Revisiting neurofibromatosis type 2 diagnostic criteria to exclude LZTR1-related schwannomatosis.

Objective: To determine the specificity of the current clinical diagnostic criteria for neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) relative to the requirement for unilateral vestibular schwannoma (VS) and at least 2 other NF2-related tumors.

Methods: We interrogated our Manchester NF2 database, which contained 205 individuals meeting NF2 criteria who initially presented with a unilateral VS. Of these, 83 (40.

Heatwave and risk of hospitalization: A multi-province study in Vietnam.

The effects of heatwaves on morbidity in developing and tropical countries have not been well explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between heatwaves and hospitalization and the potential influence of socio-economic factors on this relationship in Vietnam. Generalized Linear Models (GLM) with Poisson family and Distributed Lag Models (DLM) were applied to evaluate the effect of heatwaves for each province (province-level effect).

evaluation of riboflavin receptor targeted fluorescent USPIO in mice with prostate cancer xenografts.

Unlabelled: Riboflavin (Rf) receptors bind and translocate Rf and its phosphorylated forms (e.g. flavin mononucleotide, FMN) into cells where they mediate various cellular metabolic pathways.

Timely antiretroviral prophylaxis during pregnancy effectively reduces HIV mother-to-child transmission in eight counties in China: a prospective study during 2004-2011.

This study investigates the improvement of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in China during 2004-2011. A clinic-based prospective study was conducted among HIV-positive pregnant women and their children in eight counties across China. Associated factors of mother-to-child transmission were analyzed using regression analysis.

Outcomes of cochlear implantation in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2.

In neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS) or their treatment usually results in bilateral hearing loss. Cochlear implantation (CI) was traditionally not used in these patients due to concern that retrocochlear disease would render the implant ineffective. This paper describes the auditory outcomes of CI in 13 patients with NF2 and includes patients with untreated VS and patients undergoing VS removal with cochlear nerve preservation.

Crystal structure of Clostridium difficile toxin A.

Clostridium difficile infection is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis. Disease is mediated by the actions of two toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which cause the diarrhoea, as well as inflammation and necrosis within the colon. The toxins are large (308 and 270 kDa, respectively), homologous (47% amino acid identity) glucosyltransferases that target small GTPases within the host.

Tempo-Spatial Variations of Ambient Ozone-Mortality Associations in the USA: Results from the NMMAPS Data.

Although the health effects of ambient ozone have been widely assessed, their tempo-spatial variations remain unclear. We selected 20 communities (ten each from southern and northern USA) based on the US National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study (NMMAPS) dataset. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to estimate the season-specific association between each 10 ppb (lag0-2 day average) increment in daily 8 h maximum ozone concentration and mortality in every community.

Auditory Brainstem Implantation in Neurofibromatosis Type 2: Experience From the Manchester Programme.

Objective: To describe the experience of auditory brainstem implantation (ABI) in patients with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2).

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Tertiary referral centre.

Crystal structure of toxin A.

infection is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis. Disease is mediated by the actions of two toxins, TcdA and TcdB, which cause the diarrhoea, as well as inflammation and necrosis within the colon. The toxins are large (308 and 270 kDa, respectively), homologous (47% amino acid identity) glucosyltransferases that target small GTPases within the host.

Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CaPNoN): an unusual cause of third nerve palsy in a teenager.

An 18-year-old part-time teacher presented with headache and diplopia. Physical examination showed partial left oculomotor palsy. Neurology examination was otherwise unremarkable.

Therapeutic implication of concomitant chromosomal aberrations in patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas.

A subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) harbors concomitant rearrangements of MYC, BCL2 and BCL6 and is characterized by clinical aggressiveness and intrinsic refractoriness to standard chemo-immunotherapy. Commonly identified as "double or triple hit" lymphomas, these diseases represent a therapeutic challenge to chemotherapy-based regimens and likely require a more targeted approach. Herein we summarize the unique biological behavior of double and triple hit lymphomas focusing on the coordinated network of pathways that enable cancer cells to tolerate the oncogenic stress imposed by the co-expression of MYC, BCL2 and BCL6.

A climate-based prediction model in the high-risk clusters of the Mekong Delta region, Vietnam: towards improving dengue prevention and control.

Objective: To develop a prediction score scheme useful for prevention practitioners and authorities to implement dengue preparedness and controls in the Mekong Delta region (MDR).

Methods: We applied a spatial scan statistic to identify high-risk dengue clusters in the MDR and used generalised linear-distributed lag models to examine climate-dengue associations using dengue case records and meteorological data from 2003 to 2013. The significant predictors were collapsed into categorical scales, and the β-coefficients of predictors were converted to prediction scores.

A Nonoligomerizing Mutant Form of Helicobacter pylori VacA Allows Structural Analysis of the p33 Domain.

Helicobacter pylori secretes a pore-forming VacA toxin that has structural features and activities substantially different from those of other known bacterial toxins. VacA can assemble into multiple types of water-soluble flower-shaped oligomeric structures, and most VacA activities are dependent on its capacity to oligomerize. The 88-kDa secreted VacA protein can undergo limited proteolysis to yield two domains, designated p33 and p55.

Source and risk factors of a cutaneous anthrax outbreak, Jiangsu, Eastern China, 2012.

Anthrax is still a severe public health problem and threat to human health. A cutaneous anthrax outbreak occurred in Jiangsu Province, a non-endemic anthrax region of eastern China, from July to August 2012. Epidemiological and laboratory investigation were initiated to trace the source of infection and identify the risk factors of the outbreak.

The washout effects of rainfall on atmospheric particulate pollution in two Chinese cities.

Though rainfall is recognized as one of the main mechanisms to reduce atmospheric particulate pollution, few studies have quantified this effect, particularly the corresponding lag effect and threshold. This study aimed to investigate the association between rainfall and air quality using a distributed lag non-linear model. Daily data on ambient PM2.

Characterizing a large outbreak of dengue fever in Guangdong Province, China.

Background: Dengue cases have been reported each year for the past 25 years in Guangdong Province, China with a recorded historical peak in 2014. This study aims to describe the epidemiological characteristics of this large outbreak in order to better understand its epidemic factors and to inform control strategies.

Methods: Data for clinically diagnosed and laboratory-confirmed dengue fever cases in 2014 were extracted from the China Notifiable Infectious Disease Reporting System.

Drinking water contributes to high salt consumption in young adults in coastal Bangladesh.

Increasing salinity of freshwater from environmental and anthropogenic influences is threatening the health of 35 million inhabitants in coastal Bangladesh. Yet little is known about the characteristics of their exposure to salt (sodium), a major risk factor for hypertension and related chronic diseases. This research examined sodium consumption levels and associated factors in young adults.

The effect of drinking water salinity on blood pressure in young adults of coastal Bangladesh.

More than 35 million people in coastal Bangladesh are vulnerable to increasing freshwater salinization. This will continue to affect more people and to a greater extent as climate change projections are realised in this area in the future. However the evidence for health effects of consuming high salinity water is limited.

Drinking water salinity and risk of hypertension: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

We summarized epidemiological studies assessing sodium in drinking water and changes in blood pressure or hypertension published in English from 1960 to 2015 from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. We extracted data on blood pressure level or prevalence of hypertension and calculated pooled estimates using an inverse variance weighted random-effects model. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) in 7 studies (12 data sets) comparing the low and high water sodium exposure groups for systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 0.

High temperature and risk of hospitalizations, and effect modifying potential of socio-economic conditions: A multi-province study in the tropical Mekong Delta Region.

The Mekong Delta Region (MDR) in Vietnam is highly vulnerable to extreme weather related to climate change. However there have been hardly any studies on temperature-hospitalization relationships. The objectives of this study were to examine temperature-hospitalization relationship and to evaluate the effects of socio-economic factors on the risk of hospitalizations due to high temperature in the MDR.

Entamoeba Clone-Recognition Experiments: Morphometrics, Aggregative Behavior, and Cell-Signaling Characterization.

Studies on clone- and kin-discrimination in protists have proliferated during the past decade. We report clone-recognition experiments in seven Entamoeba lineages (E. invadens IP-1, E.

A Method and On-Line Tool for Maximum Likelihood Calibration of Immunoblots and Other Measurements That Are Quantified in Batches.

Experimental measurements require calibration to transform measured signals into physically meaningful values. The conventional approach has two steps: the experimenter deduces a conversion function using measurements on standards and then calibrates (or normalizes) measurements on unknown samples with this function. The deduction of the conversion function from only the standard measurements causes the results to be quite sensitive to experimental noise.

Ambient temperature and risk of cardiovascular hospitalization: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

The association between temperatures and risk of cardiovascular mortality has been recognized but the association drawn from previous meta-analysis was weak due to the lack of sufficient studies. This paper presented a review with updated reports in the literature about the risk of cardiovascular hospitalization in relation to different temperature exposures and examined the dose-response relationship of temperature-cardiovascular hospitalization by change in units of temperature, latitudes, and lag days. The pooled effect sizes were calculated for cold, heat, heatwave, and diurnal variation using random-effects meta-analysis, and the dose-response relationship of temperature-cardiovascular admission was modelled using random-effect meta-regression.

Intraoperative Supratentorial Extradural Hematoma Complicating Excision of a Giant Vestibular Schwannoma.

Background: A man developed a rare and unexpected contralateral intraoperative complication during a translabyrinthine resection of a large cystic vestibular schwannoma.

Case Description: A 29-year-old man presented with progressive, low-level right-sided tinnitus and hearing loss. Magnetic resonance imaging displayed a large multicystic lesion suggestive of a vestibular schwannoma extending into the right cerebellopontine angle and distorting the midbrain.