Scottyilmaz5464

X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS), which results from mutations in the gene RS1 that encodes the protein retinoschisin, is a retinal degenerative disease affecting between 1/5000 and 1/25,000 people worldwide. Currently, there is no cure for this disease and the treatment is based on the application of low-vision aids. The aim of the present work was the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of two different non-viral vectors based on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), protamine and two anionic polysaccharides, hyaluronic acid (HA) or dextran (DX), for the treatment of XLRS. First, the vectors containing a plasmid which encodes both the reporter green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the therapeutic protein retinoschisin, under the control of CMV promoters, were characterized in vitro. Then, the vectors were subretinally or intravitreally administrated to C57BL/6 wild type mice. One week later, GFP was detected in all treated mice and in all retinal layers except in the Outer Nuclear Layer (ONL) and the Inner Nuclear Layer (INL), regardless of the administration route and the vector employed. Finally, two weeks after subretinal or intravitreal injection to Rs1h-deficient mice, GFP and retinoschisin expression was detected in all retinal layers, except in the ONL, which was maintained for at least two months after subretinal administration. The structural analysis of the treated Rs1h-deficient eyes showed a partial recovery of the retina related to the production of retinoschisin. This work shows for the first time a successful RS1 gene transfer to Rs1h-deficient animals using non-viral nanocarriers, with promising results that point to non-viral gene therapy as a feasible future therapeutic tool for retinal disorders.Candida species are generally identified by conventional methods such as germ tube or morphological appearance on corn meal agar, biochemical methods using API kits and molecular biological methods. Alternative to these methods, rapid and accurate identification methods of microorganisms called matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDİ-TOF MS) has recently been described. In this study, Candida identification results by API Candida kit, API 20C AUX kit and identifications on corn meal agar (CMA) are compared with the results obtained on Vitek-MS. All results were confirmed by sequencing internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA. Totally, 97 Candida strains were identified by germ tube test, CMA, API and Vitek-MS. Vitek-MS results were compatible with 74.2 % of API 20C AUX and 81.4 % of CMA results. The difference between the results of API Candida and API 20C AUX was detected. The ratio of discrepancy between Vitek-MS and API 20C AUX was 25.8 %. Candida species mostly identified as C. famata or C. tropicalis by and not compatible with API kits were identified as C. albicans by Vitek-MS. Sixteen Candida species having discrepant results with Vitek-MS, API or CMA were randomly chosen, and ITS sequence analysis was performed. The results of sequencing were compatible 56.2 % with API 20C AUX, 50 % with CMA and 93.7 % with Vitek-MS. When compared with conventional identification methods, MS results are more reliable and rapid for Candida identification. MS system may be used as routine identification method in clinical microbiology laboratories.A simple and sensitive electrochemical sensor is purposed for the preconcentration and determination of zearalenone using a carbon paste electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes. A differential pulse voltammetric method is employed to study the behavior of zearalenone on this modified electrode. The analytical procedure consists of a closed-circuit accumulation step onto the modified electrode. An anodic peak, related to the oxidation of accumulated and reduced zearalenone on the electrode surface, was observed at 0.40 V. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 2.0-50.0 ng mL(-1). The limit of detection was found to be 0.58 ng mL(-1), and the relative standard deviations for five replicated determinations at 5.0 and 30.0 ng mL(-1) of zearalenone were 2.71 and 1.44%, respectively. The modified electrode was applied successfully for the analysis of zearalenone in different malt beverage samples.

Low strength and neuromuscular activation of the lower limbs have been associated with falls making it an important predictor of functional status in the elderly.

To compare the rate of neuromuscular activation, rate of torque development, peak torque and reaction time between young and elderly fallers and non-fallers for hip flexion and extension.

We evaluated 44 elderly people who were divided into two groups elderly fallers (n=20) and elderly non-fallers (n=24); and 18 young people. The subjects performed three isometric hip flexion and extension contractions. Electromyography data were collected for the rectus femoris, gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles.

The elderly had 49% lower peak torque and 68% lower rate of torque development for hip extension, 28% lower rate of neuromuscular activation for gluteus maximus and 38% lower rate of neuromuscular activation for biceps femoris than the young (p<0.05). Furthermore, the elderly had 42% lower peak torque and 62% lower rate of torque development for hip flexion and 48% lower rate of neuromuscular for rectus femoris than the young (p<0.05). The elderly fallers showed consistent trend toward a lower rate of torque development than elderly non-fallers for hip extension at 50ms (29%, p=0.298, d=0.76) and 100ms (26%, p=0.452, d=0.68).The motor time was 30% slower for gluteus maximus, 42% slower for rectus femoris and 50% slower for biceps femoris in the elderly than in the young.

Impaired capacity of the elderly, especially fallers, may be explained by neural and morphological aspects of the muscles.

The process of senescence affects the muscle function of the hip flexion and extension, and falls may be related to lower rate of torque development and slower motor time of biceps femoris.

The process of senescence affects the muscle function of the hip flexion and extension, and falls may be related to lower rate of torque development and slower motor time of biceps femoris.Cross-sectional data suggest that the degree of coronary atherosclerosis is associated with aerobic fitness. However, there are limited longitudinal data addressing whether aerobic fitness is a predictor of coronary atherosclerosis progression. This study investigated whether peak oxygen consumption is related to a longitudinal increase in coronary calcium scores. Study subjects were voluntary participants in a health screening program who underwent a cardiopulmonary function test and repeated coronary calcium scoring. Individuals with clinical cardiovascular disease were excluded. The final sample included 4843 subjects with 14,856 records. The treadmill exercise test was performed using a modified Bruce protocol and Agatston coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores were measured using multi-detector CT. The mean age of the participants was 52 ± 6 years and 4.7 % were female. In a multi-level mixed effect regression model, increased CAC scores over time were significantly less likely in individuals with a higher VO2peak after adjusting for age, gender, hypertension, HbA1c, smoking status and LDL cholesterol levels (p less then 0.001). Aerobic fitness has a protective effect on the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in an asymptomatic middle-aged population.Self-esteem is an affective, self-evaluation of oneself and has a significant effect on mental and behavioral health. Although research has focused on the neural substrates of self-esteem, little is known about the spontaneous brain activity that is associated with trait self-esteem (TSE) during the resting state. see more In this study, we used the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFFs) and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) to identify TSE-related regions and networks. We found that a higher level of TSE was associated with higher ALFFs in the left ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and lower ALFFs in the left cuneus/lingual gyrus and right lingual gyrus. RSFC analyses revealed that the strengths of functional connectivity between the left vmPFC and bilateral hippocampus were positively correlated with TSE; however, the connections between the left vmPFC and right inferior frontal gyrus and posterior superior temporal sulcus were negatively associated with TSE. Furthermore, the strengths of functional connectivity between the left cuneus/lingual gyrus and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex were positively related to TSE. These findings indicate that TSE is linked to core regions in the default mode network and social cognition network, which is involved in self-referential processing, autobiographical memory and social cognition.Mass media can powerfully affect health decision-making. Pre-testing through focus groups or surveys is a standard, though inconsistent, predictor of effectiveness. Converging evidence demonstrates that activity within brain systems associated with self-related processing can predict individual behavior in response to health messages. Preliminary evidence also suggests that neural activity in small groups can forecast population-level campaign outcomes. Less is known about the psychological processes that link neural activity and population-level outcomes, or how these predictions are affected by message content. We exposed 50 smokers to antismoking messages and used their aggregated neural activity within a 'self-localizer' defined region of medial prefrontal cortex to predict the success of the same campaign messages at the population level (n = 400,000 emails). Results demonstrate that (i) independently localized neural activity during health message exposure complements existing self-report data in predicting population-level campaign responses (model combined R(2) up to 0.65) and (ii) this relationship depends on message content-self-related neural processing predicts outcomes in response to strong negative arguments against smoking and not in response to compositionally similar neutral images. These data advance understanding of the psychological link between brain and large-scale behavior and may aid the construction of more effective media health campaigns.Our understanding of the role played by the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in human emotion has recently advanced with STN deep brain stimulation, a neurosurgical treatment for Parkinson's disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, the potential presence of several confounds related to pathological models raises the question of how much they affect the relevance of observations regarding the physiological function of the STN itself. This underscores the crucial importance of obtaining evidence from healthy participants. In this study, we tested the structural and functional connectivity between the STN and other brain regions related to vocal emotion in a healthy population by combining diffusion tensor imaging and psychophysiological interaction analysis from a high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging study. As expected, we showed that the STN is functionally connected to the structures involved in emotional prosody decoding, notably the orbitofrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, auditory cortex, pallidum and amygdala.