Neurocysticercosis in children: clinical and radiological analysis and prognostic factors in 54 patients

INTRODUCTION AND MATERIAL: We studied 54 patients younger than 17 years of age with neurocysticercosis to determine the clinical manifestations, neuroimaging findings, and prognostic factors of this condition. RESULTS: Seizures were present in 48 patients, representing the most common clinical manifestation. Forty-eight patients had a normal neurological examination, and only 3 patients had clinical evidence of increased intracranial pressure. CT scan of the brain revealed parenchymal brain cysticerci in 52 patients; one patient had a pure subarachnoid form of the disease and the remaining patient had a mixed (subarachnoid and parenchymal) form. The most common CT finding in patients with parenchymal neurocysticercosis was a single colloidal cyst (19 cases). All patients with seizures were treated with anti-epileptic drugs with an excellent rate of seizure-control. In addition, 23 patients received albendazole that caused resolution of cystic lesions in 19 cases. Anti-epileptic drugs were withdrawn in 13 patients who remained free of seizures during two years. However, 9 (69%) of these patients had recurrent seizures. CONCLUSION: This evidence is in contrast with the reported benign course of neurocysticercosis in children, since most patients had seizure relapses despite therapy.     

Extralenticular expression of Xenopus laevis alpha-, beta-, and gamma-crystallin genes

PURPOSE: Extralenticular expression of alpha- and beta-crystallin genes has been demonstrated in mammals and expression of gamma-crystallin genes has been shown in Xenopus laevis. To determine a possible correlation between lens determination and crystallin gene expression, the site of expression of (a member of) the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-crystallin gene families was observed before and during lens formation in X. laevis. METHODS: The partial complementary DNAs (cDNAs) of alpha A- and beta A4-crystallin and a gamma-crystallin were cloned from an X. laevis lens cDNA library. The corresponding antisense RNAs were used to analyze the expression of these genes during X. laevis development by wholemount in situ hybridization. RESULTS: Expression of the beta A4- and gamma-crystallin (but not alpha-crystallin) genes could first be detected in the animal cap of the X. laevis gastrula. The beta A4- and gamma-crystallin messengers were also found in the first stage of lens development, when the ectodermal tissue overlying the optic vesicle thickens to form the lens placode. alpha A-crystallin messenger RNAs were only detectable when the lens epithelial cells were formed. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to observations in most vertebrates, expression of the beta A4- and gamma-crystallin genes was observed to precede that of the alpha A-crystallin gene during lens development of X. laevis, reflecting the determination that in amphibians, the (presumptive) fiber cells are formed before the epithelial cells, whereas in vertebrates, the order is reversed. Expression of beta A4- and gamma-crystallin genes in the ectodermal tissue of the X. laevis gastrula shows that these genes are expressed when this tissue gains competence for lens formation.     

Chemical Composition and Oxidative Stability of Safflower Oil Prepared with Expeller from Safflower Seeds Roasted at Different Temperatures

ABSTRACT: Seeds with different roasting (140°C to 180°C) and expelling (110°C to 150°C) temperatures were evaluated. The color development of their oils increased as both temperatures increased. The fatty acid compositions did not change, the major one being linoleic acid (80%). There were significant differences in the phosphorus content of oils prepared at different roasting temperatures, which was not the case with oils prepared at different expelling temperatures. The major phospholipid component of oil is phosphatidylinositol. The proportion of phosphatidylinositol in oil increased as both temperatures increased. Phosphatidylethanolamine in oil decreased as roasting temperatures increased. Tocopherols and tocotrienols were identified. The oxidative stabilities increased as both temperatures increased.     

Electrodeposition behavior and characteristics of Ni-carbon nanotube composite coatings

Ni-CNT (carbon nanotube) composite coatings were processed by electrodeposition and their hardness and corrosion characteristics were investigated with variations of CNT concentration in an electrolyte solution and electrodeposition current density. With increasing the CNT concentration in the electrodeposition bath and the current density, more CNTs are incorporated into Ni matrix. Hardness values of the Ni-CNT coatings are irrelevant to the CNT concentration in the solution, the current density, and current mode, implying poor adhesion of CNTs to Ni matrix. With increasing the CNT content in the coating, the corrosion resistance of the Ni-CNT composite coating becomes inferior due to the porous microstructure.     

Effects of poly‐γ‐glutamic acid on the physicochemical characteristics of skim milk yoghurt

The physicochemical and sensory properties of skim milk yoghurts containing poly‐γ‐glutamic acid (PGA) at different levels (0.0025, 0.005 and 0.01%) were evaluated. Addition of PGA up to 0.01% to reconstituted skim milk (11%, w/v) did not affect the growth of lactic acid bacteria or the development of titratable acidity in yoghurt, whereas full‐fat control yoghurt had reduced acid production. No changes were found in viable cell counts of PGA yoghurts during storage (4 weeks at 4 °C). The addition of PGA (0.005%) significantly decreased syneresis in skim milk yoghurt and did not cause any undesirable effects in sensory acceptability.     

AR-CNN:an attention ranking network for learning urban perception

An increasing number of deep learning methods is being applied to quantify the perception of urban environments,study the relationship between urban appearance ...     

Formation behavior of anodic TiO2 nanombes in fluoride containing electrolytes

TiO₂ nanotube layers can be formed with titanium in the electrolytes containing fluoride by electrochemical method. The role of fluoride ion, the crystallinity of the anodic oxide, and the chemical state were investigated. The results show the anodic film is composed of oxide and a little amount of hydroxide. The presence of F⁻ ions leads to chemical dissolution of Ti oxide layer and prevents hydroxide precipitation. Consequently, chemical dissolution rate increases with increasing the fluoride content in the range of 0–2% (in mass fraction) because F⁻ ions in electrolyte attack the interface and allow the ions of the electrolyte to easily penetrate into the interface. The as-anodized TiO₂ nanotubes exhibit an amorphous structure. Thermally treated nanotubes are composed of mixtures of the anatase and rutile phases.     

Region-specific activity of the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump and delayed activation of Ca2+ entry characterize the polarized, agonist-evoked Ca2+ signals in exocrine cells

The initial release of Ca2+ from the intracellular Ca2+ stores is followed by a second phase during which the agonist-dependent Ca2+ response becomes sensitive to the extracellular Ca2+, indicating the involvement of the plasma membrane (PM) Ca2+ transport systems. The time course of activation of these transport systems, which consist of both Ca2+ extrusion and Ca2+ entry pathways, is not well established. To investigate the participation of these processes during the agonist-evoked Ca2+ response, isolated pancreatic acinar cells were exposed to maximal concentrations of an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mobilizing agonist (acetylcholine, 10 microM) in different experimental conditions. Following the increase of [Ca2+]i, there was an almost immediate activation of the PM Ca2+ extrusion system, and maximal activity was reached within less than 2s. The rate of Ca2+ extrusion was dependent on the level of [Ca2+]i, with a steep activation at values just above the resting [Ca2+]i and reached a plateau value at 700 nM Ca2+. In contrast, the PM Ca2+ entry pathway was activated with a much slower time course. There was also a delay of 3-4 s between the maximal effective depletion of the intracellular Ca2+ stores and the activation of this entry pathway. By use of digital imaging data, the PM Ca2+ transport systems were also analyzed independently in two regions of the cells, the lumenal and the basal poles. With respect to the activation of the Ca2+ entry pathways, no significant difference existed between these two regions. In contrast, the PM Ca2+ pump displayed a different pattern of activity in these regions. In the basal pole, the pump activity was more sensitive to changes of [Ca2+]i and had a higher maximal activity. Also, in the lumenal pole, the pump became saturated at values of [Ca2+]i around 700 nM, whereas at the basal pole [Ca2+]i had a biphasic effect on the pump activity, and higher [Ca2+]i inhibited the pump. It is argued that these differences in sensitivity to the levels of [Ca2+]i and the different relationship between [Ca2+]i and the rate of extrusion at the two functional poles of the pancreatic acinar cells indicate that the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase might play an important role in the polarization of the Ca2+ response.