Ultrasonographic Evaluation in Plantar Fasciitis

The heels of 23 patients who were diagnosed with unilateral/bilateral plantar fasciitis were evaluated via ultrasonography and compared with their asymptomatic feet and a control group of 23 people. Plantar fascial thickness, echogenity, and heel pad thickness were evaluated, and the results were statistically analyzed. For symptomatic feet, increased thickness of the fascia and reduced echogenity were constant ultrasonographic findings (mean, 4.79 mm for symptomatic feet; 2.17 mm for control group, P < .05). No significant difference was found between heel pads of the diseased and healthy feet (mean, 12.96 mm for symptomatic feet; 13.10 mm for control group; P > .05). Ultrasonography seems to be a valuable, noninvasive diagnostic tool for the evaluation of plantar fasciitis.     

Brainstem evaluation in children with primary nocturnal enuresis

We investigated the brainstem integrity in children with primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE) using auditory brainstem responses (ABR), blink reflex and exteroceptive suppression of the masseter muscle. We examined 23 children with PNE (16 male, 7 female; mean age: 10.4 years) and 19 control subjects (11 male, 8 female; mean age: 11.8 years). ABR parameters such as wave latencies, amplitudes and interpeak latencies and blink reflex parameters such as R1 and R2 amplitude and latencies were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Although S2 parameters of the exteroceptive suppression of the masseter muscle were easily and completely obtained from the control subjects, in the PNE group S2 onset latency and duration were not recorded in 26% of the study children (n = 6) (P = 0.01). S2 duration time was significantly lowered in the enuretic group (left side: P = 0.001 and right side: P = 0.003). S2 duration time changes in the enuretic group supports a possible brainstem dysfunction in children with PNE.     

Suicide attempts and risk factors among children and adolescents

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of suicide attempts, and to identify the risk factors for suicide attempts in Turkish children and adolescents between the ages 10 and 20 years. Multi-step, stratified, cluster sampling was used. A stratified sample of 4256 students was selected as representative of the city's school children population. Data was obtained with a pair of structured questionnaires designed to evaluate the presence and risk factors of suicide attempts, both in the children and adolescents and their parents. These questionnaires investigated family environment, subject characteristics, and various risk factors for suicide attempts. Child Beck Depression Inventory (CBDI) was administered to all children and adolescents. After the data quality control process, the study sample was reduced to 4143 children and adolescents. Children and adolescents were divided two groups according to the experience or non-experience of suicide attempts: group 1 (n=80) and group 2 (n=4063), respectively. Three categories of independent variables were assessed: adolescent, family, and socioeconomic characteristics. Logistic regression models were based on the children and adolescents and on parent reports. The prevalence of suicide attempts as reported by the children and adolescents was 1.93% (n=80).The mean age of group 1 was higher than that of group 2 (p=0.002, t=-3.172), as was the mean score of CBDI (p=0.000, t=-9.083). Logistic regression analysis indicated that having problems with parents, using illicit drugs, and psychiatric problems in relatives best predicted suicide attempts in Turkish children and adolescents.     

Suction tube facilitates the transfer of nasal tip sutures in endonasal rhinoplasty

Nasal tip sculpturing is the most challenging aspect of rhinoplasty. It is principally performed by the reduction or increment of the nasal tip characteristics with sutures or grafts using endonasal or external approach. In endonasal approach, although most of the key structural mechanisms of the nasal tip can be preserved, the transfer of nasal tip sutures, which are used for contouring the alar cartilages and/or graft stabilization, from 1 nasal cavity to another has several difficulties such as time loss, need for extensive dissection, or injuring the soft tissue and alar cartilages. In the current article, we aimed to represent our surgical technique that facilitates suture contouring using a suction tube during the transfer of nasal tip sutures in endonasal rhinoplasty.     

Biocompatible surface functionalization architecture for a diamond quantum sensor

Quantum metrology enables some of the most precise measurements. In the life sciences, diamond-based quantum sensing has led to a new class of biophysical sensors and diagnostic devices that are being investigated as a platform for cancer screening and ultrasensitive immunoassays. However, a broader application in the life sciences based on nanoscale NMR spectroscopy has been hampered by the need to interface highly sensitive quantum bit (qubit) sensors with their biological targets. Here, we demonstrate an approach that combines quantum engineering with single-molecule biophysics to immobilize individual proteins and DNA molecules on the surface of a bulk diamond crystal that hosts coherent nitrogen vacancy qubit sensors. Our thin (sub–5 nm) functionalization architecture provides precise control over the biomolecule adsorption density and results in near-surface qubit coherence approaching 100 μs. The developed architecture remains chemically stable under physiological conditions for over 5 d, making our technique compatible with most biophysical and biomedical applications.

Recent developments in quantum engineering and diamond processing have brought us considerably closer to performing nanoscale NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of small ensembles and even individual biomolecules. Notably, these advances have enabled the detection of the nuclear spin noise from a single ubiquitin protein (1) and the probing of the EPR spectrum of an individual paramagnetic spin label conjugated to a protein (2) or DNA molecule (3). More recently, lock-in detection and signal reconstruction techniques (4, 5) have enabled one- and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy with 0.5-Hz spectral resolution (6–8). More advanced control sequences at cryogenic temperatures have further enabled mapping the precise location of up to 27 ¹³C nuclear spins inside of diamond (9). Yet biologically meaningful spectroscopy on intact biomolecules remains elusive. One of the main outstanding challenges, which is required to perform nanoscale magnetic resonance spectroscopy of biomolecules, is the need to immobilize the target molecules within the 10- to 30-nm sensing range (2, 3, 7) of a highly coherent nitrogen vacancy (NV) qubit sensor. Immobilization is necessary because an untethered molecule would otherwise diffuse out of the detection volume within a few tens of microseconds.Various avenues to the functionalization of high-quality, single-crystalline diamond chips have been pursued over the last decade (10–12). However, none of the currently known approaches has led to the desired results of interfacing a coherent quantum sensor with target biomolecules. For example, hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces can be chemically modified and form biologically stable surfaces (10, 13); but near-surface NV centers are generally charge-unstable under hydrogen termination (14), posing open challenges for NV sensing. On the other hand, oxygen-terminated diamond surfaces have been used to create charge stable NV^– centers with exceptional coherence times within 10 nm from the diamond surface (15). However, perfectly arranged, ether-terminated diamond surfaces generally lack chemically functionalizable surface groups (such as carboxyl or hydroxyl groups), making it difficult to control immobilization density and surface passivation. Other platforms such as diamond nanocrystals can generally be functionalized (16, 17) because of their heterogeneous surface chemistry, but they do not possess the coherence times needed for nanoscale magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our approach (Fig. 1A) overcomes these limitations by utilizing a 2-nm-thick Al₂O₃ layer deposited onto an oxygen-terminated diamond surface by atomic layer deposition (ALD). This Al₂O₃ “adhesion” layer is silanized by N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]ethylenediamine to create an amine (–NH₂) -terminated surface, which in turn is then grafted with a monolayer of heterobifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) via an N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) reaction, a process also referred as PEGylation. The PEG layer serves two purposes. First, it passivates the diamond surface to prevent nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules. Second, by adjusting the density of PEG molecules with functional groups (e.g., biotin or azide), we can control the immobilization density of proteins or DNA target molecules on the diamond surface. Furthermore, the small persistence length of the PEG linker (∼0.35 nm) allows the immobilized biomolecules to undergo rotational diffusion (18). This tumbling motion is the basis for motional averaging of the NMR spectra and helps to prevent immobilization of molecules in biologically inactive orientations.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Architecture and characterization of the diamond functionalization approach. (A) Schematic illustration of the functionalization process. A thin layer of Al₂O₃ (gray) was deposited to the pristine, oxygen-terminated diamond surfaces (blue), followed by silanization (purple) and PEGylation (green). Functional groups (biotin, yellow circle; azide, red triangle) allow for cross-linking with target biomolecules. AFM characterization of the surfaces (B) and XPS Al2p signal after each step of the functionalization (C). (D) Illustration of the overall chemical functionalization architecture (not to scale), with corresponding thicknesses. (E) Illustration of SPAAC reaction. (F) A lithographically fabricated Al₂O₃ pattern on the diamond surface by lift-off, with a thickness of ∼2.1 nm. The Al₂O₃ layer is uniform without the presence of pin holes. The elevated edges originate from lift-off combined with ALD deposition.     

Hyperventilation response in the electroencephalogram and psychiatric problems in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of an increased hyperventilation (HV) response in the electroencephalogram and to compare the results of psychometric assessments and electroencephalography (EEG) patterns in children with and without primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis and in dry siblings of enuretics. We also compared the results of psychometric assessments and EEG patterns between enuretic and non-enuretic children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 89 children divided into three groups: 41 with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis, their 29 dry siblings and 19 with no history of voiding dysfunction (controls). Resting EEG changes were evaluated in all children. In addition to a psychiatric evaluation, the Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Questionnaire, the Beck Child Depression Inventory and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children were used to assess obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression and anxiety, respectively. RESULTS: The time at which real words were first spoken occurred significantly later in enuretic children (p<0.01). The frequency of EEG abnormalities was significantly higher in the enuresis group and in their dry siblings than in the control group (p<0.01). Additionally, as an indicator of cortical dysmaturity, an increased HV response was observed more often in enuretic children and their dry siblings than in the control group (p<0.001). Anxiety scores for the enuretic children were higher than those for the controls (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in psychiatric problems between the enuresis and control groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The increased frequency of a high-level HV response in resting-state EEG recordings and the anxiety scores suggested that delayed cortical maturity and high anxiety may be important factors in the pathogenesis of primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis. The HV responses in the dry siblings of the enuretic children may emphasize the relationship between insufficient cerebral maturation and the genetic origin of nocturnal enuresis.