Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: A Rare Case of Orbital Involvement

We describe a rare case of orbital involvement in Kikuchi–Fujimoto disease, a rare, benign, self limiting systemic disease, in a young Italian woman. The origin of the disease is unknown, so no specific treatment has been defined. Histology has an important role in establishing the diagnosis. In presence of an eyelid swelling, it is important to rule out infections, lymphoproliferative disorders, and connective tissue diseases. Despite the fact that it is rare in Europe, the possibility of this disease should be borne in mind.     

Analysis of electrocorticographic patterns in rats fed standard or hyperlipidic diets in a normal state or during status epilepticus

Objective: The consumption of hyperlipidic diets has grown markedly in recent decades, and several studies have linked this consumption with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely, hyperlipidic diets have been used as an alternative therapy for refractory epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a hyperlipidic diet on brain electrical activity before and during status epilepticus (SE) using computational and mathematical methods.

Methods: Electrocorticogram (ECoG) was recorded in Wistar rats fed with standard and hyperlipidic diets. Each recording was obtained during 30-minute period (baseline), after this time, the SE was induced by pilocarpine, and recording was continued for another 30?minutes. The ECoG signals were analyzed by the following methods: power spectrum, Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC), and fractal dimension of the phase space.

Results: Hyperlipidic diet in normal animals caused a decrease in the theta, alpha, and beta rhythm, and reduced the LZC of the brain electrical activity. However, when the animals were induced to SE, these differences between nutritional groups were not observed. SE caused in both dietary groups increase in theta, alpha, and beta rhythm values, and increase in the complexity of brain electrical activity.

Discussion: Hyperlipidic diet consumption attenuated the brain's electrical activity, suggesting that healthy individuals who habitually eat a hyperlipidic diet may develop dysfunctions such as cognitive decline and memory impairment. Furthermore, the antagonistic effect between hyperlipidic diet and SE suggests that this diet could protect against seizures.     

The CASTLE study: atazanavir/r versus lopinavir/r in antiretroviral-naive patients

With the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), there have been dramatic reductions in mortality and morbidity of HIV-1-infected patients. Protease inhibitor-based regimens remain a cornerstone of cART owing to their potency and high genetic barrier to resistance. The comparison of atazanavir/ritonavir in naive subjects in combination with tenofovir–emtricitabine versus lopinavir/ritonavir in combination with tenofovir–emtricitabine to assess safety and efficacy (CASTLE) study is a noninferiority trial in which the efficacy, safety and tolerability of atazanavir–ritonavir and lopinavir–ritonavir were compared in antiretroviral therapy-naive patients. The aim of this paper is to review the CASTLE study and the role of atazanavir–ritonavir as an initial treatment in HIV-1-infected patients.     

A versatile variable temperature thin layer reflectance spectroelectrochemical cell

A specular reflectance cell for variable temperature thin layer spectroelectrochemistry in the infrared and UV–Vis regions was designed and tested. The cell was constructed to fit commercially available FTIRs or UV–Vis spectrophotometers. It requires only a small sample volume. It is simple, rugged, and suitable for use with either aqueous or non-aqueous solutions. The cell employs commercially available optical windows and gaskets. Temperature control was achieved with an external bath/circulator in the range from ?55 to+80°C. The cell's performance was tested in cyclic voltammetry mode with K₄Fe(CN)₆ and ferrocene. The variable temperature feature of the cell was used to observe for the first time the radical anion of the complex Fe(CO)₃(η⁴-2,5-norbornadiene at ?15°C.     

DNA–chitosan nanoparticles improve DNA vaccine-elicited immunity against Newcastle disease virus through shuttling chicken interleukin-2 gene

In this study, pCAGG-ChIL2 plasmid DNA containing the chicken interleukin-2 (ChIL-2) gene was used to prepare DNA–chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs). The CNPs prepared were spherical, with mean diameters between 100 and 200?nm, have a positive surface charge, and could protect DNA against DNase I degradation. The CNPs prepared were successfully used to transfect the Df-1 cell line with almost no cytotoxicity. CNPs prepared at an amino group to phosphate group ratio (N/P ratio) of 16 provided the highest transfection efficiency (1.1%) in medium with a pH of 6.5. When pCAGG-ChIL2 CNPs were administered to chickens simultaneously with a DNA vaccine against Newcastle disease virus (NDV), haemagglutination inhibition antibody titers and serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were significantly higher than in chickens immunised with the NDV DNA vaccine alone (p?<?0.05). The results demonstrate that pCAGG-ChIL2 CNPs improve DNA vaccine-elicited immunity against NDV challenge.     

Transforming growth-beta 1 contributes to isoflurane postconditioning against cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury by regulating the c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway

AimCerebral ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is a devastating complication in the perioperative period. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a key protein that can participate in the repair and control process responses after I/R injury. Isoflurane is widely used in neurosurgery. Previous studies have shown that isoflurane preconditioning plays an important role in neuroprotection. However, the effects of isoflurane postconditioning on cerebral I/R injury have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of isoflurane postconditioning against cerebral I/R injury and investigated the role of the TGF-β signaling pathway and the downstream c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in neuroprotective mechanism. In particular, the JNK signaling pathway emerges as a possible target for brain repair after stroke.MethodsCerebral I/R injury was produced in SD rat by using the middle cerebral artery occlusion model for 90 min, followed by 24 h reperfusion. Postconditioning by inhalation of isoflurane was performed at different concentrations (1.5%, 3.0%, and 4.5%) for 1 h after ischemia at the starting time point of reperfusion. The protective effect was tested by neurological deficit scoring with 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and propidium iodide (PI) staining. Apoptosis of CA1 cells in the hippocampus was detected by TUNEL method. Expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad 2/3, p-Smad2/3, JNK, and p-JNK were determined by immunostaining and Western blot.ResultsPostconditioning by isoflurane at 1.5% and 3.0% concentrations significantly decreased the neurobehavioral deficit scores and infarct volume compared with the I/R group, but no significant difference in neurobehavioral deficit score was detected between the I/R and 4.5% isoflurane postconditioning groups. Additionally, 1.5% isoflurane postconditioning decreased the numbers of PI-positive cells at 24 h after reperfusion compared with the I/R group. TGF-β1 and p-Smad2/3 protein gradually increased after I/R injury, with the highest values observed in the 1.5% and 3% isoflurane postconditioning groups. For Smad2/3 protein expression, no differences existed among all groups. After inducing the TGF-β/SMAD3 signaling pathway specific blocker (LY2157299), the neurological deficit scores increased, infarct volumes enlarged, apoptosis increased, and PI-positive CA1 cells in the hippocampus also increased. The expression levels of TGF-β1 and p-Smad2/3 proteins were downregulated. During the pre-injection of LY2157299, the expression levels of TGF-β1 and p-Smad2/3 decreased significantly, but compared with the sham group, the expression level of p-JNK significantly increased. When the injection of LY2157299 was abolished, the expression of p-JNK significantly decreased. The expression levels of p-JNK and TGF-β1 significantly decreased when LY2157299 and SP600125 were injected simultaneously. However, the protective effect mediated by SP600125 completely disappeared, and the role of LY2157299 became dominant. Compared with the sham group, the expression of TGF-β1 was almost unchanged by the injection of SP600125 alone, but the expression of p-JNK significantly decreased.ConclusionsUp to 1.5% isoflurane can upregulate the expression of TGF-β1 and downregulate that of p-JNK, which significantly mitigated I/R injury, leading to cerebral injury. However, this protective effect was abrogated when the TGF-β1 signaling pathway was blocked by LY2157299. Overall, the present results provided valid evidence to demonstrate that TGF-β1 contributes to isoflurane postconditioning against cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway.     

Differences in childcare quality – a matter of personality traits,socialization goals and pre-service curriculum?

ABSTRACT

International findings indicate only moderate childcare quality and results revealed significant differences between regions. So far, this difference cannot be explained by structural characteristics. Based on the National Study on Education, Learning and Upbringing in Early Childhood (NUBBEK) sample of 215 lead teachers, the influence of personality traits (Big Five) and socialization goals of childcare teachers on classroom quality (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) and teacher–child interaction (Caregiver Interaction Scale) was investigated. First, significant differences in childcare quality were found between East and West Germany regarding classroom and interaction quality. Second, hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed differential effects in quality by region. Besides structural characteristics, personality traits and socialization goals provided additional information to understand variations in childcare quality. Further, type of pre-service education curriculum played an important role in predicting childcare quality. The analysis revealed substantial differences which can be attributed to pre-service education. Findings are discussed with respect to models of pre-service and in-service educational approaches in early childcare.     

How would theory of mind play a role in comprehending art?

The way theory of mind takes part in comprehension of art is examined in this article. Because theory of mind and understanding of artwork involves some symbolic competency, the link between comprehending art (i.e., drawing, painting, sculpture, and music) and theory of mind is explained through symbolism. To understand a piece of symbolic artwork, it is necessary for a child to be able to hold both the real, what is immediately seen or perceived (namely, the symbols) from an artwork, and the represented, what the symbols refer to. This resembles the acquisition of theory of mind which requires the understanding that appearance may correspond to something else. The relationship between the comprehension of art and the theory of mind is also examined from different perspectives such as relativism. Suggestions are made for early childhood teachers regarding how art can be used to improve children’s theory of mind.     

Training healthcare providers in patient–provider communication: What speech-language pathology and medical education can learn from one another

Background: While the field of speech-language pathology and medical education both provide training to improve the abilities of their students to communicate with patients, these fields rarely interact or collaborate with one another to maximise the effectiveness of this training. With a recent emphasis on the communication needs of patients with aphasia and other communication disorders in healthcare, and barriers these patients often face in accessing healthcare services, it has become increasingly important to review current research regarding patient–provider communication training, as well as what speech-language pathology and medical education can learn from one another in this area.

Aims: The purpose of this literature review was (1) to examine the impact of communication disorders on patient–provider communication, (2) to identify gaps in current patient–provider communication training in medical education that speech-language pathology can help fill, and (3) to highlight innovations in medical education that may enhance the clinical training of speech-language pathology students.

Main Contributions: There is a significant body of research to demonstrate the effectiveness of patient–provider communication training in medical education. However, research and training in this area often neglects patients with aphasia and other communication disorders, who are more vulnerable to medical errors and poorer health outcomes than patients without communication disorders. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are uniquely qualified to train other healthcare providers in communication techniques to use with patients with communication disorders. The field of speech-language pathology can also benefit from using patient–provider communication frameworks and standardised patients to improve student training and service delivery for patients with communication disorders.

Conclusions: Collaboration between speech-language pathology and medical education can help to ensure the highest-quality healthcare services are offered to the patients they serve.