Viscoelastic shear properties of porcine temporomandibular joint disc

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the intrinsic viscoelastic shear properties in porcine TMJ discs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twelve fresh porcine TMJ discs from young adult pigs (6-8 months) were used. Cylindrical samples (5 mm diameter) with uniform thickness (~1.2 mm) were prepared from five regions of the TMJ disc. Torsional shear tests were performed under 10% compressive strain. Dynamic shear was applied in two methods: 1) a frequency sweep test over the frequency range of 0.1-10 rad/s with a constant shear strain amplitude of 0.05 rad and 2) a strain sweep test over the range of 0.005-0.15 rad at a constant frequency of 10 rad/s. Transient stress relaxation tests were also performed to determine the equilibrium shear properties.

RESULTS

As the frequency increased in the frequency sweep test, the dynamic shear complex modulus increased, with values ranging from 7 to 17 kPa. The phase angle, ranging from 11 to 15 degrees, displayed no pattern of regional variation as the frequency increased. The dynamic shear modulus decreased as the shear strain increased. The equilibrium shear modulus had values ranging from 2.6 to 4 kPa. The posterior region had significantly higher values for dynamic shear modulus than those in the anterior region, while no significant regional difference was found for equilibrium shear modulus.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that the intrinsic region-dependent viscoelastic shear characteristics of TMJ disc may play a crucial role in determining the local strain of the TMJ disc under mechanical loading.

Centrality-Dependent Modification of Jet-Production Rates in Deuteron-Gold Collisions at √[s(NN)]=200 GeV

Jet production rates are measured in p+p and d+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV recorded in 2008 with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Jets are reconstructed using the R=0.3 anti-k_{t} algorithm from energy deposits in the electromagnetic calorimeter and charged tracks in multiwire proportional chambers, and the jet transverse momentum (p_{T}) spectra are corrected for the detector response. Spectra are reported for jets with 12<p_{T}<50  GeV/c, within a pseudorapidity acceptance of |η|<0.3. The nuclear-modification factor (R_{dAu}) values for 0%-100% d+Au events are found to be consistent with unity, constraining the role of initial state effects on jet production. However, the centrality-selected R_{dAu} values and central-to-peripheral ratios (R_{CP}) show large, p_{T}-dependent deviations from unity, challenging the conventional models that relate hard-process rates and soft-particle production in collisions involving nuclei.

Highly thermally conductive UHMWPE/graphite composites with segregated structures

Polymer composites with segregated structures based on ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and graphite flakes were fabricated by a novel binder-mixing method and high thermal conductivity of the composites was achieved.

Diabetes mellitus and risk of hip fractures: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis revealed that diabetic adults had a twofold greater risk of hip fractures compared with non-diabetic populations, and this association was more pronounced in type 1 diabetes.

INTRODUCTION

The relationship between diabetes mellitus and risk of hip fracture yielded conflicting results. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between diabetes mellitus and the risk of hip fractures based on observational studies.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed and Embase databases through May 2015. We selected cohort and case-control studies providing at least age-adjusted risk ratio (RR) and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CI) of hip fractures among diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Moreover, we pooled the female-to-male RR of hip fractures from studies that reported gender-specific risk estimate in a single study.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies involving 82,293 hip fracture events among 6,995,272 participants were identified. Diabetes mellitus was associated with an increased risk of hip fractures (RR 2.07; 95 % CI 1.83-2.33) in a random effects model. Subgroup analysis indicated that excess risk of hip fracture was more pronounced in type 1 diabetes (RR 5.76; 95 % CI 3.66-9.07) than that in type 2 diabetes (RR 1.34; 95 % CI 1.19-1.51). The pooled female-to-male RR of hip fractures was 1.09 (95 % CI 0.93-1.28).

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with diabetes mellitus have an excessive risk of hip fractures, and this relationship is more pronounced in type 1 diabetes. The association between diabetes and hip fracture risk is similar in men and women.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in freerange chickens in Jilin Province, northeastern China

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in free-range chickens in Jilin province, northeastern China was investigated. A total of 1095 serum samples were collected from nine administrative regions from July to October, 2012, and antibodies to T. gondii were examined by an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using Toxoplasma lysate antigen (TLA). The detection results were confirmed by Western blot. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii in free-range chickens was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.4-19.4%), ranging from 13.3% (95% CI, 6.3-20.4%) in Siping to 23.6% (95% CI, 15.7-31.6%) in Liaoyuan. There was no significant difference in T. gondii infection among different regions in Jilin province (P> 0.05). The widespread presence of T. gondii infection in freerange chickens of Jilin province implies the wide contamination with T. gondii oocysts in the living environment of people, and free-range chickens might be an important source of infection for humans.

Measurements of Elliptic and Triangular Flow in High-Multiplicity 3He+Au Collisions at √(s(NN))=200 GeV

We present the first measurement of elliptic (v(2)) and triangular (v(3)) flow in high-multiplicity (3)He+Au collisions at √(s(NN))=200  GeV. Two-particle correlations, where the particles have a large separation in pseudorapidity, are compared in (3)He+Au and in p+p collisions and indicate that collective effects dominate the second and third Fourier components for the correlations observed in the (3)He+Au system. The collective behavior is quantified in terms of elliptic v(2) and triangular v(3) anisotropy coefficients measured with respect to their corresponding event planes. The v(2) values are comparable to those previously measured in d+Au collisions at the same nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy. Comparisons with various theoretical predictions are made, including to models where the hot spots created by the impact of the three (3)He nucleons on the Au nucleus expand hydrodynamically to generate the triangular flow. The agreement of these models with data may indicate the formation of low-viscosity quark-gluon plasma even in these small collision systems.

Alendronate sodium/vitamin D3 combination tablet versus calcitriol for osteoporosis in Chinese postmenopausal women: a 6-month, randomized, open-label, active-comparator-controlled study with a 6-month extension

This study compares efficacy of ALN/D5600 versus that of calcitriol in osteoporotic Chinese postmenopausal women. ALN/D5600 produced greater bone mineral density (BMD) increases, greater bone turnover marker decreases, and less vitamin D insufficiency. This study provided detailed clinical information regarding ALN/D5600 treatment versus calcitriol 0.25 μg/day. The study did not evaluate fracture risk.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study is to investigate efficacy of alendronate 70 mg/vitamin D3 5600 IU combination tablets (ALN/D5600) versus calcitriol in osteoporotic Chinese postmenopausal women.

METHODS

This study is a 6-month, randomized, open-label, active-comparator study with 6-month extension (clinicaltrials.gov number NCT01350934) in postmenopausal women aged >55 years with osteoporosis (low bone mineral density (BMD) with/without prior fragility fracture). Patients were randomized to ALN/D5600 once weekly or calcitriol 0.25 μg daily. The primary efficacy end point of the base study was percent change from baseline in lumbar spine BMD (month 6). Hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria were safety events of special interest.

RESULTS

A total of 219 patients (ALN/D5600 n = 111, calcitriol n = 108) were randomized. Baseline characteristics were similar, 30.3 % baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) ≤15 ng/mL. At months 6 and 12, changes in lumbar spine BMD from baseline were 3.5 versus 1.6 % and 5.2 versus 2.3 % for ALN/D5600 versus calcitriol (between-group differences p < 0.001), respectively. Between-group differences for ALN/D5600 versus calcitriol were significant (p < 0.001) at months 6 and 12 for change from baseline in procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (-59.1 versus -16.8 %, -68.1 versus -17.0 %) and serum C-telopeptides (-79.2 versus -27.2 %, -76.2 versus -24.2 %). Drug-related adverse events (AEs) and discontinuations due to drug-related AEs occurred in 15 (14.0 %) versus 8 (7.4 %) patients and 3 (2.8 %) versus 0 patients in the ALN/D5600 and calcitriol group, respectively. Hypercalciuria 12-month incidence (24-h urine Ca >300 mg) was 8.4 (ALN/D5600) versus 13.9 % (calcitriol) (p > 0.05). One patient (calcitriol) had hypercalcemia.

CONCLUSIONS

ALN/D5600 produced greater increases in lumbar spine BMD and greater decreases in bone turnover markers versus calcitriol in osteoporotic Chinese women. It is not known whether the greater increase in BMD results in fewer fractures. ALN/D5600 was generally well tolerated in Chinese patients.

Measurement of Long-Range Angular Correlation and Quadrupole Anisotropy of Pions and (Anti)Protons in Central d+Au Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV

We present azimuthal angular correlations between charged hadrons and energy deposited in calorimeter towers in central d+Au and minimum bias p+p collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV. The charged hadron is measured at midrapidity |η|<0.35, and the energy is measured at large rapidity (-3.7<η<-3.1, Au-going direction). An enhanced near-side angular correlation across |Δη|>2.75 is observed in d+Au collisions. Using the event plane method applied to the Au-going energy distribution, we extract the anisotropy strength v_{2} for inclusive charged hadrons at midrapidity up to p_{T}=4.5 GeV/c. We also present the measurement of v_{2} for identified π^{±} and (anti)protons in central d+Au collisions, and observe a mass-ordering pattern similar to that seen in heavy-ion collisions. These results are compared with viscous hydrodynamic calculations and measurements from p+Pb at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV. The magnitude of the mass ordering in d+Au is found to be smaller than that in p+Pb collisions, which may indicate smaller radial flow in lower energy d+Au collisions.

Engineering tobacco to remove mercury from polluted soil

Tobacco is an ideal plant for modification to remove mercury from soil. Although several transgenic tobacco strains have been developed, they either release elemental mercury directly into the air or are only capable of accumulating small quantities of mercury. In this study, we constructed two transgenic tobacco lines: Ntk-7 (a tobacco plant transformed with merT-merP-merB1-merB2-ppk) and Ntp-36 (tobacco transformed with merT-merP-merB1-merB2-pcs1). The genes merT, merP, merB1, and merB2 were obtained from the well-known mercury-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas K-62. Ppk is a gene that encodes polyphosphate kinase, a key enzyme for synthesizing polyphosphate in Enterobacter aerogenes. Pcs1 is a tobacco gene that encodes phytochelatin synthase, which is the key enzyme for phytochelatin synthesis. The genes were linked with LP4/2A, a sequence that encodes a well-known linker peptide. The results demonstrate that all foreign genes can be abundantly expressed. The mercury resistance of Ntk-7 and Ntp-36 was much higher than that of the wild type whether tested with organic mercury or with mercuric ions. The transformed plants can accumulate significantly more mercury than the wild type, and Ntp-36 can accumulate more mercury from soil than Ntk-7. In mercury-polluted soil, the mercury content in Ntp-36's root can reach up to 251 μg/g. This is the first report to indicate that engineered tobacco can not only accumulate mercury from soil but also retain this mercury within the plant. Ntp-36 has good prospects for application in bioremediation for mercury pollution.

The flavonoid from Polygonum perfoliatum L. inhibits herpes simplex virus 1 infection

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is one of the most prevalent human pathogens in both industrialized and developing countries. This study was performed to analyze the antiviral activity of purified flavonoid from Polygonum perfoliatum L. against HSV-1 infection in vitro and in vivo. Flavonoid showed no inhibitory effect, when treated before virus infection, but it strongly inhibited viral replication and cell-to-cell spread which was vital for the virus's propagation. The therapeutic effect of the flavonoid in treating HSV-1 induced encephalitis was also investigated in mice. A dose-dependent increase of survival rate and mean survival time (MST) were observed in the flavonoid-treated mice. These results suggested that the flavonoid may be a viable therapeutic option for recurrent HSV-1 infection.

Simulation of Soot Size Distribution in a Counterflow Flame

Soot formed during the rich combustion of fossil fuels is an undesirable pollutant and health hazard. A newly developed Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the soot formation in a counterflow diffusion flame of ethylene. The simulation uses a new reaction mechanism available in literature, which focuses on modeling the formation of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) up to coronene (C24H12). Nascent soot particles are assumed to form from the collision of eight different PAH molecules. Soot surface growth includes the hydrogen-abstraction-C2H2-addition mechanism and the condensation of the PAHs. Soot coagulation is in the free-molecular regime because particles are small (not more than a hundred nanometer). The coupling between vapor consumption and soot formation is handled by an interpolative moment method. Soot particle diffusion is found negligible throughout the counterflow flame, except for a very narrow region right around the stagnation plane. The soot particle size distribution (PSD) generally exhibits a bimodal shape. The first peak corresponds to a large number of nascent particles, while the second peak results from the competition between nucleation and coagulation. Surface growth affects the PSD quantitatively, but does not change the modality. A comparison with experimental data is also provided.

iTRAQ-based proteomic profiling of the marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma) gonad exposed to BDE-47

A recent study demonstrated that 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) may have an adverse effect on the reproduction in marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma), but the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the protein expression profiles of male and female gonads of O. melastigma exposed to dietary BDE-47 at two dosages (0.65 and 1.30 μg/g/day, respectively) for 21 days. Extracted proteins were labeled with iTRAQ and analyzed on a MALDI TOF/TOF analyzer, as results, 133 and 144 unique proteins were identified in testis and ovary, respective, and they exerted dose- and sex-dependent expression patterns. In testis, among the 42 differentially expressed proteins; down-regulation of histone variants and parvalbumins implicated BDE-47 may disrupt the spermatogenesis and induce sterility in fishes. In ovary, 38 proteins were differentially expressed; the elevation of vitellogenins and apolipoprotein A-I expression indicated BDE-47 acts as an estrogen-mimicking compound and led to reproductive impairment in O. melastigma.

BMI1 attenuates etoposide-induced G2/M checkpoints via reducing ATM activation

The BMI1 protein contributes to stem cell pluripotency and oncogenesis via multiple functions, including its newly identified role in DNA damage response (DDR). Although evidence clearly demonstrates that BMI1 facilitates the repair of double-stranded breaks via homologous recombination (HR), it remains unclear how BMI1 regulates checkpoint activation during DDR. We report here that BMI1 has a role in G2/M checkpoint activation in response to etoposide (ETOP) treatment. Ectopic expression of BMI1 in MCF7 breast cancer and DU145 prostate cancer cells significantly reduced ETOP-induced G2/M arrest. Conversely, knockdown of BMI1 in both lines enhanced the arrest. Consistent with ETOP-induced activation of the G2/M checkpoints via the ATM pathway, overexpression and knockdown of BMI1, respectively, reduced and enhanced ETOP-induced phosphorylation of ATM at serine 1981 (ATM pS1981). Furthermore, the phosphorylation of ATM targets, including γH2AX, threonine 68 (T68) on CHK2 (CHK2 pT68) and serine 15 (S15) on p53 were decreased in overexpression and increased in knockdown BMI1 cells in response to ETOP. In line with the requirement of NBS1 in ATM activation, we were able to show that BMI1 associates with NBS1 and that this interaction altered the binding of NBS1 with ATM. BMI1 consists of a ring finger (RF), helix-turn-helix-turn-helix-turn (HT), proline/serine (PS) domain and two nuclear localization signals (NLS). Although deletion of either RF or HT did not affect the association of BMI1 with NBS1, the individual deletions of PS and one NLS (KRMK) robustly reduced the interaction. Stable expression of these BMI1 mutants decreased ETOP-induced ATM pS1981 and CHK2 pT68, but not ETOP-elicited γH2AX in MCF7 cells. Furthermore, ectopic expression of BMI1 in non-transformed breast epithelial MCF10A cells also compromised ETOP-initiated ATM pS1981 and γH2AX. Taken together, we provide compelling evidence that BMI1 decreases ETOP-induced G2/M checkpoint activation via reducing NBS1-mediated ATM activation.

Cold-nuclear-matter effects on heavy-quark production at forward and backward rapidity in d + Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV

The PHENIX experiment has measured open heavy-flavor production via semileptonic decay over the transverse momentum range 1 < p(T) < 6  GeV/c at forward and backward rapidity (1.4 < |y| < 2.0) in d+Au and p + p collisions at √sNN = 200  GeV. In central d+Au collisions, relative to the yield in p + p collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions, a suppression is observed at forward rapidity (in the d-going direction) and an enhancement at backward rapidity (in the Au-going direction). Predictions using nuclear-modified-parton-distribution functions, even with additional nuclear-p(T) broadening, cannot simultaneously reproduce the data at both rapidity ranges, which implies that these models are incomplete and suggests the possible importance of final-state interactions in the asymmetric d + Au collision system. These results can be used to probe cold-nuclear-matter effects, which may significantly affect heavy-quark production, in addition to helping constrain the magnitude of charmonia-breakup effects in nuclear matter.

Azimuthal-angle dependence of charged-pion-interferometry measurements with respect to second- and third-order event planes in Au+Au collisions at √[S(NN)]=200 GeV

Charged-pion-interferometry measurements were made with respect to the second- and third-order event plane for Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV. A strong azimuthal-angle dependence of the extracted Gaussian-source radii was observed with respect to both the second- and third-order event planes. The results for the second-order dependence indicate that the initial eccentricity is reduced during the medium evolution, which is consistent with previous results. In contrast, the results for the third-order dependence indicate that the initial triangular shape is significantly reduced and potentially reversed by the end of the medium evolution, and that the third-order oscillations are largely dominated by the dynamical effects from triangular flow.

Quadrupole anisotropy in dihadron azimuthal correlations in central d+Au collisions at √(s(NN))=200 GeV

The PHENIX collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) reports measurements of azimuthal dihadron correlations near midrapidity in d+Au collisions at √(s(NN))=200 GeV. These measurements complement recent analyses by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) involving central p+Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=5.02 TeV, which have indicated strong anisotropic long-range correlations in angular distributions of hadron pairs. The origin of these anisotropies is currently unknown. Various competing explanations include parton saturation and hydrodynamic flow. We observe qualitatively similar, but larger, anisotropies in d+Au collisions at RHIC compared to those seen in p+Pb collisions at the LHC. The larger extracted v2 values in d+Au are consistent with expectations from hydrodynamic calculations owing to the larger expected initial-state eccentricity compared with that from p+Pb collisions. When both are divided by an estimate of the initial-state eccentricity the scaled anisotropies follow a common trend with multiplicity that may extend to heavy ion data at RHIC and the LHC, where the anisotropies are widely thought to arise from hydrodynamic flow.

Nuclear modification of ψ', χc, and J/ψ production in d+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV

We present results for three charmonia states (ψ', χc, and J/ψ) in d+Au collisions at |y|<0.35 and sqrt[s(NN)]=200  GeV. We find that the modification of the ψ' yield relative to that of the J/ψ scales approximately with charged particle multiplicity at midrapidity across p+A, d+Au, and A+A results from the Super Proton Synchrotron and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In large-impact-parameter collisions we observe a similar suppression for the ψ' and J/ψ, while in small-impact-parameter collisions the more weakly bound ψ' is more strongly suppressed. Owing to the short time spent traversing the Au nucleus, the larger ψ' suppression in central events is not explained by an increase of the nuclear absorption owing to meson formation time effects.

Self-report compared to electronic medical record across eight adult vaccines: do results vary by demographic factors?

Immunizations are crucial to the prevention of disease, thus, having an accurate measure of vaccination status for a population is an important guide in targeting prevention efforts. In order to comprehensively assess the validity of self-reported adult vaccination status for the eight most common adult vaccines we conducted a survey of vaccination receipt and compared it to the electronic medical record (EMR), which was used as the criterion standard, in a population of community-dwelling patients in a large healthcare system. In addition, we assessed whether validity varied by demographic factors. The vaccines included: pneumococcal (PPSV), influenza (Flu), tetanus diphtheria (Td), tetanus diphtheria pertussis (Tdap), Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), hepatitis A (HepA), hepatitis B (HepB) and herpes zoster (shingles). Telephone surveys were conducted with 11,760 individuals, ≥18, half with documented receipt of vaccination and half without. We measured sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, net bias and over- and under-reporting of vaccination. Variation was found across vaccines, however, sensitivity and specificity did not vary substantially by either age or race/ethnicity. Sensitivity ranged between 63% for HepA to over 90% (tetanus, HPV, shingles and Flu). Hispanics were 2.7 times more likely to claim receipt of vaccination compared to whites. For PPSV and Flu those 65+ had low specificity compared to patients of younger ages while those in the youngest age group had lowest specificity for HepA and HepB. In addition to racial/ethnic differences, over-reporting was more frequent in those retired and those with household income less than $75,000. Accurate information for vaccination surveillance is important to estimate progress toward vaccination coverage goals and ensure appropriate policy decisions and allocation of resources for public health. It was clear from our findings that EMR and self-report do not always agree. Finding approaches to improve both EMR data capture and patient awareness would be beneficial.