The comparative risk of serious infections among rheumatoid arthritis patients starting or switching biological agents.

Background: It is unclear whether anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha and biological agents with different mechanisms of action have similar safety. This study evaluated the incidence of hospitalised infections among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients starting or switching various biological agents.

Methods: Using a database from a large US healthcare organisation from January 2005 to August 2009, the authors identified enrollees with RA and their treatment episodes entailing the new use of a biological agent, stratified by no biological use in the previous year ('biological-free') or switching from a different biological agent ('switchers').

A virus-binding hot spot on human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is critical for binding of two different coronaviruses.

How viruses evolve to select their receptor proteins for host cell entry is puzzling. We recently determined the crystal structures of NL63 coronavirus (NL63-CoV) and SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) receptor-binding domains (RBDs), each complexed with their common receptor, human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2), and proposed the existence of a virus-binding hot spot on hACE2. Here we investigated the function of this hypothetical hot spot using structure-guided biochemical and functional assays.

Polarization in a Rashba strip coupled with a spiral spin density wave.

The magnetoelectric effect in a Rashba strip is studied, which is coupled to a spiral spin density wave (SDW). The polarization, if it can be induced, must be perpendicular to the plane constructed by the helix axis and the wavevector of the SDW. With a gate voltage on the strip varied, the polarization fluctuates quickly and can be switched from a positive to a negative value or vice versa.

Blood loss during extensive escharectomy and auto-microskin grafting in adult male major burn patients.

Purpose: To improve the accuracy of blood loss estimation during extensive escharectomy and auto-microskin grafting on extremities in adult male major burn patients.

Method: All adult male major burn patients admitted to our center who underwent extensive escharectomy and auto-microskin graft on extremities for more than 10% TBSA during the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009 were involved in this study. The blood loss during the operation was estimated by the surgeons or calculated according to the changes in hemoglobin levels.

Total transmission and total reflection by zero index metamaterials with defects.

We theoretically investigate microwave transmission through a zero-index metamaterial loaded with dielectric defects. The metamaterial is impedance matched to free space, with the permittivity and permeability tending towards zero over a given frequency range. By simply varying the radii and permittivities of the defects, total transmission or reflection of the impinging electromagnetic wave can be achieved.

The incidence of gastrointestinal perforations among rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objective: Gastrointestinal (GI) perforation has emerged as a novel safety concern in relation to medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was undertaken to characterize the incidence and risk factors for GI perforation in RA patients.

Methods: Using administrative databases of a large US health plan, we identified RA patients treated with biologic agents, methotrexate (MTX), oral glucocorticoids, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The relationship between bisphosphonate adherence and fracture: is it the behavior or the medication? Results from the placebo arm of the fracture intervention trial.

Medication compliance may be a surrogate for factors that improve health outcomes such as fractures. Little is known about the size of this potential "healthy adherer" effect. We evaluated the hypothesis that compliance with placebo is associated inversely with bone loss and fractures among women participating in the Fracture Intervention Trial (FIT).

Developmental trajectories of reading development and impairment from ages 3 to 8 years in Chinese children.

Background: Early prediction of reading disabilities in Chinese is important for early remediation efforts. In this 6-year longitudinal study, we investigated the early cognitive predictors of reading skill in a statistically representative sample of Chinese children from Beijing.

Method: Two hundred sixty-one (261) native Chinese children were administered seven language-related skills over three years between the ages of 3 and 6 years.

Surfactant-mediated ion exchange and charge reversal at ionic liquid interfaces.

Room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) exhibit a unique set of properties due to their charged character, presenting opportunities for numerous applications. Here, we show that the combination of charged surfactants with ILs leads to rich interfacial behavior due to the interplay between electrostatic and surface forces. Using traditional measures of surface activity and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we find that sodium alkyl sulfates and alkyl trimethylammonium bromides are, indeed, surface-active at the air-IL interfaces of both [EMIM][EtSO(4)] and [BHEDMA][MeSO(3)].

EBV promotes human CD8 NKT cell development.

The reports on the origin of human CD8(+) Valpha24(+) T-cell receptor (TCR) natural killer T (NKT) cells are controversial. The underlying mechanism that controls human CD4 versus CD8 NKT cell development is not well-characterized. In the present study, we have studied total 177 eligible patients and subjects including 128 healthy latent Epstein-Barr-virus(EBV)-infected subjects, 17 newly-onset acute infectious mononucleosis patients, 16 newly-diagnosed EBV-associated Hodgkin lymphoma patients, and 16 EBV-negative normal control subjects.

Physician preference motivates the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy independent of clinical disease activity.

Objective: Physician preference has previously been shown to be an important determinant of prescription patterns, independent of patient-specific factors. We evaluated whether physician preference was important in the decision to select anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy rather than nonbiologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients initiating a new RA medication.

Methods: Using data from the Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America, we identified RA patients who had never taken biologics initiating either anti-TNF therapy or a DMARD in 2001-2008.

EBV-induced human CD8(+) NKT cells synergise CD4(+) NKT cells suppressing EBV-associated tumours upon induction of Th1-bias.

CD8(+) natural killer T (NKT) cells from EBV-associated tumour patients are quantitatively and functionally impaired. EBV-induced CD8(+) NKT cells drive syngeneic T cells into a Th1-bias response to suppress EBV-associated malignancies. IL-4-biased CD4(+) NKT cells do not affect either syngeneic T cell cytotoxicity or Th cytokine secretion.

EBV-induced human CD8+ NKT cells suppress tumorigenesis by EBV-associated malignancies.

The underlying mechanism of the protective and suppressive role of NKT cells in human tumor immunosurveillance remains to be fully elucidated. We show that the frequencies of CD8(+) NKT cells in patients with EBV-associated Hodgkin's lymphoma or nasopharyngeal carcinoma are significantly lower than those in healthy EBV carriers. These CD8(+) NKT cells in tumor patients are also functionally impaired.

Genetical toxicogenomics in Drosophila identifies master-modulatory loci that are regulated by developmental exposure to lead.

The genetics of gene expression in recombinant inbred lines (RILs) can be mapped as expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). So-called "genetical genomics" studies have identified locally acting eQTLs (cis-eQTLs) for genes that show differences in steady-state RNA levels. These studies have also identified distantly acting master-modulatory trans-eQTLs that regulate tens or hundreds of transcripts (hotspots or transbands).

Massively parallel resequencing of the isogenic Drosophila melanogaster strain w(1118); iso-2; iso-3 identifies hotspots for mutations in sensory perception genes.

We used the Illumina reversible-short sequencing technology to obtain 17-fold average depth (s.d. approximately 8) of approximately 94% of the euchromatic genome and approximately 1-5% of the heterochromatin sequence of the Drosophila melanogaster isogenic strain w(1118); iso-2; iso-3.

Genetic aspects of behavioral neurotoxicology.

Considerable progress has been made over the past couple of decades concerning the molecular bases of neurobehavioral function and dysfunction. The field of neurobehavioral genetics is becoming mature. Genetic factors contributing to neurologic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease have been found and evidence for genetic factors contributing to other diseases such as schizophrenia and autism are likely.

Two-stage genome-wide association study identifies integrin beta 5 as having potential role in bull fertility.

Background: Fertility is one of the most critical factors controlling biological and financial performance of animal production systems and genetic improvement of lines. The objective of this study was to identify molecular defects in the sperm that are responsible for uncompensable fertility in Holstein bulls. We performed a comprehensive genome wide analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for bull fertility followed by a second-stage replication in additional bulls for a restricted set of markers.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms affect both cis- and trans-eQTLs.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between microarray probes and RNA targets can affect the performance of expression array by weakening the hybridization. In this paper, we examined the effect of the SNPs on Affymetrix GeneChip probe set summaries and the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) mapping results in two eQTL datasets, one from mouse and one from human. We showed that removing SNP-containing probes significantly changed the probe set summaries and the more SNP-containing probes we removed the greater the change.

N,N'-Bis(2-quinolylcarbon-yl)hydrazine.

The title compound, C(20)H(14)N(4)O(2), crystallizes in the ortho-rhom-bic system with a crystallographic twofold axis through the N-N bond. The mol-ecule is non-planar and the dihedral angle between two amide groups is 74.9 (2)°.

[Assessment of toxicity effects for cadmium contamination in soils by means of multi-indexes].

The genetic and eco-toxic effects of Cd (0-10 mg x kg(-1)) were studied with Vicia faba (broad bean) as the test species using meadow brown soil in pot experiments by means of several indexes, such as Vicia faba root tip micronucleus frequency (MCN), mitosis index (MI), and chromosomal aberrations frequency (CAF), antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutases (SOD), peroxidases (POD), catalase (CAT) and phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA3) and zeatin and zeatin riboside (Z&ZR). Results indicated the significant positive dose-response correlations were found between Cd2+ concentrations and the tested indexes (MI, MCN and CAF). Among of them, MCN is the most sensitive, and the MCN frequencies were 1.

CD19+CD5+ B cells in primary IgA nephropathy.

The source of IgA and the mechanism for deposition of IgA in the mesangium remain unknown for primary IgA nephropathy. Because CD19(+)CD5(+) B cells are important producers of IgA and contribute to several autoimmune diseases, they may play an important role in IgA nephropathy. In this study, flow cytometry, quantitative PCR, and confocal microscopy were used to assess the frequency, distribution, Ig production, CD phenotypes, cytokine production, and sensitivity to apoptosis of CD19(+)CD5(+) B cells in the peripheral blood, peritoneal fluid, and kidney biopsies of 36 patients with primary IgA nephropathy.

Microarray analysis.

Microarrays and related technologies have allowed investigators to ask biological questions in far greater detail than has previously been possible. Microarrays had a troubled beginning, but most of these problems resulted from the growing pains of this technology, which, like many new things, was initially more promise than delivery. Nevertheless, over the past few years, investigators have learned how to achieve optimal performance of technology, and now exciting discoveries are made using microarray-based research.