Fetal heart rate variability responsiveness to maternal stress, non-invasively detected from maternal transabdominal ECG.

PURPOSE: Prenatal stress (PS) during pregnancy affects in utero- and postnatal child brain-development. Key systems affected are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Maternal- and fetal ANS activity can be gauged non-invasively from transabdominal electrocardiogram (taECG). We propose a novel approach to assess couplings between maternal (mHR) and fetal heart rate (fHR) as a new biomarker for PS based on bivariate phase-rectified signal averaging (BPRSA). We hypothesized that PS exerts lasting impact on fHR. METHODS: Prospective case-control study matched for maternal age, parity, and gestational age during the third trimester using the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire with PSS-10 over or equal 19 classified as stress group (SG). Women with PSS-10 < 19 served as control group (CG). Fetal electrocardiograms were recorded by a taECG. Coupling between mHR and fHR was analyzed by BPRSA resulting in fetal stress index (FSI). Maternal hair cortisol, a memory of chronic stress exposure for 2-3 months, was measured at birth. RESULTS: 538/1500 pregnant women returned the questionnaire, 55/538 (10.2%) mother-child pairs formed SG and were matched with 55/449 (12.2%) consecutive patients as CG. Maternal hair cortisol was 86.6 (48.0-169.2) versus 53.0 (34.4-105.9) pg/mg (p = 0.029). At 36 + 5 weeks, FSI was significantly higher in fetuses of stressed mothers when compared to controls [0.43 (0.18-0.85) versus 0.00 (- 0.49-0.18), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Prenatal maternal stress affects the coupling between maternal and fetal heart rate detectable non-invasively a month prior to birth. Lasting effects on neurodevelopment of affected offspring should be studied. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registration: NCT03389178.

Three-dimensional honeycomb-like porous carbon derived from corncob for the removal of heavy metals from water by capacitive deionization.

In this study, porous carbon (3DHPC) with a 3D honeycomb-like structure was synthesized from waste biomass corncob via hydrothermal carbonization coupled with KOH activation and investigated as a capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode material. The obtained 3DHPC possesses a hierarchal macroporous and mesoporous structure, and a large accessible specific surface area (952 m2 g-1). Electrochemical tests showed that the 3DHPC electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 452 F g-1 and good electric conductivity. Moreover, the feasibility of electrosorptive removal of chromium(vi) from an aqueous solution using the 3DHPC electrode was demonstrated. When 1.0 V was applied to a solution containing 30 mg L-1 chromium(vi), the 3DHPC electrode exhibited a higher removal efficiency of 91.58% compared with that in the open circuit condition. This enhanced adsorption results from the improved affinity between chromium(vi) and the electrode under electrochemical assistance involving a non-faradic process. Consequently, the 3DHPC electrode with typical double-layer capacitor behavior is demonstrated to be a favorable electrode material for capacitive deionization.

A study of HLA-B*15:02 in 9 different Chinese ethnics: Implications for carbamazepine related SJS/TEN.

BACKGROUND: HLA-B*15:02 is a known biomarker for carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) in some ethnic populations. The US FDA recommends B*15:02 screening for Asian and other populations with a high prevalence of B*15:02 prior to treatment with CBZ to prevent drug-related SJS/TEN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1607 blood samples were collected from volunteer blood donors who were ethnic minorities living in the Yunnan province of southwestern China, including 153 Yi, 193 Naxi, 167 Miao, 156 Lisu, 166 Derung, 211 Bai, 184 Hani, 198 Dai, and 179 Zhuang. The genetic diversity of the HLA-B*15:02 genes in the ethnic minority samples was examined using sequence based typing at high resolution. RESULTS: The allele frequencies of HLA-B*15:02 in the Yi, Naxi, Miao, Lisu, Derung, Bai, Hani, Dai, and Zhuang populations were 4.25%, 4.4%, 5.09%, 5.77%, 6.33%, 7.82%, 8.15%, 9.6%, and 15.36%, respectively. The frequencies of HLA-B*15:02 carriers in the Yi, Naxi, Miao, Lisu, Derung, Bai, Hani, Dai, and Zhuang populations were 8.5%, 8.8%, 9.58%, 10.9%, 12.65%, 15.64%, 16.3%, 18.69%, and 28.49%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The HLA-B*15:02 allele frequencies indicated that the prevalence of B*15:02 was different among the different ethnic populations. Because the number of carriers of B*15:02 was high in some ethnic populations, larger studies are required to confirm these findings. The Zhuang population had the highest frequency of B*15:02 in this study. More attention should be paid to CBZ-induced SJS/TEN in Chinese minority populations.

HLA-B*46:40:02, a novel HLA-B*46 allele identified in a Chinese individual by sequence-based typing.

HLA-B*46:40:02 has one synonymous nucleotide change from HLA-B*46:40:01 in codon 23, exon 2 (ATT>ATC).

Identification of a novel HLA-C allele, HLA-C*07:477 in a Drung Chinese individual.

HLA-C*07:477 has one nonsynonymous nucleotide change from HLA-C*07:02:01:01 in codon 176, exon 3 (AAG>GAG).

Identification of a novel HLA-C*03 variant, C*03:303, by sequence-based typing in a Dai Chinese individual.

HLA-C*03:303 has one nonsynonymous nucleotide change from HLA-C*03:04:01:01 in codon 194, exon 4 (GTC>GCC).

Response characteristics of Scirpus trioueter and its rhizosphere to pyrene contaminated soils at different growth stages.

Scirpus triqueter (Triangular club-rush), a typical wetland species, is used to study the response characteristics to pyrene. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the growth parameters (height, diameter, shoot number, total volume, underground biomass, above-ground biomass and total biomass), and enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) of S. triqueter. The characteristics of soil enzymes (catalase and polyphenol oxidase) and microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) were also assessed after pyrene treatment. Elevated pyrene concentration (80 mgkg(-1)) in the soil reduced the shoot number and biomass significantly, especially at the early growth stage. In root tissue, the enzyme catalase was activated at 80 mgkg(-1) of pyrene. Compared to roots, shoots had higher enzyme activities. Catalase activities in the rhizosphere increased throughout the growth period of S. triqueter. Polyphenol oxidase activities in the rhizosphere were higher than those in the bulk soil and unplanted soil. The populations of bacteria (total bacteria, pyrene-tolerant bacteria, and actinomyces) and fungi decreased under the stress of high pyrene concentration, while that of pyrene-tolerant bacteria increased with the increasing pyrene concentration. The presence of pyrene did not benefit the growth of S. triqueter. S. triqueter and soil enzymes varied within the growth stages. The presence of S. triqueter could improve the activity of soil enzymes and facilitate the propagation of microorganisms which could help eliminate pyrene contamination.

Metabolic changes following subthalamotomy for advanced Parkinson's disease.

We studied 6 advanced-stage Parkinson's disease patients with [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose/positron emission tomography before and 3 months after unilateral ablation of the subthalamic nucleus performed with microelectrode mapping. Operative changes in glucose metabolism were assessed by comparing baseline and postoperative scans. We also quantified operative changes in the activity of an abnormal Parkinson's disease-related metabolic network that we had identified in previous [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose/positron emission tomography studies. Following unilateral subthalamic nucleus ablation, a highly significant reduction in glucose utilization was present in the midbrain ipsilateral to the lesion site, most pronounced in the vicinity of the substantia nigra pars reticularis. Significant metabolic reductions were also present in the ipsilateral internal globus pallidus, ventral thalamus, and pons. Operative changes in Parkinson's disease network activity differed significantly for the lesioned and unlesioned hemispheres. In the lesioned hemisphere, network activity declined significantly following surgery, but was unaltered in the contralateral, unlesioned hemisphere. These results suggest that subthalamotomy reduces basal ganglia output through internal globus pallidus/substantia nigra pars reticularis and also influences downstream neural activity in the pons and ventral thalamus. This procedure also reduces the activity of abnormal Parkinson's disease-related metabolic brain networks, suggesting a widespread modulation of motor circuitry.

Wavelet-based digital image watermarking.

A wavelet-based watermark casting scheme and a blind watermark retrieval technique are investigated in this research. An adaptive watermark casting method is developed to first determine significant wavelet subbands and then select a couple of significant wavelet coefficients in these subbands to embed watermarks. A blind watermark retrieval technique that can detect the embedded watermark without the help from the original image is proposed. Experimental results show that the embedded watermark is robust against various signal processing and compression attacks.

Cutaneous electromyographic silent period findings in brachial dystonia.

In this study we investigated the physiologic mechanisms in primary brachial dystonia by analyzing the cutaneous EMG silent period during isometric contraction of the opponens pollicis muscle. Results from the affected and unaffected arms of 11 patients with dystonia were compared to 7 patients with Parkinson's disease and 16 age-matched normal individuals (controls). The silent period onset latency, degree of EMG suppression during the silent period, and EMG rebound at the end of the silent period did not differ significantly between patients with dystonia and any other group. The duration of the silent period (the S-X interval), however, was significantly prolonged in dystonia (p<0.005) and in Parkinson's disease (p<0.001) in both affected and unaffected arms compared with controls. These findings suggest that mechanisms responsible for the initiation of the cutaneously induced silent period and the subsequent suppression depth of EMG activity are not affected in brachial dystonia, but the abnormally prolonged S-X intervals may reflect dysfunctional basal ganglia timing influences over spinal circuitry common to both dystonia and Parkinson's disease.

Generation of 5-fluorouracil from 5-fluorocytosine by monoclonal antibody-cytosine deaminase conjugates.

Cytosine deaminase (CDase) catalyzes the conversion of cytosine to uracil and is also able to convert the clinically used antifungal agent 5-fluorocytosine (5FC) into the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU). The enzyme was purified from bakers' yeast in a six-step procedure. Studies indicated that bakers' yeast CDase had a molecular weight of approximately 32 kDa and was composed of two subunits of equal molecular weights. Monoclonal antibodies were covalently attached to CDase, forming conjugates that could bind to antigens on tumor cell surfaces. The combination of L6-CDase and 5FC was equivalent in cytotoxic activity to 5FU when tested against the H2981 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (L6 positive, 1F5 negative). 5FC alone was noncytotoxic. The activation of 5FC was immunologically specific since 1F5-CDase did not enhance 5FC activity.

Pharmacokinetics and systemic effects of tissue-type plasminogen activator in normal subjects.

Pharmacokinetics and systemic effects of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) were studied in 18 healthy male volunteers after 30-minute intravenous infusions of placebo, 0.25 mg/kg rt-PA, and 0.5 mg/kg rt-PA. Highly comparable pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained after analysis of rt-PA as both an antigen and an activity. Mean clearance (antigen) was 620 +/- 70 (SD) ml/min, volume of distribution at steady state was 8.1 +/- 0.8 L, initial volume of distribution was 4.4 +/- 0.6 L, and dominant half-life was 4.4 +/- 0.3 minutes. The pharmacokinetics of rt-PA were linear, showed low interindividual variation, and are compatible with rapid hepatic elimination of the protein. Systemic plasminogen activation was minimal as assessed by hemostatic assays of plasma samples treated with anti-rt-PA Immunoglobulin G (IgG) to inhibit in vitro fibrinogenolysis. Circulating fibrinogen levels, clotting times, and coagulation factors were unchanged; plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin decreased maximally to 85% and 65% of baseline values, respectively. The data are consistent with the fibrin specificity of t-PA, which is derived from its role in physiologic fibrinolysis.

Combined myelopathy and radiculoneuropathy with malignant lymphoproliferative disease.

Clinicopathological findings for two similar patients in whom myelopathy and radiculoneuropathy developed in association with malignant lymphoma were reviewed. This pattern of neurological disease has not been reported in association with the malignant lymphoproliferative disorders, and it provides ground for speculation concerning lymphocyte function and viral infection in cases of neurological disease in association with remote neoplasm.

Pre- and postsynaptic effects of pancuronium at the neuromuscular junction of the mouse.

The dose-effectiveness of pancuronium as it relates to membrane potentials, action potentials, electrical membrane constants, miniature endplate potentials, endplate potentials, and quantal release was studied in murine phrenic nerve-diaphragm preparations in vitro. Emphasis was placed on comparison of presynaptic with postsynaptic effects of pancuronium under similar experimental conditions. At low concentrations of pancuronium (5 X 10(-8) g/ml or less), no presynaptic effect was found. At high concentration (5 X 10(-7) g/ml), pancuronium depressed quantal release to 26 per cent of control in cut-fiber preparations and 40 per cent of control in high-magnesium preparations. Postsynaptic effects as measured by the amplitude of miniature endplate potentials and relative depolarization induced by 20 microns carbachol, revealed depression to 16 and 22 per cent of control, respectively, at a pancuronium concentration of 5 X 10(-7) g/ml. Pancuronium had no effect on directly elicited action potentials and electrical membrane constants. The authors conclude that presynaptic as well as postsynaptic effects of pancuronium in paralytic doses are essential in contributing to the total efficacy of neuromuscular depression.