Human cognitive system privileges processing over short-term storage: Asymmetry in working memory limitations.

The continuous flow of information in which we are immersed obliges our cognitive system to maintain accessible the relevant elements for the time necessary for their processing. The present study investigated how working memory balances the resource demands of this necessary storage in the face of demanding processing. In four experiments using a complex span task, we examined the residual performance in memory and processing of individuals who performed at their best in the other component.

Cytokine profiling, pretreatment with anakinra, and tolerance development in platinum-induced mixed hypersensitivity reactions.

Background: Cytokine-release reactions (CRR) induced by platinum-based chemotherapy, manifesting with fever, chills, and rigors, are poorly understood and not easily prevented by usual premedication or desensitization.

Objective: To gain a better understanding of platinum-induced CRR and to explore the use of anakinra as a tool to prevent its clinical manifestations.

Methods: A cytokine and chemokine panel was obtained before and after platinum infusion in 3 cases with a mixed (immunoglobulin E-mediated and CRR) platinum-induced hypersensitivity reaction and in 5 controls either tolerant or with an immunoglobulin E-mediated platinum-induced hypersensitivity reaction.

Efficient Anomaly Detection Using Self-Supervised Multi-Cue Tasks.

Anomaly detection is important in many real-life applications. Recently, self-supervised learning has greatly helped deep anomaly detection by recognizing several geometric transformations. However these methods lack finer features, usually highly depend on the anomaly type, and do not perform well on fine-grained problems.

Protocol for the Open Sky School: a two-arm clustered randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a nature-based intervention on mental health of elementary school children.

Background: This article outlines the protocol for a trial to test the effectiveness of a nature-based intervention called Open Sky School to reduce mental health problems among elementary school children. Experimental studies show that contact with nature (e.g.

Transcriptional and Pathological Host Responses to Coinfection with Virulent or Attenuated Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza A Virus in Chickens.

The avian pathogen , the etiological agent of chronic respiratory disease in chickens, exhibits enhanced pathogenesis in the presence of a copathogen such as low-pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV). To further investigate the intricacies of this copathogenesis, chickens were monoinfected or coinfected with either virulent strain R or LPAIV H3N8 (A/duck/Ukraine/1963), with assessment of tracheal histopathology, pathogen load, and transcriptomic host responses to infection by RNA sequencing. Chickens coinfected with R followed by LPAIV H3N8 exhibited significantly more severe tracheal lesions and mucosal thickening than chickens infected with LPAIV H3N8 alone and greater viral loads than chickens infected first with H3N8 and subsequently with R Recovery of live was significantly higher in chickens infected first with LPAIV H3N8 and then with R, compared to chickens given a mock infection followed by R The transcriptional responses to monoinfection and coinfection with and LPAIV highlighted the involvement of differential expression of genes such as Toll-like receptor 15, Toll-like receptor 21, and matrix metallopeptidase 1.

Immunologic Pathways in Protective versus Maladaptive Host Responses to Attenuated and Pathogenic Strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum.

Mycoplasmas are small bacterial commensals or pathogens that commonly colonize host mucosal tissues and avoid rapid clearance, in part by stimulating inflammatory, immunopathogenic responses. We previously characterized a wide array of transcriptomic perturbations in avian host tracheal mucosae infected with virulent, immunopathologic ; however, mechanisms delineating these from protective responses, such as those induced upon vaccination, have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, host transcriptomic responses to two experimental vaccines were assessed during the first 2 days of infection.

Variable Lipoprotein Hemagglutinin A Gene () Expression in Variant Mycoplasma gallisepticum Strains .

, the primary etiologic agent of chronic respiratory disease, is a significant poultry pathogen, causing severe inflammation and leading to economic losses worldwide. Immunodominant proteins encoded by the variable lipoprotein and hemagglutinin () gene family are thought to be important for -host interaction, pathogenesis, and immune evasion, but their exact role remains unknown. Previous work has demonstrated that phase variation is dynamic throughout the earliest stages of infection, with 3.

Transcriptional Profiling of the Chicken Tracheal Response to Virulent Mycoplasma gallisepticum Strain R.

, the primary etiologic agent of chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in poultry, leads to prolonged recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells in the respiratory mucosa. This is consistent with the current model of immune dysregulation that ostensibly allows the organism to evade clearance mechanisms and establish chronic infection. To date, studies using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and microarrays have shown a significant transient upregulation of cytokines and chemokines from tracheal epithelial cells (TECs) and tracheal tissue in response to virulent strain R that contributes to the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the tracheal mucosa.

Attenuated Phenotype of a Recent House Finch-Associated Mycoplasma gallisepticum Isolate in Domestic Poultry.

, known primarily as a respiratory pathogen of domestic poultry, has emerged since 1994 as a significant pathogen of the house finch () causing severe conjunctivitis and mortality. House finch-associated (HFMG) spread rapidly and increased in virulence for the finch host in the eastern United States. In the current study, we assessed virulence in domestic poultry with two temporally distant, and yet geographically consistent, HFMG isolates which differ in virulence for house finches-Virginia 1994 (VA1994), the index isolate of the epidemic, and Virginia 2013 (VA2013), a recent isolate of increased house finch virulence.

Global Changes in Mycoplasma gallisepticum Phase-Variable Lipoprotein Gene vlhA Expression during In Vivo Infection of the Natural Chicken Host.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is the primary etiologic agent of chronic respiratory disease in poultry, a disease largely affecting the respiratory tract and causing significant economic losses worldwide. Immunodominant proteins encoded by members of the variable lipoprotein and hemagglutinin (vlhA) gene family are thought to be important for mechanisms of M. gallisepticum-host interaction, pathogenesis, and immune evasion, but their exact role and the overall nature of their phase variation are unknown.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning during Pregnancy: Presentation of a Rare Severe Case with Fetal Bladder Complications.

Carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy is a rare and potentially serious condition. Fetal complications are uncommon, related to anoxic lesions. The severity of these complications does not depend on the level of maternal COHb.

Divergent effect of glycosaminoglycans on the in vitro aggregation of serum amyloid A.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an apolipoprotein involved in poorly understood roles in inflammation. Upon trauma, hepatic expression of SAA rises 1000 times the basal levels. In the case of inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, there is a risk for deposition of SAA fibrils in various organs leading to Amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis.

The Effects of Metal Ions on Heparin/Heparin Sulfate-Protein Interactions.

Heparin/heparin sulfate (HS) interacts with a number of proteins thereby playing an essential role in the regulation of many physiological processes. The understanding of heparin/HS-protein interactions at the molecular level is of fundamental importance to biology and will aid in the development of highly specific glycan-based therapeutic agents. The heparin-binding proteins (HBPs) interact with sulfated domains of heparin/HS chains primarily through ionic attraction between negatively charged groups in HS/heparin chains and basic amino acid residues within the protein.

Assays for determining heparan sulfate and heparin O-sulfotransferase activity and specificity.

O-sulfotransferases (OSTs) are critical enzymes in the cellular biosynthesis of the biologically and pharmacologically important heparan sulfate and heparin. Recently, these enzymes have been cloned and expressed in bacteria for application in the chemoenzymatic synthesis of glycosaminoglycan-based drugs. OST activity assays have largely relied on the use of radioisotopic methods using [(35)S] 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate and scintillation counting.

Characterization of human placental glycosaminoglycans and regional binding to VAR2CSA in malaria infected erythrocytes.

Placental malaria is a serious problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Young women are particular susceptible to contracting this form of malaria during their first or second pregnancy despite previously acquired immunity from past infections. Placental malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasites expressing VAR2CSA on the erythrocyte surface.

Characterization of interactions between heparin/glycosaminoglycan and adeno-associated virus.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a key candidate in the development of gene therapy. In this work, we used surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy to study the interaction between AAV and heparin and other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Surface plasmon resonance results revealed that heparin binds to AAV with an extremely high affinity.

Analysis of the interaction between heparin and follistatin and heparin and follistatin-ligand complexes using surface plasmon resonance.

Heparin and related heparan sulfate interact with a number of cytokines and growth factors, thereby playing an essential role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes by involving both signal transduction and the regulation of the tissue distribution of cytokines/growth factors. Follistatin (FS) is an autocrine protein with a heparin-binding motif that serves to regulate the cell proliferative activity of the paracrine hormone, and member of the TGF-β family, activin A (ActA). Follistatin is currently under investigation as an antagonist of another TGF-β family member, myostatin (Mstn), for the promotion of muscle growth in diseases associated with muscle atrophy.

A proteomics approach for the identification and cloning of monoclonal antibodies from serum.

We describe a proteomics approach that identifies antigen-specific antibody sequences directly from circulating polyclonal antibodies in the serum of an immunized animal. The approach involves affinity purification of antibodies with high specific activity and then analyzing digested antibody fractions by nano-flow liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. High-confidence peptide spectral matches of antibody variable regions are obtained by searching a reference database created by next-generation DNA sequencing of the B-cell immunoglobulin repertoire of the immunized animal.

Semi-synthesis of chondroitin sulfate-E from chondroitin sulfate-A.

Chondroitin sulfate-E (chondroitin-4, 6-disulfate) was prepared from chondroitin sulfate-A (chondroitin-4 - sulfate) by regioselective sulfonation, performed using trimethylamine sulfur trioxide in formamide under argon. The structure of semi-synthetic chondroitin sulfate-E was analyzed by PAGE, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, 2D NMR and disaccharide analysis and compared with natural chondroitin sulfate-E. Both semi-synthetic and natural chondroitin sulfate-E were each biotinylated and immobilized on BIAcore SA biochips and their interactions with fibroblast growth factors displayed very similar binding kinetics and binding affinities.

Structural characterization of heparins from different commercial sources.

Seven commercial heparin active pharmaceutical ingredients and one commercial low molecular weight from different manufacturers were characterized with a view profiling their physicochemical properties. All heparins had similar molecular weight properties as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (M(N), 10-11 kDa; M(W), 13-14 kDa; polydispersity (PD), 1.3-1.

Impact of autoclave sterilization on the activity and structure of formulated heparin.

The stability of a formulated heparin was examined during its sterilization by autoclaving. A new method to follow loss in heparin binding to the serine protease inhibitor, antithrombin III, and the serine protease, thrombin, was developed using a surface plasmon resonance competitive binding assay. This loss in binding affinity correlated well with loss in antifactor IIa (thrombin) activity as well as antifactor Xa activity as measured using conventional amidolytic assays.

Artificial organelles: digital microfluidic platform for proteoglycan and glycoprotein biosynthesis.

The development of artificial organelles is a new, fast-growing field in which a variety of techniques have been employed. This article gives a brief overview of the history of artificial organelles, and describes the development of an artificial endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi organelle on a digital microfluidic platform. This device should be useful in high-throughput combinatorial proteoglycan/glycoprotein synthesis, providing critical information about the control of biosynthetic pathways for these important signaling molecules.

Low-dose chemotherapy for extra-abdominal desmoid tumor.

Objective: To assess the outcome of patients with extra-abdominal desmoid tumor treated with low dose chemotherapy (methotrexate and vinblastine) both for tumor response and treatment related toxicity.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 12 patients who underwent low dose chemotherapy for extra abdominal desmoid of different locations. The study took place in the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Canada between 1996 and 2003.

Surgical margins in breast-conservation operations for invasive carcinoma: does neoadjuvant chemotherapy have an impact?

Background: Regression of breast tumors in response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy is variable. The goal of breast-conservation operation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is generally to resect any residual tumor with negative margins. There are limited data about the success of achieving negative resection margins in these patients.