NR4A2 genetic variation in sporadic Parkinson's disease: a genewide approach.

The NR4A2 gene, which may cause autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease (PD), has also been reported to be a susceptibility factor for sporadic PD. Here, we use a haplotype-tagging approach in 802 PD patients and 784 controls and demonstrate that common genetic variation, including NR4A2 haplotypes, does not influence the risk of PD in the Caucasian population.     

A population study of the precedence effect

Data are reported from a population of untrained individuals under lag- and single-click conditions in a discrimination suppression precedence-effect task. The cue to be discriminated was an interaural level-difference (ILD). Each of 91 observers completed 10 runs in a two-interval forced-choice design under a lag-click condition and three runs under a single-click condition. Stimuli were 125-micros rectangular pulses and the interclick interval was 2 ms. Observers were randomly assigned to three groups of approximately 30. Each group was then tested at one stimulus intensity (43, 58, or 73 dB). Mean threshold within each group was greater than 15 dB for the lag-click condition and 6 dB for the single-click condition, although there was substantial interobserver variability. In contrast to [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 114 (2003) 420] who reported a strong effect of intensity on lag-click ITD discrimination, no effect of intensity was observed on lag-click ILD thresholds. Analysis of over 50,000 near-threshold trials from 302 observers pooled across studies showed a spatial asymmetry in response patterns and a small, but statistically significant effect of gender. A model is proposed which shows that decay of sensory memory and increases in auditory filter bandwidths with intensity may predict the different findings for ILD versus ITD lag-click thresholds.     

Type B lactic acidosis and insulin-resistant hyperglycemia in an adolescent following cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To report the presence of type B lactic acidosis and insulin-resistant hyperglycemia following cardiopulmonary bypass in a pediatric patient. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Tertiary referral children's hospital pediatric intensive care unit. PATIENT: Fourteen-year-old child with hyperlactatemia and hyperglycemia following cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS AND RESULTS: We report a patient who following cardiopulmonary bypass for repair of his congenital heart disease developed type B lactic acidosis and hyperglycemia resistant to insulin therapy. Resolution of his hyperlactatemia and hyperglycemia occurred approximately 24 hrs postoperatively without apparent ill effect. CONCLUSIONS: Type B lactic acidosis is a phenomenon that may occur in the pediatric population in conjunction with insulin-resistant hyperglycemia. We observed that its resolution corresponded to improvement in the patient's hyperglycemia.     

Anti-commensal IgG Drives Intestinal Inflammation and Type 17 Immunity in Ulcerative Colitis

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Noncontact rotation,levitation, and acceleration of flowing liquid metal wires

This paper reports the noncontact manipulation of free-falling cylindrical streams of liquid metals into unique shapes, such as levitated loops and squares. Such cylindrical streams form in aqueous media by electrochemically lowering the interfacial tension. The electrochemical reactions require an electrical current that flows through the streams, making them susceptible to the Lorentz force. Consequently, varying the position and shape of a magnetic field relative to the stream controls these forces. Moreover, the movement of the metal stream relative to the magnetic field induces significant forces arising from Lenz’s law that cause the manipulated streams to levitate in unique shapes. The ability to control streams of liquid metals in a noncontact manner will enable strategies for shaping electronically conductive fluids for advanced manufacturing and dynamic electronic structures.

Noncontact methods of manufacturing and manipulation can minimize disrupting objects of interest. Objects can be manipulated in a noncontact manner by magnetic methods (levitation and tweezers) (1, 2), acoustic manipulation (3, 4), optical tweezers (5), and other techniques (6, 7). However, to date, free-flowing liquid streams have been particularly difficult to manipulate in a noncontact manner. Realizing highly controlled changes in directionality or complex shaping of liquids, especially without disrupting the cross-sectional shape of the stream, is a challenge. Here, we explore the noncontact manipulation of free-flowing streams of liquid metals (LMs). Gallium-based LMs (Galinstan, the eutectic alloy of gallium indium and tin used in this work) have recently received significant attention due to their promises of soft and stretchable metallic conductors, low melting points, and simultaneous fluidity and metallic properties at room temperature as well as low toxicity (8–15).LM alloys are seemingly unlikely candidates to form stable fluid streams due to their enormous surface tension and water-like viscosity, which favor the formation of droplets (Fig. 1A). However, electrochemical oxidation of the surface of the LM in basic solution lowers the effective tension of the LM to extremely low values (16, 17). This electrochemical manipulation of interfacial tension enables various fascinating phenomena, such as reversible deformation (18), patterning (19), heartbeat effects (20), “superfluid-like” penetration through porous media (21), and other electrochemical effects (22–29). Most importantly, the presence of oxide species on the LM also enables long, stable wire-like streams of metal to form as it exits a nozzle into the solution (17, 30) (Fig. 1B). Because of their cylindrical cross-section and metallic conductivity, we call these fluidic streams liquid metal wires (LMWs), which form narrow diameters (∼100 to 200 µm). Although normally LM is not responsive to magnetic fields, the current passing through the wire to drive the electrochemical reactions makes it susceptible to magnetic forces via the Lorentz force (Fig. 1C). The Lorentz force arises by applying a magnetic field normal to the direction of electrical current. The Lorentz force is normal to both the current and magnetic field, as described by the so-called "left-hand rule."Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Shaping free-flowing liquid metal wires by the Lorentz force and Lenz''s law: (A) drops form at 0 V and (B) a liquid metal wire at 1.5 V. (C) Current-carrying LMW rotated by the Lorentz force within a magnetic field in which N and S refer to the north and south poles of the magnet. (D) Schematic illustration of the experimental setup; a blue piece of paper covered one wall of the vessel to facilitate imaging. (E) Photographs showing the LMW path resulting from different positions of the magnet with the N pole outward. The dotted lines indicate the location and the shape of the magnet. (F) False-colored images of LM (white) showing four sequences of frames with a force diagram and motion analysis. The yellow dotted line denotes the periphery of the magnet.In this work, we control the displacement of free-falling LMWs at room temperature using the Lorentz force. Because LM is soft, it provides almost no resistance to manipulation via the Lorentz force and therefore, accelerates radially. The displacement of the LMWs relative to the magnet also induces a secondary force according to Lenz’s law (i.e., a drag force that opposes the motion at the periphery of the magnet). Thus, the combination effects of the Lorentz force and Lenz’s law drive the metal into shapes that mirror the circumference of the magnet while levitating the metal. As shown here, the behavior depends on the location of the magnet relative to the LMW. We demonstrate and characterize the unique ability to manipulate LM streams in a noncontact manner using only a relatively low applied voltage and a common magnet.     

Bioequivalence evaluation of a triamterene-hydrochlorothiazide generic product: a new bioequivalence index for fixed-dose combinations

In this study, an open, double-blind, randomized, two-period, two-group crossover design was conducted in 14 healthy volunteers to study the bioequivalence of a fixed-dose generic product. After administration of test or reference products to each volunteer, both active ingredients were determined simultaneously in plasma samples using a developed and validated HPLC-UV method, and pharmacokinetic parameters, including C(max), T(max), AUC(0-t) , AUC(0∞), terminal elimination rate constant (λz), volume of distribution in steady state (Vd(ss)), mean residence time (MRT), clearance (Cl), terminal elimination rate constant (Kel) were determined in each subject using the standard non-compartmental approach. Statistical comparison showed that the test and reference products were bioequivalent in terms of both the rate and extent of bioavailability of both active ingredients. Finally, a new parameter named range overlap index (ROI) was introduced for the first time in this study in order to judge about the overall bioequivalence of the combination products. This parameter indicates the extent in which the two CI90% ranges of each parameter for two active ingredients overlap with each other. The ROI is suggested to be equal or more than 50% for two combination products in order to be known as bioequivalent. The ROI values of the bioequivalence-indicating parameters were 61.90%, 84.6%, and 76.0% for C(max), AUC(0--->12), and AUC(0--->∞), respectively, which are indicative for bioequivalence in all the cases.