Prevalence of zinc deficiency in junior high school students of Tehran City

Zinc deficiency is a health problem in many communities especially among adolescents because of pubertal growth sprout. This investigation was carried out to determine the epidemiology of zinc deficiency in junior high school students in Tehran City in 1997. This cross-sectional study was performed on 881 students (452 males and 429 females) with the mean age of 13.2±1.0 yr, who were selected by multistage random sampling method. Plasma, erythrocyte, and hair zinc levels were assayed by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Anthropometric and demographic characteristics were measured and recorded on a questionnaire. Dietary intakes were evaluated by a 24-h recall method. Zinc deficiency was defined as having at least two indices from indices of erythrocyte, plasma, and hair zinc below 10 μg/mL, 100 μg/dL, and 125 μg/g of hair, respectively. The results showed that zinc deficiency prevalence was 31.1% (confidence interval: 28–34.4%). Zinc deficiency was 65%, 49%, and 1.3% based on plasma, erythrocyte, and hair zinc levels, respectively. The mean ± SD for plasma, erythrocyte, and hair zinc concentration, height-for-age, as well as weight-for-age Z scores were 95.2±17.7 μg/dL, 10.3±2.3 μg/mL, 239.4±54.4 μg/g, −0.40±0.92, and 0.12±0.91, respectively. As for dietary intake compared with the RDA, 50% of the subjects consumed less than 50% of their requirement for zinc RDA based on a 24-h dietary recall. Zinc intake in subjects was 7.5±3.7 μg, that in boys was higher than in girls. Correlation coefficients between zinc status indices were very weak. There was neither a linear nor nonlinear relationship between biochemical parameters and nutritional zinc intake. It is concluded that almost one-third to one-half of the subjects would be considered zinc deficient.     

The relationship between airborne pollen and fungal spore concentrations and seasonal pollen allergy symptoms in Cracow in 1997–1999

The investigation of airborne pollen and fungalspore concentrations was carried out in Cracowbetween 1997–1999. For this study thevolumetric method has been employed (Burkard).At the same time the clinical diagnosis ofpollen allergy in 40 patients was obtained onthe basis of an interview, positive skin pricktests with pollen extracts and increasedspecific IgE level. An increase in seasonalallergy symptoms in all patients occurred fromthe middle of May to the middle of August.Eighty eight percent of the patients (35 out of40) were sensitive to Poaceae pollen and about50% of them were additionally sensitive totree and herb pollen excluding grasses. Forpatients with additional allergy to tree pollenthe seasonal symptoms started at the end ofMarch (Betula) while for patients withadditional allergy to herb pollen it wasextended to the middle of September (Artemisia).Five people out of 40 revealed positive skinreactions to Alternaria spores and anincrease in specific IgE level. Positive skinreaction to Cladosporium spores with noincrease in specific IgE level occurred in 2patients. The increase in seasonal allergysymptoms in people sensitive to Alternariaspores noted in July and August could becaused not only by these spores but also byPoaceae pollen.     

Performance evaluation of a new algorithm for the detection of remote homologs with sequence comparison

A detailed analysis of the performance of hybrid, a new sequence alignment algorithm developed by Yu and coworkers that combines Smith Waterman local dynamic programming with a local version of the maximum-likelihood approach, was made to access the applicability of this algorithm to the detection of distant homologs by sequence comparison. We analyzed the statistics of hybrid with a set of nonhomologous protein sequences from the SCOP database and found that the statistics of the scores from hybrid algorithm follows an Extreme Value Distribution with lambda approximately 1, as previously shown by Yu et al. for the case of artificially generated sequences. Local dynamic programming was compared to the hybrid algorithm by using two different test data sets of distant homologs from the PFAM and COGs protein sequence databases. The studies were made with several score functions in current use including OPTIMA, a new score function originally developed to detect remote homologs with the Smith Waterman algorithm. We found OPTIMA to be the best score function for both both dynamic programming and the hybrid algorithms. The ability of dynamic programming to discriminate between homologs and nonhomologs in the two sets of distantly related sequences is slightly better than that of hybrid algorithm. The advantage of producing accurate score statistics with only a few simulations may overcome the small differences in performance and make this new algorithm suitable for detection of homologs in conjunction with a wide range of score functions and gap penalties.     

A retrospective assessment of the accuracy of the paternity inference program CERVUS

CERVUS is a Windows-based software package written to infer paternity in natural populations. It offers advantages over exclusionary-based methods of paternity inference in that multiple nonexcluded males can be statistically distinguished, laboratory typing error is considered and statistical confidence is determined for assigned paternities through simulation. In this study we use a panel of 84 microsatellite markers to retrospectively determine the accuracy of statistical confidence when CERVUS was used to infer paternity in a population of red deer (Cervus elaphus). The actual confidence of CERVUS-assigned paternities was not significantly different from that predicted by simulation.     

The impact of restrictive entry criterion during the placebo lead-in period

In the study of depression, most randomized clinical trials have design features that attempt to sample from a stable patient population. One commonly used design feature is to require patients to maintain some minimum baseline symptom severity score during a placebo lead-in period. One intent of this design feature is to evaluate the behavior of patients prior to administration of active medication. If, during the lead-in period, patients do not maintain minimum symptom severity, the patients are excluded from the remainder of the study, the theory being that the excluded patients are not part of a stable patient population and hence are not likely to demonstrate efficacy of a truly effective treatment. This presentation investigates the effectiveness of a restrictive entry criterion and proposes an alternative explanation for what is usually defined as placebo response.     

Bayesian analysis for nonlinear regression model under skewed errors,with application in growth curves

We have considered a Bayesian approach for the nonlinear regression model by replacing the normal distribution on the error term by some skewed distributions, which account for both skewness and heavy tails or skewness alone. The type of data considered in this paper concerns repeated measurements taken in time on a set of individuals. Such multiple observations on the same individual generally produce serially correlated outcomes. Thus, additionally, our model does allow for a correlation between observations made from the same individual. We have illustrated the procedure using a data set to study the growth curves of a clinic measurement of a group of pregnant women from an obstetrics clinic in Santiago, Chile. Parameter estimation and prediction were carried out using appropriate posterior simulation schemes based in Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Besides the deviance information criterion (DIC) and the conditional predictive ordinate (CPO), we suggest the use of proper scoring rules based on the posterior predictive distribution for comparing models. For our data set, all these criteria chose the skew‐t model as the best model for the errors. These DIC and CPO criteria are also validated, for the model proposed here, through a simulation study. As a conclusion of this study, the DIC criterion is not trustful for this kind of complex model.     

脑弥漫性轴索损伤的MRI征象及与GCS计分及预后的关系

目的：探讨脑弥漫性轴索损伤（DAI）的磁共振成像（MRI）征象及其与格拉斯哥昏迷量表评分（GCS）计分和预后的关系。方 法：回顾性分析2012 年1 月-2014 年7 月我院收集的30 例DAI 患者的临床病历资料,根据病灶累及部位分析其与GCS 计分和 临床预后的关系。结果：30 例患者共53 个病灶,17例多发病灶,13 例单发病灶;42 个病灶T1WI显示出低信号或者是等信号,11 个病灶T1WI显示为高信号;T2WI显示为高信号,FLAIR 序列以及弥散加权像（DWI）上表现出的信号更高,范围更清晰;病灶形 态呈条索状27 例,斑片状11 例,卵圆形8 例,不规则斑点状7 例;病灶未累及脑中线部位的患者临床预后优于病灶累及脑中线 部位的患者,差异有统计学意义（Z=-2.636,P=0.008）,病灶累及脑中线部位的患者GCS 计分情况比未累及组严重,计分更低,差 异有统计学意义（Z=-2.519,P=0.012）。结论：DAI病灶累及脑中线部位的患者GCS计分较低、预后差,MRI检查是诊断DAI 首选 的影像学方法,临床有重要的参考价值。     

Chronic L‐DOPA induces hyperactivity,normalization of gait and dyskinetic behavior in MitoPark mice

Dopamine (DA) replacement therapy continues to be the gold standard treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), as it improves key motor symptoms including bradykinesia and gait disturbances. With time, treatment induces side effects in the majority of patients, known as L‐DOPA‐induced dyskinesia (LID), which are often studied in animals by the use of unilateral, toxin‐induced rodent models. In this study, we used the progressive, genetic PD model MitoPark to specifically evaluate bilateral changes in motor behavior following long‐term L‐DOPA treatment at three different stages of striatal DA depletion. Besides locomotor activity, we assessed changes in gait with two automated gait analysis systems and the development of dyskinetic behavior. Long‐term treatment with a moderate, clinically relevant dose of L‐DOPA (8 mg/kg) gradually produced age‐dependent hyperactivity in MitoPark mice. In voluntary and forced gait analyses, we show that MitoPark mice with severe DA depletion have distinct gait characteristics, which are normalized to control levels following long‐term L‐DOPA treatment. The cylinder test showed an age‐dependent and gradual development of bilateral LID. Significant increase in striatal FosB and prodynorphin expression was found to accompany the behavior changes. Taken together, we report that MitoPark mice model both behavioral and biochemical characteristics of long‐term L‐DOPA treatment in PD patients and provide a novel, consistent and progressive animal model of dyskinesia to aid in the discovery and evaluation of better treatment options to counteract LID.     

Neurotropic and neuroprotective activities of the earthworm peptide Lumbricusin

We recently isolated a polypeptide from the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris that is structurally similar to defensin, a well-known antibacterial peptide. An 11-mer antibacterial peptide (NH₂-RNRRWCIDQQA), designated Lumbricusin, was synthesized based on the amino acid sequence of the isolated polypeptide. Since we previously reported that CopA3, a dung beetle peptide, enhanced neuronal cell proliferation, we here examined whether Lumbricusin exerted neurotropic and/or neuroprotective effects. Lumbricusin treatment induced a time-dependent increase (∼51%) in the proliferation of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Lumbricusin also significantly inhibited the apoptosis and decreased viability induced by treatment with 6-hydroxy dopamine, a Parkinson’s disease-mimicking agent. Immunoblot analyses revealed that Lumbricusin treatment increased ubiquitination of p27^Kip1 protein, a negative regulator of cell-cycle progression, in SH-SY5Y cells, and markedly promoted its degradation. Notably, adenoviral-mediated over-expression of p27^Kip1 significantly blocked the antiapoptotic effect of Lumbricusin in 6-hydroxy dopamine-treated SH-SY5Y cells. These results suggest that promotion of p27^Kip1 degradation may be the main mechanism underlying the neuroprotective and neurotropic effects of Lumbricusin.