Microbeam radiation-induced tissue damage depends on the stage of vascular maturation

To explore the effects of microbeam radiation (MR) on vascular biology, we used the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model of an almost pure vascular system with immature vessels (lacking periendothelial coverage) at Day 8 and mature vessels (with coverage) at Day 12 of development.

K(L) --> pi0 e+ e- and K(L) --> pi0 mu+ mu-: A binary star on the stage of flavor physics

A systematic analysis of New Physics impacts on the rare decays KL→π0ell+ell- is performed. Thanks to their different sensitivities to flavor-changing local effective interactions, these two modes could provide valuable information on the nature of the possible New Physics at play. In particular, a combined measurement of both modes could disentangle scalar/pseudoscalar from vector or axial-vector contributions. For the latter, model-independent bounds are derived. Finally, the KL→π0μ+μ- forward-backward CP-asymmetry is considered, and shown to give interesting complementary information.

Response of the cholesterol metabolism to a negative energy balance in dairy cows depends on the lactational stage.

The response of cholesterol metabolism to a negative energy balance (NEB) induced by feed restriction for 3 weeks starting at 100 days in milk (DIM) compared to the physiologically occurring NEB in week 1 postpartum (p.p.) was investigated in 50 dairy cows (25 control (CON) and 25 feed-restricted (RES)). Blood samples, liver biopsies and milk samples were taken in week 1 p.p., and in weeks 0 and 3 of feed restriction. Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (C), phospholipids (PL), triglycerides (TAG), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (VLDL-C) and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) increased in RES cows from week 0 to 3 during feed restriction and were higher in week 3 compared to CON cows. In contrast, during the physiologically occurring NEB in week 1 p.p., C, PL, TAG and lipoprotein concentrations were at a minimum. Plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activities did not differ between week 0 and 3 for both groups, whereas during NEB in week 1 p.p. PLTP activity was increased and LCAT activity was decreased. Milk C concentration was not affected by feed restriction in both groups, whereas milk C mass was decreased in week 3 for RES cows. In comparison, C concentration and mass in milk were elevated in week 1 p.p. Hepatic mRNA abundance of sterol regulatory element-binding factor-2 (SREBF-2), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase 1 (HMGCS1), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), and ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCA1) were similar in CON and RES cows during feed restriction, but were upregulated during NEB in week 1 p.p. compared to the non-lactating stage without a NEB. In conclusion, cholesterol metabolism in dairy cows is affected by nutrient and energy deficiency depending on the stage of lactation.

Emergency skill training--a randomized controlled study on the effectiveness of the 4-stage approach compared to traditional clinical teaching

The "4-stage approach" has been widely accepted for practical skill training replacing the traditional 2 stages ("see one, do one"). However, the superior effectiveness of the 4-stage approach was never proved.

On the way to light the dark: a retrospective inquiry into the registered cases of domestic violence towards women over a six year period with a semi-quantitative analysis of the corresponding forensic documentation

Domestic violence victims are increasingly identified at emergency departments (ED). Studies report a prevalence of 6-30%; women are more frequently affected and to a more serious extent than men. Studies have shown that without screening domestic violence victims are often not recognised. The primary aim of the study is to collect data descriptive of domestic violence victims and to show whether medical documentation meets the requirements of forensic medicine.

Chronicle of a death foretold: Plasmodium liver stage parasites decide on the fate of the host cell

Protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium are the causative agents of malaria. Despite more than 100 years of research, the complex life cycle of the parasite still bears many surprises and it is safe to say that understanding the biology of the pathogen will keep scientists busy for many years to come. Malaria research has mainly concentrated on the pathological blood stage of Plasmodium parasites, leaving us with many questions concerning parasite development within the mosquito and during the exo-erythrocytic stage in the vertebrate host. After the discovery of the Plasmodium liver stage in the middle of the last century, it remained understudied for many years but the realization that it represents a promising target for vaccination approaches has brought it back into focus. The last decade saw many new and exciting discoveries concerning the exo-erythrocytic stage and in this review we will discuss the highlights of the latest developments in the field.

Effect of pregnancy and birth on the course of myasthenia gravis before or after transsternal radical thymectomy

OBJECTIVE: Myasthenia gravis (MG) affects women at childbearing age. Therefore, the question arises if these patients should become pregnant and if thymectomy has a positive effect on the course of MG in pregnant patients. METHODS: Fifteen pregnancies had been followed retrospectively. All patients underwent transsternal radical thymectomy for MG. The course of MG in the period before, during, and after the pregnancy was scored according to Ossermann's classification. The effect of thymectomy on delivery and on the newborns was evaluated. RESULTS: Patients were divided in two groups: pregnancies before (group I, n=8) and after (group II, n=7) thymectomy. During pregnancy, in group I, one deterioration was observed and in seven patients the disease was unchanged. In group II, one deterioration, five unchanged courses, and one improvement were observed. In the postpartum period, in group I, seven patients did not change and one improved. In group II, two deteriorations, three unchanged courses, and two improvements were observed. Before pregnancy, group II patients were in a better Ossermann stage in comparison with those in group I. Eight of the 12 deliveries were spontaneous (three abortus). Myasthenic symptoms were observed in two newborns in group I. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that MG is not prohibitive to have children. The course of MG after transsternal radical thymectomy is often ameliorated. A better MG-stage, reached after thymectomy, before pregnancy seems to be correlated with a better course during pregnancy.

A family of stage-specific alanine-rich proteins on the surface of epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma brucei

A 'two coat' model of the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei has prevailed for more than 15 years. Metacyclic forms transmitted by infected tsetse flies and mammalian bloodstream forms are covered by variant surface glycoproteins. All other life cycle stages were believed to have a procyclin coat, until it was shown recently that epimastigote forms in tsetse salivary glands express procyclin mRNAs without translating them. As epimastigote forms cannot be cultured, a procedure was devised to compare the transcriptomes of parasites in different fly tissues. Transcripts encoding a family of glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-anchored proteins, BARPs (previously called bloodstream alanine-rich proteins), were 20-fold more abundant in salivary gland than midgut (procyclic) trypanosomes. Anti-BARP antisera reacted strongly and exclusively with salivary gland parasites and a BARP 3' flanking region directed epimastigote-specific expression of reporter genes in the fly, but inhibited expression in bloodstream and procyclic forms. In contrast to an earlier report, we could not detect BARPs in bloodstream forms. We propose that BARPs form a stage-specific coat for epimastigote forms and suggest renaming them brucei alanine-rich proteins.