A Contingent Valuation Study for Use in Valuing Public Goods with Health Externalities: The Case of Street Pianos.

Background: Clinical healthcare is not the only way to improve an individual's health. Community-based interventions can have health and wellbeing impacts as well; however, the nature of these interventions, which have public good characteristics, poses challenges for the typical ways in which we value outcomes for use in (health) economic evaluations. The approaches to valuation of these type of interventions should allow for the incorporation of all types of values including option value, externalities and individual use-value.

A Modular 512-Channel Neural Signal Acquisition ASIC for High-Density 4096 Channel Electrophysiology.

The complexity of information processing in the brain requires the development of technologies that can provide spatial and temporal resolution by means of dense electrode arrays paired with high-channel-count signal acquisition electronics. In this work, we present an ultra-low noise modular 512-channel neural recording circuit that is scalable to up to 4096 simultaneously recording channels. The neural readout application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) uses a dense 8.

Effectiveness of a web-based group intervention for internet addiction in university students.

The phenomenon of Internet addiction has been systematically addressed with numerous studies highlighting its association with deficits in self-regulation. Despite the extensive literature elucidating the adverse effects of Internet addiction on university students, the availability of relevant interventions has remained constrained. The current study aimed at evaluating a web-based, group intervention, which aimed to prevent Internet addiction and enhance self-regulation.

Efficacy of remote ischaemic preconditioning on outcomes following non-cardiac non-vascular surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) has been investigated as a simple intervention to potentially mitigate the ischaemic effect of the surgical insult and reduce postoperative morbidity. This review systematically evaluates the effect of RIPC on morbidity, including duration of hospital stay and parameters reflective of cardiac, renal, respiratory, and hepatic dysfunction following non-cardiac non-vascular (NCNV) surgery.

Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from their inception date to November 2021.

Remote Ischaemic Preconditioning in Intra-Abdominal Cancer Surgery (RIPCa): A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.

There is limited evidence on the effect of remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) following non-cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of RIPC on morbidity following intra-abdominal cancer surgery. We conducted a double blinded pilot randomised controlled trial that included 47 patients undergoing surgery for gynaecological, pancreatic and colorectal malignancies.

The heat shock response, determined by QuantiGene multiplex, is impaired in HD mouse models and not caused by HSF1 reduction.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder, caused by a CAG/polyglutamine repeat expansion, that results in the aggregation of the huntingtin protein, culminating in the deposition of inclusion bodies in HD patient brains. We have previously shown that the heat shock response becomes impaired with disease progression in mouse models of HD. The disruption of this inducible arm of the proteostasis network is likely to exacerbate the pathogenesis of this protein-folding disease.

Extensive Expression Analysis of Htt Transcripts in Brain Regions from the zQ175 HD Mouse Model Using a QuantiGene Multiplex Assay.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion within exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HTT mRNA contains 67 exons and does not always splice between exon 1 and exon 2 leading to the production of a small polyadenylated HTTexon1 transcript, and the full-length HTT mRNA has three 3'UTR isoforms. We have developed a QuantiGene multiplex panel for the simultaneous detection of all of these mouse Htt transcripts directly from tissue lysates and demonstrate that this can replace the more work-intensive Taqman qPCR assays.

Methanotrophic contribution to biodegradation of phenoxy acids in cultures enriched from a groundwater-fed rapid sand filter.

Drinking water supply is in many parts of the world based on groundwater. Groundwater often contains methane, which can be oxidized by methanotrophs upon aeration. Sand from rapid sand filters fed with methane-rich groundwater can remove some pesticides (Hedegaard and Albrechtsen in Water Res 48:71-81, 2014).

Cardiac myocyte miR-29 promotes pathological remodeling of the heart by activating Wnt signaling.

Chronic cardiac stress induces pathologic hypertrophy and fibrosis of the myocardium. The microRNA-29 (miR-29) family has been found to prevent excess collagen expression in various organs, particularly through its function in fibroblasts. Here, we show that miR-29 promotes pathologic hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes and overall cardiac dysfunction.

The Place and the Role of Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Thymic Carcinoma.

Thymic carcinomas arise from the epithelial cells of the thymus gland and are the most common tumors of the anterior mediastinum despite their overall rarity. Because of their rarity, their treatment remains a challenging topic. Although historically they have been treated surgically, radiation therapy (RT) has an important role either as a definitive or as a postoperative treatment.

Disruption to schizophrenia-associated gene Fez1 in the hippocampus of HDAC11 knockout mice.

Histone Deacetylase 11 (HDAC11) is highly expressed in the central nervous system where it has been reported to have roles in neural differentiation. In contrast with previous studies showing nuclear and cytoplasmic localisation, we observed synaptic enrichment of HDAC11. Knockout mouse models for HDACs 1-9 have been important for guiding the development of isoform specific HDAC inhibitors as effective therapeutics.

The microRNA-29 Family Dictates the Balance Between Homeostatic and Pathological Glucose Handling in Diabetes and Obesity.

The microRNA-29 (miR-29) family is among the most abundantly expressed microRNA in the pancreas and liver. Here, we investigated the function of miR-29 in glucose regulation using miR-29a/b-1 (miR-29a)-deficient mice and newly generated miR-29b-2/c (miR-29c)-deficient mice. We observed multiple independent functions of the miR-29 family, which can be segregated into a hierarchical physiologic regulation of glucose handling.

Synthesis, structure and biological activity of nickel(II) complexes with mefenamato and nitrogen-donor ligands.

Six novel nickel(II) complexes with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug mefenamic acid (Hmef) with the nitrogen-donor heterocyclic ligands 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy), 2,2'-bipyridylamine (bipyam), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,2'-dipyridylketone oxime (Hpko) or pyridine (py) and/or the oxygen-donor ligands CH3OH or H2O were synthesized and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structures of [Ni(mef-O)2(bipy)(CH3OH)2] (1), [Ni(mef-O)2(phen)(CH3OH)2] (2), [Ni(mef-O,O')2(bipyam)] (3) and [Ni(mef-O)2(Hpko)2]∙CH3OH (4·CH3OH) were determined by X-ray crystallography. The ability of the complexes to scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and hydroxyl radicals was investigated and the in vitro inhibitory activity against soybean lipoxygenase was evaluated; complexes 3 and 4 were the most active compounds.

Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus: anesthesia and glycine receptor antibodies.

Progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM) is a rare autoimmune neurological condition. Antibodies targeting glycine receptors (GlyR) have been implicated in PERM. Because GlyR activity is enhanced by inhaled anesthetic drugs at clinically relevant concentrations, there is a theoretical possibility that these drugs may be less effective in the presence of GlyR antibodies.

Alteration of the microRNA network during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

An overview of miRNAs altered in Alzheimer's disease (AD) was established by profiling the hippocampus of a cohort of 41 late-onset AD (LOAD) patients and 23 controls, showing deregulation of 35 miRNAs. Profiling of miRNAs in the prefrontal cortex of a second independent cohort of 49 patients grouped by Braak stages revealed 41 deregulated miRNAs. We focused on miR-132-3p which is strongly altered in both brain areas.

Postoperative pelvic hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy with cytoprotection (HypoARC) for high-risk or recurrent prostate cancer.

Aim: We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of postoperative hypofractionated and accelerated radiotherapy supported with amifostine cytoprotection (HypoARC) in patients with high-risk or recurrent prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Fourty-eight patients were recruited (median follow-up=41 months; range=12-84 months). Twenty-one received HypoARC after surgery and 27 at biochemical relapse.

MicroRNA-29 in the adaptive immune system: setting the threshold.

Recent research into the role of microRNA (miR) in the immune system has identified the miR-29 family as critical regulators of key processes in adaptive immunity. The miR-29 family consists of four members with shared regulatory capacity, namely miR-29a, miR-29b-1, miR-29b-2 and miR-29c. Being expressed in both T and B cells, as well as the main accessory cell types of thymic epithelium and dendritic cells, the miR-29 family has been identified as a putative regulator of immunity due to the predicted suppression of key immunological pathways.

Dose escalation of amifostine for radioprotection during pelvic accelerated radiotherapy.

Objectives: Experimental data suggest a dose-dependent efficacy of amifostine so that the low overall doses used in clinical trials may have masked the full potential of the drug. In this study, we report our experience with the role of escalated doses of amifostine in the protection of pelvic tissues.

Methods: A total of 354 patients with pelvic carcinomas recruited in prospective protocols applying hypofractionated and accelerated radiotherapy (HypoARC) supported with escalated daily doses of amifostine (0, 500, 750, 1000 mg subcutaneously) were analyzed.

The use of dye surrogates to illustrate local anesthetic drug sequestration by lipid emulsion: a visual demonstration of the lipid sink effect.

Background And Objectives: We hypothesized that by substituting a dye surrogate in place of local anesthetic, we could visually demonstrate dye sequestration by lipid emulsion that would be dependent on both dye lipophilicity and the amount of lipid emulsion used.

Methods: We selected 2 lipophilic dyes, acid blue 25 and Victoria blue, with log P values comparable to lidocaine and bupivacaine, respectively. Each dye solution was mixed with combinations of lipid emulsion and water to emulate "lipid rescue" treatment at dye concentrations equivalent to fatal, cardiotoxic, and neurotoxic local anesthetic plasma concentrations.

The thymic epithelial microRNA network elevates the threshold for infection-associated thymic involution via miR-29a mediated suppression of the IFN-α receptor.

Thymic output is a dynamic process, with high activity at birth punctuated by transient periods of involution during infection. Interferon-α (IFN-α) is a critical molecular mediator of pathogen-induced thymic involution, yet despite the importance of thymic involution, relatively little is known about the molecular integrators that establish sensitivity. Here we found that the microRNA network dependent on the endoribonuclease Dicer, and specifically microRNA miR-29a, was critical for diminishing the sensitivity of the thymic epithelium to simulated infection signals, protecting the thymus against inappropriate involution.

Treatment of low-risk prostate cancer with radical hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy with cytoprotection (HypoARC): an interim analysis of toxicity and efficacy.

Aim: Radiobiological analysis of clinical data suggests that prostate cancer has a low α/β ratio, implying that large radiotherapy fractions may better control the disease. Acceleration of radiotherapy may be also of importance in a subset of tumors. In this study we assessed the feasibility and efficacy of a highly accelerated and hypofractionated scheme of radiotherapy (HypoARC), for the treatment of localized low risk prostate cancer.

Fast screening of perfluorooctane sulfonate in water using vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Fast screening of trace amounts of the perfluorooctane sulfonate anion (PFOS) in water samples was performed following a simple, fast and efficient sample preparation procedure based on vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction (VALLME) prior to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. VALLME initially uses vortex agitation, a mild emulsification procedure to disperse microvolumes of octanol, a low density extractant solvent, in the aqueous sample. Microextraction under equilibrium conditions is thus achieved within few minutes.

Tracheal cancer treated with a short course of external and endoluminal radio-chemotherapy combined with cetuximab - a case report.

Primary tumors of the trachea are rare. Such cases are presented with acute respiratory distress demanding immediate therapeutic intervention. Herein, we present a case of an unresectable second primary tracheal cancer treated with intraluminal brachytherapy (8 Gy at 1 cm from catheter) followed by a short course of external beam hypofractionated radiotherapy (4.

Genetic ablation of Dicer in adult forebrain neurons results in abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation and neurodegeneration.

Type III RNase Dicer is responsible for the maturation and function of microRNA (miRNA) molecules in the cell. It is now well-documented that Dicer and the fine-tuning of the miRNA gene network are important for neuronal integrity. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in neuronal death, particularly in the adult brain, remain poorly defined.