Postural and symptomatic improvement after physiotherapy in patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin

OBJECTIVE: To assess postural performance in patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin in whom extracervical causes had been excluded, and to assess the effects of physiotherapy on postural performance and subjective complaints of neck pain and dizziness. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Primary care centers and a tertiary referral center. PATIENTS AND SUBJECTS: Of 65 referrals, 43 patients were excluded because extracervical etiology was suspected. Of the remaining 22 patients, 17 completed the study (15 women, 2 men, x age 37 yr, range 26-49). The controls were 17 healthy subjects (15 women, 2 men, x age 36 yr, range 25-55). INTERVENTION: Physiotherapy based on analysis of symptoms and findings, and aimed to reduce cervical discomfort. Patients were randomized either to receive immediate physiotherapy (n = 9), or to wait 2 months, undergo repeat measurements, and then receive physiotherapy (n = 8). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Posturography, measuring velocity and variance of vibration-induced body sway and variance of galvanically induced body sway. Subjective intensity of neck pain (Visual Analog Scale ratings, 0-100), intensity and frequency of dizziness (subjective score 0-4). RESULTS: The patients manifested significantly poorer postural performance than did healthy subjects (.05 > p > .0001). Physiotherapy significantly reduced neck pain and intensity and the frequency of dizziness (p < .01), and significantly improved postural performance (.05 > p > .0007). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with dizziness of suspected cervical origin are characterized by impaired postural performance. Physiotherapy reduces neck pain and dizziness and improves postural performance. Neck disorders should be considered when assessing patients complaining of dizziness, but alternative diagnoses are common.     

Plasma lipoprotein(a) is not a predictor for restenosis after elective high-pressure coronary stenting

BACKGROUND: Preceding mucosal response to one allergen leads to the priming of the nasal mucosal response to another allergen. This study aimed to determine whether environmental allergens, especially ubiquitous animal dander, can induce nasal priming. METHODS: We investigated 26 grass-pollen-allergic subjects with additional sensitization to other aeroallergens. We performed continuous allergen challenge for 2 h with 1500 Dactylis glomerata pollen/m3 in the Vienna challenge chamber. The nasal flow at 150 Pa was examined, and subjective scores were obtained every 15 min. Statistical analysis was calculated from the area under curve of nasal flow reduction by Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U-test. Alpha was 0.05. RESULTS: In subjects with positive cat-dander RAST (class of > or = 3), besides grass-pollen allergy, the specific nasal allergic reaction to Dactylis challenge was significantly pronounced (P < 0.01), and an earlier onset of reaction was evident. The same results were obtained with additional sensitization to dog dander (P < 0.05). Concomitant sensitization to mugwort also led to escalating symptoms (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a specific nasal allergic reaction is augmented by environmental priming caused by ubiquitous animal dander and possibly is influenced by the daily use of spices.     

Pro-Inflammatory Effect of Gliadins and Glutenins Extracted from Different Wheat Cultivars on an In Vitro 3D Intestinal Epithelium Model

There is a need to assess the relationship between improved rheological properties and the immunogenic potential of wheat proteins. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro effects of total protein extracts from three modern and two landrace Triticum aestivum commercial flour mixes, with significant differences in gluten strength (GS), on cell lines. Cytotoxicity and innate immune responses induced by wheat proteins were investigated using Caco-2 monocultures, two dimensional (2D) Caco-2/U937 co-cultures, and three dimensional (3D) co-cultures simulating the intestinal mucosa with Caco-2 epithelial cells situated above an extra-cellular matrix containing U937 monocytes and L929 fibroblasts. Modern wheat proteins, with increased GS, significantly reduced Caco-2 cell proliferation and vitality in monoculture and 2D co-cultures than landrace proteins. Modern wheat proteins also augmented Caco-2 monolayer disruption and tight junction protein, occludin, redistribution in 3D co-cultures. Release of interleukin-8 into the cell medium and increased U937 monocyte migration in both 2D and 3D co-cultures were similarly apparent. Immuno-activation of migrating U937 cells was evidenced from cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) staining and CD11b-related differentiation into macrophages. The modern wheat proteins, with gluten polymorphism relatedness and increased GS, were shown to be more cytotoxic and immunogenic than the landrace wheat proteins.     

A “Golden Age” for the discovery of new antileishmanial agents: Current status of leishmanicidal gold complexes and prospective targets beyond the trypanothione system

Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected diseases worldwide and is considered a serious public health issue. The current therapeutic options have several disadvantages that make the search for new therapeutics urgent. Gold compounds are emerging as promising candidates based on encouraging in vitro and limited in vivo results for several Au^I and Au^III complexes. The antiparasitic mechanisms of these molecules remain only partially understood. However, a few studies have proposed the trypanothione redox system as a target, similar to the mammalian thioredoxin system, pointed out as the main target for several gold compounds with significant antitumor activity. In this review, we present the current status of the investigation and design of gold compounds directed at treating leishmaniasis. In addition, we explore potential targets in Leishmania parasites beyond the trypanothione system, taking into account previous studies and structure modulation performed for gold-based compounds.     

A microfluidic optical beam steerer

This paper reports the fabrication and characterization of a prototype microfluidic device that can act as a periodic beam steerer. The prototype is formed by a simple T-junction followed by a serpentine channel that allows generation of a periodical segmented flow of air and water bubbles. If light hits the channel wall with a suitable angle, it can be either transmitted or reflected by the segmented flow, giving rise to an alternating beam steerer. The duty cycle, switching frequency, and overall stability and reproducibility of this prototype system are presented and discussed.     

Attitude towards aggression and creative functioning in patients with breast cancer

Three projective personality tests were used to assess attitude to aggression (The Identification Test), anxiety and defenses (The Meta-Contrast Technique) and creative functioning (The Creative Functioning Test) in 70 patients with breast cancer. Discriminant analyses were applied pro primo to characterize psychologically patients with a better prognosis and patients with a poorer prognosis. A second aim was to characterize psychologically older (postmenopausal) and younger (premenopausal) women. Generally, high scores on the Identification Test indicated maladaptive attitudes towards aggression among all the patients. Patients with a poorer prognosis showed responses that in healthy subjects indicate acknowledgement of aggressive impulses, perhaps suggesting lack of "defenses" against such impulses among those patients. Another way to describe it would be that patients with a better prognosis seem to have (normally nonadaptive) "defenses" against aggressive impulses while those with poorer prognosis have not. Surprisingly, the patients with a better prognosis (but not those with a poorer prognosis) gave responses classified as depression in the Meta-Contrast Technique. Typical of premenopausal patients were responses classified as anxiety as well as reaction formation on the Identification Test. Responses classified as adaptive defenses (isolation) were seen in the Meta-Contrast Technique. A surprising finding was that many of these patients were characterized by high scores on the creativity test. These original statistically significant findings of attitudes towards aggression and creative functioning in breast cancer patients are discussed in relation to the underlying nature of aggression and creativity.     

Relaxation processes in hyperbranched polyesters

Summary Dielectric permittivity and loss have been measured over the frequency range 10^-2 Hz-10 kHz between 100 K and 350 K for samples of 50/50 mixtures of each of two hyperbranched polyesters, one five-generation hydroxy functional (5G-OH) and one threegeneration alkyl-terminated polymer (3G), with dielectrically inactive linear polyethylene. The thermal transitions of the hyperbranched polymers were studied with differential scanning calorimetry. Three relaxation transitions were found in 5G-OH: , the glass-rubber transition and two subglass processes denoted and showing Arrhenius temperature dependence both with an activation energy of 96±2kJ mol^-1. The low temperature process could be assigned to motions of the terminal hydroxyl groups whereas is due to reorientation of the ester groups. Sample 3G showed only a glass transition and one subglass process being assigned to reorientation of the ester groups. The high activation energy (202 kJ mol^-1) of this process indicates that the ester groups are highly constrained in this polymer.     

Photonic Microhand with Autonomous Action

Grabbing and holding objects at the microscale is a complex function, even for microscopic living animals. Inspired by the hominid‐type hand, a microscopic equivalent able to catch microelements is engineered. This microhand is light sensitive and can be either remotely controlled by optical illumination or can act autonomously and grab small particles on the basis of their optical properties. Since the energy is delivered optically, without the need for wires or batteries, the artificial hand can be shrunk down to the micrometer scale. Soft material is used, in particular, a custom‐made liquid‐crystal network that is patterned by a photolithographic technique. The elastic reshaping properties of this material allow finger movement, using environmental light as the only energy source. The hand can be either controlled externally (via the light field), or else the conditions in which it autonomously grabs a particle in its vicinity can be created. This microrobot has the unique feature that it can distinguish between particles of different colors and gray levels. The realization of this autonomous hand constitutes a crucial element in the development of microscopic creatures that can perform tasks without human intervention and self‐organized automation at the micrometer scale.     

Ligand Binding to Dynamically Populated G-Quadruplex DNA

Several small-molecule ligands specifically bind and stabilize G-quadruplex (G4) nucleic acid structures, which are considered to be promising therapeutic targets. G4s are polymorphic structures of varying stability, and their formation is dynamic. Here, we investigate the mechanisms of ligand binding to dynamically populated human telomere G4 DNA by using the bisquinolinium based ligand Phen-DC3 and a combination of single-molecule FRET microscopy, ensemble FRET and CD spectroscopies. Different cations are used to tune G4 polymorphism and folding dynamics. We find that ligand binding occurs to pre-folded G4 structures and that Phen-DC3 also induces G4 formation in unfolded single strands. Following ligand binding to dynamically populated G4s, the DNA undergoes pronounced conformational redistributions that do not involve direct ligand-induced G4 conformational interconversion. On the contrary, the redistribution is driven by ligand-induced G4 folding and trapping of dynamically populated short-lived conformation states. Thus, ligand-induced stabilization does not necessarily require the initial presence of stably folded G4s.