An evaluation of the effects of video modelling on the first-night effect in polysomonography examination of patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on patient anxiety and first-night effect (FNE) of a video modelling application, which has an important place in...     

Evaluation of Antifungal Susceptibility Testing with Microdilution and Etest Methods of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida</Emphasis> Blood Isolates

Candida species that show an increasing number of clinical and/or microbiological resistance to several antifungals and are the most common agents of invasive fungal infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro susceptibility of Candida blood isolates to antifungal agents (amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole) by comparative use of the CLSI reference microdilution method and Etest. Four hundred Candida blood isolates (215 Candida albicans, 185 non-albicans Candida strains) were included in the study. The broth microdilution test was performed according to the CLSI M27 A2 document. Etest was carried out according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The MIC results obtained with reference microdilution were compared with those obtained with the Etest by using percent and categorical agreements. According to MIK₉₀ values, voriconazole was the most active and itraconazole was the least active drug in vitro against all Candida species. Other than voriconazole, statistically significant differences were found when the susceptibility of Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida spp. to amphotericin B, fluconazole, and itraconazole were compared. These antifungal agents were found to be more active to C. albicans. Among the non-albicans Candida species, the lowest MIC values were obtained for Candida parapsilosis isolates. When the standard method was compared with Etest, the total agreement was higher for C. albicans than for non-albicans species, especially for fluconazole and voriconazole. In view of the findings, it was concluded that itraconazole showed the lowest activity against all Candida species. Etest could be an alternative method in assessing the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of Candida spp., but it is more convenient to use the microdilution method for studying in vitro susceptibility of non-albicans species, in particular for those possessing high MIC values against azoles.     

Toxoplasma gondii RH Ankara: production of evolving tachyzoites using a novel cell culture method

Nitric oxide (NO) and NO-derived reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are present in the food vacuole (FV) of Plasmodium falciparum trophozoites. The product of PFL1555w, a putative cytochrome b₅, localizes in the FV membrane, similar to what was previously observed for the product of PF13_0353, a putative cytochrome b₅ reductase. These two gene products may contribute to NO generation by denitrification chemistry from nitrate and/or nitrite present in the erythrocyte cytosol. The possible coordination of NO to heme species present in the food vacuole was probed by resonance Raman spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data revealed that in situ generated NO interacts with heme inside the intact FVs to form ferrous heme nitrosyl complexes that influence intra-vacuolar heme solubility. The formation of heme nitrosyl complexes within the FV is a previously unrecognized factor that could affect the equilibrium between soluble and crystallized heme within the FV in vivo.     

Plantar shear stress distributions: comparing actual and predicted frictional forces at the foot-ground interface

Plantar shear stresses are believed to play a major role in diabetic ulceration. Due to the lack of commercial devices that can measure plantar shear distribution, a number of mathematical models have been developed to predict plantar frictional forces. This study assessed the accuracy of these models using a custom-built platform capable of measuring plantar stresses simultaneously. A total of 48 (38 healthy and 10 diabetic) human subjects (75+/-20 kg, 41+/-20 years, 32 males, 16 females) were recruited in the study. Plantar force data were collected for 2s at 50 Hz. Two models (M1 and M2) reported in the literature by different groups were used to predict local shear stresses. Root mean squared errors (RMSE) were calculated to compare model data with the actual data, focusing on three parameters: location, magnitude and timing of peak shear components. RMSE values of estimated peak AP and ML shear locations were 3.1 and 2.2 cm for M1 and 3.1 and 2.1cm for M2, respectively. Magnitude RMS error values for M1 were found to be 86.6 kPa in AP shear and 38.5 kPa in ML shear, whereas these values were determined to be 97.8 and 63.5 kPa, respectively by M2. Time to peak shear RMSE values averaged 17.2% in terms of the gait duration. In conclusion, distribution of plantar shear should be measured rather than predicted, particularly if one is interested in the magnitudes of shear components.     

Mitigation of salinity stress in cucumber seedlings by exogenous hydrogen sulfide

Journal of Plant Research - This research hypothesized that tolerance of cucumber seedlings to salinity stress could be increased by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) treatments. In pot experiments, the...     

The Effects of Leptin on Rat Brain Development; An Experimental Study

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics -     

Phosphoregulation of the Titin-cap Protein Telethonin in Cardiac Myocytes

Telethonin (also known as titin-cap or t-cap) is a muscle-specific protein whose mutation is associated with cardiac and skeletal myopathies through unknown mechanisms. Our previous work identified cardiac telethonin as an interaction partner for the protein kinase D catalytic domain. In this study, kinase assays used in conjunction with MS and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed telethonin as a substrate for protein kinase D and Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent kinase II in vitro and identified Ser-157 and Ser-161 as the phosphorylation sites. Phosphate affinity electrophoresis and MS revealed endogenous telethonin to exist in a constitutively bis-phosphorylated form in isolated adult rat ventricular myocytes and in mouse and rat ventricular myocardium. Following heterologous expression in myocytes by adenoviral gene transfer, wild-type telethonin became bis-phosphorylated, whereas S157A/S161A telethonin remained non-phosphorylated. Nevertheless, both proteins localized predominantly to the sarcomeric Z-disc, where they partially replaced endogenous telethonin. Such partial replacement with S157A/S161A telethonin disrupted transverse tubule organization and prolonged the time to peak of the intracellular Ca²⁺ transient and increased its variance. These data reveal, for the first time, that cardiac telethonin is constitutively bis-phosphorylated and suggest that such phosphorylation is critical for normal telethonin function, which may include maintenance of transverse tubule organization and intracellular Ca²⁺ transients.     

Temperature as a predictive tool for plantar triaxial loading

Diabetic foot ulcers are caused by moderate repetitive plantar stresses in the presence of peripheral neuropathy. In severe cases, the development of these foot ulcers can lead to lower extremity amputations. Plantar pressure measurements have been considered a capable predictor of ulceration sites in the past, but some investigations have pointed out inconsistencies when solely relying on this method. The other component of ground reaction forces/stresses, shear, has been understudied due to a lack of adequate equipment. Recent articles reported the potential clinical significance of shear in diabetic ulcer etiology. With the lack of adequate tools, plantar temperature has been used as an alternative method for determining plantar triaxial loading and/or shear. However, this method has not been previously validated. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential association between exercise-induced plantar temperature increase and plantar stresses. Thirteen healthy individuals walked on a treadmill for 10 minutes at 3.2 km/h. Pre and post-exercise temperature profiles were obtained with a thermal camera. Plantar triaxial stresses were quantified with a custom-built stress plate. A statistically significant correlation was observed between peak shear stress (PSS) and temperature increase (r=0.78), but not between peak resultant stress (PRS) and temperature increase (r=0.46). Plantar temperature increase could predict the location of PSS and PRS in 23% and 39% of the subjects, respectively. Only a moderate linear relationship was established between triaxial plantar stresses and walking-induced temperature increase. Future research will investigate the value of nonlinear models in predicting plantar loading through foot temperature.