Chronic lithium treatment decreases tau lesions by promoting ubiquitination in a mouse model of tauopathies

Lithium, a widely used drug for treating affective disorders, is known to inhibit glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), which is one of the major tau kinases. Thus, lithium could have therapeutic benefit in neurodegenerative tauopathies by reducing tau hyperphosphorylation. We tested this hypothesis and showed that long-term administration of lithium at relatively low therapeutic concentrations to transgenic mice that recapitulate Alzheimers disease (AD)-like tau pathologies reduces tau lesions, primarily by promoting their ubiquitination rather than by inhibiting tau phosphorylation. These findings suggest novel mechanisms whereby lithium treatment could ameliorate tauopathies including AD. Because lithium also has been shown to reduce the burden of amyloid- pathologies, it is plausible that lithium could reduce the formation of both amyloid plaques and tau tangles, the two pathological hallmarks of AD, and thereby ameliorate the behavioral deficits in AD.     

Complete repair in total atrioventricular canal defect with cyanosis

Atrioventricular septal defects account for 4% of congenital cardiac malformations and over 50% of cardiac defects seen in Down syndrome. Clinical presentation is marked by congestive heart failure early in infancy. Cyanosis is rarely found in infants and suggests irreversible pulmonary hypertension or associated cardiac defects as tetralogy of Fallot, double outlet right ventricle, Ebstein anomaly, persistent left superior vena cava draining in the left atrium (Barbero Marcial, personal communication). Children with Down's syndrome is particularly difficult to assess because they often suffer from upper airways obstruction, which may contribute to the increased pulmonary vascular resistance determined at cardiac catheterization. This association of factors becomes a challenge for operability and, we will report one such case.     

Multiple sexual partnerships and their correlates among Facebook users in Swaziland: an online cross-sectional study

Social networking sites (SNSs) have been suggested to facilitate risky sexual activities. However, it is unknown and of concern how SNSs such as Facebook shape risky sexual activities in developing settings such as Swaziland, the country hardest hit by HIV and AIDS. We conducted an online cross-sectional study in 2012 to explore the prevalence of multiple sexual partnerships (MSPs) and their correlates among Facebook users in Swaziland. The response rate was 44.1% (N = 882); relatively, an equal proportion of men 82.7% (341/414) and 82.9% (388/468) women had ever had sex. Of those sexually active, 44.9% of men and 30.7% of women reported having sex with someone they met on Facebook. Approximately half of the participants (61.6% men, 41.0% women and 50.6% total) reported MSPs over the past 12 months. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that time spent on Facebook, “finding it easier to initiate a romantic conversation on Facebook” and having had sex with someone met on Facebook were significantly associated with having MSPs (adjusted odds ratio = 1.6–3.8). The potential impact of risky sexual behaviour among Facebook users should be appropriately addressed particularly in high HIV-prevalent settings like Swaziland.     

Changing Patterns of HIV Epidemic in 30 Years in East Asia

The HIV epidemic in East Asia started relatively late compared to the rest of the world. All countries or areas, except for North Korea, had reported HIV and AIDS cases, with China being the major contributor to the epidemic. Though initially driven by injecting drug use in China, East Asia did not experience an explosive spread. Strong commitment in China and early harm reduction programs in Taiwan managed to reduce transmission substantially among injecting drug users. In contrast to China and Taiwan, injection drug use has accounted just a little, if not at all, for the spread of HIV in other East Asian counties. However, following a global trend, sexual contact has become a major route of infection across the region. While much progress has been achieved in this region, with the epidemic among other key populations relatively stable, the emerging epidemic through sex between men is a growing concern. Recent estimates suggest that HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) has reached 6.3 % in China, 7.5 % in Mongolia, and ranges between 8.1 %-10.7 % in Taiwan and between 2.7 %- 6.5 % in South Korea. In Japan, 74 % of male HIV cases were among MSM in 2012, while Hong Kong has witnessed a sharp increase of HIV cases among MSM since 2004. There is urgent need to address issues of discrimination and stigma toward homosexuality, and to strengthen the strategies to reach and care for this population.     

Recreational Drug Use,Polydrug Use and Sexual Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Southwestern China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Although recreational drug use is associated with risky sexual behaviors and HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM), it is unclear to what extent these behaviors and outcomes differ between single-drug users and polydrug users in China. This is a cross-sectional study conducted from July to September 2016 among MSM in three cities of Sichuan Province, China. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to examine factors correlated with single-drug and polydrug use. A total of 1,122 participants were included in the study. Overall, 28% of MSM have ever used recreational drugs, of whom 64.0% were single-drug users, and 36.0% were polydrug users. Factors associated with both single-drug and polydrug use included: receptive sexual role (single-drug use: AOR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.05–3.07; polydrug use: AOR = 6.00, 95% CI: 2.54–14.17), engaging in group sex (AOR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.28–3.87; AOR = 4.68, 95% CI: 2.41–9.08), frequent alcohol use (AOR = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.75–5.52; AOR = 6.41, 95% CI: 2.50–16.47), seeking partners mainly by Internet (AOR = 4.87, 95% CI: 3.31–7.17; AOR = 4.58, 95% CI: 2.58–8.14), history of STIs (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.08–3.21; AOR = 3.32, 95% CI: 1.77–6.26) and HIV infection (AOR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.02–3.02; AOR = 3.19, 95% CI: 1.62–6.26). Our findings suggest the urgent need for HIV and STIs prevention programs among MSM in China to integrate strategies that mitigate recreational drug use.     

Effects of orthognathic surgery on speech and breathing of subjects with cleft lip and palate: acoustic and aerodynamic assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of orthognathic surgery on acoustic nasalance of subjects with cleft and investigate the causes of possible changes by analyzing velopharyngeal function and nasal patency. DESIGN/PATIENTS: Nasalance was measured in 29 subjects with operated cleft palate +/- lip before (PRE) and 45 days (POST1) and 9 months (POST2) after surgery, on average. In 19 of the patients, the minimum velopharyngeal (VP) and nasal cross-sectional (N) areas were also determined. INTERVENTIONS: Le Fort I osteotomy with maxillary advancement in combination with procedures involving the nose, maxilla, mandible or all three. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nasalance, VP area, N area. RESULTS: We observed: (1) a significant (p < .05) increase in mean nasalance at POST1 and POST2, compared with PRE during the reading of oral sentences and nasal sentences; at POST2, high nasalance on the oral sentences was observed in 45% of the patients with normal nasalance at PRE, and 57% of patients with low nasalance on the nasal sentences at PRE no longer presented abnormal nasalance; (2) a significant increase in mean VP area at POST1; two borderline patients demonstrated deterioration of VP closure at POST2, compared with PRE; and (3) a significant increase in mean N area at POST2, with 73% of patients no longer presenting subnormal areas seen at PRE. CONCLUSIONS: On a long-term basis, orthognathic surgery modifies speech nasalance of some subjects with cleft, perhaps because of an increase in internal nose size. This may also improve nasal patency for breathing.     

The use of negative pressure for the sinus lift procedure: a technical note

The objective of the present report was to present a modification of the standard sinus lift procedure. The modification consists of the creation of a mechanism facilitating maxillary sinus mucosa lift by means of negative pressure and simplification of the instrumentation used for this procedure. With the change in technique, maintenance of the success and predictability rates observed in the literature is possible.     

Effect of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with red led and methylene blue on the reduction of halitosis: controlled microbiological clinical trial

Lasers in Medical Science - To determine the effect of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) using a red light-emitting diode (LED) on the reduction of halitosis and microbiological levels in...