Differential sensitivity to Arg side chain modification of IL-1β binding to type I and type II receptors

The central role of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in several disease processes, including fever and inflammation, makes the characterization of ligand-receptor interaction of prime importance.The role of arginine (Arg) side chains of hr-IL-1 in receptor recognition was studied by the modification of Arg residues with the specific reagent 1,2-cyclohexanedione. It was found that chemical modification of Arg residues decreased the binding potential of IL-1 to type I receptor dramatically (by 230-fold) while the affinity to type II receptor was reduced only moderately (by 10-fold), with an insignificant reduction of the dissociation rate.These studies suggest that intact Arg side chains of IL-1 may be necessary for high affinity binding to type I IL-1 receptor, but have less importance for the interaction of IL-1 with type II IL-1 receptor.This observation may be useful in the study of type II IL-1 receptor-mediated biological responses and design of receptor-subtype specific ligands as well.     

Genetically regulated human (T,G)-AL specific helper T cell replacing factors possess HLA-DR and Vh determinants

Human (T,G)-AL specific T cell helper factors secreted by in vitro activated peripheral blood lymphocytes of normal donors were characterized. Factors were passed through columns of Sepharose coupled either to antibodies against human immunoglobulin or antibodies against the variable region of the heavy (V_h) and light (V_l) chains of human immunoglobulin. In addition, the same factors were applied to columns of Sepharose coupled to anti-HLA-DR antibodies or to monoclonal antibodies against human Ia or β₂-microglobulin. The activity of the antigen specific factors was removed by the anti-V_h antibodies and not by anti-V_l or anti-human immunoglobulin antibodies. The factors passed through Sepharose coupled to anti-DR antibodies could be removed and eluted from columns of anti-DR antibodies relevant to the donors' DR antigens. The same factors were also removed by a monoclonal antibody (anti-Ia) which recognizes a monomorphic determinant on HLA-DR, but not by monoclonal anti-β₂-microglobulin. The results suggest that the genetically regulated (T,G)-AL specific helper factors possess HLA-DR as well as V_h determinants in their active moiety.     

Human cerebral potentials evoked by CO2 laser stimuli causing pain

Summary Brief radiant heat pulses, generated by a CO₂ laser, were used to activate slowly conducting afferents in the hairy skin in man. In order to isolate C-fibre responses a preferential A-fibre block was applied by pressure to the radial nerve at the wrist. Stimulus estimation and evoked cerebral potentials (EP), as well as reaction times, motor and sudomotor activity were recorded in response to each stimulus. With intact nerve, the single supra-threshold stimulus induced a double pain sensation: A first sharp and stinging component (mean reaction time 480 ms) was followed by a second burning component lasting for seconds (mean reaction time 1350 ms). Under A-fibre block only one sensation remained with characteristics and latencies of second pain. The heat pulse evoked potential consisted of a late vertex negativity at 240 ms (N240) followed by a prominent late positive peak at 370 ms (P370). Later activity was not reliably present. Under A-fibre block this late EP was replaced by an ultralate EP beyond 1000 ms, which in the conventional average looked like a slow halfwave of 800 ms duration. This potential was distinct from eye movements, skin potentials or muscle artefacts. With cross-correlation methods waveforms similar to the N240/P370 were detected in the latency range from 900 to 1500 ms during A-fibre block, indicating a much greater latency jitter of the ultralate EP. Latency corrected averaging with a modified Woody filter yielded a grand mean ultralate EP (N1050/P1250), the shape of which was surprisingly similar to the late EP (N240/P370). The similarity of these components indicates that both EPs may be secondary responses to afferent input into neural centers, onto which myelinated and unmyelinated fibres converge. Such convergence may also explain through the known mechanisms of short term habituation and selective attention, why ultralate EPs are not reliably present without peripheral nerve block.     

The flexor function of the m. pronator teres in man: a quantitative electromyographic study

Summary The muscle pronator teres was studied by surface electromyography during elbow flexion in a horizontal plane. The forearm was in semi-pronation and movement was performed at various velocities. A quantitative comparison was made between pronator teres activity and two main elbow flexors, biceps brachii and brachioradialis.The mean timing of the onset of activity was constant: biceps brachii was activated first followed by pronator teres and brachioradialis, and the lower the velocity of flexion, the earlier was the onset of biceps brachii activity.There was a linear relationship between the integrated EMG from each muscle and the work done. However, this relationship was less exact for pronator teres and brachioradialis at low values of work, a finding which opens questions about the generality of this relationship and about the muscle equivalent concept.Pronator teres appears to participate in elbow flexion besides its role in pronation.Despite similar anatomical peculiarities, pronator teres does not behave in the same way as anconaeus or popliteus and, above all, it is not the sole muscle active in slow movement. Thus, all the stocky mucles lying close to an articulation do not behave in the same way.     

中国化学会期刊集群平台建设的探究和实践

【目的】 探索现有条件下我国建设化学专业刊群的有效方式和途径,为我国专业期刊集群建设和期刊发展提供经验和借鉴。【方法】 以中国化学会期刊集群的建设为主要研究对象,分析总结在我国期刊发展现有环境下化学专业刊群建设的现状、存在的问题、解决方案和启示。【结果】 中国化学会通过专业期刊集群建设、数据整合,为我国化学工作者提供丰富的学术资源,为国产优质化学期刊提供一个重要的展示、合作平台,但在规模、学术质量、运营方面仍有很大差距,还需进一步提高建设水平。【结论】 专业刊群建设应勇于突破固有观念屏障,以优质数据资源为基础,充分发挥集群优势,构建期刊协同发展格局,为我国相关专业学科发展作出应有的贡献。     

视屏暴露和户外活动与幼儿睡眠的关联研究

目的 分析视屏暴露和户外活动与幼儿睡眠的相关性,为预防和干预儿童睡眠问题提供科学依据。方法 基于已建立的马鞍山市母婴健康出生队列,对2015年6月—2016年6月出生的单胎活产儿,随访至2岁,收集社会人口统计学、视屏暴露、户外活动和睡眠情况的资料。共获得有效问卷1 575份,男童833人,女童742人。使用χ²检验和Logistic回归模型对数据进行分析。结果 幼儿睡眠质量差的发生率为26.16%;电视打开时间(不一定在看)≥2 h/d、看电视≥1 h/d、玩手机≥30 min/d分别占50.73%、45.21%和26.03%,户外活动≥2 h/d的比例为71.30%;去户外场所的频率≥2次/周和在户外场所≥1 h/次的比例分别为76.31%和37.71%。调整人口统计学等混杂因素后,打开电视时间(不一定在看电视)≥2 h/d(OR=1.40,95%CI:1.11～1.77)、看电视时间≥1 h/d(OR=1.39,95%CI:1.11～1.75)、玩手机时间≥30 min/d(OR=1.55,95%CI:1.21～1.99)均会增加幼儿睡眠质量差发生的风险;去户外场所的频率≥2次/周(OR=0.72,95%CI:0.55～0.93)和在户外场所时间≥1 h/次(OR=0.78,95%CI:0.62～0.99)则能降低发生幼儿睡眠质量差的风险。结论 幼儿睡眠问题存在一定比例,视屏暴露和户外活动均与幼儿睡眠相关,在儿童保健门诊中应对家长进行科学指导,减少视屏暴露时间,增加户外活动,以减少儿童睡眠问题的发生。     

户外活动时间与学龄前文化课学习情况对中小学生视力不良的交互作用

目的 分析户外活动时间与学龄前参加文化课学习情况的交互作用与中小学生视力不良的关系,为制定防控中小学生视力不良的策略和措施提供科学依据。方法 采用分层整群随机抽样法于2018年9-11月在湖南省抽取8 467名小学四年级到高中三年级学生进行体格检查和问卷调查。相乘交互作用建立多因素Logistic回归模型,并计算交互作用超额危险度(RERI)、交互作用归因比(API)及交互作用指数 S (Index S)探讨户外活动时间与学龄前文化课学习对视力不良的相加交互作用。结果 8 467名调查对象中视力不良检出人数为5 612名,检出率为66.28%。学龄前参加过文化课学习者,视力不良的发生风险是不参加学习者的1.500倍(95%CI:1.331~1.689,P<0.001),每日户外活动<2 h的学生发生视力不良的风险是每日户外活动≥2 h者的1.247倍(95%CI:1.103~1.409,P<0.001)。户外活动时间与学龄前文化课学习的交互作用项具有统计学意义(P_交互=0.003)。在调整相关因素后,户外活动时间与学龄前文化课学习的RERI、API、Index S分别为0.529、0.310、3.973。结论 中小学生户外活动时间、学龄前文化课学习均与视力不良发生风险相关,并两者对视力不良有交互作用。因此,应加强学龄前儿童的户外活动,以预防视力不良发生。     

肝毒性中药及其与药性和有效成分的关系——对55种中药肝毒性文献资料的分析报告

目的 :研究有关文献资料中中药肝毒性的报告及其与四气、五味、归经、有效成分之间的关系。方法 :应用文献研究方法 ,对 55种具有肝毒性的中药进行统计归类分析研究。结果 :中药四气、五味、归经及其有效成分与肝毒性有一定相关性。肝毒性主要集中在寒、热类 ,苦、辛类 ,归肝、脾、肾经类和有效成分中碱、甙类药物方面。结论 :中药药性理论及有效成分均与肝毒性有一定的关系 ,应用归类分析的方法对文献资料进行分析研究是中药毒性研究中确实可行的方法。     

Natural language processing and entrustable professional activity text feedback in surgery: A machine learning model of resident autonomy

BackgroundEntrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) contain narrative ‘entrustment roadmaps’ designed to describe specific behaviors associated with different entrustment levels. However, these roadmaps were created using expert committee consensus, with little data available for guidance. Analysis of actual EPA assessment narrative comments using natural language processing may enhance our understanding of resident entrustment in actual practice.MethodsAll text comments associated with EPA microassessments at a single institution were combined. EPA—entrustment level pairs (e.g. Gallbladder Disease—Level 1) were identified as documents. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a common machine learning algorithm, was used to identify latent topics in the documents associated with a single EPA. These topics were then reviewed for interpretability by human raters.ResultsOver 18 months, 1015 faculty EPA microassessments were collected from 64 faculty for 80 residents. LDA analysis identified topics that mapped 1:1 to EPA entrustment levels (Gammas >0.99). These LDA topics appeared to trend coherently with entrustment levels (words demonstrating high entrustment were consistently found in high entrustment topics, word demonstrating low entrustment were found in low entrustment topics).ConclusionsLDA is capable of identifying topics relevant to progressive surgical entrustment and autonomy in EPA comments. These topics provide insight into key behaviors that drive different level of resident autonomy and may allow for data-driven revision of EPA entrustment maps.     

Setting standards of performance expected in neurosurgery residency: A study on entrustable professional activities in competency-based medical education

BackgroundCompetency-based medical education requires evaluations of residents’ performances of tasks of the discipline (ie. entrustable professional activities (EPAs)). Using neurosurgical Faculty perspectives, this study investigated whether a sample of neurosurgical EPAs accurately reflected the expectations of general neurosurgical practice.MethodA questionnaire was sent to all Canadian neurosurgery Faculty using a SurveyMonkey® platform.ResultsThe proportion of respondents who believed the EPAs were representative of general neurosurgery competences varied significantly across all EPAs [47%–100%] (p < 0.0001). For 9/15 proposed EPAs, ≥75% agreed they were appropriate for general neurosurgery training and expected residents to attain the highest standard of performance. However, a range of 27–53% of the respondents felt the other six EPAs would be more appropriate for fellowship training and thus, require a lower standard of performance from graduating residents.ConclusionThe shift towards subspecialization in neurosurgery has implications for curriculum design, delivery and certification of graduating residents.