Different autism measures targeting different severity levels in children with autism spectrum disorder.

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale™, Second Edition (CARS™-2) and Social Responsiveness Scale™, Second Edition (SRS™-2) are two measures for identifying autism symptoms. The CARS™-2 has two versions: Standard (CARS-ST) and High-Functioning (CARS-HF). To better understand their properties, this study aimed to investigate: (1) the associations among the CARS-ST, CARS-HF and the SRS™-2, and (2) the severity consistency between the CARS-ST and the CARS-HF. A sample of 125 children with autism spectrum disorder was recruited (mean age: 80.98 months, SD = 16.08). Based on Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), children were divided into two groups: low severity level of autism spectrum disorder (LSL-ASD: VCI ≥ 80) and high severity level of autism spectrum disorder (HSL-ASD: VCI < 80). All children were evaluated with the CARS-ST and the SRS™-2, and the HF group, with the CARS-HF as well. In the LSL group, the CARS-ST and the CARS-HF had high correlation (r = 0.852, p < .001). Both versions had small to moderate correlations with the SRS™-2 (r = 0.130-0.491). In the HSL group, no significant correlations were found between the CARS-ST and SRS™-2 (p > .05). The CARS-HF and the CARS-ST had low severity consistency (Kappa = 0.376, p < .01). The CARS-ST and the CARS-HF had high correlations but low severity consistency. Different correlation patterns were found between the CARS™-2 and the SRS™-2 in the LSL and HSL groups. The results should help clinicians better understand the properties of the measures and choose appropriate measures when assessing autism symptoms.

Effects of Long-acting Injectable 3-Monthly Paliperidone Palmitate on the Clinical and Social Performance of Patients with Schizophrenia.

Objective: To investigate the effects of long-acting injectable 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate on the clinical and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: This study enrolled patients with schizophrenia receiving long-acting injectable 1-monthly paliperidone palmitate for at least 4 months and who subsequently received 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate. Accordingly, 418 patients were followed up for 24 weeks. Their clinical symptoms and social functioning were measured using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness and Personal and Social Performance scales. Results: The Personal and Social Performance total score was significantly higher after 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate treatment than at baseline (baseline vs. week 24: 54.3 ± 18.0 vs. 61.0 ± 14.5 [mean ± standard deviation]; p < 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test); the proportion of patients in the mildly ill group (scores 71-100) also increased significantly (baseline vs. week 24: 16.5% vs. 20.6%; p < 0.001; McNemar-Bowker test). The mean Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness score decreased significantly (baseline vs. week 24: 3.7 ± 1.0 vs. 3.4 ± 0.9; p < 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test), as did the proportion of patients in the severely ill group (baseline vs. week 24: 4.1% vs. 2.1%; p < 0.001; McNemar-Bowker test). Conclusion: Continuous 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate treatment significantly enhances the personal and social performance of patients with schizophrenia and reduces the proportion of those with severe illness. These findings suggest that long-acting injectable antipsychotic administration at intervals longer than 1 month might improve the social functioning of and promote return to activities of daily living in patients with schizophrenia.

Effects of Long-acting Injectable 3-Monthly Paliperidone Palmitate on the Clinical and Social Performance of Patients with Schizophrenia

Objective@#To investigate the effects of long-acting injectable 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate on the clinical and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. @*Methods@#This study enrolled patients with schizophrenia receiving long-acting injectable 1-monthly paliperidone palmitate for at least 4 months and who subsequently received 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate. Accordingly, 418 patients were followed up for 24 weeks. Their clinical symptoms and social functioning were measured using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness and Personal and Social Performance scales. @*Results@#The Personal and Social Performance total score was significantly higher after 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate treatment than at baseline (baseline vs. week 24: 54.3 ± 18.0 vs. 61.0 ± 14.5 [mean ± standard deviation]; p ＜ 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test); the proportion of patients in the mildly ill group (scores 71−100) also increased significantly (baseline vs. week 24: 16.5% vs. 20.6%; p＜ 0.001; McNemar-Bowker test). The mean Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness score decreased significantly (baseline vs. week 24: 3.7 ± 1.0 vs. 3.4 ± 0.9; p＜ 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test), as did the proportion of patients in the severely ill group (baseline vs. week 24: 4.1% vs. 2.1%; p ＜ 0.001; McNemar-Bowker test). @*Conclusion@#Continuous 3-monthly paliperidone palmitate treatment significantly enhances the personal and social performance of patients with schizophrenia and reduces the proportion of those with severe illness. These findings suggest that long-acting injectable antipsychotic administration at intervals longer than 1 month might improve the social functioning of and promote return to activities of daily living in patients with schizophrenia.

A novel two-stage process for the effective treatment of swine wastewater using Chlorella sorokiniana AK-1 based algal-bacterial consortium under semi-continuous operation.

This study aimed at developing an eco-friendly and effective treatment for swine wastewater (SWW) using a designer microalgae-bacteria consortium. A functional algal bacterial consortium was developed with SWW-derived bacteria and Chlorella sorokiniana AK-1. Light intensity (300 µmol/m2/s) and inoculum size (0.15 and 0.2 g/L for microalgae and bacteria) were optimized. Semi-batch operation treating 50 % SWW resulted in a COD, BOD, TN, and TP removal efficiency of 81.1 ± 0.9 %, 97.0 ± 0.7 %, 90.6 ± 1.6 % and 91.3 ± 1.1 %, respectively. A novel two-stage process with an initial bacterial start-up stage followed by microalgal inoculation was applied for attaining stable organic carbon removal, in addition to satisfactory TN and TP removal. Full strength SWW was treated with this strategy with COD, BOD, TN, and TP removal efficiencies of 72.1 %, 94.9 %, 88 %, and 94.6 %, respectively. The biomass consisted of 36 % carbohydrates, indicating a potential feedstock for biochar production. In addition, the effluent met the standards for effluent discharge in Taiwan.

Crystal structure of a conserved hypothetical protein MJ0927 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii reveals a novel quaternary assembly in the Nif3 family.

A Nif3 family protein of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, MJ0927, is highly conserved from bacteria to humans. Although several structures of bacterial Nif3 proteins are known, no structure representing archaeal Nif3 has yet been reported. The crystal structure of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii MJ0927 was determined at 2.47 Å resolution to understand the structural differences between the bacterial and archaeal Nif3 proteins. Intriguingly, MJ0927 is found to adopt an unusual assembly comprising a trimer of dimers that forms a cage-like architecture. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays indicate that MJ0927 binds to both single-stranded and double-stranded DNA. Structural analysis of MJ0927 reveals a positively charged region that can potentially explain its DNA-binding capability. Taken together, these data suggest that MJ0927 adopts a novel quartenary architecture that could play various DNA-binding roles in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.

Crystal structures of the archaeal UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii reveal a conformational change induced by UDP-GlcNAc.

Uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) 2-epimerase catalyzes the interconversion of UDP-GlcNAc to UDP-N-acetylmannosamine (UDP-ManNAc), which is used in the biosynthesis of cell surface polysaccharides in bacteria. Biochemical experiments have demonstrated that mutation of this enzyme causes changes in cell morphology and the thermoresistance of the cell wall. Here, we present the crystal structures of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase in open and closed conformations. A comparison of these crystal structures shows that upon UDP and UDP-GlcNAc binding, the enzyme undergoes conformational changes involving a rigid-body movement of the C-terminal domain. We also present the crystal structure of Bacillus subtilis UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase in the closed conformation in the presence of UDP and UDP-GlcNAc. Although a structural overlay of these two closed-form structures reveals that the substrate-binding site is evolutionarily conserved, some areas of the allosteric site are distinct between the archaeal and bacterial UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerases. This is the first report on the crystal structure of archaeal UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase, and our results clearly demonstrate the changes between the open and closed conformations of this enzyme.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the Nif3-family protein MJ0927 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii.

MJ0927 is a member of the Nif3 family and is widely distributed across living organisms. Although several crystal structures of Nif3 proteins have been reported, structural information on archaeal Nif3 is still limited. To understand the structural differences between bacterial and archaeal Nif3 proteins, MJ0927 from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii was purified and crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 2.47 Šand belonged to the orthorhombic space group C222, with unit-cell parameters a = 81.21, b = 172.94, c = 147.42 Å. Determination of this structure may provide insights into the function of MJ0927.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the RecQ helicase catalytic core from Deinococcus radiodurans.

The RecQ proteins are a highly conserved group of DNA helicases which play crucial roles in the maintenance of genome stability. DrRecQ from the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is a special member of the RecQ family because it contains three Helicase-and-RNase-D-C-terminal (HRDC) domains at the C-terminus. The helicase catalytic core is essential for ATPase and DNA-unwinding activities. In this work, the helicase catalytic core of DrRecQ was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. Crystals were obtained using the sitting-drop vapour diffusion method and X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.9 Šresolution. The crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 84.75, b = 95.61, c = 183.83 Å.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of the D-alanyl carrier protein DltC from Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The D-alanyl lipoteichoic acids (D-alanyl LTAs) present in the cell walls of Gram-positive bacteria play crucial roles in autolysis, cation homeostasis and biofilm formation. The alanylation of LTAs requires the D-alanyl carrier protein DltC to transfer D-Ala onto a membrane-associated LTA. Here, DltC from Staphylococcus epidermidis (SeDltC) was purified and crystallized using the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals diffracted to a resolution of 1.83 Šand belonged to space group P2, with unit-cell parameters a = 66.26, b = 53.28, c = 88.05 Å, ß = 98.22°. The results give a preliminary crystallographic analysis of SeDltC and shed light on the functional role of DltC in the alanylation of LTAs.

Effectiveness of Qigong in promoting the health of wheelchair-bound older adults in long-term care facilities.

Institutional wheelchair-bound older adults often do not get regular exercise and are prone to health problems. The aim of this study was to test the effects of a 12-week qigong exercise program on the physiological and psychological health of wheelchair-bound older adults in long-term care facilities. Study design was quasi-experimental, pre-post test, nonequivalent control group. Participants comprised a convenience sample of 72 wheelchair-bound older adults (qigong = 34; control = 38). The qigong group exercised 35 min/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Measures for physical health (blood pressure, heart rate variability, and distal skin temperature) and psychological health (Brief Symptom Rating Scale-5) were collected before and during study Weeks 4, 8, and 12. The qigong group participants' blood pressure, distal skin temperature, and psychological health were significantly improved (all p < .001). These findings suggest that qigong exercise is a suitable daily activity for elderly residents in long-term care facilities and may help in the control of blood pressure among older adults.

Binding kinetics of grouper nervous necrosis viruses with functionalized antimicrobial peptides by nanomechanical detection.

We report the binding kinetics of fish-infected grouper nervous necrosis viruses (NNV) and selected antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) by nanomechanical detection. AMPs, the vital member in an innate immunity, are promising candidates in the fight against pathogens due to their broad range of antimicrobial activity and low toxicity. Grouper NNV primarily cause mass mortality of many marine cultured fish species, and two selected AMPs in this study were found to inhibit viruses by agglutinating its virions to form aggregates. The binding activity of NNVs with functionalized AMPs onto a sensing microcantilever yielded induced surface stresses, indicating high binding strength of molecular interaction. The binding affinity and kinetic rate constants of molecular recognition events calculated for NNV-AMP(TH1-5) compared to NNV-AMP(cSALF) were found to be 2.1-fold and 4.43-fold, respectively, indicating TH1-5 effectively bind with NNV more than cSALF. Moreover, a microscopic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique was employed for further validation of pre- and post-NNV binding onto peptides-functionalized sensing surface. An increase in the spectrum and intensity of the P 2p and N 1s elements for the post-NNV binding was clearly shown to ensure the existence of phosphate groups and nitrogen-containing ring structures of specific NNV-TH1-5 interaction. Therefore, the microcantilever biosensing technique provides a potential and useful screening of AMPs for affinity to NNVs.

Multiple prognostic factors analysis of osteosarcoma / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective To explore the prognostic factors of osteosarcoma.Methods Clinical data of 32 cases with osteosarcoma were retrospectively reviewed.Sex,age,course of disease,serum level of alkaline phosphatase (AKP),tumor size,tumor site,Enneking surgical stage,surgical method and distant metastasis were statistically analyzed.Results All the patients were followed up,and 12 patients died with a median survival of 6-52 (40.28 ± 5.58) months.Overall survival rate of 3 years was 62.5％ (20/32).Univariate analysis revealed that the prognosts of osteosarcoma was significantly related to tumor site,Enneking surgical stage,surgical method and distant metastasis.Multivariate analysis suggested that Enneking surgical stage,surgical method and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors.Conclusions Enneking surgical stage,surgical method and distant metastasis are independent prognostic factors.Early diagnosis and the radical resection of tumor can improve the prognosis.