Effect of photoperiod manipulation on the daily rhythms of melatonin and reproductive hormones in caged European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Reproduction in fish is cyclical and timed to guarantee the survival of the offspring. Seasonal variations in reproductive hormones of fish have been deeply investigated in fish over the last years. However, there are few studies regarding the daily changes in reproductive hormone profiles in teleosts. The aim of the present research was to investigate the effects of photoperiod manipulation on melatonin and reproductive hormones (pituitary sbGnRH, pituitary LH and plasma LH, testosterone [T], and 11-ketotestosterone [11KT]) daily rhythms in male sea bass, kept in net cages under farming conditions in winter (9L:15D). Fish were distributed in two groups, one under constant long photoperiod (18L:6D) and the other under natural photoperiod. The photoperiod strongly influenced the daily melatonin profile, so that the duration of the nocturnal melatonin rise was longer in the control group than in the group exposed to the artificial photoperiod (18L:6D). A daily rhythm was observed in the pituitary sbGnRH profile in both groups, showing the lowest levels during the dark period. A daily rhythm of pituitary LH was detected in the control group, which was suppressed in the group under long photoperiod. Daily variations in plasma LH were observed, the highest levels being found in the dark phase in both groups, although this profile was significantly altered by artificial light, maintaining a fixed relationship between the first nocturnal rise of melatonin and the nocturnal peaks of plasma LH in both groups. Plasma T levels showed significant fluctuations in their daily cycle following a sinusoidal pattern with an acrophase around sunrise in both groups, without any influence of light regime. No significant daily variations in plasma levels of 11-KT were observed in none of the groups. Our results provide the first evidence of the presence of daily variations in pituitary sbGnRH content, pituitary and plasma LH, and plasma T in sea bass. Artificial lights suppressed the circulating melatonin and significantly affected the daily rhythm of LH storage and release.     

Changing the mind? Not really—activity and connectivity in the caudate correlates with changes of choice

Changes in preference are inherently subjective and internal psychological events. We have identified brain events that presage ultimate (rather than intervening) choices, and signal the finality of a choice. At the first exposure to a pair of faces, caudate activity reflected the face of final choice, even if an initial choice was different. Furthermore, the orbitofrontal cortex and hippocampus exhibited correlations only when the subject had made a choice that would not change.     

Supplier-induced demand for newborn treatment: Evidence from Japan

We estimate the degree of supplier-induced demand for newborn treatment by exploiting changes in reimbursement arising from the introduction of the partial prospective payment system (PPS) in Japan. Under the partial PPS, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) utilization became relatively more profitable than other procedures, since it was excluded from prospective payments. We find that hospitals have responded to PPS adoption by increasing NICU utilization and by more frequently manipulating infants’ reported birth weights which in large part determine their maximum allowable stay in the NICU. This induced demand substantially increases the reimbursements received by hospitals.     

The runner's kidney: A case report

Kidney somatic dysfunction could be easily missed when treating a runner as pain in runners is usually biomechanical. In this case report, a 51 year old woman with pain in her gluteus while running is presented. After treatment with physical therapy and structural osteopathic manipulation, there was no improvement. Once the key lesion (a second degree kidney ptosis) was found and treated, the patient could resume her training without any pain.     

整骨疗法治疗非特异性下腰痛：解读2016年美国骨科协会的指南

文题释义：整骨疗法：文章中提及的整骨疗法是指美式整骨手法,指南中明确为由整骨医师或其他在整骨手法治疗方面受过培训和精通的医师(如欧洲接受过整骨培训项目的医师)提供的手法治疗。该方法强调徒手操作技巧,通过调整脊柱的结构紊乱,改善肌肉骨骼系统功能,能对其他神经肌肉骨骼组织与器官的功能障碍、组织病理条件或是复杂的症状产生积极影响。 非特异性下腰痛：美国骨科协会指南适用的范围为非特异性下腰痛患者,所有非特异性肌肉及骨骼源性下腰痛患者均符合指南建议。而有内脏疾病引起腰痛的患者应被排除在指南之外。其他应排除发生以下确定的下腰痛来源的情况：脊椎骨折;椎关节脱位;肌肉撕裂;脊柱或脊椎关节韧带断裂;椎间盘、脊柱关节突关节、肌肉或筋膜的炎症;皮肤撕裂伤;骶髂关节炎;强直性脊柱炎;肿块在或从背部下部引起疼痛的患者。但是指南特别指出,排除在指南之外并不意味着整骨手法在这些情况下是禁忌的。 背景：下腰痛是骨科常见疾病之一,非特异性下腰痛在临床中占到了非常大的比重。为更好的治疗该疾病,2016年美国骨科协会制定了整骨疗法治疗非特异性下腰痛患者的临床指南。 目的：通过解读指南让骨科医生以及其他医生、其他卫生专业人员和第三方付费者了解关于适当使用整骨手法治疗非特异性下腰痛患者的潜在建议的证据,帮助临床骨科医生在遇到非特异性下腰痛患者选择治疗方法时提供参考。同时科研工作者可借鉴、学习指南中科学严谨的设计思路与评价方法。 方法：指南是建立在先前指南和最新高质量荟萃分析的基础上进行的修订,确定了采用整骨手法治疗非特异性下腰痛为确实有效的治疗手段,明确其推荐等级。文章通过详细解读指南中的相关定义、循证医学的评价方法、具体内容和结果,并结合中国临床实际进行分析与讨论。 结果与结论：指南共纳入17项研究,系统评价了整骨手法在治疗急慢性非特异性下腰痛以及妊娠期及产后妇女非特异性下腰痛的治疗效果,结果证实患者在疼痛及功能状态等方面都有极大的改善,美国骨科协会的最终建议是建议骨科医生使用整骨手法治疗下腰痛患者。该治疗方法安全性及科学性较高,适合在国内进行推广。 ORCID: 0000-0001-6897-1581(谢瑞) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：人工关节;骨植入物;脊柱;骨折;内固定;数字化骨科;组织工程     

Synergistic hierarchical silicone-modified polysaccharide hybrid as a soft scaffold to control cell adhesion and proliferation

In this study, a new type of polydimethylsiloxane-modified chitosan (PMSC) amphiphilic hydrogel was developed as a soft substrate to explore cellular responses for dermal reconstruction. The hydrogel wettability, mechanical stiffness and topography were controllable through manipulation of the degree of esterification (DE) between hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and hydrophilic N,O-(carboxymethyl)-chitosan (NOCC). Based on microphase separation, the incorporation of PDMS into NOCC increased the stiffness of the hybrid through the formation of self-assembled aggregates, which also provided anchor sites for cell adhesion. As the DE exceeded 0.39, the size of the PDMS-rich aggregates changed from nanoscale to microscale. Subsequently, the hierarchical architecture resulted in an increase in the tensile modulus of the hybrid gel up to fourfold, which simultaneously provided mechano-topographic guidance and allowed the cells to completely spread to form spindle shapes instead of forming a spherical morphology, as on NOCC (DE = 0). The results revealed that the incorporation of hydrophobic PDMS not only impeded acidic damage resulting from NOCC but also acted as an adhesion modification agent to facilitate long-term cell adhesion and proliferation on the soft substrate. As proved by the promotion on long-term type-I collagen production, the PMSC hybrid with self-assembled mechano-topography offers great promise as an advanced scaffold material for use in healing applications.     

Robot-assisted catheter manipulation for intracardiac navigation

Objective  Manual navigation of intracardiac steerable catheters is inaccurate, requires dexterity for efficient manipulation of the catheter, and exposes the interventionalist to ionizing radiation. The objective of this research is to develop a system that replaces the interventionalists’s hands in catheter manipulation for accurate and semi-automatic tele-navigation of catheters. Methods  Based on a proposed kinematic model for the distal shaft of the catheter, a system has been developed for assisted navigation of intracardiac catheters. When the distal shaft of the catheter lies inside a cardiac chamber, a robotic apparatus is utilized for automatic steering of the catheter tip to reach designated targets within the chamber. Results  The catheter modeling was validated through the experiments on three swine. The robotic system could navigate the catheter tip to designated targets with a mean distance of 6.53 mm from the target. Conclusion  Preliminary in vivo studies demonstrate the feasible application of the system in catheter navigation and the validity of catheter modeling and control strategies.     

Production and manipulation of elevated temperatures in pig abdomen with a three-electrode capacitive heating device

The ability of a three-electrode capacitive heating device operating at 13·56 MHz to produce and effect spatial redistribution of hyperthermic temperatures is demonstrated through abdominal heating studies conducted with 80 kg female and 65 kg male pigs. Temperature-time profiles over the respective heating periods were obtained in anterior and posterior superficial tissue and in selected abdominal organs. At selected times during heating, spatial redistribution of elevated temperatures was effected through adjustment of power settings for one or more of the three electrodes, i.e. through manipulation of the specific absorption rate (SAR) in-vivo.     

Change in imitation for object manipulation between 10 and 12 months of age

By the end of the first year, infants show dramatic increases in manual skill. In this study we tested one factor likely to contribute to this change: an increase in the capacity for observational learning, which may enable infants to learn new behaviors and practice ones that they already possess. Thus, we evaluated change in imitation between 10 and 12 months of age. Twelve 10‐month‐olds and twelve 12‐month‐old infants were shown different kinds of manual actions on a variety of objects; infants also manipulated objects during a free play control condition. Results indicated that older infants benefited more than younger ones in the Demonstration condition and that at both ages, infants performed the target action more quickly after observing a demonstration. We hypothesize that observational learning can help manual skill development by enabling infants to learn new actions and select and practice ones already in their skill set. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 90–99, 2010     

中医手法治疗颈型颈椎病随机对照试验的质量评价研究

背景 中医手法是治疗颈型颈椎病的重要手段。随着研究的不断发展，大量中医手法治疗颈型颈椎病的随机对照试验已经发表，但质量水平参差不齐，限制了中医手法的推广和高质量临床证据的产生。 目的 评价目前中医手法治疗颈型颈椎病随机对照试验的文献质量。 方法 计算机检索中国知网、万方数据知识服务平台、维普网、中国生物医学文献服务系统、PubMed、Embase和Cochrane Library数据库中手法治疗颈型颈椎病的随机对照试验，检索时限为建库至2021年6月。由2名研究者完成文献筛选和资料提取。采用物理治疗证据数据库（PEDro）量表、Cochrane偏倚风险评估工具、临床试验报告标准（CONSORT）声明2010版及附加指标评价纳入文献的质量。 结果 共纳入81篇文献，其中2006—2014年共发表文献28篇，年平均发表3.11篇；2015—2021年共发表文献53篇，年平均发表7.57篇。文献质量评价结果显示，PEDro量表总分≥7分的高质量文献仅7篇（8.6%）。Cochrane偏倚风险评估工具显示，高偏倚风险文献所占比例最少，低偏倚风险文献次之，大部分条目因为报告信息不全，评分偏倚风险不确定。CONSORT声明2010版评价结果显示，纳入文献的文题和摘要、方法、结果、讨论、其他信息部分报告率不足。附加指标中采用多中心、伦理审批、干预措施质量控制、志谢报告率低。 结论 目前中医手法治疗颈型颈椎病随机对照试验的文献质量普遍偏低，建议今后研究者参照PEDro量表、Cochrane偏倚风险评估工具、CONSORT声明对中医手法治疗颈型颈椎病的随机对照试验进行规范性报告。