Influence of ankle loading on the relationship between temporal pressure and motor coordination during a whole-body paired task

We investigated whether ankle loading modifies the relationship between temporal pressure and motor coordination during a whole-body paired task. Eight young healthy adults standing in an erect posture performed multiple series of simultaneous rapid leg flexions paired with ipsilateral index finger extensions. They repeated the task ten times in three load conditions: unloaded, loaded (where additional 5-kg inertia was attached to the ankles), and post-loaded (immediately following the loaded condition). These conditions were conducted in two blocks of temporal pressure: self-initiated (SI) versus reaction time (RT). When participants were unloaded, the results showed that index finger extension preceded swing heel-off in RT, and conversely in SI. By contrast, when the participants were loaded, swing heel-off preceded index finger extension in both SI and RT, showing that loading modified the relationship between temporal pressure and movement synchronization in RT only. However, loading did not induce any increase in the error of synchronization. Furthermore, in both the unloaded and loaded conditions, the duration of “anticipatory postural adjustments” (APA) was shorter when the temporal pressure was increased. Interestingly, the shorter APA duration was compensated by an increase in APA amplitude. Thus, loading did not modify the relationship between temporal pressure and anticipatory postural dynamics. Post-loaded and unloaded conditions produced the same results. These results show that the central nervous system optimally adapts the relationship between temporal pressure and motor coordination to transitory changes in the mechanical properties of the lower limbs, here due to ankle loading.     

Aspergillosis in a gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) in Saudi Arabia

A mixed case of chronic tracheal (syringeal) and pulmonary (lungs and air sacs) aspergillosis was diagnosed in an adult female gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). The bird presented with a 4-week history of severe dyspnea, exercise intolerance, depression and reduced appetite. Physical examination revealed slight emaciation. Hematological analysis showed leucocytosis, heterophilia, monocytosis, and thrombocytosis. Radiographic examination showed thickening of the air sac walls and increased radiopacity within the lung field. Caseous granulomatous lesions were observed during tracheoscopy and laparoscopy procedures. Cytological examination of specimens obtained from these lesions demonstrated Aspergillus species, which was isolated in culture and identified as Aspergillus flavus.     

Assessment of levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with ESRD and its possible role in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are known to have an elevation of a variety of abnormal thrombotic and inflammatory markers associated with high cardiovascular mortality. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is also dysregulated in ESRD but not much is known about the serum levels of VEGF in patients with ESRD. Published reports suggest that elevated levels of VEGF may be protective to the kidney during periods of acute injury and may maintain local glomerular function. Impaired production of VEGF may lead to proteinuria, hypertension, and thrombotic microangiopathy. However, its role in chronic kidney disease or ESRD remains undefined. In our study, we analyzed blood samples of 52 patients with ESRD on stable hemodialysis regimen and measured predialysis serum levels of VEGF and compared these with blood samples obtained from 50 healthy volunteers in order to study differences between baseline levels of VEGF and also attempted to determine its role in ESRD-related cardiovascular mortality.     

Vortex fluidic mediated synthesis of polysulfone

Polysulfone (PSF) was prepared under high shear in a vortex fluidic device (VFD) operating in confined mode, and its properties compared with that prepared using batch processing. This involved reacting the pre-prepared disodium salt of bisphenol A (BPA) with a 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone under anhydrous conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) established that in the thin film microfluidic platform, the PSF particles are sheet-like, for short reaction times, and fibrous for long reaction times, in contrast to spherical like particles for the polymer prepared using the conventional batch synthesis. The operating parameters of the VFD (rotational speed of the glass tube, its tilt angle and temperature) were systematically varied for establishing their effect on the molecular weight (M_w), glass transition temperature (T_g) and decomposition temperature, featuring gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) respectively. The optimal VFD prepared PSF was obtained at 6000 rpm rotational speed, 45° tilt angle and 160 °C, for 1 h of processing with M_w ∼10 000 g mol⁻¹, T_g ∼158 °C and decomposition temperature ∼530 °C, which is comparable to the conventionally prepared PSF.

Polysulfone (PSF) was prepared under high shear in a vortex fluidic device (VFD) operating in confined mode. This involved reacting the pre-prepared disodium salt of bisphenol A (BPA) with a 4,4′-dihalodiphenylsulfone under anhydrous conditions.     

Expression of Caspase 14 and Filaggrin in Oral Squamous Carcinoma

Caspase 14 is one of the latter discovered members of the caspase enzyme family and, although sharing sequence homologies with the other caspases, it is not involved in apoptosis. Together with its co-factor filaggrin, it plays an important role in skin barrier formation. It is already known that caspase 14 proteins are reduced during neoplastic dedifferentiation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasms and in invasive cervical carcinomas. Oral squamous carcinoma tissues have not been systematically evaluated for caspase 14 expression yet. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded samples from oral squamous carcinomas (n = 36 tumours from 34 patients), metastases (n = 15) and controls (leukoplakia, n = 10) were analysed by immunohistochemistry. In carcinomas, human papilloma virus (HPV) infection was tested by PCR. Here we demonstrate that, in oral epithelia, caspase 14 is expressed mainly by cells of the intermediate and superficial cell layers while filaggrin is expressed only in keratinising foci in leukoplakia. Caspase 14 and filaggrin are co-localised. In invasive oral carcinomas, reduced expression of caspase 14 was detectable in 47 % of tumours but was not associated with keratinisation, tumour differentiation or HPV infection. Filaggrin was detectable in a subfraction of tumours (56 %) and was restricted to keratinising areas of the carcinomas. In summary, in contrast to cervical carcinomas, partial loss of caspase 14 is not associated with dedifferentiation in neoplastic lesions of the oral mucosa or HPV infection.     

Necrotising Infection of the Orofacial Tissues in Neonates (Noma Neonatorum): Case report

Noma neonatorum should be differentiated from noma, in that it is typically a disease of seriously ill premature infants whose birth weight was low, and is caused by Pseudomonas aerugenosa septicaemia. We know of only two case reports of noma neonatorum involving newborn infants born at full term, so we report here another case of noma neonatorum in a neonate born at full term. In addition we describe the differences between noma neonatorum and noma (cancrum oris), a clinically related entity.