The association between challenging behaviour and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in people with intellectual disabilities: a Bayesian mediation analysis approach.

BACKGROUND: A preponderance of behavioural symptoms is assumed to be the main difference in the manifestation of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with intellectual disability (ID). However, no study so far has assessed the relationship between challenging behaviour (CB) and PTSD. The present study aims to explore this relationship by exploring whether CB is directly related to trauma exposure or whether this relationship is mediated through core symptoms of PTSD. METHODS: Trauma exposure and current symptoms of PTSD were assessed in 43 adults with mild to moderate ID. Parallel versions were administered to 43 caregivers, including the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist to measure CB. Bayesian mediation analyses were conducted using self-rated and informant-rated data. RESULTS: The self-report data showed no associations of CB with trauma exposure or PTSD symptoms. The association between informant-rated trauma exposure and irritability was mediated by severity and frequency of PTSD symptoms. The associations between informant-reported trauma exposure and the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist subscales hyperactivity and inappropriate speech were mediated by PTSD symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between trauma exposure and CB was mediated by PTSD symptoms. PTSD core symptoms should be considered as underlying causes of CB, highlighting the necessity to explore trauma biography and symptoms of PTSD. The improvement of self-report assessment in people with ID is an important task for future studies.

Differential associations of health literacy with Austrian adolescents' tobacco and alcohol use.

OBJECTIVES: Tobacco use and alcohol use have their origin in adolescence, and risky use of these substances is amongst the leading preventable causes of morbidity and mortality. Health literacy (HL) encompasses the skills that are decisive to make appropriate health decisions in this context. Given the paucity of evidence on the link between HL and adolescents' health behaviors, the present study examined overall HL and different components of HL and their associations with smoking and alcohol use among 13 to 17-year-old Austrian students. STUDY DESIGN: Data were obtained from a national survey carried out in Austria (N = 4219; 56% females) as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: World Health Organization (WHO) collaborative cross-national study. METHODS: We tested two structural equation models, one including the overall HL scale as the predictor and one with the three subscales of HL 'finding,' 'understanding and appraising,' and 'applying' health-related information as predictors of smoking and alcohol use. RESULTS: Although overall HL was related to all indicators of adolescents' smoking and drinking, the three HL components had differential effects on these behaviors. The easier it was for the participants to 'understand and appraise' and 'apply' health-related information, the less frequently they had smoked and drunk alcohol and the less was the amount of alcohol they had consumed. Contrarily, the easier it was for the participants to 'find' information, the more they had smoked and drunk alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that availability of health-related information may be insufficient on its own to prevent or reduce risky substance use. This is of particular importance for the development and improvement of primary prevention programs targeting adolescent populations.

Co-occurrence of swine cysticercosis due to Taenia solium and Taenia hydatigena in ethnic minority villages at the Thai-Myanmar border.

As part of the international joint projects working towards the control of taeniosis/cysticercosis in Asia Pacific, epidemiological studies on Taenia solium cysticercosis have been carried out in high-incidence populations, such as minority groups in Thailand. To assess the epidemiology of cysticercotic infections in pigs in the hill-tribe minority villages (Karen) in Tak province, Thailand, we conducted serological screening and necropsies. The patterns of antibody response to T. solium antigens were then investigated using immunoblot assays. Of the 188 pig serum samples tested for antibody responses to partially purified low-molecular-weight antigens of T. solium cyst fluid, positive responses were detected in 37 samples (19.7%). Based on these results, 16 pigs (10 seropositive and 6 seronegative) were necropsied for investigation of cysticerci and intestinal parasites. All seropositive pigs were coinfected with both T. solium and Taenia hydatigena cysticerci, except one, which was infected with T. hydatigena alone. Three of the six seronegative pigs were confirmed to be infected with T. hydatigena. Pigs infected with T. solium showed much stronger antibody responses than those infected with T. hydatigena. Our results demonstrate the co-occurrence of two swine cysticercoses due to T. solium and T. hydatigena in the studied areas. This study also reveals the importance of direct confirmation of the presence of cysticerci by necropsy after serological screening. In addition to the prevalence of swine cysticercosis in these endemic areas, our findings also reveal potential implications for the development of serological diagnostic assays for swine cysticercosis.

Gastrointestinal helminths and Taenia spp. in parenteral tissues of free-roaming pigs (Sus scrofa indicus) from hilltribe village at the western border of Thailand.

A serological survey of pig cysticercosis was conducted in a hill-tribe village at Thai-Myanmar border, Tak province of Thailand in 2012. Sixteen backyard pigs were examined for pig cysticercosis and gastrointestinal helminth infection. In addition to cysticerci of Taenia solium and Taenia hydatigena found outside the gut, nine other helminth species were found in guts: Echinostoma malayanum, Pseudanoplocephala crawfordi, Ascarops dentata, Physocephalus sexalatus, Gnathostoma doloresi, Ascaris suum, Globocephalus sp., Oesophagostomum dentatum and Bourgelatia diducta. The study presents a report for the first time of adult tapeworm, P. crawfordi infection in pigs from Thailand. For medical importance, E. malayanum, P. crawfordi, G. doloresi and A. suum have been confirmed as potentially zoonotic helminths and pigs may act as one of the reservoir hosts for human helminthiases. Pigs of both gender and all ages appeared to be exposed to the parasites equally and did not show any significant difference to these helminth species in richness and total intensity.

A programmable DNA origami nanospring that reveals force-induced adjacent binding of myosin VI heads.

Mechanosensitive biological nanomachines such as motor proteins and ion channels regulate diverse cellular behaviour. Combined optical trapping with single-molecule fluorescence imaging provides a powerful methodology to clearly characterize the mechanoresponse, structural dynamics and stability of such nanomachines. However, this system requires complicated experimental geometry, preparation and optics, and is limited by low data-acquisition efficiency. Here we develop a programmable DNA origami nanospring that overcomes these issues. We apply our nanospring to human myosin VI, a mechanosensory motor protein, and demonstrate nanometre-precision single-molecule fluorescence imaging of the individual motor domains (heads) under force. We observe force-induced transitions of myosin VI heads from non-adjacent to adjacent binding, which correspond to adapted roles for low-load and high-load transport, respectively. Our technique extends single-molecule studies under force and clarifies the effect of force on biological processes.

Molecular identification of species of Taenia causing bovine cysticercosis in Ethiopia.

Bovine cysticercosis causing damage to the beef industry is closely linked to human taeniasis due to Taenia saginata. In African countries, Taenia spp. from wildlife are also involved as possible sources of infections in livestock. To identify the aetiological agents of bovine cysticercosis in Ethiopia, cysticerci were collected from 41 cattle slaughtered in the eastern and central areas during 2010-2012. A single cysticercus per animal was subjected to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based DNA sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene, and the resultant sequence was compared with those of members of the genus Taenia. Although 38 out of 41 cysticerci (92.7%) were identified as T. saginata, three samples (7.3%) showed the hitherto unknown sequences of Taenia sp., which is distantly related to Taenia solium, Taenia arctos and Taenia ovis. Old literatures suggest it to be Taenia hyaenae, but morphological identification of species could not be completed by observing only the larval samples.

A survey of seropositivity to antigen B, an immunodiagnostic antigen for human cystic echinococcosis, in domestic animals in Mongolia.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is well known to be an important zoonotic disease and national disease due to the traditional nomadic life style in Mongolia. The present study was carried out to obtain data on the seropositivity to antigen B, in domestic livestock, goats, sheep and cattle, in each province of Mongolia. The seropositivity to antigen B varied by province and ranged from 0% to 25.0% in goats, 0% to 12.5% in sheep, and 0% to 13.3% in cattle. In total, 9.2% of goats, 3.6% of sheep and 5.9% of cattle in Mongolia showed seropositivity.

Insulator-metal transition of VO2 ultrathin films on silicon: evidence for an electronic origin by infrared spectroscopy.

We report on the first simultaneous observations of both electronic and structural temperature-induced insulator-to-metal transition (IMT) in VO2 ultrathin films, made possible by the use of broad range transmission infrared spectroscopy. Thanks to these techniques, the infrared phonon structures, as well as the appearance of the free carrier signature, were resolved for the first time. The temperature-resolved spectra allowed the determination of the temperature hysteresis for both the structural (monoclinic-to-rutile) and electronic (insulator-to-metallic) transitions. The combination of these new observations and DFT simulations for the monoclinic structure allows us to verify the direct transition from monoclinic (M1) to rutile and exclude an intermediate structural monoclinic form (M2). The delay in structural modification compared to the primer electronic transition (325 K compared to 304 K) supports the role of free charges as the transition driving force. The shape of the free charge hysteresis suggests that the primer electronic transition occurs first at 304 K, followed by both its propagation to the heart of the layer and the structural transition when T increases. This study outlines further the potential of VO2 ultrathin films integrated on silicon for optoelectronics and microelectronics.

Mini review on chemotherapy of taeniasis and cysticercosis due to Taenia solium in Asia, and a case report with 20 tapeworms in China.

A 43-year-old Tibetan woman living in northwest Sichuan, China, confirmed to be a taeniasis carrier of Taenia solium was treated with pumpkin seeds combined with Areca nut extract in October 2009. All 20 tapeworms except one without scolex were expelled under good conditions. She was free of secondary cysticercosis within one year follow up. Although the first choice for treatment of taeniasis is still praziquantel, it may often cause serious side effect on asymptomatic cysticercosis cases to suddenly become symptomatic within a half day of the treatment. Therefore, the problems in treatment of taeniasis and/or cysticercosis in Asia are briefly overviewed, since other platyhelminthic diseases including schistosomiasis, opisthorchiasis etc. are more common and praziquantel is strongly recommended for mass treatment of these trematodiases with no idea on the co-infection with eggs of T. solium which cause asymptomatic cysticercosis.

Attached molecular motor in a trapped single molecule assay as a bidimensional Brownian multistable system.

To elucidate the physical properties of the force generation mechanism in molecular motors, we have obtained an analytical solution of the bidimensional Fokker-Plank equation which describes a common setup used in single molecule experiments. As a first application of this general result, we have shown that the size of the trapping system affects the dwell time of a multistable particle linearly. A quantitative application to skeletal actomyosin complex, using direct observation of force generation dynamics in the literature, shows that the size of the trapping system used was important for increasing the dwell time of the myosin head stable states to an observable time scale.

The first report on cystic echinococcosis in a cat caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (G1).

A case of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in a domestic cat is described from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Ultrasonography showed numerous cysts with hyperechoic walls and anechoic contents within the cat's abdominal cavity. Molecular identification based on mitochondrial DNA genes indicated that the causative agent was Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto (G1 strain). This is the first report of CE in a cat caused by E. granulosus sensu stricto with molecular confirmation.

Kudoa ogawai n. sp. (Myxozoa: Multivalvulida) from the trunk muscle of Pacific barrelfish Hyperoglyphe japonica (Teleostei: Centrolophidae) in Japan.

Kudoa ogawai n. sp. (Myxozoa; Multivalvulida) is described from the trunk muscle of Pacific barrelfish Hyperoglyphe japonica caught in Japan. Oval to ellipsoidal cysts, white to yellowish in colour, 1-2 mm in size, were filled with numerous spores having four polar capsules. Spores were stellate with rounded peripheral edges in apical view, and garlic shaped with four prominent apical projections in side view. Average (range) spore size was 13.3 (12.0-14.2) µm in width and 9.0 (8.3-9.7) µm in length. The spore dimensions and the apical projections of K. ogawai n. sp. were clearly distinguishable from the other muscle-infecting species. Molecular analyses of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences showed that K. ogawai n. sp. is closely related to Kudo iwatai and Kudoa hemiscylli (95% and 92% genetic similarity, respectively), but the present species is morphologically distinct from the two species. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S and 28S rDNA placed K. ogawai n. sp. sister to all Kudoa spp. available in GenBank.

Lack of antibodies against the antigen domain 2 epitope of cytomegalovirus (CMV) glycoprotein B is associated with CMV disease after renal transplantation in recipients having the same glycoprotein H serotypes as their donors.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reinfection of seropositive individuals has been associated with adverse outcomes in organ transplantation and is a frequent cause of congenital infection. Previously we demonstrated that mismatching of CMV glycoprotein H (gH) serotypes was associated with CMV disease after renal transplantation. Because the antigen domain 2 (AD2) epitope of glycoprotein B (gB) is conserved among CMV isolates and is one of the known targets of neutralizing antibodies, in this study we investigated whether antibodies against the epitope contribute to protection from CMV reinfection in renal transplantation, irrespective of gH serological matching. For this purpose, the gB and gH serology and clinical outcomes were analyzed retrospectively for 77 transplant recipients in the donor positive/recipient positive setting, who were managed by preemptive strategy. We found that there was a good negative correlation between the numbers of antigenemia-positive cells and the levels of antibodies against gB AD2 in the CMV-gH antibody matched group, but not in the CMV-gH antibody mismatched group. None of the recipients with antibodies against both gB AD2 and strain-specific epitopes of gH have experienced CMV disease during 6 month after transplantation, while 28% of those who lacked either/both antibody response needed preemptive therapy. Because the outcome was statistically significant, antibodies against gB AD2 can be a useful indicator to predict emergence of CMV disease for preemptive therapy, in addition to antibodies against the mismatched gH types.

Molecular diagnosis of Myxobolus spirosulcatus associated with encephalomyelitis of cultured yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel.

Mass mortality of cultured yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, has recently been reported from fish farms in western Japan. Previous studies revealed that diseased fish were characterized by encephalomyelitis and presporogonic stages of a myxosporean-like parasite in the spinal cord. However, the parasite has remained unidentified because of the lack of mature stages being present. Thus, in the present study, analysis of the small subunit ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) of the parasite as well as in situ hybridization (ISH) studies using histological sections of the infected tissue was conducted. The 18S rDNA of the myxosporean had higher sequence similarities with those of bile-duct-infecting myxosporeans rather than those infecting nervous tissues and was identified as Myxobolus spirosulcatus. The ISH using specific probes demonstrated that the DNA amplified was derived from the multinuclear organisms found in histological sections. A highly sensitive and specific PCR-based assay for M. spirosulcatus was developed, which revealed a high prevalence of infection in cultured yellowtail that exhibited the clinical signs of encephalomyelitis.

Modulation of hyaluronan fragmentation by interleukin-1 beta in synovial membrane cells.

Hyaluronan (HA) plays a crucial role in the lubricating and buffering properties of synovial fluid. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of interleukin (IL)-1beta on HA degradation in cultured synovial membrane cells. The rabbit synovial membrane cell line HIG-82 was cultured with and without IL-1beta. The amounts of HA of varying molecular weights in the medium were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography, the mRNA levels of HA synthase (HAS) and hyaluronidase (HYAL) were analyzed by means of real-time PCR, and HYAL activity was analyzed by HA zymography. The amounts of HA with a molecular weight lower than 300 kDa, and between 300 and 1900 kDa, in the culture medium of HIG-82 cells were significantly higher in the presence of IL-1beta. However, the amount of HA with a molecular weight greater than 1900 kDa was significantly lower in the presence of IL-1beta. Both HAS2 and HAS3 mRNA levels were upregulated by treatment with IL-1beta. So, too, were the levels of HYAL1 and HYAL2 mRNA, which resulted in enhanced HYAL activity. However, HYAL activity was inhibited by transfection of HYAL2-siRNA. Our results suggest that IL-1beta is a crucial factor in the fragmentation of HA in inflammatory joints.

Temperature effects on the development of Enteromyxum spp. (Myxozoa) in experimentally infected tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes (Temminck & Schlegel).

The effects of water temperature on the development of the enteric myxosporeans, Enteromyxum fugu and Enteromyxum leei, were investigated in experimentally infected tiger puffer, Takifugu rubripes. After naïve tiger puffer were fed gut tissue infected with both E. fugu and E. leei, they were divided into separate tanks and kept at different constant temperature regimes between 10 and 25 degrees C. Regardless of the water temperature tested, E. fugu was consistently detected with a high prevalence of infection (60-100%), although no sporulation occurred at 10 and 15 degrees C. Development of E. leei and the onset of disease were suppressed by low water temperatures (<15 degrees C). However, a temperature increase to 20 degrees C promoted the development of E. leei, followed by an increase of disease rate in the fish. The present study demonstrates that water temperatures below 15 degrees C have an inhibitory effect on the development of E. fugu and E. leei, resulting in suppression of enteromyxosis at low temperatures.

On Myosin II dynamics in the presence of external loads.

We address the controversial hot question concerning the validity of the loose coupling versus the lever-arm theories in the actomyosin dynamics by re-interpreting and extending the phenomenological washboard potential model proposed by some of us in a previous paper. In this new model a Brownian motion harnessing thermal energy is assumed to co-exist with the deterministic swing of the lever-arm, to yield an excellent fit of the set of data obtained by some of us on the sliding of Myosin II heads on immobilized actin filaments under various load conditions. Our theoretical arguments are complemented by accurate numerical simulations, and the robustness of the model is tested via different choices of parameters and potential profiles.

Superimposition of post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis on the course of IgA nephropathy: predominance of Th1 type immune response.

A 23-year-old man was admitted with macrohematuria and systemic edema appearing after an acute upper respiratory tract infection. He had been diagnosed 6 years earlier with IgA nephropathy (IgA-N). On admission, hypertension, nephrotic syndrome and hypocomplementemia were evident together with a high titer of anti-streptokinase (ASK). Renal biopsy showed severe glomerular mesangial proliferation, segmental endocapillary proliferation and crescent formation. Immunofluorescence microscopy (IF) showed strong deposition of C3 and reduced deposition of IgA. Electron microscopy showed a so-called "hump" on the epithelial side of the glomerular basement membrane. These features were consistent with post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSAGN) superimposed on IgA-N. Following 2 weeks of observation, blood pressure, C3 level and ASK titer returned to normal ranges, although nephrotic syndrome was still evident, which necessitated oral prednisolone (30 mg/day) therapy. Another biopsy taken 2 months later demonstrated regression of endocapillary proliferation and IF showed decreased deposition of C3. Immunohistochemical staining of the specimen taken on admission revealed the presence of numerous T cells and macrophages in the interstitium. Macrophages were also seen in the glomerular tuft. Many interstitial infiltrating cells were positive for interferon-gamma, but their number diminished after treatment. Our findings suggest that PSAGN complicating pre-existing IgA-N activates cellular immunity and augments renal tissue injury.

Resurrection of grand unified theory baryogenesis.

A "new" scenario is proposed for baryogenesis. We show that the delayed decay of colored Higgs particles in grand unified theories may generate an excess baryon number of the empirically desired amount, if the mass of the heaviest neutrino is in the range 0.02 eV