Spinocerebellar ataxia in the Italian Spinone dog is associated with an intronic GAA repeat expansion in ITPR1.

Spinocerebellar ataxia in the Italian Spinone dog breed is characterised by a progressive gait abnormality that manifests from approximately 4 months of age. The disorder shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance, and affected individuals are usually euthanized by one year of age on welfare grounds due to an inability to ambulate. Using a homozygosity mapping technique with six cases and six controls, we mapped the disease locus to chromosome 20 of the canine genome.

Psychological factors and personality traits associated with patients in chronic foot and ankle pain.

Background: The impact of psychosocial factors and personality traits in chronic pain is well established. However, there has been limited literature analyzing the influence of psychological issues in chronic foot and ankle pain. The aim of our study was to identify the association of certain psychosocial factors and personality traits in individuals with chronic painful foot and ankle disorders.

β-Amylase1 and β-amylase3 are plastidic starch hydrolases in Arabidopsis That Seem to Be Adapted for Different Thermal, pH, and stress conditions.

Starch degradation in chloroplasts requires β-amylase (BAM) activity, which is encoded by a multigene family. Of nine Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) BAM genes, six encode plastidic enzymes, but only four of these are catalytically active. In vegetative plants, BAM1 acts during the day in guard cells, whereas BAM3 is the dominant activity in mesophyll cells at night.

High secondary aerosol contribution to particulate pollution during haze events in China.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in developing countries has led to an increase in air pollution, along a similar trajectory to that previously experienced by the developed nations. In China, particulate pollution is a serious environmental problem that is influencing air quality, regional and global climates, and human health. In response to the extremely severe and persistent haze pollution experienced by about 800 million people during the first quarter of 2013 (refs 4, 5), the Chinese State Council announced its aim to reduce concentrations of PM2.

Regression of a paraganglioma tumor of the orbit.

Purpose: To describe a clinical case of an orbital paraganglioma that displayed regression after biopsy alone.

Methods: Case report.

Results: A 75-year-old female was examined for a right orbital tumor suspected to be metastatic breast carcinoma.

Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in American Brussels Griffon dogs.

Background: Although Chiari-like malformation (CM) and syringomyelia (SM) have been described in many small breed dogs, the prevalence and clinical manifestations of this complex have not been documented in a large cohort of American Brussels Griffon (ABG) dogs.

Objectives: To characterize the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of CM and SM in the ABG breed.

Animals: Eighty-four American Kennel Club registered ABG dogs were recruited.

Restless legs syndrome and central nervous system gamma-aminobutyric acid: preliminary associations with periodic limb movements in sleep and restless leg syndrome symptom severity.

Background: Previous research has demonstrated abnormalities in glutamate and N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) in the thalamus in individuals with restless legs syndrome (RLS) compared with healthy matched controls. However, levels of these transmitters in other RLS-related brain areas and levels of the most common inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), have not been assessed.

Methods: This study examined GABA, glutamate, and NAA levels in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), thalamus and cerebellum with the use of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) at 4 tesla (4 T) and Megapress difference-editing in 18 subjects with RLS and a matched control group without RLS.

Adolescents' and young adults' perspectives on their emergency care.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of adolescents and young adults seen in the emergency department (ED) on the optimal age for transition from a pediatric ED (PED) to an adult ED (AED) as well as the appropriateness of their assigned ED site. Secondary aims were to determine ED physicians' understanding and assessment of their psychosocial needs, to determine whether subjects had a primary care provider (PCP), as well as to identify resources they felt would improve their ED experience.

Methods: This study used in-person structured interviews on a convenience sample of ED patients aged 15 to 25 years.

Ischemic stroke in Greyhounds: 21 cases (2007-2013).

Objective: To determine the prevalence of ischemic stroke in Greyhounds and determine whether affected dogs had coagulation abnormalities and hypertension.

Design: Multi-institutional, retrospective study.

Animals: 21 dogs.

Comparison of analytical and numerical analysis of the reference region model for DCE-MRI.

This study compared three methods for analyzing DCE-MRI data with a reference region (RR) model: a linear least-square fitting with numerical analysis (LLSQ-N), a nonlinear least-square fitting with numerical analysis (NLSQ-N), and an analytical analysis (NLSQ-A). The accuracy and precision of estimating the pharmacokinetic parameter ratios KR and VR, where KR is defined as a ratio between the two volume transfer constants, K(trans,TOI) and K(trans,RR), and VR is the ratio between the two extracellular extravascular volumes, ve,TOI and ve,RR, were assessed using simulations under various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and temporal resolutions (4, 6, 30, and 60s). When no noise was added, the simulations showed that the mean percent error (MPE) for the estimated KR and VR using the LLSQ-N and NLSQ-N methods ranged from 1.

Equity impact of European individual-level smoking cessation interventions to reduce smoking in adults: a systematic review.

Background: Smoking is the leading cause of health inequalities in Europe. Adults from lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit than adults from higher SES groups. Smoking cessation support is an important element of tobacco control; however, the equity impact of individual-level cessation support is uncertain.

Equity impact of interventions and policies to reduce smoking in youth: systematic review.

Objective: A systematic review to assess the equity impact of interventions/policies on youth smoking.

Data Sources: Biosis, Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Conference Proceedings Citation Index, Embase, Eric, Medline, Psycinfo, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index and tobacco control experts. Published January 1995 to October 2013.

Apparent life-threatening events in children: practical evaluation and management.

Apparent life-threatening events account for 0.6% to 0.8% of all emergency department visits for children aged < 1 year.

Two-stroke scooters are a dominant source of air pollution in many cities.

Fossil fuel-powered vehicles emit significant particulate matter, for example, black carbon and primary organic aerosol, and produce secondary organic aerosol. Here we quantify secondary organic aerosol production from two-stroke scooters. Cars and trucks, particularly diesel vehicles, are thought to be the main vehicular pollution sources.

Prognostic value of early magnetic resonance imaging in dogs after traumatic brain injury: 50 cases.

Background: The prognostic value of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in dogs after traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains unclear.

Objectives: Determine whether MRI findings are associated with prognosis after TBI in dogs.

Animals: Fifty client-owned dogs.

Extramedullary spinal cysts in dogs.

Objective: To (1) synthesize the terminology used to classify extramedullary spinal cysts in dogs to clarify some of the commonly reported misconceptions, and (2) propose a classification scheme to limit confusion with terminology.

Study Design: Literature review.

Methods: An online bibliographic search was performed in January 2013 for articles relating to extramedullary spinal cysts in dogs using PubMed (http://www.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) study identifies novel genomic regions associated to Chiari-like malformation in Griffon Bruxellois dogs.

Chiari-like malformation (CM) is a developmental abnormality of the craniocervical junction that is common in the Griffon Bruxellois (GB) breed with an estimated prevalence of 65%. This disease is characterized by overcrowding of the neural parenchyma at the craniocervical junction and disturbance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow. The most common clinical sign is pain either as a direct consequence of CM or neuropathic pain as a consequence of secondary syringomyelia.

Equity impact of population-level interventions and policies to reduce smoking in adults: a systematic review.

Background And Aims: There is strong evidence about which tobacco control policies reduce smoking. However, their equity impact is uncertain. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of population-level interventions/policies to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in adult smoking.

Development and characterization of a Yucatan miniature biomedical pig permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model.

Background: Efforts to develop stroke treatments have met with limited success despite an intense need to produce novel treatments. The failed translation of many of these therapies in clinical trials has lead to a close examination of the therapeutic development process. One of the major factors believed to be limiting effective screening of these treatments is the absence of an animal model more predictive of human responses to treatments.

Proton-bound dimers of nitrogen heterocyclic molecules: substituent effects on the structures and binding energies of homodimers of diazine, triazine, and fluoropyridine.

The bonding energies of proton-bound homodimers BH(+)B were measured by ion mobility equilibrium studies and calculated at the DFT B3LYP/6-311++G** level, for a series of nitrogen heterocyclic molecules (B) with electron-withdrawing in-ring N and on-ring F substituents. The binding energies (ΔH°(dissoc)) of the proton-bound dimers (BH(+)B) vary significantly, from 29.7 to 18.

Could failure of the spring ligament complex be the driving force behind the development of the adult flatfoot deformity?

We conducted an investigation into the relative associations of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-defined pathologic features of the spring ligament and/or tibialis posterior tendon with radiographic evidence of a planovalgus foot position. A total of 161 patient images (MRI and plain radiographs) obtained from the foot and ankle clinic (2008 to 2011) were retrospectively reviewed. All 161 patients (64 male and 97 female; mean age 45.

Quantitative analysis of Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia in the Griffon Bruxellois dog.

This study aimed to develop a system of quantitative analysis of canine Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia on variable quality MRI. We made a series of measurements from magnetic resonance DICOM images from Griffon Bruxellois dogs with and without Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia and identified several significant variables. We found that in the Griffon Bruxellois dog, Chiari-like malformation is characterized by an apparent shortening of the entire cranial base and possibly by increased proximity of the atlas to the occiput.