In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Activity of D-Limonene in a Rat Model of Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension: Implications to the Heart Function.

Background: D-limonene (D-L) is the major monocyclic monoterpene in citrus plants with anti-inflammatory properties. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can cause right heart dysfunction and increases the risk of death, partially due to inflammatory response in the heart.

Objective: To evaluate the possible protective effect of D-L on cardiac function in a rat model of monocrotaline-induced PH (MCT-PH).

Teaching self-regulation.

Children's self-regulation abilities are key predictors of educational success and other life outcomes such as income and health. However, self-regulation is not a school subject, and knowledge about how to generate lasting improvements in self-regulation and academic achievements with easily scalable, low-cost interventions is still limited. Here we report the results of a randomized controlled field study that integrates a short self-regulation teaching unit based on the concept of mental contrasting with implementation intentions into the school curriculum of first graders.

Intra-individual variability in task performance after cognitive training is associated with long-term outcomes in children.

The potential benefits and mechanistic effects of working memory training (WMT) in children are the subject of much research and debate. We show that after five weeks of school-based, adaptive WMT 6-9 year-old primary school children had greater activity in prefrontal and striatal brain regions, higher task accuracy, and reduced intra-individual variability in response times compared to controls. Using a sequential sampling decision model, we demonstrate that this reduction in intra-individual variability can be explained by changes to the evidence accumulation rates and thresholds.

Global gene expression analysis of systemic sclerosis myofibroblasts demonstrates a marked increase in the expression of multiple NBPF genes.

Myofibroblasts are the key effector cells responsible for the exaggerated tissue fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Despite their importance to SSc pathogenesis, the specific transcriptome of SSc myofibroblasts has not been described. The purpose of this study was to identify transcriptome differences between SSc myofibroblasts and non-myofibroblastic cells.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR drives EZH2-dependent myofibroblast activation in systemic sclerosis through miRNA 34a-dependent activation of NOTCH.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterised by autoimmune activation, tissue and vascular fibrosis in the skin and internal organs. Tissue fibrosis is driven by myofibroblasts, that are known to maintain their phenotype in vitro, which is associated with epigenetically driven trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27me3).

Methods: Full-thickness skin biopsies were surgically obtained from the forearms of 12 adult patients with SSc of recent onset.

Facial involvement in progressive macular hypomelanosis.

Progressive macular hypomelanosis (PMH) is a skin disorder that historically has been described as having a predominantly truncal distribution. We report 4 adult cases of PMH with facial involvement. The diagnosis was made for all 4 patients after excluding other hypopigmented diseases.

Development and validation of a physiology-based model for the prediction of pharmacokinetics/toxicokinetics in rabbits.

The environmental fates of pharmaceuticals and the effects of crop protection products on non-target species are subjects that are undergoing intense review. Since measuring the concentrations and effects of xenobiotics on all affected species under all conceivable scenarios is not feasible, standard laboratory animals such as rabbits are tested, and the observed adverse effects are translated to focal species for environmental risk assessments. In that respect, mathematical modelling is becoming increasingly important for evaluating the consequences of pesticides in untested scenarios.

Chirality-dependent cell adhesion and enrichment in Janus nanocomposite hydrogels.

To assess chirality-dependent cell adhesion and cell enrichment in an extracellular matrix (ECM)-like model, in this study we created 3D nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels composed of periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) functionalized with chiral molecules [NC "homo-hydrogels" (NC hydrogels with one kind of functionalized PMO)]. Additionally, we prepared Janus NC hydrogel by connecting two enantiomorphous NC hydrogels, producing an advanced material that can be used to investigate the effect of opposite enantiomers on the behaviors of healthy and cancer cells in a single biomaterial at the same time and under the same reaction conditions. We found that the surface chirality of the functionalized PMO particles strongly influenced cell affinity to the NC hydrogels, especially in serum-containing media.

Solvent and solute ingress into hydrogels resolved by a combination of imaging techniques.

Using simultaneous neutron, fluorescence, and optical brightfield transmission imaging, the diffusion of solvent, fluorescent dyes, and macromolecules into a crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel was investigated. This novel combination of different imaging techniques enables us to distinguish the movements of the solvent and fluorescent molecules. Additionally, the swelling or deswelling of the hydrogels can be monitored.

Diffusion of macromolecules in a polymer hydrogel: from microscopic to macroscopic scales.

To gain insight into the fundamental processes determining the motion of macromolecules in polymeric matrices, the dynamical hindrance of polymeric dextran molecules diffusing as probe through a polyacrylamide hydrogel is systematically explored. Three complementary experimental methods combined with Brownian dynamics simulations are used to study a broad range of dextran molecular weights and salt concentrations. While multi-parameter fluorescence image spectroscopy (MFIS) is applied to investigate the local diffusion of single molecules on a microscopic length scale inside the hydrogel, a macroscopic transmission imaging (MTI) fluorescence technique and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are used to study the collective motion of dextrans on the macroscopic scale.

Water ingress into a casein film quantified using time-resolved neutron imaging.

The migration of water into a casein film was probed with neutron radiography. From the neutron transmission images, the evolution of the water saturation profiles was extracted. The results indicate that the water influx is dominated by imbibition but also contains a diffusional component.

Neutron, fluorescence, and optical imaging: An in situ combination of complementary techniques.

An apparatus which enables the simultaneous combination of three complementary imaging techniques, optical imaging, fluorescence imaging, and neutron radiography, is presented. While each individual technique can provide information on certain aspects of the sample and their time evolution, a combination of the three techniques in one setup provides a more complete and consistent data set. The setup can be used in transmission and reflection modes and thus with optically transparent as well as opaque samples.

Kinks in experimental diffusion profiles of a dissolving semi-crystalline polymer explained by a concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient.

The dissolution of polyethylene oxide (PEO) tablets in water has been followed in situ by neutron radiography. When in contact with water, the crystalline phase of semi-crystalline PEO melts once a certain water content is attained. Polymer concentration profiles obtained from the neutron transmission images exhibited a pronounced kink which corresponds to a sharp front in the images and which is related to the melting transition.

Clinical and histologic characteristics of clinically unsuspected melanomas.

Thin melanomas are recognized and captured by clinicians at an alarming rate, whereas thick melanomas remain underrecognized. Improved recognition of thick melanomas will require further understanding of their clinical and histologic characteristics at various stages of development because emerging data suggest that the thin melanomas being captured today may not represent the forerunners of the thick melanomas. In this retrospective analysis, pathology requisition forms from melanomas diagnosed by histopathology were examined for submitted clinical diagnosis, patient characteristics, melanoma thickness, and biopsy method.

Small-scale microcosms to detect chemical induced changes in soil nematode communities--effects of crystal proteins and Bt-maize plant material.

Small-scale laboratory microcosms (30 g soil in 50 ml tubes) were evaluated for their suitability to assess the impact of chemicals on in situ soil nematode communities. For this purpose, appropriate conditions in the microcosms were explored to ensure stable conditions and a homogenous distribution of the nematodes. Then, the microcosms were used to assess the toxicity of insecticidal crystal proteins (Cry1A.

[Palliative care: an approach based on the professional health categories].

Palliative care has emerged as a humanitarian philosophy of caring for terminally ill patients, alleviating their pain and suffering. This care involves the action of an interdisciplinary team, in which all the professional recognize the limits of their performance will help the terminally ill patient to die with dignity. This article deals with the issue of death and dying, both from the traditional and the contemporary standpoint, and how palliative care have been treated in the job categories of medicine, social work, psychology and nursing.

Family accommodation in pediatric anxiety disorders.

Background: Family accommodation has been studied in obsessive compulsive disorder using the Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) and predicts greater symptom severity, more impairment, and poorer treatment outcomes. However, family accommodation has yet to be systematically studied among families of children with other anxiety disorders. We developed the Family Accommodation Scale-Anxiety (FASA) that includes modified questions from the FAS to study accommodation across childhood anxiety disorders.

Anomalous front broadening during spontaneous imbibition in a matrix with elongated pores.

During spontaneous imbibition, a wetting liquid is drawn into a porous medium by capillary forces. In systems with comparable pore length and diameter, such as paper and sand, the front of the propagating liquid forms a continuous interface. Sections of this interface advance in a highly correlated manner due to an effective surface tension, which restricts front broadening.

Chimeric maternal cells in offspring do not respond to renal injury, inflammatory or repair signals.

Maternal microchimerism (MMc) can persist for years in a child, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Chimeric cells may either contribute to disease by acting as immune targets or expand in response to signals of injury, inflammation or repair. We investigated the role of maternal cells in tissue injury in the absence of autoimmunity by quantifying MMc by quantitative PCR in acute and chronic models of renal injury: (1) reversible acute renal injury, inflammation and regeneration induced by rhabdomyolysis and (2) chronic injury leading to fibrosis after unilateral ureteral obstruction.

Association of thymectomy with infection following congenital heart surgery.

Background: Congenital absence of the thymus can lead to profound immunodeficiency, suggesting that thymic function during fetal development is essential to normal lymphocyte development. How vital the thymus after birth is to human immune competence and regulation is not known. Routine thymectomy, especially at an early age, may influence immunity, and therefore the risk of infection, autoimmunity, or malignancy.

Chimeric maternal cells with tissue-specific antigen expression and morphology are common in infant tissues.

Maternal microchimerism (MMc) has been purported to play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity, but how a small number of foreign cells could contribute to chronic, systemic inflammation has not been explained. Reports of peripheral blood cells differentiating into tissue-specific cell types may shed light on the problem in that chimeric maternal cells could act as target cells within tissues. We investigated MMc in tissues from 7 male infants.

Male microchimerism in women without sons: quantitative assessment and correlation with pregnancy history.

Purpose: Fetal microchimerism, derived from fetal cells that persist after pregnancy, is usually evaluated by tests for male microchimerism in women who gave birth to sons. We investigated male microchimerism in women without sons and examined correlation with prior pregnancy history. Immunologic consequences of microchimerism are unknown.

Maternal and sibling microchimerism in twins and triplets discordant for neonatal lupus syndrome-congenital heart block.

Objective: Neonatal lupus syndrome-congenital heart block (NLS-CHB) is an acquired autoimmune disease in which maternal autoantibodies are necessary but not sufficient for disease. Maternal myocardial cells have been found in the hearts of patients with NLS-CHB, suggesting that maternal microchimerism may also play a role. In this study we asked whether levels of microchimerism in the blood are associated with NLS-CHB in discordant twins and triplets.

Myocardial-tissue-specific phenotype of maternal microchimerism in neonatal lupus congenital heart block.

Background: During pregnancy, maternal cells pass into the fetus, where they can persist for many years after birth. We investigated the presence of maternal cells in neonatal lupus syndrome (NLS), an autoimmune disease that develops in utero. The most serious complication of NLS is inflammation of the atrioventricular node leading to congenital heart block (CHB).

Purification and Characterization of an l-Amino Amidase from Mycobacterium neoaurum ATCC 25795.

An l-amino amidase from Mycobacterium neoaurum ATCC 25795 responsible for the enantioselective resolution of dl-alpha-methyl valine amide was purified and characterized. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration, and anion-exchange chromatography, which resulted in a homogeneous preparation of the enzyme with a native molecular mass of 136 kDa and a subunit molecular mass of 40 kDa. The purified enzyme displayed the highest activity at 50 degrees C and at pH 8.