter rhaeticus DSM 16663 T. This is the first report where nanocellulose productivity of this strain with different carbon sources such as glucose, glycerol, fructose and sucrose has been studied. 1% glycerol was found to be optimal concentration, with up to 69% of the utilized carbon converted to nanocellulose. Maximum productivity of 4.5 g/L of bacterial nanocellulose was obtained. Average nitrogen and phosphorus consumption rate was 45 mg/L/day each. Physical properties such as crystallinity, fibril dimensions, and glass transition temperature were studied. Bacterial cellulose was 80% crystalline when glycerol and glucose were used as carbon source and 73% for fructose and sucrose. Renewable materials such as bacterial cellulose with their unique properties are the future for applications in the field of cosmetics, composite and wound care.

Interface modification of Cr/Ti multilayers with C barrier layer for enhanced reflectivity in the water window regime

The influence of a carbon barrier layer to improve the reflectivity of Cr/Ti multilayers, intended to be used in the water window wavelength regime, is investigated. Specular grazing-incidence X-ray reflectivity results of Cr/Ti multilayers with 10 bilayers show that interface widths are reduced to ∼0.24 nm upon introduction of a ∼0.3 nm C barrier layer at each Cr-on-Ti interface. As the number of bilayers increases to 75, a multilayer with C barrier layers maintains almost the same interface widths with no cumulative increase in interface imperfections. Using such interface-engineered Cr/C/Ti multilayers, a remarkably high soft X-ray reflectivity of ∼31.6% is achieved at a wavelength of 2.77 nm and at a grazing angle of incidence of 16.2°, which is the highest reflectivity reported so far in the literature in this wavelength regime. Further investigation of the multilayers by diffused grazing-incidence X-ray reflectivity and grazing-incidence extended X-ray absorption fine-structure measurements using synchrotron radiation suggests that the improvement in interface microstructure can be attributed to significant suppression of inter-diffusion at Cr/Ti interfaces by the introduction of C barrier layers and also due to the smoothing effect of the C layer promoting two-dimensional growth of the multilayer.

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome is associated with increased p-glycoprotein expression and loss of glucocorticoid receptor from steroid-resistant proinflammatory CD8+ T cells

Immunosuppressive therapy fails to suppress the production of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly by CD8+ T cells, in stable lung transplant recipients and those undergoing chronic rejection, suggesting that some patients may become relatively resistant to immunosuppressants such as glucocorticoids (GC). We have shown loss of GC receptor (GCR) from the CD8+ cells, and we hypothesized that the drug membrane efflux pump, p-glycoprotein-1 (Pgp), may also be involved in lymphocyte steroid resistance following lung transplant. Pgp/GCR expression and interferon (IFN)-γ/tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α proinflammatory cytokine production was measured in blood lymphocytes from 15 stable lung transplant patients, 10 patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and 10 healthy aged-matched controls (± prednisolone ± Pgp inhibitor, cyclosporin A ± GCR activator, Compound A) using flow cytometry. Both Pgp+ and Pgp- lymphocyte subsets from all subjects produced IFN-γ/TNF-α proinflammatory cytokines. Pgp expression was increased in CD8+ Pgp+ T cells and correlated with IFN-γ/TNF-α expression and BOS grade. Reduced GCR was observed in CD8+ Pgp- T, natural killer (NK) T-like and NK cells from stable patients compared with controls, and reduced further in CD8+ Pgp- T cells in BOS. The addition of 2·5 ng/ml cyclosporin A and 1 µM prednisolone inhibit IFN-γ/TNF-α production significantly by CD8+ Pgp+ T cells from BOS patients. The addition of 10 µM Compound A and 1 µM prednisolone inhibit IFN-γ/TNF-α production significantly by CD8+ Pgp- T cells from BOS patients. BOS is associated with increased Pgp expression and loss of GCR from steroid-resistant proinflammatory CD8+ T cells. Treatments that inhibit Pgp and up-regulate GCR in CD8+ T cells may improve graft survival.

Exploring the potential of T7 bacteriophage protein Gp2 as a novel inhibitor of mycobacterial RNA polymerase

Over the past six decades, there has been a decline in novel therapies to treat tuberculosis, while the causative agent of this disease has become increasingly resistant to current treatment regimens. Bacteriophages (phages) are able to kill bacterial cells and understanding this process could lead to novel insights for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. Phages inhibit bacterial gene transcription through phage-encoded proteins which bind to RNA polymerase (RNAP), thereby preventing bacterial transcription. Gp2, a T7 phage protein which binds to the beta prime (β') subunit of RNAP in Escherichia coli, has been well characterized in this regard. Here, we aimed to determine whether Gp2 is able to inhibit RNAP in Mycobacterium tuberculosis as this may provide new possibilities for inhibiting the growth of this deadly pathogen. Results from an electrophoretic mobility shift assay and in vitro transcription assay revealed that Gp2 binds to mycobacterial RNAP and inhibits transcription; however to a much lesser degree than in E. coli. To further understand the molecular basis of these results, a series of in silico techniques were used to assess the interaction between mycobacterial RNAP and Gp2, providing valuable insight into the characteristics of this protein-protein interaction.

Continuously Varying Critical Exponents Beyond Weak Universality

Renormalization group theory does not restrict the form of continuous variation of critical exponents which occurs in presence of a marginal operator. However, the continuous variation of critical exponents, observed in different contexts, usually follows a weak universality scenario where some of the exponents (e.g., β, γ, ν) vary keeping others (e.g., δ, η) fixed. Here we report ferromagnetic phase transition in (Sm_1−yNd_y)_0.52Sr_0.48MnO₃ (0.5 ≤ y ≤ 1) single crystals where all three exponents β, γ, δ vary with Nd concentration y. Such a variation clearly violates both universality and weak universality hypothesis. We propose a new scaling theory that explains the present experimental results, reduces to the weak universality as a special case, and provides a generic route leading to continuous variation of critical exponents and multi-criticality.

Association of ABO blood group polymorphism and tuberculosis: A study on Bengalee Hindu caste population, West Bengal, India

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease commonly caused by the bacillus mycobacterium and worldwide estimation demonstrated that more than 8.6 million people are infected by TB. Many of the previous studies reported the association between TB and ABO blood group polymorphism. In this context, the objective of the present study is to understand the association of ABO blood group polymorphism and TB in Bengalee Hindu caste population. The present study consists of 100 clinically diagnosed TB patients and 100 apparently healthy individuals with no previous history of TB from the same population of the same area. The distribution of ABO phenotypes demonstrated significant (p<0.05) excess of AB blood group in TB patients and significant (p<0.05) decrease of O blood group in controls. Logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with non O blood group have 1.97 times (95% CI 1.04-3.75) greater chance of developing TB than individuals with O blood group.

Electron tomography of cryo-immobilized plant tissue: a novel approach to studying 3D macromolecular architecture of mature plant cell walls in situ

Cost-effective production of lignocellulosic biofuel requires efficient breakdown of cell walls present in plant biomass to retrieve the wall polysaccharides for fermentation. In-depth knowledge of plant cell wall composition is therefore essential for improving the fuel production process. The precise spatial three-dimensional (3D) organization of cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin within plant cell walls remains unclear to date since the microscopy techniques used so far have been limited to two-dimensional, topographic or low-resolution imaging, or required isolation or chemical extraction of the cell walls. In this paper we demonstrate that by cryo-immobilizing fresh tissue, then either cryo-sectioning or freeze-substituting and resin embedding, followed by cryo- or room temperature (RT) electron tomography, respectively, we can visualize previously unseen details of plant cell wall architecture in 3D, at macromolecular resolution (∼2 nm), and in near-native state. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that wall organization of cryo-immobilized samples were preserved remarkably better than conventionally prepared samples that suffer substantial extraction. Lignin-less primary cell walls were well preserved in both self-pressurized rapidly frozen (SPRF), cryo-sectioned samples as well as high-pressure frozen, freeze-substituted and resin embedded (HPF-FS-resin) samples. Lignin-rich secondary cell walls appeared featureless in HPF-FS-resin sections presumably due to poor stain penetration, but their macromolecular features could be visualized in unprecedented details in our cryo-sections. While cryo-tomography of vitreous tissue sections is currently proving to be instrumental in developing 3D models of lignin-rich secondary cell walls, here we confirm that the technically easier method of RT-tomography of HPF-FS-resin sections could be used immediately for routine study of low-lignin cell walls. As a proof of principle, we characterized the primary cell walls of a mutant (cob-6) and wild type Arabidopsis hypocotyl parenchyma cells by RT-tomography of HPF-FS-resin sections, and detected a small but significant difference in spatial organization of cellulose microfibrils in the mutant walls.

From voxels to knowledge: a practical guide to the segmentation of complex electron microscopy 3D-data

Modern 3D electron microscopy approaches have recently allowed unprecedented insight into the 3D ultrastructural organization of cells and tissues, enabling the visualization of large macromolecular machines, such as adhesion complexes, as well as higher-order structures, such as the cytoskeleton and cellular organelles in their respective cell and tissue context. Given the inherent complexity of cellular volumes, it is essential to first extract the features of interest in order to allow visualization, quantification, and therefore comprehension of their 3D organization. Each data set is defined by distinct characteristics, e.g., signal-to-noise ratio, crispness (sharpness) of the data, heterogeneity of its features, crowdedness of features, presence or absence of characteristic shapes that allow for easy identification, and the percentage of the entire volume that a specific region of interest occupies. All these characteristics need to be considered when deciding on which approach to take for segmentation.

The six different 3D ultrastructural data sets presented were obtained by three different imaging approaches: resin embedded stained electron tomography, focused ion beam- and serial block face- scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM, SBF-SEM) of mildly stained and heavily stained samples, respectively. For these data sets, four different segmentation approaches have been applied: (1) fully manual model building followed solely by visualization of the model, (2) manual tracing segmentation of the data followed by surface rendering, (3) semi-automated approaches followed by surface rendering, or (4) automated custom-designed segmentation algorithms followed by surface rendering and quantitative analysis. Depending on the combination of data set characteristics, it was found that typically one of these four categorical approaches outperforms the others, but depending on the exact sequence of criteria, more than one approach may be successful. Based on these data, we propose a triage scheme that categorizes both objective data set characteristics and subjective personal criteria for the analysis of the different data sets.

Primary cutaneous histoplasmosis simulating Molluscum contagiosum

Primary cutaneous histoplasmosis in a HIV positive patient ie isolated cutaneous involvement without any deeper structures is a very rare entity. Only a handful cases have been reported worldwide. This patient presented with cutaneous lesion simulating Molluscum but histopathology revealed Histoplasma capsulatum. The patient had no deep organ involvement. The patient was put on Itraconazole which caused rapid dissolution of the lesions. He was subsequently put on HAART and discharged.

A comparative pharmacokinetic study of a fixed dose combination for essential hypertensive patients: a randomized crossover study in healthy human volunteers

BACKGROUND

This study was aimed to investigate the relative bioavailability of fixed-dose-combination (FDC) product of amlodipine, telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide with individual marketed products in healthy male volunteers. Control of blood pressure with fixed dose combination of the above drugs acting through different mechanism have a benefit of convenient dosing in terms of compliance, lower the dose and subsequently reduce the side effects.

METHODS

The authors investigated the relative bioavailability under a fasting state of the 3 drugs in a randomized, open-label, 2-treatment, 2-period, 2-sequence, crossover bioequivalence study with a washout period of 21 days. Plasma concentration of the analytes were assayed in timed samples with a simple, highly sensitive and rapid validated method using HPLC coupled to tandem mass spectrometry that had a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL for all the 3 components.

RESULTS

Test and reference formulations gave a mean Cmax of 5.234±0.914 ng/mL and 4.991±0.563 ng/mL, 108.839±13.601 ng/mL and 114.783±12.315 ng/mL and 97.814±10.779 ng/mL and 93.731±10.018 ng/mL for amlodipine, telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide respectively. The AUC0-t of amlodipine, telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide was 161.484 ng.h/mL, 1 917.644 ng.h/mL and 822.847 ng.h/mL for test formulation and 162.108 ng.h/mL, 2 014.764 ng.h/mL and 829.323 ng.h/mL for reference in the fasting state.

CONCLUSION

The 90% confidence intervals for the test/reference ratio of the pharmacokinetic parameters in fasting state (mean Cmax, AUC0-t, and AUC0-∞) were within the acceptable range of 80.00-125.00. Thus, these findings clearly indicate that the FDC product is bioequivalent with the individual marketed products in terms of rate and extent of drug absorption and is well tolerated with no significant adverse reactions.

Hypoxic stress triggers a programmed cell death pathway to induce vascular cavity formation in Pisum sativum roots

Flooding at warm temperatures induces hypoxic stress in Pisum sativum seedling roots. In response, some undifferentiated cells in the primary root vascular cylinder start degenerating and form a longitudinal vascular cavity. Changes in cellular morphology and cell wall ultrastructure detected previously in the late stages of cavity formation suggest possible involvement of programmed cell death (PCD). In this study, cytological events occurring in the early stages of cavity formation were investigated. Systematic DNA fragmentation, a feature of many PCD pathways, was detected in the cavity-forming roots after 3 h of flooding in situ by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay and in isolated total DNA by gel electrophoresis. High molecular weight DNA fragments of about 20-30 kb were detected by pulse-field gel electrophoresis, but no low-molecular weight internucleosomal DNA fragments were detected by conventional gel electrophoresis. Release of mitochondrial cytochrome c protein into the cytosol, an integral part of mitochondria-dependent PCD pathways, was detected in the cavity-forming roots within 2 h of flooding by fluorescence microscopy of immunolabeled cytochrome c in situ and in isolated mitochondrial and cytosolic protein fractions by western blotting. DNA fragmentation and cytochrome c release remained confined to the undifferentiated cells in center of the root vascular cylinders, even after 24 h of flooding, while outer vascular cylinder cells and cortical cells maintained cellular integrity and normal activity. These findings confirm that hypoxia-induced vascular cavity formation in P. sativum roots involves PCD, and provides a chronological model of cytological events involved in this rare and understudied PCD system.

The protective effect of astrocyte-derived 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid on hydrogen peroxide-induced cell injury in astrocyte-dopaminergic neuronal cell line co-culture

Astrocytes perform several functions that are essential for normal neuronal activity. They play a critical role in neuronal survival during ischemia and other degenerative injuries and also modulate neuronal recovery by influencing neurite outgrowth. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of astrocyte-derived 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (14,15-EET), metabolite of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 epoxygenases (CYP), against oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). We found that dopaminergic neuronal cells (N27 cell line) stimulated with two different doses of H(2)O(2) (0.1 and 1mM) for 1h showed decreased cell viability compared to the control group, while astrocytes showed less cell death after stimulation with the same doses of H(2)O(2) for 1h. Dopaminergic neuronal cells (N27 cell line) pretreated with different doses of 14,15-EET (0.1-30 μM, 30 min) before H(2)O(2) stimulation also showed increased cell viability. Furthermore, pre-treatment of the co-cultured cells with 12-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-dodecanoic acid, an inhibitor of the EET metabolizing enzyme, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), before H(2)O(2) stimulation (1mM, for 1h) increased cell viability. It also increased the endogenous level of 14,15-EET in the media compared to control group. However, pretreatment with the CYP epoxygenase inhibitor miconazole (1-20 μM, 1h) before H(2)O(2) (1mM, 1h) stimulation showed decreased cell viability. Our data suggest that 14,15-EET which is released from astrocytes, enhances cell viability against oxidant-induced injury. Further understanding of the mechanism of 14,15-EET-mediated protection in dopaminergic neurons is imperative, as it could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for treating CNS neuropathologies, such as Parkinson's disease.

Automatic Segmentation and Quantification of Filamentous Structures in Electron Tomography

Electron tomography is a promising technology for imaging ultrastructures at nanoscale resolutions. However, image and quantitative analyses are often hindered by high levels of noise, staining heterogeneity, and material damage either as a result of the electron beam or sample preparation. We have developed and built a framework that allows for automatic segmentation and quantification of filamentous objects in 3D electron tomography. Our approach consists of three steps: (i) local enhancement of filaments by Hessian filtering; (ii) detection and completion (e.g., gap filling) of filamentous structures through tensor voting; and (iii) delineation of the filamentous networks. Our approach allows for quantification of filamentous networks in terms of their compositional and morphological features. We first validate our approach using a set of specifically designed synthetic data. We then apply our segmentation framework to tomograms of plant cell walls that have undergone different chemical treatments for polysaccharide extraction. The subsequent compositional and morphological analyses of the plant cell walls reveal their organizational characteristics and the effects of the different chemical protocols on specific polysaccharides.

Differential effect of amyloid β on the cytochrome P450 epoxygenase activity in rat brain

One of the prominent features of Alzheimer's disease is the excessive accumulation of the protein amyloid beta (Aβ) in certain areas of the brain leading to neurodegeneration. Aβ is cytotoxic and disrupts several cytoprotective pathways. Recent literature has demonstrated that certain cytochrome P450 (CYP) products are neuroprotective, including epoxide metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA), epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). The action of Aβ with respect to regionally produced EETs in the brain has yet to be defined. Epoxygenases metabolize AA into four regioisomers of EETs (14,15-, 11,12-, 8,9- and 5,6-EET). EETs are rapidly degraded into dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DiHETEs) by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). To determine the effect of Aβ on the epoxygenase activity in different regions of the brain, microsomes were prepared from the cerebrum and cerebellum of adult Sprague-Dawley rats and incubated with 1 and 10 μM Aβ for 30 min after which epoxygenase activity assay was performed. Mass spectrometry indicated that incubation with Aβ reduced 14,15-EET production by 30% as compared to vehicle in the cerebrum, but not in the cerebellum. When we separated the cerebrum into cortex and hippocampus, significant decrease in the production of total EETs and DiHETEs were seen in presence of Aβ (81% and 74%) in the cortex. Moreover, 11,12-EET production was decreased to ∼70% of vehicle in both cortex and hippocampus. Epoxygenase activity in the cultured astrocytes and neurons also showed reduction in total EET and DiHETE production (to 80% and ∼70% of vehicle respectively) in presence of Aβ. Altogether, our data suggest that Aβ reduces epoxygenase activity differentially in a region-specific and cell-specific manner. The reduction of cytoprotective EETs by Aβ in the cerebrum may make it more prone to degeneration than the cerebellum. Further understanding of these interactions will improve our ability to protect against the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.

Single molecule immunoassay on plasmonic platforms

We examined the photophysical properties of the new near infrared (NIR) fluorescent label SeTau-665 on a plasmonic platform of self- assembled colloidal structures (SACS) of silver prepared on a semitransparent silver film. A SeTau-665 immunoassay was performed on this platform and a control glass slide. The fluorescence properties of this label substantially change due to plasmonic interactions. While the average brightness increase of SeTau 665 in ensemble measurements was about 70-fold, fluorescence enhancements up to four-hundred times were observed on certain "hot spots" for single molecule measurements. The intensity increase is strongly correlated with a simultaneous decrease in fluorescence lifetime in these "hot spots". The large increase in brightness allows the reduction of the excitation power resulting in a reduced background and increased photostability. The remarkable fluorescence enhancements observed for SeTau 665 on our plasmonic platform should allow to substantially improve single molecule detection and to reduce the detection limits in sensing devices.

Audit of hepatitis B vaccination of men who have sex with men attending Scottish genitourinary medicine clinics

Practice related to hepatitis B vaccination of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Scottish genitourinary medicine clinics was audited against targets based on the offer and completion of vaccination set by the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV. Of 521 cases audited from 11 clinics, 215 (41%) were eligible for vaccination and 175 (81%) of eligible MSM were offered vaccination. Of those, 144 (82%) accepted vaccination. The super-accelerated schedule was most commonly prescribed but only 29% of those starting this schedule completed it, compared with 57% of those receiving the standard course. The overall vaccination completion rate was 31% and 82% of those completing vaccination had antisurface antibodies measured. A more robust recall system and uniformity in vaccination policies addressing the balance of patient compliance and immunogenicity of vaccine schedule are needed to improve completion rates.

A Comparative Analysis of Immunorestoration and Recovery with Conventional and Immunotherapeutic Protocols in Canine Generalized Demodicosis: A Newer Insight of Immunotherapeutic Efficacy of T11TS

Demodex canis is a natural inhabiting mite of canine skin. Immunological disorder or genetic disorder induces the Demodex population to proliferate vigorously resulting in generalized demodicosis with consequent chronic immunosuppression. Signs of generalized demodicosis include alopecia, crysting, erythema, secondary pyoderma etc. Amitraz, an acaricide, is used conventionally for the treatment of generalized demodicosis. In many instances, the disease relapses due to the residual immunosuppression. The need of an immunorestorative therapy has been urged in generalized demodicosis. Two immunorestorative drugs, namely, Immuplus, a herbal drug, and T11TS, a sheep erythrocyte surface glycoprotein, has been used in two separate groups of dogs having generalized demodicosis and receiving Amitraz treatment. It was observed that though Amitraz treated group responded to the therapy showing increased E-rosettes and nonspecific cytotoxic efficacy of T-lymphocytes and decrease in phagocytic potential of macrophages, the groups treated with the immunotherapeutics like Immuplus and T11TS, responded better. However, the group treated with T11TS showed best recovery. These results emphasize the need for an immunorestorative therapy in generalized demodicosis and provide data in favor of T11TS as a better immunomodulator in comparison to Immuplus.

Label-free in situ imaging of lignification in the cell wall of low lignin transgenic Populus trichocarpa

Chemical imaging by confocal Raman microscopy has been used for the visualization of the cellulose and lignin distribution in wood cell walls. Lignin reduction in wood can be achieved by, for example, transgenic suppression of a monolignol biosynthesis gene encoding 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL). Here, we use confocal Raman microscopy to compare lignification in wild type and lignin-reduced 4CL transgenic Populus trichocarpa stem wood with spatial resolution that is sub-microm. Analyzing the lignin Raman bands in the spectral region between 1,600 and 1,700 cm(-1), differences in lignin signal intensity and localization are mapped in situ. Transgenic reduction of lignin is particularly pronounced in the S2 wall layer of fibers, suggesting that such transgenic approach may help overcome cell wall recalcitrance to wood saccharification. Spatial heterogeneity in the lignin composition, in particular with regard to ethylenic residues, is observed in both samples.

Pressure induced critical behavior of ferromagnetic phase transition in Sm-Nd-Sr manganites

We report on the hydrostatic pressure dependence of the order of ferromagnetic (FM) to paramagnetic (PM) phase transition in a (Sm(0.7)Nd(0.3))(0.52)Sr(0.48)MnO(3) single crystal. At ambient pressure, the system undergoes a first-order FM-PM phase transition at 146 K. The application of pressure increases the T(C), suppresses the hysteresis width, and thus makes the transition second order. We have analyzed the critical behavior associated with the second-order FM-PM transition in the presence of an external pressure (12.1 kbar) and obtained the critical exponents beta=0.358, gamma=1.297, and delta=4.536, which are close to those predicted for the three-dimensional Heisenberg system. Using these values of beta, gamma, and T(C) ( approximately 176 K), one can scale the magnetization data below and above T(C) following a single equation of state.