C7 complement deficiency in an Israeli Arab village

Deficiencies of terminal complement components, particularly the latter ones, are often detected because of increased susceptibility to Neisserial infections. Herein we document the first report of C7 deficiency among a highly inbred Arab population living in the lower Galilee region of Israel. Both biochemical and molecular analysis were performed on samples from infected survivors and parents of children who succumbed to Neisserial infections in a 4-year period. Only the index case who suffered recurrent infections and a sibling who had not suffered an infection during the outbreak were found to be C7-deficient. The mutation was found to be the one previously described to be prevalent among Israeli Jews of Moroccan ancestry (mutation G1135C). The implications of this finding are discussed in the context of family pedigree, the protective effect of complement deficiency, and the clinical outcome.     

CEBQ: Composite Eating Behavior Questionnaire--development and performance

Poor eating behavior is an important nutritional risk factor among community dwelling elders, and precedes overt malnutrition in the majority of cases. Several tools were developed to assess nutritional risk through evaluating eating behavior. All containing elements shown to be related to nutritional decline. Given the diversity of the geriatric population each tool may apply to specific subsets of the population but not to all. The ideal tool may be a questionnaire tailored for the study population based on a pool of methods and questions. We describe the development and use of such a composite tool, and compares its performance to other questionnaires. Our results show that in community dwelling elders nutrition risk assessments such as the NRI or eating behavior score were not predictive of nutritional status measured by dietary intake, weight change or BMI. Subjective appetite assessment was the most predictive question for nutritional decline. We describe the questionnaire and its development and offer general advice to its future implementations.     

Structure–function relations of primate lower incisors: a study of the deformation of Macaca mulatta dentition using electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI)

Teeth adopt a variety of different morphologies, each of which is presumably optimized for performing specific functions during feeding. It is generally agreed that the enamel cap is a crucial element in controlling the mechanical behavior of mammalian teeth under load. Incisors are particularly interesting in terms of structure–function relations, as their role in feeding is that of the ‘first bite’. However, little is known how incisor cap morphology is related to tooth deformation. In the present paper we examine the mechanical behavior of mandibular central incisors in the cercopithecine primate Macaca mulatta under loads similar to those encountered during ingestion. We map three‐dimensional displacements on the labial surface of the crown as it is compressed, using electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI), an optical metrology method. In addition, micro‐computed tomography is used to obtain data regarding the morphology of the enamel cap, which in the M. mulatta lower incisors exhibits missing or very little enamel on the lingual face. The results showed that although compressed along a longitudinal axis, deformation in the incisors mostly occurred in the lingual direction and orthogonal to the direction of the applied load. Both isolated, embedded teeth and teeth in the mandible showed considerable lingual deformation. Incisor deformation in the mandible was generally greater, reflecting the additional freedom of movement enabled by the supporting structures. We show that the association with adjacent teeth in the arch is significant for the behavior of the tooth under load. Finally, loading two teeth simultaneously in the mandible showed that they work as one functional unit. We suggest that these results demonstrate the importance of enamel cap morphology in directing deformation behavior; an ability stemming from the stiffness of the enamel cap overlying the more pliable dentin.     

Quantifying continuous-flow dielectrophoretic trapping of cells and micro-particles on micro-electrode array

An interdigitated electrode array embedded within a micro-channel with forced flow is shown to enable dielectrophoretic (DEP) characterization of particles and/or cells based on measurements of their trapping percentage over a continuous frequency range. A simplified model of the trapping percentage, using spatial averaging of the convective and DEP force, linearly correlated it to the effective DEP force (in its positive mode). Thus, the Clausius–Mossotti factor was fitted to the experimental data, yielding effective electrical characteristics of the particles and/or cells. Also, the generated trapping percentage curve response over a continuous range of frequencies facilitates sorting and detection based on differences other than just the cross-over frequencies.     

A temporary decrease in mineral density in perinatal mouse long bones

Fetal and postnatal bone development in humans is traditionally viewed as a process characterized by progressively increasing mineral density. Yet, a temporary decrease in mineral density has been described in the long bones of infants in the immediate postnatal period. The mechanism that underlies this phenomenon, as well as its causes and consequences, remain unclear. Using daily μCT scans of murine femora and tibiae during perinatal development, we show that a temporary decrease in tissue mineral density (TMD) is evident in mice. By monitoring spatial and temporal structural changes during normal growth and in a mouse strain in which osteoclasts are non-functional (Src-null), we show that endosteal bone resorption is the main cause for the perinatal decrease in TMD. Mechanical testing revealed that this temporary decrease is correlated with reduced stiffness of the bones. We also show, by administration of a progestational agent to pregnant mice, that the decrease in TMD is not the result of parturition itself. This study provides a comprehensive view of perinatal long bone development in mice, and describes the process as well as the consequences of density fluctuation during this period.     

The Radiology Resident as Teaching Consultant: An Innovative Peer-to-Peer Teaching Consultation Service to Strengthen Relationships With Referring Colleagues in the Era of Imaging 3.0

BackgroundThe American College of Radiology Imaging 3.0 paradigm emphasizes the need for radiologists to serve as imaging consultants to their referring colleagues. However, outside the reading room, teaching interactions between radiology and nonradiology residents are limited. Internal Medicine Morning Report (IMMR) is a resident-run educational program widely employed by internal medicine (IM) residencies. Although medical imaging is regularly discussed in IMMR, radiology residents are not typically involved in case preparation. We aimed to develop a peer-to-peer imaging teaching consultation service (TCS) incorporated into the well-established structure of IMMR. By creating illustrative, “dynamic” teaching slides for use at these conferences, we sought to provide salient radiology teaching material, demystify jargon, discuss appropriate imaging use, and review relevant anatomy. We hypothesized that TCS could improve the quality of IMMR as perceived by the IM presenter.MethodsTCS was piloted over a 7-month period. Each referred case was reviewed by a senior radiology resident who produced a set of “dynamic” teaching slides for each case. These included patient imaging overlayed with extensive annotations and animations highlighting teaching points, with particular attention to radiologic terminology. Slides were shared with the IM presenter, who could use them for preparation and include the animations in the talk if desired. TCS effectiveness was evaluated with a survey distributed to participating IM residents.ResultsIn the pilot period, 12 TCS requests were received and 10 were performed in collaboration with 6 IM residents. Survey results indicated that most IM residents did not consult radiologists prior to TCS (5/6, 83%). IM residents used the “dynamic” teaching slides to both prepare for and present at IMMR (5/6, 83%). TCS improved IM residents’ perceived ability to engage their audience (6/6, 100%), confidence in teaching radiology material (4/6, 67%), ability to understand radiology reports (4/6, 67%) and appreciation for what radiologists do (6/6, 100%).ConclusionsThe TCS pilot resulted in successful radiology-IM collaboration and improved knowledge and confidence in teaching imaging concepts. Continuous program evaluation will be performed and future work will assess the effect of TCS on radiologist confidence in real-world clinical consultations.     

Links that speak: The global language network and its association with global fame

Languages vary enormously in global importance because of historical, demographic, political, and technological forces. However, beyond simple measures of population and economic power, there has been no rigorous quantitative way to define the global influence of languages. Here we use the structure of the networks connecting multilingual speakers and translated texts, as expressed in book translations, multiple language editions of Wikipedia, and Twitter, to provide a concept of language importance that goes beyond simple economic or demographic measures. We find that the structure of these three global language networks (GLNs) is centered on English as a global hub and around a handful of intermediate hub languages, which include Spanish, German, French, Russian, Portuguese, and Chinese. We validate the measure of a language’s centrality in the three GLNs by showing that it exhibits a strong correlation with two independent measures of the number of famous people born in the countries associated with that language. These results suggest that the position of a language in the GLN contributes to the visibility of its speakers and the global popularity of the cultural content they produce.Of the thousands of languages that have ever been spoken, only a handful have become influential enough to be considered global languages. However, how do we measure the global influence of a language? What are the implications of a world in which only a handful of languages are globally influential?In the past, researchers have used a variety of measures to determine the global influence of a language. Several studies have relied on measures that proxy the global influence of a language using the population and wealth of its speakers (1–4). While wealth and population approximate a language’s influence, as the dissemination of a language has historically required a strong power base (5), such measures fail to capture the global influence of a language: often the speakers of a language, and their wealth, are locally concentrated, making the language locally influential rather than globally influential.An alternative method to measure the global influence of a language is to focus on who speaks that language, and in particular, on how connected the speakers of that language are. In the words of linguist David Crystal, “Why a language becomes a global language has little to do with the number of people who speak it. It is much more to do with who those speakers are.” (5) In the past, Latin was the pan-European language, not because it was the mother tongue of most Europeans, but because it was the language of the Roman Empire and later the language of the Catholic Church, scholars, and educators (5). The use of Latin by well-connected elites set it apart from other languages and helped Latin endure as a universal language for more than 1,000 years.However, can we use these ideas to identify which modern languages are globally influential? If global languages are those connecting international elites, then we can identify the global languages associated with particular elites by mapping their networks of multilingual coexpressions. Examples of multilingual coexpressions include book translations, edits to multiple language editions of Wikipedia, and posting short messages on Twitter (“tweets”) in multiple languages. These coexpressions define networks (Fig. 1) that—even though not representative of the world’s general population—represent a coarse map of the links connecting the elites that participate of these three important global forums, as social connections often require a shared language.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Visualizations of the three GLNs. The three GLNs contain all language connections that involve at least six users (Twitter and Wikipedia) or six translations and that are significant with P < 0.01.In this paper, we map the global language networks (GLNs) expressed in three large records of linguistic expression, and use the structure of these networks to determine the degree to which each language is global. First, we look at a collection of more than 2.2 million book translations compiled by UNESCO’s Index Translationum project. This dataset allows us to map the network of book translations, which are produced by individuals with a high literary capacity (authors and professional translators) and are shaped by market forces, such as the demand for books in different languages. Each translation from one language to another forms a connection. Next, we map the network of linguistic coexpressions expressed by the community of digitally engaged knowledge specialists that edit Wikipedia. Here, two languages are connected when users that edit an article in one Wikipedia language edition are significantly more likely to also edit an article in another language edition. Finally, we map the network of linguistic coexpressions expressed in Twitter. Here, two languages are connected when users that tweet in a language are also significantly more likely to tweet in another language.These three networks allow us to map the paths of direct and indirect communication between speakers from different languages. Our method formalizes the intuition that certain languages are disproportionately influential because they provide direct and indirect paths of translation among most of the world’s other languages. For example, it is easy for an idea conceived by a Spaniard to reach an Englishman through bilingual speakers of English and Spanish. An idea conceived by a Vietnamese speaker, however, might only reach a Mapudungun speaker in south-central Chile through a circuitous path that connects bilingual speakers of Vietnamese and English, English and Spanish, and Spanish and Mapudungun. In both cases, however, English and Spanish are still involved in the flow of information, indicating that they act as global languages. In the first example, Spanish and English have a direct involvement because communication is flowing among their speakers. In the latter case, the involvement is indirect and emerges from the lack of speakers that can communicate in both Vietnamese and Mapudungun. These indirect connections make multilingual speakers of global languages globally influential, as they mediate the flow of information not only among each other, but also, among people with whom they do not share a language (6).