A 2-year longitudinal follow-up of quantitative assessment neck tics in Tourette's syndrome.

Background: Neck motor tics in Tourette's syndrome can cause severe neck complications. Although addressed in a few longitudinal studies, the clinical course of Tourette's syndrome has not been quantitatively assessed. We had previously developed a method for quantifying the angular movements of neck tics using a compact gyroscope.

Rotational plane-wise analysis of angular movement of neck motor tics in Tourette's syndrome.

Motor tics are sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic movements. There is a lack of quantitative assessment methods for the motor tics despite severe neck complications. We aimed to provide an improved quantitative method for neck tic assessment in motor tic disorders.

Correction: Cows painted with zebra-like striping can avoid biting fly attack.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Cows painted with zebra-like striping can avoid biting fly attack.

Experimental and comparative studies suggest that the striped coats of zebras can prevent biting fly attacks. Biting flies are serious pests of livestock that cause economic losses in animal production. We hypothesized that cows painted with black and white stripes on their body could avoid biting fly attacks and show fewer fly-repelling behaviors.

Total Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 19-Hydroxysarmentogenin-3 -O-α-l-rhamnoside, Trewianin, and Their Aglycons.

Cardenolides comprise an important family of natural steroids with a wide spectrum of biological activities. Although 19-hydroxysarmentogenin-3- O-α-l-rhamnoside (1a) and trewianin (1b) were structurally determined to have cardenolide structures, their biological activities have not been evaluated. The 6/6/6/5-membered ABCD-ring systems of both 1a and 1b are decorated by a β-oriented C17-butenolide, three C11,14,19-hydroxy groups, and a C3-O-l-rhamnoside moiety.

Identification of candidate genes involved in the etiology of sporadic Tourette syndrome by exome sequencing.

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by chronic motor and vocal tics. Although there is a large genetic contribution, the genetic architecture of TS remains unclear. Exome sequencing has successfully revealed the contribution of de novo mutations in sporadic cases with neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.

Time course of changes in antioxidant activity of milk from dairy cows fed a trehalose-supplemented diet.

This study was to investigate the time course of changes to the antioxidant activity of milk from cows fed a trehalose-supplemented diet, and to determine possible underlying mechanisms for observed changes. Six Holstein cows were used, and subjected to two experimental feeding periods consisting of a 1% trehalose-supplemented diet for 10 days, followed by a basal diet only (no trehalose) for 10 days. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities in milk were gradually increased during the trehalose supplementation period and were highest at the end of the second period.

Missense mutation with/without nonsense mutation of the p53 gene is associated with large cell morphology in human malignant lymphoma.

Mutations in p53 gene exons 5-9 were studied in 44 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) consisting of 35 B-NHL and 9 T-NHL. Missense mutations were found in two diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBL) and one peripheral T-cell lymphoma (unspecified). Double transversion missense and nonsense mutations were detected in one DLBL and one adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Age-related urinary excretion of BK polyomavirus by nonimmunocompromised individuals.

Two polyomaviruses, BK virus (BKV) and JC virus (JCV), are ubiquitous in the human population, generally infecting children asymptomatically and then persisting in renal tissue. It is generally thought that reactivation leads to productive infection for both viruses, with progeny shed in the urine. Several studies have shown that the rate of JC viruria increases with the age of the host, but a systematic approach to examine the shedding of BKV has not been developed.

Right bundle branch block in acute myocardial infarction treated by primary coronary angioplasty and stenting.

Patients with right bundle branch block (RBBB) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have a significantly higher mortality rate even with the advent of thrombolytic therapy. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting on the outcome of patients with RBBB in AMI. A total of 600 patients with AMI who underwent primary PTCA and stenting (rate: 61%) < 12 hours of onset were studied.

Coronary blood flow in evolving myocardial infarction preceded by preinfarction angina: a critical reevaluation of preconditioning effects in clinical cases.

This study was undertaken to reevaluate the protective effects of preinfarction (pre-MI) angina in acute MI. The mechanisms involved in the apparent protective effects of pre-MI angina have been presumed to be preconditioning effects as defined by experimental studies. The phenomenon, has not, however, been observed in diabetic and/or elderly patients or in those treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Bone marrow stimulation and left ventricular function in acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Experimental studies have demonstrated that bone marrow stem cells can migrate into peripheral blood and regenerate damaged myocardium.

Hypothesis: Bone marrow stimulation might improve myocardial functional recovery after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: In all, 104 consecutive patients with anterior wall AMI treated by primary coronary angioplasty and stenting within 12 h after onset, and who underwent left ventriculography on admission and 6 months after discharge, were studied.

Inhibition of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase by the extract of Stephania cephararantha HAYATA and bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid cycleanine, a major constituent.

The Stephania cephararantha HAYATA extract, and its constituent bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, such as cycleanine, cepharanthine, isotetrandrine, berbamine, homoaromoline, and cepharanoline were studied for effects on Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity. The S. cephararantha HAYATA extract inhibited Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity with an apparent IC(50) value of 540 microg/mL.

Clinical evaluation of coronary lesion characteristics in acute myocardial infarction.

Coronary lesion instability at the onset of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was evaluated. The mechanism of AMI has been considered to be coronary lesion instability with occlusive thrombus, although more than one half of AMI occurs in clinically stable patients. A total of 313 AMI patients treated by primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with provisional stenting (rate, 41%) were studied.

Prolongation of QT interval as a predictor of no-reflow induced by rotational atherectomy.

Although coronary rotational atherectomy (RA) is widely applied to clinical cases, the incidence of coronary no-reflow associated with it is higher than in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and stenting. This study was undertaken to predict no-reflow by using conventional electrocardiograms (ECGs). A total of 105 patients who underwent RA (group 1) and 40 who underwent PTCA (group 2) were studied.

Maintenance and characterization of an Epstein Barr virus-infected CD56-negative T cell lymphoma.

T cell lymphoma carrying Epstein Barr virus (EBV(+) TL) is very rare among Western countries while it is much more common among Japanese. Here we report an EBV(+) TL which has been maintained for years by the use of mice with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice. Lymphoma was obtained from a 55-year-old male suffering from oculomotor nerve palsy and lymphadenopathy.