Evaluation of Epstein-Barr Virus,Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), and HHV-8 Antiviral Drug Susceptibilities by Use of Real-Time-PCR-Based Assays

Evaluation of candidate antiviral drugs against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), and HHV-8 is hampered by the lack of convenient laboratory assays. We developed real-time quantitative PCR assays performed on supernatants of lymphoma cell lines and determined the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀s) of nucleoside, nucleotide, and pyrophosphate analogues against these herpesviruses.     

Is the IL-10 −819 Polymorphism Associated with Visceral Leishmaniasis?

Previous investigations demonstrated that immune responses play critical roles in the defense against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). A key regulator of immune responses is the cytokine, IL-10 and polymorphisms within its promoter which could alter its expression. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the correlation between polymorphism at the ?819 position of the IL-10 gene and VL in a selected Iranian population. This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 patients with clinical presentation of VL and seropositive for the leishmania (group 1), 62 patients without clinical presentation but seropositive (group 2), and 128 healthy controls (group 3). The IL-10 ?819 polymorphism was evaluated using the PCR-RFLP technique. The anti-leishmania antibody titration was assessed using an immunofluorescence assay. Our results showed that the polymorphism at IL-10 ?819 (C/T) position was significantly associated with VL, and C/T genotype was significantly higher in VL patients when compared to groups 2 and 3 (p?<?0.001). However, the results demonstrated that the C and T alleles were not associated with VL (p?=?0.855). The data presented here confirm the results of previous reports that polymorphisms at the ?819 position of the IL-10 gene can influence susceptibility to VL suggesting that the C/T genotype may be considered as a risk factor for the disease.     

Dynamic functional connectivity in temporal lobe epilepsy: a graph theoretical and machine learning approach

Purpose

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in resting state can be used to evaluate the functional organization of the human brain in the absence of any task or stimulus. The functional connectivity (FC) has non-stationary nature and consented to be varying over time. By considering the dynamic characteristics of the FC and using graph theoretical analysis and a machine learning approach, we aim to identify the laterality in cases of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Methods

Six global graph measures are extracted from static and dynamic functional connectivity matrices using fMRI data of 35 unilateral TLE subjects. Alterations in the time trend of the graph measures are quantified. The random forest (RF) method is used for the determination of feature importance and selection of dynamic graph features including mean, variance, skewness, kurtosis, and Shannon entropy. The selected features are used in the support vector machine (SVM) classifier to identify the left and right epileptogenic sides in patients with TLE.

Results

Our results for the performance of SVM demonstrate that the utility of dynamic features improves the classification outcome in terms of accuracy (88.5% for dynamic features compared with 82% for static features). Selecting the best dynamic features also elevates the accuracy to 91.5%.

Conclusion

Accounting for the non-stationary characteristics of functional connectivity, dynamic connectivity analysis of graph measures along with machine learning approach can identify the temporal trend of some specific network features. These network features may be used as potential imaging markers in determining the epileptogenic hemisphere in patients with TLE.

     

Magnetic and spectroscopic properties of Ni–Zn–Al ferrite spinel: from the nanoscale to microscale

This article presents the annealing effect on the structural, elastic, thermodynamic, optical, magnetic, and electric properties of Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe_1.5Al_0.5O₄ (NZFAO) nanoparticles (NPs). The samples were successfully synthesized by the sol–gel method followed by annealing of the as-synthesized at 600, 800, 900, 1050, and 1200 °C. This approach yielded the formation of a highly crystalline structure with crystallite size ranging from 17 nm to 40 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques, as well as energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, were used in order to determine the structural and morphological properties of the prepared samples. Rietveld XRD refinement reveals that Ni–Zn–Al ferrite nanoparticles crystallize in inverse cubic (Fd$\bar{3}$m) spinel structure. Using FTIR spectra, the elastic and thermodynamic properties were estimated. It was observed that the particle size had a pronounced effect on elastic and thermodynamic properties. Magnetic measurements were performed up to 700 K. The prepared ferrite samples present the highest Curie temperature, which decreases with increasing particle size and which is consistent with finite-size scaling. The thickness of the surface shell of about 1 nm was estimated from size-dependent magnetization measurements using the core–shell model. Besides, spin resonance, magnetostriction, temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), and electrical resistivity properties have been scientifically studied and appear to be different according to their size. The optical properties of synthesized NZFAO nanoparticles were investigated, and the differences caused by the particle sizes are discussed on the basis of the phonon confinement effect. This effect was also inspected by the Raman analysis. Tuning of the physical properties suggests that the Ni–Zn–Al ferrite samples may be promising for multifunctional diverse applications.

This article presents the annealing effect on the structural, elastic, thermodynamic, optical, magnetic, and electric properties of Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe_1.5Al_0.5O₄ (NZFAO) nanoparticles (NPs).     

Osteoarticular complications of brucellosis in Hamedan, an endemic area in the west of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of osteoarticular complications of brucellosis in an endemic region in Iran. METHODS: In a prospective study we evaluated 245 patients with brucellosis diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2005. Patients included were those older than 8 years of age and who had clinical features suggestive of brucellosis and specific antibodies at significant titers, and/or positive blood or body fluid culture for Brucella species. A bone scan was performed in those with a clinical suspicion of osteoarticular involvement. RESULTS: Seventy patients (28.6%) had osteoarticular complications. Sacroiliitis was the most common complication (75.7%), followed by spondylitis (21.4%) and peripheral arthritis (8.6%). Spondylitis was the most common osteoarticular complication in the elderly. Relapses occurred in five (2%) patients, three of them with spondylitis. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoarticular disease is the most common complication of brucellosis in Western Iran. Sacroiliitis is the most common form of osteoarticular complication. With the use of a proper treatment regimen, the prospect for recovery is good.     

Suppression of Complex Visual Hallucinatory Experiences by Occipital Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: A Case Report

We report a patient with visual hallucinations and illusions along with an associated visual field defect after bilateral ischemic damage to his occipital visual cortex. These hallucinations were long-standing and of both simple and complex (well-formed) type. Application of low frequency (1 Hz) repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) to the occipital cortex led to a complete cessation of visual hallucinatory symptoms. The use of TMS to probe the neurophysiology, and possibly alleviate, visual hallucinatory experiences is discussed.     

Low-dose vs. high-dose thalidomide for advanced multiple myeloma: a prospective trial from the Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome

This multicentre prospective randomised trial compared the efficacy and safety of two doses of thalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma. The study was designed to test the non-inferior efficacy and to confirm the better tolerability of low-dose thalidomide as compared to a higher dose. Four hundred patients were randomly assigned to receive either 100 or 400 mg/day of thalidomide. Dexamethasone treatment was added in both arms for patients with stable disease or treatment failure at 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was 1-year overall survival (OS). Thalidomide 100 mg/day was better tolerated than 400 mg/day with less high-grade somnolence, constipation, nausea/vomiting and peripheral neuropathy (P < 0.001, P = 0.007, P = 0.03 and P = 0.007, respectively). In the per-protocol population (PP), the estimated 1-year OS rates were of 74.5% (n = 149) and 67.3% (n = 156) in the 400 and 100 groups, respectively. The upper limit of the difference between these rates was of 15.6% higher than the non-inferiority acceptable limit of 12.75%, and the hypothesis of non-inferiority of 100 could not be established (P = 0.14). On the other hand, when intent-to-treat (ITT) population was analysed, the non-inferiority was demonstrated because the 1-year OS rates were of 72.8% (n = 195) and 68.8% (n = 205) in the same groups, leading to an upper limit of the difference of 11.49% lower than the non-inferiority acceptable limit. In addition, in patients alive 12 weeks postrandomisation and those who received thalidomide plus dexamethasone, there were no significant differences in response rates, time to progression, progression-free survival and OS between the two groups. Collectively, low-dose thalidomide 100 mg/day has significant activity in advanced myeloma with an improved safety profile and can be a good salvage therapy in combination with dexamethasone.