Deciphering the molecular effects of non-ablative Er:YAG laser treatment in an in vitro model of the non-keratinized mucous membrane

Lasers in Medical Science -     

Short‐term Effects of Social Exclusion at Work and Worries on Sleep

The present study investigated short‐term effects of daily social exclusion at work on various indicators of sleep quality and tested the mediating role of work‐related worries using a time‐based diary study with ambulatory assessments of sleep quality. Ninety full‐time employees participated in a 2‐week data collection. Multilevel analyses revealed that daily workplace social exclusion and work‐related worries were positively related to sleep fragmentation in the following night. Daily social exclusion, however, was unrelated to sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency and self‐reported sleep quality. Moreover, worries did not mediate the effect of social exclusion at work on sleep fragmentation. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combination of betulinic acid with cisplatin--different cytotoxic effects in two head and neck cancer cell lines

Betulinic acid (BetA), a new experimental cytotoxic compound that is active against human melanoma cells and neuroectodermal tumor cells, has recently been shown to be also effective against head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (HNSCC). In this study we investigated BetA in combination with cisplatin in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the tongue. SCC25 and SCC9 were treated with BetA and/or cisplatin. Cells were counted with an automated analyzing system. Caspase activation was determined using the M30 Cyto-Death ELISA, expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 by Western blot analysis. Visualization of apoptotic cells was achieved by immunohistochemistry. Synergistic cytotoxic effect and the induction of apoptosis under combined treatment was observed in SCC25 cells only after 24 or 48 h, whereas treatment of SCC25 cells for 72 h with BetA and cisplatin showed antagonism or subadditive effects. In SCC9 cells, antagonism occurred over an increase of dose and time during treatment. Furthermore, we could not demonstrate a significant alteration in the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Mcl-1. Our in vitro data demonstrate that BetA seems to be an unlikely candidate for combination with cisplatin in the treatment of head and neck cancer.     

Longitudinal study of energy expenditure in preterm neonates <30 weeks' gestation during the first three postnatal weeks

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to measure energy expenditure (EE) in a contemporary population of preterm neonates <30 weeks' gestation. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal cohort study in 26 consecutive preterm neonates (gestational age, 27 weeks [23-29] [median, range]; birth weight, 980 g [554-1592]). EE was measured by indirect calorimetry on postnatal days 1, 3, 5, 10, and 21. Data on body weight, energy intake, and medical therapy were prospectively collected. RESULTS: EE increased from 121 +/- 25 kJ/kg per day (29 +/- 6 kcal/kg per day) (mean +/- SD) on day 1 to 222 +/- 25 kJ/kg per day (53 +/- 6 kcal/kg per day) on day 21. An energy deficit occurred only on day 1. EE was closely related to energy intake: For each additional kJ given, EE increased by 0.3 kJ (r = 0.789, P <.0001). Neonates with a birth weight <1000 g did not have a more pronounced energy deficit than the heavier neonates. EE during nasal continuous positive airway pressure in the first postnatal week was 25% lower than during spontaneous respiration. CONCLUSIONS: EE could be predicted from energy intake with acceptable accuracy in preterm neonates <30 weeks' gestation during the first 3 postnatal weeks. There was no prolonged energy deficit.     

Hypoglycaemic effect of Opuntia lindheimeri Englem in a diabetic pig model

The hypoglycaemic activity of Opuntia lindheimeri Englem. was investigated in non-diabetic (control pigs) and streptozotocin-induced diabetic pigs using an enteral (oral) route of administration. Following the administration of O. lindheimeri extract (0, 250 or 500 mg/kg body weight), blood glucose concentrations in control pigs fluctuated around initial baseline concentrations, but were not consistently affected by either the dose of O. lindheimeri or by the time following administration. In contrast, administration of O. lindheimeri extract to STZ-treated pigs resulted in both a dose- (p < 0.001) and time-dependent (p < 0.001) decrease in blood glucose concentrations. The hypoglycaemic effect of the extract was apparent within 1 h of administration, with maximal effects occurring at 4 h after administration. These results confirm the hypoglycaemic effect of O. lindheimeri extract in a diabetic pig model. In addition, given the physiological similarities of the pig to humans, this model will be of tremendous use in assessing the long-term effects of Opuntia administration on the secondary problems associated with diabetes.     

Reinterventions after dynamic intraligamentary stabilization in primary anterior cruciate ligament repair

Background

The goal of this study was to perform an in-depth analysis of the frequency and cause of secondary interventions subsequent to primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair with dynamic intraligamentary stabilization (DIS).

Slow feature analysis yields a rich repertoire of complex cell properties

In this study we investigate temporal slowness as a learning principle for receptive fields using slow feature analysis, a new algorithm to determine functions that extract slowly varying signals from the input data. We find a good qualitative and quantitative match between the set of learned functions trained on image sequences and the population of complex cells in the primary visual cortex (V1). The functions show many properties found also experimentally in complex cells, such as direction selectivity, non-orthogonal inhibition, end-inhibition, and side-inhibition. Our results demonstrate that a single unsupervised learning principle can account for such a rich repertoire of receptive field properties.     

Attribute-Based Design Space: Materials-Science-Based Quality-By-Design for Operational Flexibility and Process Portability

In April, 2009, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Drug Product Technical Group sponsored an industry workshop to explore the practicality and limitations of defining a design space strictly in terms of material attributes rather than process variables. This material-attribute design space would be independent of scale and configuration of process equipment and the associated process variables. For this reason, it would be portable in the sense that post-approval changes of equipment scale, nameplate, or location would not require regulatory approval. This paper summarizes and expands on the output of the workshop. A key concept that underlies this work is that the performance of a drug product is determined by its structure. The control objective of a manufacturing process is to assemble the components of the product into this structure. This is achieved by controlling the attributes of raw materials and process intermediates from each step in the production train within specified ranges, i.e., by operating within a material-attribute design space. In this paper, we explore the development, implementation, and limitations of an attribute-based design space. We show that developing the design space and translating it into process conditions and manufacturing instructions for specific process trains requires the development of thorough process understanding. Thus, this concept is fully consistent with the principles of quality by design. While implementation of the concept developed in this paper is not endorsed by regulatory agencies and would require changes to relevant guidances and regulations, we believe it would provide the quality assurance required by regulators and the operational and process flexibility desired by manufacturers.     

A functional hypothesis for adult hippocampal neurogenesis: avoidance of catastrophic interference in the dentate gyrus

The dentate gyrus is part of the hippocampal memory system and special in that it generates new neurons throughout life. Here we discuss the question of what the functional role of these new neurons might be. Our hypothesis is that they help the dentate gyrus to avoid the problem of catastrophic interference when adapting to new environments. We assume that old neurons are rather stable and preserve an optimal encoding learned for known environments while new neurons are plastic to adapt to those features that are qualitatively new in a new environment. A simple network simulation demonstrates that adding new plastic neurons is indeed a successful strategy for adaptation without catastrophic interference.