The suitability of actigraphy,diary data,and urinary melatonin profiles for quantitative assessment of sleep disturbances in schizophrenia: A case report

Sleep disruption is a commonly encountered clinical feature in schizophrenic patients, and one important concern is to determine the extent of this disruption under “real” life situations. Simultaneous wrist actigraphy, diary records, and repeated urine collection for urinary 6‐sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) profiles are appropriate tools to assess circadian rhythms and sleep patterns in field studies. Their suitability for long‐term recordings of schizophrenic patients living in the community has not been evaluated. In this case report, we document long‐term simultaneous wrist actigraphy, light detection, repeated urine collection, and diary records as a suitable combination of non‐invasive techniques to quantify and assess changes in sleep‐wake cycles, light exposure, and melatonin profiles in a schizophrenic patient. The actigraph was well‐tolerated by the patient, and compliance to diary records and 48 h urine collection was particularly good with assistance from family members. The data obtained by these techniques are illustrated, and the results reveal remarkable abnormal patterns of rest‐activity patterns, light exposure, and melatonin production. We observed various rest‐activity patterns, including phase‐shifts, highly delayed sleep on‐ and offsets, and irregular rest‐activity phases. The period of the rest‐activity rhythm, light‐dark cycle, and melatonin rhythm was longer than 24 h. These circadian abnormalities may reinforce the altered sleep patterns and the problems of cognitive function and social engagement associated with schizophrenic.     

Benchmark dose profiles for joint‐action continuous data in quantitative risk assessment

Benchmark analysis is a widely used tool in biomedical and environmental risk assessment. Therein, estimation of minimum exposure levels, called benchmark doses (BMDs), that induce a prespecified benchmark response (BMR) is well understood for the case of an adverse response to a single stimulus. For cases where two agents are studied in tandem, however, the benchmark approach is far less developed. This paper demonstrates how the benchmark modeling paradigm can be expanded from the single‐agent setting to joint‐action, two‐agent studies. Focus is on continuous response outcomes. Extending the single‐exposure setting, representations of risk are based on a joint‐action dose–response model involving both agents. Based on such a model, the concept of a benchmark profile—a two‐dimensional analog of the single‐dose BMD at which both agents achieve the specified BMR—is defined for use in quantitative risk characterization and assessment.     

The analysis of a blood pressure diary for a patient report

In order to make a more valid assessment of blood pressure (BP), self-monitoring of BP by the patient is generally advised. Self-monitoring usually results in a lower BP level. We are currently investigating whether the BP lowering effect of self-monitoring may be enhanced by not only monitoring BP but also monitoring physical and emotional status at the moment of and activity prior to the BP measurement in a diary. In this article we focus on the individual feedback that the participating patients received. Various methods that can be used for this purpose are described. For our individual reports we first assessed linear trends in the variables. When a trend was present, residuals were calculated. Then a principal-components analysis on BP measurements, BP estimates, symptoms, moods, and activities was performed. Results are presented for two hypertensive patients.     

Parasitosis, dopaminergic modulation and metabolic disturbances in schizophrenia: evolution of a hypothesis

Recent meta-analyses have provided a comprehensive overview of studies investigating Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in schizophrenic patients, thus attempting to clarify the potential role these infections might play in causing schizophrenia. Issues for further research have been suggested. Associations and theories that may enrich the current level of knowledge with regard to this significant subject deserve attention. Anti-parasitic agents as well as antipsychotics are effective in treating parasitosis. Both classes of drugs have been shown to exert dopaminergic activity. Parasites and human organisms have a long history of mutual contact. The effect of parasitosis on the host and the host's response to infection are undoubtedly the product of a long evolutionary process. The neurochemical background of delusions of parasitosis is potentially similar to ancient evolutionary traces of altered neurotransmission and neuropeptide gene expression caused by parasites; these include fungal and viral infections. This is very unique in medicine if a class of drugs is effective in the treatment of an illness but also cures the delusion of the same disorder as well. Furthermore, metabolic disturbances such as hyperglycemia and insulin resistance were reported several decades before the antipsychotic era. Toxoplasmosis may also be linked to insulin resistance. Schizophrenia research can benefit from understanding this evolutionary link. New chemical entities that are liable to alter neurochemical changes related to the brain's perception of the risk of predation secondary to parasites may result in new approaches for the treatment of psychosis. These findings suggest that further research is needed to clarify this evolutionary link between parasite infection and delusions of parasitosis. We believe this model may well open up new avenues of research in the discovery of drugs to counteract schizophrenia.     

Gender and sleep in nightworkers: a quantitative analysis of sleep in days off

Differences in sleep patterns between workdays and days off contribute to shiftwork effects on workers' health and well-being. But regardless of shift schedules, female workers face more difficulties in fulfilling their sleep need because of housework. This study analyzes gender differences concerning sleep in days off by comparing sleep patterns in male and female nightworkers, analyzing sleep as related to the presence of children and testing the association of sleep features between workdays and days off. Male (n = 16) and female (n = 30) workers at a plastic plant, working from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., on weekdays, filled sleep logs for seven consecutive weeks. Male and female samples did not differ in length of night sleep or in total length of sleep. For both samples, sleep length/day in days off increased, but the difference was lager among females. Also important were the relations between sleep in workdays and days off, specially among women. Among female workers, the results indicated that workers with children tended to sleep less in Saturday mornings, suggesting a negative effect of motherhood on sleep not restricted to workdays. The general results indicate that sleep need on the one hand, and social factors on the other determine the actual amount of sleep.     

An unusual case report: Tinea capitis,verrucae vulgares and other infections in a girl with T and B cell disturbances

Hereby described is a case of a young girl suffering from widespread dermatophytosis caused byTrichophyton violaceum which proved intractable to accepted methods of therapy throughout a number of years. The girl was also found to have a history or recurrent respiratory tract infection and pyoderma in addition to verrucae vulgares, and Giardia lamblia in the gastrointestinal tract. Investigation revealed a marked immunological deficit seen in both the cellular and humoral system. It is suggested that in similar cases resistant to therapy it may be helpful to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the immunological system.     

Carcinoma of sigmoid colon following urinary diversion: a case report and review of literature

Background  

The association of ureterosigmoidostomy with colonic cancer is well established. A 100-fold increased risk of malignancy has been proposed in association with ureterosigmoidostomy. Characteristically there is a latent period of around 20–30 years before the occurrence of cancer.     

区域种植业气候适宜度及其对种植活动的响应——以四川省盐亭县为例

在分析盐亭县近63年来(1950—2012)种植业生产发展的基础上,选取该县农村社会经济条件相对稳定的近32年(1981—2012)为研究时段。运用农业生态气候适宜度方法,依据水稻、红薯、玉米、小麦和油菜等5种主要作物生育期的光、热、水等气候条件,分别估算各种作物的资源适宜指数、效能适宜指数和利用指数,构建小尺度区域种植业气候适宜度模型和种植活动对区域种植业气候适宜度的影响度模型,进行小尺度区域种植业气候适宜度以及种植活动对种植业气候适宜度的影响度估算,并对种植业生产对气候变化的适应进行探讨。研究结果表明,(1)近32年来盐亭县大春作物的平均资源适宜指数、效能适宜指数和利用指数(分别为0.578、0.281和48.37%)均大于小春作物(分别为0.304、0.128和42.24%),大春作物的气候适宜度高于小春作物,且作物间的气候适宜度差异较大。(2)受季风气候波动的影响,该县作物气候适宜度有明显的年际波动;该县近32年来气候变化对大春作物气候适宜度有轻微不利影响,而对小春作物气候适宜度趋于有利。(3)盐亭县近32年来种植业平均的资源适宜指数为0.466、效能适宜指数为0.212、利用指数为45.49%;受5种作物资源适宜指数、效能适宜指数,以及作物播种面积与产量年际波动的综合影响,该县种植业气候适宜度亦有明显的年际波动;气候变化对该县种植业气候适宜度总体上有不利影响。(4)近32年来该县种植活动对种植业气候适宜度的影响度平均值为0.00092,其年际波动较大。通过作物种植组合结构的调整,在20世纪90年代中期前对种植业气候适宜度的提高有微弱的正向影响,对气候变化有一定程度的适应;而后期则有负向作用。     

Simultaneous sleep study and nasoendoscopic investigation in a patient with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome refractory to continuous positive airway pressure: a case report

Introduction

There seem to be no published data concerning the clinical impact of populations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the hepatic and extrahepatic compartments of HIV-infected people with severe acute hepatitis.

Case presentation

A 26-year-old Caucasian man presenting to our hospital with clinical symptoms suggesting acute hepatitis was found to have an acute hepatitis B profile upon admission. He developed fatal fulminant hepatitis and was found to be heavily immunocompromised due to HIV-1 infection. He had a high plasma HBV and HIV load, and analysis of the partial pre-S1/pre-S2 domain showed the presence of mixed infection with D and F genotypes. Analysis of the point mutations within this region revealed the presence of HBV strains with amino acid substitutions at the immunodominant epitopes involved in B or T cell recognition. A homogeneous population of a pre-core mutant strain harbouring the A1896G and A1899G affecting HBeAg expression was invariably found in the liver tissue, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells despite active HBeAg secretion; it was the dominant strain in the liver only, and was characterised by the presence of two point mutations in the direct repeat 1 domain involved in HBV replication activity. Taken together, these mutations are indicative of a highly replicative virus capable of evading immune responses.

Conclusion

This case report provides clinical evidence of a possible association between the rapid spread of highly replicative escape mutants and the development of fulminant hepatitis in a heavily immunocompromised patient. Virological surveillance of severe acute hepatitis B may be important in establishing an early treatment strategy involving antiviral drugs capable of preventing liver failure, especially in individuals for whom liver transplantation is not accepted as a standard indication.     

The microarthropods of sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Island: a quantitative assessment

The biodiversity in the sub-Antarctic region is threatened by climatic change and biological invasions, which makes the understanding of distributions of biotas on sub-Antarctic islands essential. Although the distribution patterns of vascular plants and insects on sub-Antarctic islands are well documented, this is not always the case for microarthropods. This study provides the first quantitative assessment of the distribution and abundance of microarthropods on Prince Edward Island (PEI), one of two islands in the Prince Edward Island group. Microarthropod community structure differed significantly between PEI and nearby Marion Island, with only two invasive alien species found on PEI compared with Marion Island. Furthermore, species richness, abundance and community structure differed significantly between habitat types on both islands. This study emphasizes the importance of quarantine measures when visiting PEI to maintain its status as one of the more pristine islands in the sub-Antarctic region.     

桥边河大型底栖动物生境适宜性

构建精度高,适用性强的水生生物生境适宜性评价模型,为河流生境质量评价和生境修复提供理论依据。以长江一级支流桥边河为例,采用典范对应分析和独立性分析,筛选出影响桥边河大型底栖无脊椎动物优势种河蚬生境质量的关键化学因子和物理因子,利用广义加性模型与多项式拟合模型构建生境因子与生物选择的关系。结果表明:(1)影响桥边河河蚬生境质量的主要因子为COD_Mn、TN、DO、Tur (浊度)和Dep (水深);其中COD_Mn、TN、Tur、Dep与大型底栖无脊椎动物分布成负相关,DO与大型底栖无脊椎动物分布成正相关;(2)桥边河流域河蚬的最适宜COD_Mn含量为1.228 mg/L,最适宜TN含量为0.269 mg/L,最适宜DO含量为11.170 mg/L,最适宜Dep为0.3 m,最适宜Tur为1.130 NTU。(3)线性拟合情况下两种方法均适用;非线性拟合情况下广义加性模型较优于传统多项式拟合模型,且GAM模型在处理离散程度大的数据集时,可以很好的规避多项式拟合过程中出现的过拟合现象。研究显示,运用GAM模型可以更加精确、合理的模...     

Rapid assessment in conservation research: a critique of avifaunal assessment techniques illustrated by Ecuadorian and Madagascan case study data

The urgency of conservation concerns in the tropics, linked with the limitations imposed on research efforts by the tropical environment has resulted in the development of methods for rapid assessment of biological communities. One such method, the MacKinnon list technique, has been increasingly applied in avifaunal surveys worldwide. Using paired tropical bird data sets from Ecuadorian cloud forest and Madagascan littoral forest, we compare the performance of the MacKinnon list with that of the more standard method of point counts in indicating when a site has been adequately surveyed, estimating the magnitude of species richness, quantifying relative species abundance, and providing an α‐index of diversity. In species‐rich Ecuadorian cloud forest, neither method produced data indicating adequate survey effort, despite extensive sampling, whereas in the relatively species‐poor Madagascan littoral forests, data collected by both methods indicated that the area had been sufficiently surveyed with comparable sampling effort. Species richness estimates generated from MacKinnon list data provided a more accurate estimate of the magnitude of the species richness for the Ecuadorian avifauna, whereas estimates for the Madagascan avifauna stabilised with relatively few samples using either method. Data collected by each method reflected different patterns of relative abundance among the five most abundant species, with MacKinnon list data showing a bias towards solitary and territorial species and against monospecific flocking species relative to the point count data. As a consequence of this bias, MacKinnon list data also fail to reflect accurately the structure of communities as quantified by an index of community evenness. Point counts, on the other hand, failed to capture the full species complement of the species‐rich Ecuadorian study area. As techniques for the rapid assessment of unsurveyed areas, both methods are subject to biases that limit their value, if used alone, in collecting data of scientific and management value. We propose a hybrid rapid assessment methodology that capitalises on the strengths of both techniques while compensating for their weaknesses.     

Isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation based quantitative proteomics reveals unique urinary protein profiles in patients with preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most significant pregnancy‐related hypertensive disorders. Currently, there are no useful markers to predict the onset of the condition in pregnant women. To provide further insights into the pathogenesis of PE and identify biomarkers of the condition, we used isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomics coupled with 2‐D LC‐MS/MS, to analyze urinary protein profiles from 7 PE patients and 7 normotensive pregnant women. A total of 294 proteins were abnormally expressed in PE patients. Of these, 233 were significantly down‐regulated and 61 proteins were significantly up‐regulated. Bioinformatics analysis using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, found that the most differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were involved in coagulation and complement pathways, the renin‐angiotensin system and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) pathways. We further validated three of the DEPs, including serotransferrin (TF) and complement factor B (CFB) by immunoblottingand serum paraoxonase/arylesterase 1 (PON1) by ELISA using 14 pairs of urine samples from PE patients and normal pregnant women. Taken together, our results provide the basis for further understanding the pathogenesis of PE and identifying predictive biomarkers.     

Primary malignant melanoma of the urinary bladder diagnosed by urine cytology: a case report

BACKGROUND: Primary melanoma of the urinary bladder is a rare neoplasm, and there have been no prior reports in which the initial diagnosis was made by urinary cytology. CASE: An 82-year-old woman presented with vaginal spotting, gross hematuria and dysuria. Voided urine cytology revealed malignant cells, several of which exhibited cytoplasmic melanin pigment and were accompanied by many macrophages also containing melanin. Cystoscopy revealed a darkly pigmented, polypoid mass at the bladder neck. Biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Primary melanoma of the urinary bladder is rare. The diagnosis can be made on cytologic examination of voided urine if careful study of exfoliated malignant cells reveals cytoplasmic melanin pigment. Macrophages may also harbor melanin pigment, and their presence should alert the cytopathologist to search carefully for pigmented malignant cells. Clinical and radiologic studies are essential to rule out melanoma metastatic to the bladder.     

突变级数法在生态适宜度评价中的应用——以镇江新区为例

《开发区区域环境影响评价技术导则》（HJ／T2003）已将生态适宜度评价列为区域环境影响评价的主要内容,并明确提出了三级指标集成的框架要求,但并未推荐具体的技术方法。在当前的环评工作实际中,出现了多种生态适宜度的评价技术,如排列成比较技术、层次分析、模糊评价法等,然而这些方法却普遍存在着权重分配过程中的主观性问题。而对于生态适宜度评价这类多指标集成的问题,无论采用何种技术方法,只有减少权重赋值的主观性才能体现评价结论的科学性。鉴于此,推荐了一种新型的生态适宜度评价方法——突变级数法。通过镇江新区环评的具体案例分析,突变级数法表现出在生态适宜度评价方面较好的适用性。更为重要的是,通过对前述3种方法的数理分析对比,突变级数法表现出主营以下两方面的比较优势：首先该法不使用权重,只需按指标间的内在逻辑关系对指标的重要程度进行排序,很大限度地避免了人为制定权重的主观性;同时,作为定性与定量相结合的技术方法,突变级数法不仅可以对各地块是否适合其利用类型做出评价,还可以运用模型计算出各个地块生态适宜度的具体数值,对不同地块的生态适宜性程度进行定量的对比。诚然,应该客观地指出,在按指标的重要程度排序过程、以及评价指标的量化分级过程中,突变级数法仍然不能完全避免人为主观性,这也需要今后继续探索整合其他技术方法。加以进一步完善。