The state of DNA methylation in the promoter and exon 1 regions of the human gene for the interleukin-2 receptor {alpha} chain (IL-2R{alpha}) in various cell types

The gene for the human interleukin-2 receptor     

A method to remove artifacts in attenuation-corrected myocardial perfusion SPECT Introduced by misalignment between emission scan and CT-derived attenuation maps.

Nonuniform soft-tissue attenuation affects the diagnostic accuracy of SPECT in myocardial perfusion imaging. The attenuation map required for attenuation correction can be acquired using x-ray tomography (CT). Frequent findings in attenuation-corrected images are defects in the apical and anterior myocardial wall. We assume that these are artifacts produced by misalignment of SPECT images and the attenuation map. METHODS: One hundred forty patients underwent myocardial perfusion imaging with 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile. Twenty-seven of 140 showed pronounced defects in the apical or anterior wall only after CT-based attenuation correction. SPECT and corresponding CT slices were examined for misalignment in the ventrodorsal direction (y-direction) visually and by threshold-based delineation of the body surface. Mismatched studies were realigned and image reconstruction and analysis were redone. The effect of the correction was assessed visually and by semiquantitative analysis based on a 20-segment model using 4D-MSPECT. RESULTS: In 15 of 27 patients, the improved coregistration led to smaller and less-pronounced defects in the regions mentioned. In 6 of 27 patients, former defects were judged as normal. No improvement was seen in only 4 patients. In these 4 subjects, the mismatch in the y-direction was <1 pixel (7 mm), and visual inspection suggested a coincident mismatch in the craniocaudal direction. In 2 cases, coregistration was not possible because the body outline extended beyond the CT field of view. Semiquantitative analysis revealed a significant increase of the relative uptake in the apex; in the apical segments of the anterior, septal, and inferior wall; and in the mid-anterior and mid-anteroseptal segment. Basal segments of the anterolateral, lateral, and inferolateral wall and the middle inferolateral segment showed a significant decrease of relative uptake. CONCLUSION: Misalignment in the y-direction between SPECT and the attenuation map can lead to artifacts in the apical, septal, and anterior wall, which will appear as defects. It also can cause overcorrection in the basal inferior and lateral segments. There is evidence that mismatches along the other directions may have a similar effect. The coregistration of SPECT and the attenuation map needs to be verified for every patient, even when using integrated dual-modality imaging devices.     

What can information systems do for primary health care? An international perspective.

The reform of health information systems has been made a priority by health managers, public health specialists and technocrats. While each of these groups has promised major benefits from improvements in information systems, insufficient attention has been paid to the limitations placed upon the theoretical possibilities of information technology by the characteristics of the health system of which the information system is but a part. Managers anticipate improved efficiency and rational allocation of resources, but rational decision making does not automatically follow from improvements in information. Epidemiologists and public health specialists seek more effective and equitable health systems but methodological problems and the expense of many conventional epidemiological approaches continue to limit the usefulness of disease surveillance, programme monitoring and evaluation. Both managers and epidemiologists are confronted with the conflicts which arise in seeking to create locally sensitive information systems within centralised health systems. Technocrats see microcomputers as essential for information systems to be truly effective and as a means of liberating health workers from the drudgery of form filling. However, the rate of organisational evolution in the health system has not kept pace with the rapid development of information technology. There are good prospects for considerable health gain to be wrought from reforms in health information systems but to realise these it is necessary that this process be 'action-led' rather than, as is conventional, 'data-led'. The latter approach sees data as the end in itself; the 'action-led' approach, in contrast, regards information as needs to interventions with a focus on how information will influence decisions. For improvements in information to result in improved health, strategies must be adopted which will ensure that information routinely informs decisions and is seen as a means to the end of improving health.     

Five tests of hand skill.

Four group tests of hand skill, square marking (SQUARES), dotting between targets (DOTS), line drawing between targets (LINES) and punching holes through targets (HOLES), were given to samples of undergraduates and schoolchildren, most of whom were also tested individually on a peg moving task (PEGS). Findings for PEGS were shown to be comparable to those of previous samples. Each new task was compared with PEGS for a standard measure of hand skill asymmetry (R-L%) using 4 criteria of comparison. For 3 criteria there was good agreement: correlations were statistically significant, hand preference subgroups were similar for rank order and the extent of asymmetry was more strongly associated with left hand scores than with right hand scores. This last finding was true for all of 12 comparisons for differing tests and samples, indicating that the finding is unlikely to be an artefact of score transformations as suggested by Bishop (1990a, 1990b). The fourth criterion of comparison, the distribution of R-L% scores, differed between the tasks. All of the new tasks found larger differences between the hands than PEGS. Whereas the shape of the distribution was unimodal for PEGS, as in previous studies, the distributions for DOTS and HOLES were clearly bimodal. Possible reasons for the larger between hand differences for some tasks are considered. It is suggested that the main difference between PEGS (and also to a lesser extent LINES) in comparison with DOTS and HOLES lies in the demand characteristics of the testing situation. Tasks which merely invite subjects to mark as many targets as possible in a unit of time may underestimate the skill of the nonpreferred hand.     

Zur Vereinbarkeit von Wartelisten mit den Grundfreiheiten

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Fatigue in neuroimmunological diseases

Journal of Neurology - Fatigue is a widespread symptom in numerous neuroimmunological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS), myasthenia gravis, morbus Behcet, neurosarcoidosis, neuroborreliosis or...     

Polysaccharide-protein surface modification of titanium via a layer-by-layer technique: characterization and cell behaviour aspects

To improve the surface biocompatibility of titanium films, a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly technique, based on the polyelectrolyte-mediated electrostatic adsorption of chitosan (Chi) and gelatin (Gel), was used leading to the formation of multilayers on the titanium thin film surfaces. The film growth was initialized by deposition of one layer of positively charged poly(ethylene imine) (PEI). Then the thin film was formed by the alternate deposition of negatively charged Gel and positively charged Chi utilizing electrostatic interactions. The LBL film growth was monitored by several techniques. The chemical composition, surface topography as well as wettability were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and water contact angle measurement, respectively. Quantitative XPS analysis showed the alternative change of C/N ratio after four sequential cycles coating of Ti/PEI/Gel/Chi/Gel, which indicated the discrete layer structure of coatings. Uncoated titanium (control sample) displayed a smooth surface morphology (root mean square (RMS) roughness was around 2.5 nm). A full coverage of coating with Gel/Chi layers was achieved on the titanium surface only after the deposition layers of PEI/(Gel/Chi)2. The PEI/Gel/(Chi/Gel)3 layer displayed a rough surface morphology with a tree-like structure (RMS roughness is around 82 nm). These results showed that titanium films could be modified with Chi/Gel which may affect the biocompatibility of the modified titanium films. To confirm this hypothesis, cell proliferation and cell viability of osteoblasts on LBL-modified titanium films as well as control samples were investigated in vitro. The proliferation of osteoblasts on modified titanium films was found to be greater than that on control (p<0.05) after 1 and 7 days culture, respectively. Cell viability measurement showed that the Chi/Gel-modified films have higher cell viability (p<0.05) than the control. These data suggest that Chi/Gel were successfully employed to surface engineer titanium via LBL technique, and enhanced its cell biocompatibility. The approach presented here may be exploited for fabrication of titanium-based implant surfaces.     

Rapid identification of dysregulated genes in cutaneous malignant melanoma metastases using cDNA technology

One important application of DNA microarray technology is the simultaneous analysis of gene expression of different mRNAs. Comparison of mRNA patterns of diseased and healthy tissue may help to understand the pathogenesis of a given disorder. In cancer tissue, identified dysregulated genes may serve as new molecular markers for diagnosis or prognosis or may ideally serve as new targets for therapy. Using membrane cDNA array technology, we analyzed gene expression in human melanomas, one of the most aggressive types of cancer with a high metastatic potential and with markedly increased incidence worldwide. To account for the heterogeneity of tumors, we compared total RNA from cutaneous melanoma metastases of 10 different patients with primary human melanocytes. An abundance of genes was dysregulated (up-/downregulated), which involved for example the apoptosis gene growth factor receptor-bound protein 10, Bcl2-associated X membrane protein, Bcl2 antagonist of cell death, glutathione S-transferase theta(1) and glutathione reductase. Ultimately, the identification of melanoma-associated genes may provide a potential therapeutic strategy for identifying and targeting malignant melanoma.     

Early Effects of Abaloparatide on Bone Formation and Resorption Indices in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis

Anabolic osteoporosis drugs improve bone mineral density by increasing bone formation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the early effects of abaloparatide on indices of bone formation and to assess the effect of abaloparatide on modeling-based formation (MBF), remodeling-based formation (RBF), and overflow MBF (oMBF) in transiliac bone biopsies. In this open-label, single-arm study, 23 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were treated with 80 μg abaloparatide daily. Subjects received double fluorochrome labels before treatment and before biopsy collection at 3 months. Change in dynamic histomorphometry indices in four bone envelopes were assessed. Median mineralizing surface per unit of bone surface (MS/BS) increased to 24.7%, 48.7%, 21.4%, and 16.3% of total surface after 3 months of abaloparatide treatment, representing 5.5-, 5.2-, 2.8-, and 12.9-fold changes, on cancellous, endocortical, intracortical, and periosteal surfaces (p < .001 versus baseline for all). Mineral apposition rate (MAR) was significantly increased only on intracortical surfaces. Bone formation rate (BFR/BS) was significantly increased on all four bone envelopes. Significant increases versus baseline were observed in MBF on cancellous, endocortical, and periosteal surfaces, for oMBF on cancellous and endocortical surfaces, and for RBF on cancellous, endocortical, and intracortical surfaces. Overall, modeling-based formation (MBF + oMBF) accounted for 37% and 23% of the increase in bone-forming surface on the endocortical and cancellous surfaces, respectively. Changes from baseline in serum biomarkers of bone turnover at either month 1 or month 3 were generally good surrogates for changes in histomorphometric endpoints. In conclusion, treatment with abaloparatide for 3 months stimulated bone formation on cancellous, endocortical, intracortical, and periosteal envelopes in transiliac bone biopsies obtained from postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. These increases reflected stimulation of both remodeling- and modeling-based bone formation, further elucidating the mechanisms by which abaloparatide improves bone mass and lowers fracture risk. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

Mathematical Ability and Lateral Asymmetry

The hypothesis that special ability in mathematics is associated with a reduction in bias to dextral preference and skill was examined in several samples of students and in 97 male and 27 female teachers of mathematics, mainly in Universities and Polytechnics. The maths students and maths teachers differed from controls, both general and academic, in the direction predicted and several comparisons were statistically significant. Differences were in most cases clearer for males than females.An analysis of the findings in relation to the right shift (RS) theory of handedness (Annett, 1972, Annett, 1978) suggests that the incidence of left preference and skill is slightly raised in mathematicians not because of any intrinsic advantage of left preference but rather because extreme bias to the right, as expected in those carrying a hypothesised rs++ genotype, is disadvantageous for mathematical thinking. If the role of mathematics can be regarded as one of developing languages to describe those aspects of human experience which otherwise could be understood only in visuo-spatial images, it can be seen to require a coordination of those aspects of human intelligence which have been distinguished as depending differentially on the left and right cerebral hemispheres. The present findings suggest that this process might be impeded by a double dose of a gene which promotes left hemisphere language specialisation.