Purpose: Assessing brainstem function in humans through typical neuroimaging modalities has been challenging. Our objective was to evaluate brain and brainstem activation patterns during initiation of voiding in healthy males and females utilizing a 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner and a noninvasive brain-bladder functional MRI (fMRI) protocol. Methods: Twenty healthy adult volunteers (10 males and 10 females) with no history of urinary symptoms were recruited. Each volunteer underwent a clinic uroflow and postvoid residual assessment and was asked to consume water prior to entering the scanner. Anatomical and diffusion tensor images were obtained first, followed by a blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) during the empty bladder. Subjects indicated when they felt the urge to void, and a full bladder rs-fMRI was obtained. Once completed, the subjects began 5 voiding cycles, where the first 7.5 seconds of each voiding cycle was identified as “initiation of voiding.” BOLD activation maps were generated, and regions of interests with a t-value greater than 2.1 were deemed statistically significant. Results: We present 5 distinct regions within the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and pontine micturition center (PMC) with statistically significant activation associated with an initiation of voiding in both men and women, 3 within the PAG and 2 within the PMC. Several additional areas in the brain also demonstrated activation as well. When comparing males to females, there was an overall lower BOLD activation seen in females throughout all regions, with the exception of the caudate lobe. Conclusions Our study effectively defines regions within the PAG and PMC involved in initiation of voiding in healthy volunteers. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating differences between male and female brainstem activation utilizing an ultra-high definition 7T MRI.

Background. Ultrasound remains to be an ideal imaging tool for the diagnosis of various conditions in the body. However, the cost and unavailability of the commercial acoustic gel continue to hamper the tool's diagnostic value in low-resource communities.

Objectives. The study aims to investigate the feasibility of extracts of common Philippine succulents as ultrasound acoustic gel, based on image quality parameters, organoleptic characteristics, spreadability, pH, and viscosity.

Methods. Aloe Vera, common houseleek, burro's tail, snake plant, echeveria, crown of thorns, panda plant, and jade plant were extracted and filtered before subjecting them for a physical evaluation. The evaluation analyzed the organoleptic characteristics, spreadability, pH, and viscosity of the formulated gels. The commercial acoustic gel was used as the reference gel. Three experienced ultrasonographers blindly evaluated a total of 243 images obtained using the formulated gels based on four image quality parameters.

Results. The formulated gels had optimal appearance, texture, homogeneity, and pH value. However, all of the extracts had a lower viscosity than the commercial reference gel. The extract obtained from the burro's tail exhibited the highest viscosity among the tested extracts. There was no significant difference in the image quality parameters among the commercial and formulated gels.

Conclusion. The extracts obtained from the succulents are feasible as an acoustic gel for ultrasound imaging based on the physical and image quality analyses. The tested plants are readily available and easy to produce compared to commercial acoustic gel.

Background: and Purpose Epilepsy is often associated with substantial stigma. This study evaluated clinical correlates of stigma in a sample of people living with epilepsy (PLWE) considered high risk due to frequent seizures or other negative health events. Methods: Data were derived from an epilepsy self-management clinical trial. Standardized measures assessed socio-demographics, epilepsy stigma, epilepsy severity, self-efficacy, selfmanagement competency, health literacy, depressive symptoms severity, functional status, social support and quality of life. Results: There were 120 individuals, mean age of 41.73 (SD=17.08), 81 men (66.9%), and 79 (65.3%) African-American. Individual factors correlated with worse stigma w ere indicative of more severe or poorly controlled seizures (frequent seizures, worse seizure severity scores, more antiepileptic drugs), mental health comorbidity (worse depression severity, other comorbidities) and factors related to individual functioning and perceived competency in managing their health (health literacy, health functioning, self-efficacy, quality of life). Multivariable linear regression found that worse quality of life, and having a mental condition were associated with more stigma (β=6.4 and 6.8, respectively), while higher self-efficacy, health literacy and social support were associated with less stigma (β=-0.06, -2.1, and -0.3, respectively). These five variables explained 50% of stigma variation. Conclusions Stigma burden can be substantial among PLWE and may vary depending on contextual factors such as mental health comorbidity. Care approaches that screen for psychiatric comorbidities, address low health literacy, institute promising self-management programs, and employ effective health communication strategies about epilepsy misconceptions, may reduce epilepsy related burden.

The introduction of the recent 2017 classification of periodontal diseases has been welcomed by the periodontal fraternity. The new classification has used available evidence as the backbone for its development. It has been felt by many experts that a good understanding is required for its practice. Towards this, a Malaysian PerioSymposium was organised in May 2019 to comprehend the classification and also to identify the right path towards its learning among undergraduate students of dentistry in Malaysia. The symposium was conducted and moderated by local and international experts. Apart from the few limitations identified, the new classification was recommended to be taught in the undergraduate dental programme across schools in Malaysia.

Objective To clarify the impact of pre-and postnatal iron deficiency on children's motor development.Methods This was a longitudinal follow-up study.A total of 114 infants (58 boys,56 girls) born from April 2010 to December 2011 in Fuyang district of Hangzhou were enrolled.Based on cord blood and 9-month iron status,subjects were divided into prenatal iron deficiency (34 children),postnatal iron deficiency (37 children) and non-iron deficiency group (43 children).Peabody Developmental Motor Scale and BOT2-simplified version were used to evaluate the motor capacity in infants and preschoolers at 9 months,18 months and 5 years,respectively.Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to investigate the trajectory of motor development with age,the influence of different timing of early iron deficiency on children's motor development,and the differences (adjusted for possible confounding factors) in motor development in children with pre-or postnatal iron deficiency or non-iron deficiency in different family educational environment.Results At the age of 9 months,18 months and 5 years,107,109,and 114 children were evaluated respectively.After controlling for a variety of confounding factors,it was found that children with prenatal iron deficiency had significantly lower scores of motor development compared with non-iron deficiency children (52.04 vs.54.05 scores,β =-2.01,P=0.007),and that children with postnatal iron deficiency had similar scores of motor development compared with non-iron deficiency children,showing no significant difference (53.07 vs.54.05 scores,β=-0.98,P=0.180).Regardless of the maternal education status,prenatal iron deficiency children always had lower motor scores than non-iron deficiency children (49.86 vs.52.15 and 49.58 vs.51.58 scores,β=-2.29,-2.00;P=0.031,0.049).Among the non-iron deficiency children,those whose mothers had a higher education level had higher motor scores compared with those whose mothers had a lower education level (52.45 vs.50.46 scores,β=1.99,P=0.035).Conclusions The motor development of children with prenatal iron deficiency did not catch up with their counterparts without iron deficiency by 5 years of age.The results indicate the importance of preventing iron deficiency in the fetus.

PURPOSE: To simultaneously monitor electrical discharges in various bladder regions and the external urethral sphincter (EUS) during voiding contractions, and to assess the functional role of myogenic modulation of the lower urinary tract (LUT) by ionotropic purinergic receptors containing the P2X3 subunit. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with urethane, and implanted with a suprapubic catheter for open cystometry. Flexible microelectrodes were placed ventrally in the bladder dome, upper bladder, lower bladder, and bladder base, along with the middle section of the exposed EUS. Intravesical P2X3-containing receptors were blocked with AF-323, a specific P2X3-P2X2/3 receptor antagonist. A digital electrophysiology amplifier was used to record electrical and cystometric signals throughout the LUT. RESULTS: Electrical activity in the LUT started before effective voiding contractions. Bladder pressure and electrical waveforms showed consistent out-of-phase activity when compared with the recordings made at the EUS. This pattern was also observed during voiding contractions in the presence of AF-353, supporting the hypothesis that during bladder distension, activation of P2X3-containing receptors is required for voiding contractions. Furthermore, the inhibition of P2X3-containing receptors significantly decreased the amplitude of electrical signals in the urinary bladder, but not the base or EUS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide novel information about the regulation of the micturition process by P2X3-containing receptors located in the inner layers of the bladder.
Animals ; Catheters ; Electrophysiology ; Female* ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Microelectrodes ; Purinergic P2X Receptor Antagonists ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Purinergic ; Urethane ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Tract ; Urination*

A 68-year-old Chinese man presented with an eight-month history of pyrexia of unknown origin and chronic sinusitis despite multiple courses of antibiotics. He underwent extensive investigations, including workups for infections, chronic granulomatous diseases and malignancy. Nasal biopsies were performed twice under local anaesthesia, but did not show any evidence of malignancy. Eventually, the patient was diagnosed with natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal variant, based on histopathological findings from harvested deep tissue obtained via functional endoscopic sinus surgery. This study highlights that, for patients presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin and nasal symptoms, NK/T-cell lymphoma must be considered as a differential diagnosis. Generous amounts of tissue should be harvested under general anaesthesia rather than limited tissue under local anaesthesia, in order to facilitate and ensure a definitive diagnosis.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; Biopsy ; China ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Male ; Nasal Cavity ; pathology ; Nose Neoplasms ; complications ; diagnosis ; radiotherapy ; Prognosis ; Radiography ; Radiotherapy ; Sinusitis ; complications ; diagnosis ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Adrenal Glands* ; Eosinophils* ; Leiomyosarcoma*

The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is the preferred method to evaluate long-term usual dietary intake in population-based epidemiological studies because it is simple, easy to administer and requires minimal effort from the subjects. Therefore, we validated a food frequency interview schedule (FFIS) to estimate the dietary intakes of the urban population of Hyderabad city. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among five socio-economic sections of Hyderabad. Areas for the survey were selected by cluster random sampling and households in each area were selected by simple random sampling. The FFIS was developed and validated against a 6-day 24-hour dietary recall (HDR) method. The instruments were administered to the participants six months apart to check for reproducibility. Statistical analyses for validation and reproducibility included correlation, regression analyses and paired t-test. Results: Means of intakes of foods measured by 24-HDR were significantly lower than those measured by FFIS for some foods at alpha levels of 0.05. Pearson's correlation (r) for the intakes by the two methods ranged from 0.12 to 0.85. Regression coefficients were significant for 12 food groups. Correlation coefficients for the two FFISs were between 0.31 (spices) and 0.81 (carbonated beverages) and showed good reproducibility. Intakes of conventional foods like cereals, pulses, vegetables etc. by FFIS correlated better with 24-HDR than the processed foods such as breakfast cereals and bakery items. Conclusion: The data suggests that the FFIS is a well-validated, reproducible tool for assessment of long term dietary habits of a specific population. However, its use for populations of other regions requires specific modifications.
Nutritional Requirements ; Interview ; Population

OBJECTIVES: Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a common bowel commensal, is a major cause of neonatal sepsis and an emerging cause of infection in immune-compromised adult populations. Fluoroquinolones are used to treat GBS infections in those allergic to beta-lactams, but GBS are increasingly resistant to fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolone resistance has been previously attributed to quinolone resistance determining regions (QRDRs) mutations. We demonstrate that some of fluoroquinolone resistance is due to efflux-mediated resistance. METHODS: We tested 20 GBS strains resistant only to norfloxacin with no mutations in the QRDRs, for the efflux phenotype using norfloxacin and ethidium bromide as substrates in the presence of the efflux inhibitor reserpine. Also tested were 68 GBS strains resistant only to norfloxacin not screened for QRDRs, and 58 GBS strains resistant to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin or moxifloxacin. Isolates were randomly selected from 221 pregnant women (35-37 weeks of gestation) asymptomatically carrying GBS, and 838 patients with GBS infection identified in South Korea between 2006 and 2008. The VITEK II automatic system (Biomerieux, Durham, NC, USA) was used to determine fluoroquinolone resistance. RESULTS: The reserpine associated efflux phenotype was found in more than half of GBS strains resistant only to norfloxacin with no QRDR mutations, and half where QRDR mutations were unknown. No evidence of the efflux phenotype was detected in GBS strains that were resistant to moxifloxacin or levofloxacin or both. The reserpine sensitive efflux phenotype resulted in moderate increases in norfloxacin minimum inhibitory concentration (average=3.6 fold, range=>1-16 fold). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial portion of GBS strains resistant to norfloxacin have an efflux phenotype.
Adult ; beta-Lactams ; Ciprofloxacin ; Ethidium ; Female ; Fluoroquinolones ; Humans ; Korea ; Levofloxacin ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Norfloxacin* ; Phenotype ; Pregnant Women ; Reserpine ; Sepsis ; Streptococcus*