To investigate the relationship between low-grade inflammation (LI) and increased arterial stiffness in Chinese youth and adolescents with newly-diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Ninety-eight subjects aged 10 to 24 years with newly-diagnosed T2DM were investigated for findings of general inflammation. Anthropometric measurements were taken. Data related to arterial stiffness  were collected. The subjects were divided into a non-LI group  and a LI group (n=56) according to their high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) levels.There were no significant differences in age and gender between the LI group and the NLI group. CF-PWV and AIx values of the LI group were higher than those of the NLI group (p<0.01), while Branch D values were lower in the LI group (p<0.01). Branch D, CF-PWV, and AIx values correlated significantly with Hs-CRP overall . Multivariate models revealed that in either group (LI or NLI), Hs-CRP, as a continuous variable, was an independent determinant of arterial stiffness parameters even after adjusting for other risk factors.Newly-diagnosed T2DM youth and adolescents with LI present a more adverse cardiovascular disease risk profile and stiffer arteries. Hs-CRP levels correlated with arterial stiffness parameters and constituted an independent determinant of arterial stiffness. It is well known that adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at increased risk to develop cardiovascular disease due to the accelerated atherosclerosis. Adolescents with T2DM also appear to be at higher risk to develop atherosclerosis. Compared to their adolescent counterparts without diabetes, youth and adolescents with T2DM demonstrate increased arterial stiffness, a known precursor of atherosclerosis.We investigated whether low-grade inflammation correlates with arterial stiffness in Chinese youth and adolescents with newly-diagnosed T2DM.A chronic low-grade inflammation (LI) and an activation of the immune system are observed in abdominal obesity and may have a role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic disorders, such as metabolic syndrome (MS), insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) . It has With the economic development which took place in China over the past decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically, ushering a variety of health problems including T2DM, which previously was not typically seen until much later in life (w). It is well known that adults with T2DM are at increased risk to develop CVD due to the accelerated atherosclerosis . AdolescTo our knowledge, the correlations between LI and arterial stiffness have not been previously studied in Chinese youth and adolescents with newly-diagnosed T2DM. To address this issue, we evaluated arterial stiffness using pulse wave velocity (PWV), brachial artery distensibility (Brach D), and augmentation index (AIx) in a group of Chinese adolescents and young adults with newly-diagnosed T2DM and sought to determine whether high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), a marker of LI, correlated with arterial stiffness.Ninety-eight participants  were recruited from among the inpatient and outpatient populations of the departments of Endocrinology and Pediatrics of the Zhongnan Hospital at Wuhan University. Eligibility criteria included presence of a newly-diagnosed T2DM state in subjects aged from 10 to 24 years who were free of the acute complications of diabetes such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and who also had no history or evidence of infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, use of glucocorticoids in the past 3 months, and other relevant medical histories. Pregnant females were also excluded from this study. The patients were divided into LI group and non-LI group (NLI), according to their Hs-CRP levels. A cut-off value of 2 mg/L for the Hs-CRP values was accepted to define subjects with LI  was calculated as weight (kg)/height (m)2. The average of 3 measurements of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), performed by a registered nurse using a mercurial sphygmomanometer with the subjects in a resting state, was used.After a minimum 10-h fast, blood samples were collected. FPG was measured by using an Olympus AU5400 automatic biochemical analyzer with intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation of 1.2% and 1.6%. Fasting plasma insulin (FINS) was analyzed by using a Siemens immune 1000 automatic chemiluminescence analyzer. Homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) was calculated as FINS×FPG/22.5. Hs-CRP was measured by using a high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Lipid profiles were performed by using an Olympus AU5400 automatic biochemical analyzer.Brach D, carotid-femoral PWV (CF-PWV), and AIx were used as measures of arterial stiffness . Data ofA SphygmoCor SCOR-PVx System  was used for heart rate (HR), CF-PWV, and AIx. The distance from carotid to femoral artery was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm twice, was averaged, and entered into the software. A tonometer was used to collect carotid and femoral artery waveforms gated by the R-wave on a simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram. CF-PWV was then calculated as the distance measured above divided by the time delay measured between the feet of the two waveforms reported in m/sec. CF-PWV of each subject was measured three times and averaged. The coefficients of variability in this study were <8%.AIx is derived from the central pressure waveform by calculating the difference between the main outgoing wave and the reflected wave of the central arterial waveform, expressed as a percentage of the central pulse pressure. AIx was adjusted to a standard HR of 75 beats per minute to eliminate the influence of HR. The intra-class correlation coefficients were 0.7 to 0.9.The analyses were performed with SPSS 19.0. The data were expressed as means ± standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables, and as ratios for categorical variables. A t-test for continuous variables and X2 analyses for categorical variables were performed to determine whether differences in mean levels of variables existed between the two groups. Bivariate correlations were calculated between arterial stiffness variables and other covariates overall. General Linear Models were constructed using important covariates from correlation analyses to elucidate if LI was an independent determinate of arterial stiffness. A p value <0.05 was deemed significant statistically.There were no significant differences in age and gender between the LI and NLI groups. Compared to the NLI group, CVD risk factors such as BMI, SBP, DBP, HOMA-IR, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were all increased significantly in the LI group (p<0.05 or p<0.01). The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) values were alse significantly lower in the of LI group (p<0.01). The differences in FPG and HbA1c between the two groups were not significant. CF-PWV and AIx of LI group were higher than those of the NLI group (p<0.01), while Branch D of the LI group was lower than that of the NLI group (p<0.01), indicating that the arterial stiffness of LI group was higher than that of the NLI group .The three arterial stiffness parameters  correlated with each other strongly . Branch D, CF-PWV, and AIx also correlated significantly with Hs-CRP overall . Arterial stiffness parameters also significantly correlated with BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR , after the control of which, the coefficient correlation of Hs-CRP with Branch D, CF-PWV, and AIx was found to be -0.11, 0.13, and 0.13, respectively .Multivariate models revealed that in either group (LI or NLI), Hs-CRP as a continuous variable was an independent determinant of arterial stiffness, demonstrated as Branch D, CF-PWV, and AIx, even after adjusting for BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, FPG, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. The other independent predictors of the arterial stiffness parameters are shown in This study demonstrated that a more adverse CVD risk profile and stiffer arteries are found in newly-diagnosed T2DM youth and adolescents with LI. Hs-CRP, the marker of LI, may be especially helpful in predicting increased arterial stiffness in young individuals with newly-diagnosed T2DM. These data also suggest that newly-diagnosed T2DM youth and adolescents require aggressive interventions to prevent atherosclerosis-related diseases. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the relationship between LI and arterial stiffness in young and adolescent T2DM patients.In adults, the correlation between inflammation and T2DM has been well demonstrated. Subclinical chronic inflammation seems to be an independent risk factor for the development of T2DM. It has been reported that high levels of many inflammatory factors at baseline in diverse human populations are correlated with the incidence of T2DM . ProspecIt is well known that increased arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of CVD and that it is not related to blood pressure . The impPatients with diabetes carry a two to fourfold increased risk of developing CVD. Patients with T2DM also have other CVD risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and endothelial dysfunction . Not onlAlthough some research on the relationship of T2DM and arterial stiffness in adolescents has been conducted, the factors influential in this relationship are largely unknown. In a study on healthy adolescents and young adults, it was reported that although IR is associated with increased arterial stiffness, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, especially obesity and blood pressure, were the major determinants of arterial stiffness in such individuals . These aIt has been well established that obesity is an independent determinant of CVD. Arterial stiffness has been reported in individuals with obesity or MS, and weight reduction may decrease arterial stiffness . In a stWe realize that this study has some limitations. The smallness of the sample size is one of these limitations. Our cross-sectional design does not allow us to determine whether Hs-CRP is a causal factor of arterial stiffness or just a satellite phenomenon. In addition, we did not assess other “non-traditional” risk factors which may also contribute to increased vascular stiffness such as small LDL particles, lipoprotein (a), serum homocysteine, and endothelin-1.On the whole, the findings of this study have revealed that newly-diagnosed T2DM youth and adolescents with LI had a more adverse CVD risk profile and stiffer arteries. Hs-CRP correlated with all three arterial stiffness parameters, namely, Branch D, CF-PWV, and AIx, and was an independent determinant of arterial stiffness after adjustment for BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, FPG, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR. The findings also showed that Hs-CRP, the marker of LI, may be helpful in predicting increased arterial stiffness in newly-diagnosed T2DM youth and adolescents.


Approximately 65° of 1st MPJ dorsiflexion is required for normal effective walking [st MPJ range of motion is often used in current practice [st MPJ stiffness. This study presents a novel technique to measure joint stiffness using a tactile pressure sensing system . The moment arm was measured from the tuberosity of the first metatarsal head to just beneath the tuberosity of the 1st distal phalanx (Figure st MPJ of the subject through its full range of motion before data collection. For each trial, joint movement is paused briefly at 3 interval points between the resting and maximally dorsiflexed position. At each interval point, the corresponding force applied was measured using a tactile pressure sensing system (Figure st MPJ can be quantified using video analysis. A total of 3 trials were taken, resulting in nine sets of data points to plot a torque-angular displacement graph (Figure 2 indicates that 61% of variability can be explained by this model.To illustrate the method, data were collected on one female flat-footed subject with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (age 25 yr, body mass index 20.6 kg/mx Figure . A qualim Figure . The prost MPJ stiffness is potentially useful for measuring small joint stiffness in clinical practice. Quantified joint stiffness provides greater accuracy to facilitate clinicians in their diagnoses and prescription of treatment.The proposed method of quantifying 1


Apteronotus leptorhynchus. We performed multi-channel recordings in the electrosensory lateral line lobe, which benefits from well-characterized neural architecture. First, a spike-sorting algorithm was applied on the recorded signals to extract neural units. Then, correlated activity can be examined from pairwise population-averaged cross-correlograms calculated from all pairs of the extracted units. We found that the activities are positively correlated for neurons of the same type , but negatively correlated for neurons of opposite type (i.e. ON-OFF). Also, the effect of different stimulus characteristics on the correlation is observed. While the correlation is decreased by conspecific-like stimuli, it is increased by prey-like stimuli. Furthermore, some neurons tend to fire synchronously at particular portions of stimulus, e.g. at specific phases of sinusoidal stimuli. Thus, this work will give important insights in how correlated activity contributes to the processing of natural stimuli.It is recognized that perception and behavior result from the activities of large neural ensembles. As such, it is key to understand the mechanisms that give rise to correlated activity in the brain. However, correlated activity is highly plastic as it is regulated during specific behavioral contexts. In this work, we aim to understand how activation of neural circuits can shape correlated activity by using the weakly electric fish,


Cardiogenic cerebral embolism represents 20% of all acute ischemic strokes (AISs) with one-third of these being caused by left ventricular thrombus (LVT). LVT is not a contraindication for treatment with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) for AIS. However, the subsequent treatment of a potentially unstable LVT is contraindicated for 24 h following the use of IV rtPA according to current guidelines. We present a 66-year-old man with AIS treated with IV rtPA. Echocardiogram shortly after treatment demonstrated both a large apical and septal thrombus in the left ventricle and at 12 h post IV rtPA infusion, therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin was started without complication. In practice, the action of IV rtPA outlasts its apparent half-life because of thrombin-binding and the prolonged effects and longer half-life of its product, plasmin; however, the pharmacokinetics do not warrant prolonged avoidance of therapeutic anticoagulation when clinically indicated. Our case demonstrates that anticoagulation for potentially unstable LVT can be safely initiated at 12 h following IV rtPA treatment for AIS. A 66-year-old man presented to our hospital with acute left sided weakness, facial droop, slurred speech, and complete left hemianopsia (NIHSS 6) within 90 min of symptom onset. His medical history was remarkable for ischemic stroke a year prior with no residual deficit and myocardial infarction (MI) 15 years prior complicated by ventricular fibrillation requiring temporary balloon pump. He had been discharged earlier that day from another hospital where evaluation for shortness of breath revealed a left ventricular thrombus (LVT). He was to initiate warfarin that evening, which he had not yet commenced. The patient had no contraindications to intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) and was treated within 60 min of presentation.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated acute infarcts in both cerebral hemispheres Figure  and no eThis presented a therapeutic conundrum whereby the presence of a potentially high recurrent cardioembolic source required anticoagulation but was contraindicated due to recent administration of IV rtPA. The patient’s activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), and international normalized ratio (INR) were verified to be within the normal range. The pharmacokinetics of IV rtPA and its byproducts were reviewed and the decision to start therapeutic anticoagulation was made. Non-bolus IV heparin infusion was initiated 12 h after IV rtPA infusion. The patient’s neurological deficit improved and he was bridged to warfarin and discharged home with a favorable outcome .Cardiogenic embolism causes 20% of all ischemic strokes. While non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) is responsible for approximately 50% of these cases, left ventricular mural thrombus represents almost one third of cases . The majThe 2013 American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Guideline for the Management of ST-elevation MI recommend vitamin K antagonist therapy for 3 months  and perhCardiomyopathy leading to impaired LV systolic function and reduced stroke volume creates relative stasis and risk for LVT development . EtiologNo single clinical feature predicts embolic risk. Thrombi that demonstrate mobility, protrusion, and central echolucency are higher risk . A theorAlteplase was FDA-approved for use in acute stroke in 1996 and is also indicated for use in pulmonary embolism (PE) and AMI , 17. It t1/2) ranges from 3.3 to 6 min. The beta-phase is a slower decrease in plasma concentration due to metabolism and excretion with a t1/2 of 26–40 min (t1/2 of alteplase is <5 min and the beta-phase t1/2 is 16–88 min (The elimination of alteplase is biphasic, reflecting a two-compartment circulatory model –23. In h6–40 min , 25. In 6–88 min . The maj6–88 min . The mea6–88 min , 28. Alt6–88 min , 29. AddAfter alteplase administration, fibrinogen concentrations return to 81% of pre-infusion values within 24 h , 23, 30.Left ventricular thrombus can complicate both AMI and CHF with dilated cardiomyopathy. These patients often have overlapping risk factors for stroke and additional factors must be considered in the management of AIS in this population. Additionally, with increasing efficiency and expedited care at advanced stroke centers, ventricular thrombi may be increasingly discovered very early in the patient’s post stroke care. LVT is not a contraindication for treatment of AIS with IV rtPA. However, subsequent use of therapeutic anticoagulation following thrombolysis within 24 h is contraindicated. This case demonstrates that early anticoagulation, 12 h post-thrombolytic infusion, can be safely administered. Further evaluation of the safety of early anticoagulation for LVT with high recurrent embolic potential following IV rtPA for AIS is needed.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


Blackbody sources with nearly unity emittance that are in equilibrium with a pure freezing metal such as gold, silver, or copper are used as primary standard sources in the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). Recently, a facility using radio-frequency induction heating for melting and filling the blackbody crucible with the freeze metal under vacuum conditions was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The blackbody development under a vacuum environment eliminated the possibility of contamination of the freeze metal during the process. The induction heating, compared to a resistively heated convection oven, provided faster heating of crucible and resulted in shorter turn-around time of about 7 h to manufacture a blackbody. This paper describes the new facility and its application to the development of fixed-point blackbodies. L(λ) is calculable at the wavelength λ of interest. The emittance is known from calculations and the temperature from the values assigned in ITS-90.Sources that are designed to radiate as ideal blackbodies are of fundamental importance in precision radiation thermometry. A blackbody designed to be in equilibrium with pure substances is termed a “fixed-point” blackbody source. The International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) [In contrast to the ITS-90, NIST uses a substitute radiance temperature scale based on direct determination of the spectral radiance of a gold-point blackbody source using detector standards . CombineTheoretically, an ideal blackbody source consists of an enclosed isothermal cavity. The radiation within the cavity is in thermal equilibrium with the cavity walls and is determined by the wall temperature only, and the cavity shape has no effect. However, in practical applications, it is necessary to have an aperture in the cavity wall to permit observation and measurement of the radiant flux. The presence of an aperture creates a departure from ideal conditions, which is a small effect for well designed blackbody cavities. Extensive theoretical and computational tools are now available to design a cavity geometry for which the emittance from the aperture is nearly unity . It is aPractical realization of blackbody sources that can be used as primary standards in precise and accurate radiation and radiance temperature measurements require careful design and manufacturing considerations. Pure metals in a transition phase surrounding a cavity are used to produce stable radiation from the aperture at a fixed point in the temperature scale depending on the metal used. Commercially available high-purity metals, with metallic impurities less than 1 μg/g, are used as freeze metals in the manufacture of primary standard blackbodies. Usually, the lowering of the melt temperature due to low-level impurities is less than about 0.1 mK .NIST designs and builds primary standard blackbody units for its own use and for other standard laboratories involved in the establishment of radiance temperature scales. The blackbody unit is comprised of a sealed annular graphite crucible surrounding the radiating cavity. The crucible containing the freeze metal is used in a heat-pipe furnace. A critical aspect in the manufacture of a blackbody unit is the crucible filling process with the freeze metal. The process requires transferring the pure metal in shot form from a transfer container to the internal volume of the crucible. The internal volume is nearly full when the metal is liquid, but the amount of metal shot required displaces a volume larger than the allowed space. Therefore, the shot must be melted into the crucible, as if it were a mold. In the past, NIST has performed this operation using the actual heat-pipe furnace that forms the rest of the blackbody unit. Melting the shot into the crucible was done in multiple operations to ensure proper filling of the crucible internal volume.A number of blackbody units were successfully built using the process described above. The process produced high-quality fixed-point blackbodies as demonstrated by experimental studies. However, it lacked the ability to control contamination of the freeze metal during the filling process, because the process was not carried out under vacuum conditions. To overcome this deficiency, a new facility was exclusively developed with the capability of filling the crucibles under high-vacuum conditions. The new facility uses induction heating of the freeze metal in a high-vacuum environment and permits filling the crucible volume with the freeze metal in a single operation. The technique eliminates the risk of contamination during the filling process and helps retain the high purity of the freeze metal. The completed crucible unit is then installed in the heat-pipe furnace for use as primary standards. This paper describes the new facility and its application to the production of fixed-point blackbodies under vacuum conditions.The facility consists of three distinct systems: a radio-frequency (rf) generator with its associated induction coil, a high vacuum system, and a quartz chamber. The quartz chamber houses the crucible and the fill tube containing the freeze metal. The rf generator−7 Pa. To reach this vacuum level, it is necessary to degas the system thoroughly and bake the inlet at 120 °C. The blackbody development process is usually carried out in the pressure range 10−5 Pa to 10−6 Pa. Pressure measurements are made using a convectron gauge (Granville-Phillips) in the range 10−2 Pa to 10 Pa, and an ion gage in the range 10−7 Pa to 10−1 Pa.The air-cooled vacuum system is comprised of a turbo-molecular pumpThe quartz chamber is a custom made 76 mm diameter, 30 cm long vertical tube. The interior of the tube functions as an oven to heat the graphite crucible and fill tube assembly for fabrication of the blackbody. The entire assembly is installed in the annular space of the rf induction-heating coil described above. The induction coil can be moved vertically with respect to the quartz chamber to provide the best location for heating of the crucible inside the quartz chamber. One end of the quartz tube is fitted with a bellows and a vacuum compatible quick-disconnect stainless steel flange which mates to the vacuum system inlet through stainless steel piping. The other end of the tube, which is concave in shape, is fitted with a stem valve connecting to argon gas supply cylinders. This end also houses the graphite/alumina base support for mounting the crucible/fill tube assembly. Argon gas is used for purging the system and also to bring the quartz chamber pressure from vacuum to ambient conditions to facilitate handling of the assembly during the blackbody-development process.The efficiency of the inductive coupling is dependent on the current in the coil, number of turns in the coil, and the shape of the work specimen and its proximity to the coil conductors. In the present set up, only one rf coil with 13 turns is used. The shape of the work specimen, which consists of the crucible and the fill tube, is cylindrical with a diameter of 4.3 cm and a length of 21 cm. The initial phase of commissioning the facility involved determination of appropriate rf current settings to obtain heating levels required for melting different freeze metals. This was done by measuring the work specimen temperature at three locations  along the specimen length. The temperature was measured using an infrared pyrometerHeating power was varied by increasing the rf generator oscillator plate current. The temperature distribution appears nearly uniform from the top to the middle section. The bottom section corresponding to the lower portion of the crucible was always cooler relative to middle section. This is probably because the bottom section is supported on a much larger base, resulting in higher heat losses. −5 μg/g. 3, allowing for the increase in volume in the liquid state and adjusted to slightly underfill the crucible volume by about 1 %. This leaves a small a gap above the liquid level and the inside top of the crucible. The freeze metals used are 99.9999 % pure  and are commercially available in the shot form.The cavity and crucible parts of the fixed-point blackbodies are constructed from high purity graphite with spectrographic impurities of less than 10−5 Pa. Then, the induction heating is switched off and the system allowed to cool to ambient temperature. After the system cools, the chamber is isolated from the vacuum pump and the quartz chamber purged with argon gas by opening the valve at the bottom of the chamber. The quartz tube assembly is then removed from the system.The complete fabrication of the blackbody is done in three steps. In the first step, the quartz chamber containing the empty-crucible/fill-tube assembly without the freeze metal is installed in the facility for decontamination by baking at a high temperature. The induction coil is then positioned around the quartz chamber. After starting the vacuum system, the rf generator is turned on. For gold, the plate current is gradually increased until the graphite temperature reaches approximately 1373 K. The decontamination process is continued for about 2 h or until the pressure reaches 10In the second step, the crucible/fill-tube assembly is removed from the quartz chamber. The interior of the quartz chamber is cleaned by soaking in methanol and rinsing with acetone. The measured freeze metal, in shot form, is placed into the tube and the entire assembly placed on the graphite/alumina base inside the quartz chamber. Care is taken in handling the components with suitable disposable gloves to avoid contamination by dirt, grease, or salt from the hands.−5 Pa, the rf generator is turned on and the plate current slowly increased until the measured crucible temperature is above the melting point of the freeze metal. The molten metal starts flowing down by gravity and fills the annular space in the crucible. The temperature is held constant for at least 30 min to ensure complete transfer of the molten metal to the crucible. The chamber temperature is then gradually reduced, and the system is allowed to cool down slowly over a period of 4 h, while under vacuum. After the system has cooled down, the chamber is again isolated from the vacuum pump and the quartz chamber is purged with argon gas to bring it to ambient conditions before removing it from the facility. The total time for steps 1 to 3 for the gold- and silver-point blackbodies developed so far was about 7 h.In the final step, the quartz chamber is reinstalled in the facility, and the induction coil is positioned around the chamber. After purging the chamber with argon gas, the vacuum system is switched on. When the pressure is below 5.5 × 10Finally, the fill tube is removed from the assembly and the threaded hole at the crucible back end is fitted with a graphite plug. The finished crucible containing the freeze metal is then installed in a sodium heat-pipe furnace for use as a primary standard in the laboratory. One of the gold-point blackbodies manufactured by the above technique is being used in the NIST Optical Technology Division as a primary standard source . For opeThe description of a new radio-frequency induction heating facility for the development of primary standard fixed-point blackbodies under vacuum conditions is presented. The filling of the blackbody crucible with the freeze metal under high vacuum conditions inside a quartz chamber oven greatly reduces the risk of contamination. The new technique presents an improvement over the previous methods using a conventional oven with inert-gas purging. However, to what extent the vacuum process has been beneficial in retaining the purity of the metal is hard to assess without extensive testing of the crucible by different techniques. In the near future, we plan to perform detailed radiometric characterization of the fixed-point blackbodies manufactured so far by the new technique. The resulting data will form a basis for intercomparison with measurements from blackbodies manufactured by other techniques. Such intercomparisons should provide indirect evidence of the improvement and also possibly demonstrate the need for more extensive testing.


Rotation of X-ray polarization at the glitches of a monochromator composed of single crystals of silicon is observed. This effect can be explained by a model taking full account of the X-ray source, the effects of multiple-beam dynamical diffraction, and the coherent and Compton scattering from the sample. K edge are associated with their Bragg reflections. A fitting procedure that treats coherent and Compton scattering is developed and applied to a sample of an extremely dilute  aqueous solution of Ni(NO3)2. The depolarization of the wiggler X-ray beam out of the electron orbit is modeled. The fits achieve good agreement with the sample’s quasi-elastic scattering with just a few parameters. The X-ray polarization is rotated up to ±4.3° within the glitches, as predicted by dynamical diffraction. These results will help users normalize EXAFS data at glitches.EXAFS studies on dilute samples are usually carried out by collecting the fluorescence yield using a large-area multi-element detector. This method is susceptible to the ‘glitches’ produced by all single-crystal monochromators. Glitches are sharp dips or spikes in the diffracted intensity at specific crystal orientations. If incorrectly compensated, they degrade the spectroscopic data. Normalization of the fluorescence signal by the incident flux alone is sometimes insufficient to compensate for the glitches. Measurements performed at the state-of-the-art wiggler beamline I20-scanning at Diamond Light Source have shown that the glitches alter the spatial distribution of the sample’s quasi-elastic X-ray scattering. Because glitches result from additional Bragg reflections, multiple-beam dynamical diffraction theory is necessary to understand their effects. Here, the glitches of the Si(111) four-bounce monochromator of I20-scanning just above the Ni  It is found that s-polarized X-rays remain s-polarized after diffraction and likewise that p-polarized X-rays remain p-polarized. However, the rocking curve for p-polarized X-rays is narrower and has a lower peak intensity than that for s-polarized X-rays. Therefore, even this common case will alter the X-ray polarization if the incident beam is not purely s- or p-polarized. This effect is especially significant if the Bragg angle is 45°, for there the diffracted intensity for the p-polarized beam drops to zero, making the crystal into an X-ray polarizer.The theory of dynamical diffraction by a perfect crystal begins with the decomposition of the electric displacement asen 1945, Battermasen 1945 and Authasen 1945. In the n of reciprocal lattice vectors close to the Ewald sphere is greater than 2, the equations that determine the amplitudes and phases of all the diffracted beams are still derived from Maxwell’s equations and the boundary conditions, but in general they can no longer be solved analytically. They can, however, still be solved numerically. Colella   With a diode detector after the second crystal but before the channel cut, the position of each glitch was checked at different settings of the second crystal roll. If the glitch’s position did not change, the glitch arose from the first crystal. If it did, the glitch arose from the second crystal.(b) With no detector between the crystals but with one downstream from the channel cut, the glitches were measured again. Any new glitches arose from the channel cut. for the s-polarized component of the intensity diffracted into the 111 direction and in Fig. 9b) for the p-polarized component of this intensity. Both sets of parasitic reflections under consideration yield the same rocking curves because of the high lattice symmetry. Note the small – but still significant – p-polarized component that has appeared because of the excitation of the parasitic reflections. A calculation of the phase difference between the p-polarized and the s-polarized components of the wave diffracted into the 111 direction is shown in Fig. 10a, its minor axis b and its inclination angle α from the horizontal, as shown in Fig. 11s-polarized electric field amplitude is given by p-polarized electric field amplitude by BRL calculates a 111 p-polarized intensity less than s-polarized. This confirms what could have been guessed by symmetry, since the 440 and 331 reciprocal lattice vectors lie exactly in the plane of diffraction and therefore would not allow the introduction of a symmetry-breaking elliptical polarization to the 111 diffracted wave.The parameters of the polarization ellipse of the 111 diffracted wave when either the 400 and 311 reflections or the 040 and 131 reflections are excited are displayed as a function of the deviation from the Bragg angle of 111 in Fig. 12To conclude this section, a few words may be said about the widths of the glitches in Fig. 84.et al., 2012Fig. 3 of the supporting information.) The coherent and Compton scattering processes mentioned in §1As shown in Fig. 1me is the mass of the electron and c is the speed of light. The incident X-ray photon energy was scanned from 8545 to 8700 eV. The pulses generated in the multi-element fluorescence detector by the incidence of an X-ray photon increase in height with the incident photon energy. The pulses are binned according to their height, and the number of pulses in each bin is plotted against the number of each bin as in Fig. 2Kα fluorescence. Under these circumstances, all photons scattered into the multi-element fluorescence detector by either the coherent or the Compton process have energies within this window. Therefore the two processes both contribute to the scattering peak in Fig. 2Kβ emission line at 8265 eV Because the incident X-ray beam on the sample will have a small vertically polarized component along with the principal horizontally polarized component I and J, respectively, that refer to a point on the detector lying within pixel K.On the basis of the discussions in §§In the following, all fits using this model were performed by MATLAB  The maximum polarization rotations ξ at most of the glitches are slightly below the 4–6° range predicted in §3(2) The lack of polarization rotation at the central glitch, predicted in §3(3) B1, B2 and D glitches viewed on opposite sides of the central glitch rotate the polarization in opposite directions. This also fulfills the prediction made in §3S increases over time except at the glitches, and it shows several steps. The first effect could not have been caused by drifts in the monochromator, as the monitor reading (4) The scale factor M rises slightly but noticeably at every glitch, including the central one. The calculations of §3(5) M runs from 4.84 to 4.72%, slightly above but still in good agreement with the theoretical calculation of the wiggler beam depolarization in §2(6) Away from the glitches, 7.Fluorescence EXAFS data measured on an extremely dilute aqueous solution of Evidently, an improved procedure for normalizing the fluorescence yield of very dilute solutions must account for the change in spatial distribution of the coherent and Compton scattering into the detector when a glitch is encountered. This article has shown how such a change can be explained and measured so that more accurate normalization methods can be derived. With some additional work, the methods of this study could be written as a software package capable of predicting glitch positions and polarization states over energy ranges surrounding a variety of absorption edges. The polarization properties of the X-ray source, the crystal monochromator and the sample scattering could each be treated as a separate module independent of the other two. In this way, other synchrotron X-ray sources such as undulators and bending magnets, and sample matrices other than water, could also be modeled. The procedure explained in this article will thus be applicable to many other beamlines and sample systems besides the particular ones that have here been examined.10.1107/S1600576716009183/te5014sup1.pdfFigures for scatter plots. DOI:


Autogenous graft is the preferred material of choice due to its excellent clinical outcome and thus has been the gold standard for hard tissue reconstruction, especially for small defects. However, there are drawbacks to the use of autogenous graft materials and these drawbacks include the need for a second surgical site to harvest healthy donor tissues, the limited amount of donor tissues that can be harvested for large defects, and the increased possibility for tissue morbidity, infection, and pain at the second surgical site. Although it is more plentiful to obtain allografts, there is a risk of disease transmission from donor sites when using allogenic grafts for treatment in the clinics. With the advent in biomaterials research, various other sources of graft materials have shown promise for clinical use. As such, the ability of clinicians to evaluate, to understand, and to use other sources of graft materials is a key for successful reconstructions as well as tissue regenerations. This special issue represents a small cross section of some of the graft materials that are currently being investigated for clinical applications. Ranging from synthetic biomaterials to the use of stem cells, these papers also represent the diverse and multidisciplinary approaches that can be adapted for both maxillofacial and orthopedics reconstructions as well as tissue regenerations.Kazuhisa BesshoJoo L. OngNorbert R. KüblerJohn G. Clement


RRM2B is a critical ribonucleotide reductase (RR) subunit that exists as p53-inducible and p53-dependent molecule. The p53-independent regulation of RRM2B has been recently studied, and FOXO3 was identified as a novel regulator of RRM2B. However, the p53-independent regulation of RRM2B, particularly under oxidative stress, remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of RRM2B underoxidative stress-induced DNA damage and further examined the regulation of mitochondrial and inflammatory genes by RRM2B. Our study is the first to report the critical role of RRM2B in mitochondrial homeostasis and the inflammation signaling pathway in a p53-independent manner. Furthermore, our study provides novel insights into the role of the RR in inflammatory diseases. Rrm2b in humans results in defective mtDNA, and severe mtDNA depletion has been observed in Rrm2b−/− animals [ Rrm2b-knockout animal model indicated that the intactness of the RRM2B subunit is critical for maintaining chromosomal stability and that the loss of RRM2B results in plasmacytic neoplasms [Ribonucleotide reductase (RR) catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleoside diphosphates into deoxyribonucleoside diphosphates, playing essential roles in DNA synthesis and repair in humans and influencing vital cellular mechanisms –5. The m animals , 16. In  animals . A studyeoplasms . Furthereoplasms –24.Several reports have suggested that RRM2B regulates critical cellular mechanisms irrespective of the p53 status. First, although the p53-mediated RRM2B induction is inhibited in the p53-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts cells, it has been observed that RRM2B is expressed at basal levels . FurtherRRM2B is a unique member among the RR subunits that can resist reactive oxygen species (ROS) , 28, 29.2. RRM2B overexpression and shRNA plasmids were described before [Cells from ATCC were cultured in DMEM medium containing fetal bovine serum (10%) and penicillin/streptomycin (1%) incubated at 37°C with 5% COd before . Stable d before .γ-H2AX (Active Motif), and secondary antibodies (Invitrogen), washed, and then mounted with DAPI (Invitrogen) onto the slides. Samples were analyzed by immunofluorescence microscope system, and the scale bars indicate 10 μM.The assay was performed as described . In brieγ-H2AX (Active Motif), GAPDH (Santa Cruz and GeneTex), VDAC1, COX4, p-NFκB, p-p38, and p-IκB (GeneTex). The cytoplasmic/nuclear extraction kit was applied to separate cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions as described in the manufactory protocol (TOOLS) before processing to the western on phospho antibodies. Quantitative protein expression relative to GAPDH was analyzed by Image J where applicable.Cell extracts were prepared and analyzed as described before . Antibod2O2, harvested, washed with PBS, and stained with MitoTracker Green probes (Invitrogen) of 50 nM in serum-free medium for 30 mins. Cells were washed with PBS and analyzed by FACSCanto II cytometer. Fluorescent intensity was analyzed by FACSCanto II program.Cells were treated with H Nd1 gene level was quantified by q-PCR and normalized to β-Actin. Due to the space limitation, primers are provided upon request.Total RNA was isolated by Trizol, and then RNA was reverse transcribed (Quanta) to obtain cDNA for PCR . cDNA wat-test was used for P value calculation, and the star ∗ stands for P < 0.05. The results shown in this paper are representative data.The statistical analysis was done as described . In brieAlthough it is a known fact that RRM2B can resist ROS, little is known about the detailed regulatory mechanisms. We hypothesized that the oxidative resistance of RRM2B is independent of p53. Stable H1299 cell lines without the functional p53 protein containing overexpressed RRM2B or RRM2BshRNA and their respective controls were included in this study, as described previously,  and RRM22O2), a type of oxidative stress-inducing ROS, was used as the source of oxidative stress in this study. Cells were treated with H2O2 for 2 hours and fixed for immunofluorescence staining, in which γ-H2AX foci induction indicated DNA damage. The results suggested that stronger γ-H2AX signals were induced by cells expressing RRM2BshRNA than by the control cells , and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX4) [2O2 treatment, and the expression levels decreased on RRM2B downregulation, confirming that RRM2B regulated the mitochondrial content  –36 were  content .2O2 treatment. Under oxidative stress, a significant decrease was observed in the relative mitochondrial mass of the cells expressing RRM2BshRNA, indicating the protective role of RRM2B in mitochondrial homeostasis , a mitochondrial gene [2O2 treatment was measured using quantitative PCR. Low RRM2B expression resulted in a low Nd1 copy number (Moreover, quantitative PCR was used for measuring the relative mtDNA copy number. The relative copy number of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ial gene , under Hy number , suggestThe results establish that the RRM2B pathway affects mitochondrial homeostasis under oxidative stress, which is independent of the action of functional p53.2O2 triggers the inflammation pathway [κB or p38 signaling or both [κB and p38 are complex pathways regulating various cellular mechanisms [κB pathway can be activated by various proinflammatory cytokines and is therefore considered a proinflammatory signaling pathway. In addition, extracellular stimuli such as UV light, growth factors, and inflammatory cytokines result in p38 activation. In this study, we investigated the functional role of RRM2B in oxidative stress-mediated NF-κB and p38 signaling. Stable H1299 control or RRM2BshRNA cells were treated with H2O2 and harvested 2 hours later, and the lysates were separated into cytoplasmic and nucleolus fractions. Western blot analysis was performed using phosphorylated NF-κB, phosphorylated IκB, and phosphorylated p38 antibodies for identifying NF-κB and p38 activation in cells (Oxidative stress mediated by H pathway , 39, and or both –42. Howechanisms , 43–46. in cells .κB and p38 signaling on H2O2 treatments were more pronounced in the cells expressing RRM2BshRNA than in the control cells (The results showed that nuclear NF-ol cells , suggestIn summary, the findings suggest for the first time that RRM2B can functionally regulate the mitochondrial and inflammatory pathway and that these RRM2B-mediated regulations are independent of p53. RRM2B is a unique member of the RR enzyme that exhibits anti-ROS potential. It was demonstrated that RRM2B suppressed ROS activation mediated by oxidative stress and is highly induced in a p53-dependent manner during senescence . In our γH2AX foci signals were stronger in RRM2BshRNA cells, indicating that the chemosensitivity may generate equal outcomes in p53-deficient cancer cells. Additional therapeutical applications remain to be uncovered.RRM2B plays critical roles in vital cellular mechanisms such as DNA replication, and low RRM2B expression sensitizes cancer cells under various stresses, and therefore studies have suggested that low RRM2B expression can potentially be considered a chemosensitizer for cancer treatment , 48. In  RRM2B mutation results in severe mtDNA depletion [As mentioned,epletion . In thisκB and p38 signaling pathways were upregulated by oxidative stress, particularly under low RRM2B conditions, which is in agreement with our previous finding, suggesting that RRM2B is crucial in preventing chronic inflammation and acts by inhibiting the NF-κB and p38 pathways.Oxidative stress has been shown to have a strong association with inflammation pathways. Moreover, our previous study using RRM2B-knockout animal models suggested that RRM2B is critical in maintaining chromosomal stability and preventing chronic inflammation-associated tumorigenesis . In thisκB and p38 signaling pathways affect vital cellular regulatory mechanisms that include inflammation and apoptosis [κB have been suggested in NF-κB activation in pro- and anti-inflammation processes and pro- and antiapoptosis [Both NF-poptosis , 49. Thepoptosis , which m


Acinetobacter bereziniae clinical strain, HPC229. This strain harbors both plasmid and chromosomal resistance determinants toward different β-lactams and aminoglycosides as well as several types of multidrug efflux pumps, most likely representing an adaptation strategy for survival under different environments.We report here the draft genome sequence of an NDM-1-producing  Acinetobacter bereziniae is isolated primarily from clinical specimens and health care-associated environments  carried by a carbapenem-resistant A. bereziniae strain (HPC229) from Argentina  and subjected to 454 pyrosequencing (Roche Diagnostics Corporation) at INDEAR, Rosario. Data generated were assembled using Newbler v2.9, resulting in 134 contigs, 5 of them constituting the pNDM229 plasmid  and thenblaNDM-1 (ampC, a new blaOXA-229-like (carO allele coding for an outer membrane protein associated with imipenem uptake (aphA6 (A. bereziniae genomes, exhibits 95% nucleotide identity to a portion of the GI2 genomic island in A. baumannii LAC-4 (cusABC, there are regions encompassing ISAba2, acr3, and feoAB genes, with acr3 showing the highest identity to its ortholog of A. tandoii DSM14970, whereas feoAB was identified in the A. baumannii LAC-4 GI2 immediately downstream of its cusABC operon. These observations suggest a chimeric construct in HPC229 derived from gene exchange among Acinetobacter species. WGS analyses will provide further evidence of the ability of A. bereziniae to act as a reservoir of resistance genes and may help to understand the adaptability mechanisms of Acinetobacter in response to environmental challenges.WGS analyses revealed genes associated with β-lactam resistance, including blaNDM-1 , ampC, a229-like  variant,m uptake . Other re (aphA6 , and a pe (aphA6 , 14, 17 ii LAC-4 . DownstrLKDJ00000000. We describe here the version LKDJ00000000.1.This WGS project has been deposited at DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank under the accession


The "International Conference on Genome Informatics", popularly known as "GIW", is probably one of the oldest, if not actually the oldest annual, regular conference in computational biology that survived all turns of the tempestuous development of this field of research . It is iGenome Informatics Workshop", thus, GIW) at Kikai Shinko Kaikan in Tokyo during December 3-4, 1990, essentially just before the Japanese Human Genome Project started in the next year. Whereas GIW was originally an intra-Japanese affair, it changed to an international conference in 1993 and the currently used name of the conference was adopted in 2001. During the last ~15 years, the conference was always attended by several hundred participants; thus, it is not really a "workshop" any longer. Whereas GIW had more the role of a regional incubator in the early years, it has recently become one of the important, truly international conference venues in the bioinformatics field for scientific exchange. It provides unique opportunities to bridge theory and experiment, academia and industry, science from the East and the West.The GIW was first held as an open workshop ("th edition) was the first one held outside Japan, in the Biopolis in Singapore. Other locations in the Asia-Pacific regions were to follow: the 19th GIW at the Gold Coast in Australia (2008), the 21st GIW in Hangzhou (China) in 2010, the 22nd GIW in Busan (South Korea) in 2011 and the 23rd GIW in Tainan (Taiwan).The conference site was in Tokyo or Yokohama exclusively until 2006 (as well as 2009). GIW 2007 (the 18th GIW has been awarded to Singapore again [Remarkably, the 24Given the maturity of the research area and today's scientific fashions, efforts that classify as system biology occupy a prominent place in GIW 2013. In total, eighteen submissions have qualified for this special issue of BMC Systems Biology. The systems biology approach aims at a holistic perspective, to explain and to predict phenotypic properties that are influenced by a multitude of factors with complex theoretical, desirably quantitative models.Given the absence of a consistent, predictive biological theory as physicists have been used to since many decades, some might consider the quest for an integrated, system approach grandiloquent and premature. There are serious arguments for this view such as that about 50% of all eukaryote genes lack even tentative functional characterizations and, most likely, not even half of the biomolecular mechanisms are known . DespiteNevertheless, the large-scale experimental techniques, most prominently nucleic acid sequencing but also epigenetics analyses, large-scale expression studies, proteomics with the large sets of protein-protein interaction data, the ever growing library of biomacromolecular structures and automated methods for analyzing cellular and tissue images  open newThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.


SEM showed no significant change in the granule appearance, except at high moisture/temperature treatment. XRD revealed no significant change in peaks intensities, suggesting the crystallinity within the granule was mostly retained. DSC showed increases in Tg and, in most cases, ΔT, as the MC was increased in the samples. Slight but significant decreases in ΔH were observed in samples with low RS, indicating that a combination of high moisture and temperature might cause partial gelatinization. HMT-JFS with higher RS exhibited less swelling, while the solubility remained mostly unchanged.Native jackfruit seed starch (JFS) contains 30% w/w type II resistant starch (RS2) and can potentially be developed as a new commercial source of RS for food and pharmaceutical application. Heat-moisture treatment (HMT) was explored as a mean to increase RS content of native JFS. The effect of the conditions was tested at varied moisture contents (MC), temperatures, and times. Moisture levels of 20–25%, together with temperatures 80–110°C, generally resulted in increases of RS amount. The highest amount of RS (52.2%) was achieved under treatment conditions of 25% MC and 80°C, for 16 h (JF-25-80-16). FT-IR peak ratio at 1047/1022 cm Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), considered as biowaste by the canned food industry, are recognized by many research studies as a candidate for a new source of commercial starch -[temperature (°C)]-[time (h)].α-amylase  and amyloglucosidase (3 U/mL) was incubated in a shaking water bath at 37°C for 16 h. The reaction was stopped with 4 mL ethanol and centrifuged at 4000 g for 10 min to separate the digested (supernatant) part from the nondigested (residue) part. The supernatant was diluted with 100 mM sodium acetate buffer. An aliquot of the solution was incubated with amyloglucosidase  at 50°C for 20 min. The residue was dissolved in 2 M KOH (2 mL) in an ice bath, added with 1.2 M sodium acetate buffer (8 mL), and hydrolyzed to glucose with amyloglucosidase  at 50°C for 30 min. The glucose oxidase/peroxidase (GOPOD) reagent was added to the aliquot portion of each part, incubated at 50°C for 20 min. Absorbance was then measured at 510 nm. Resistant starch and nonresistant (digested) starch were calculated as glucose × 0.9. The total starch was calculated as the sum of resistant and digested starch. Because values of RS content were reported to vary among different methods of determination [Resistant starch (RS) content in samples was determined using a Megazyme Resistant Starch Assay Kit (AOAC Method 2002.02). In brief, a screw-capped test tube containing 100 mg sample and 4.0 mL solution of pancreatic Amylose contents (AC) of JFS, HMT-JFS, and other starches were determined using a colorimetric method based on a complexation between starch and iodine according to Juliano .SEM experiments to analyze the granule surface, shape, and size were conducted using a JEOL instrument model JSM-5410LV  equipped with a large field detector. The acceleration voltage was 15 kV under low vacuum mode (0.7-0.8 torr). The sample was placed on a copper stub covered with adhesive tape and coated with gold under vacuum. The images were taken at 2000x magnification.θ) range of 5–40° at a scan rate of 2.5°/min and step size of 0.02°.XRD patterns were recorded in the reflection mode on a Siemens D-500 X-ray diffractometer. Diffractograms were registered at Bragg angle (2To), peak (Tp), and conclusion (Tc) temperatures, were recorded and the gelatinization temperature ranges  were calculated. Enthalpy change of gelatinization (ΔH) was calculated and expressed as J/g of dry starch.Thermal properties were assessed using a Perkin Elmer DSC-7 differential scanning calorimeter. The analysis was carried out at a temperature between 30 and 120°C, at 10°C/min, on a 1 : 3 (w/w) starch-water mixture sample. An empty pan was used as a reference. The temperatures of the characteristic transitions, onset  mode. For each spectrum, 64 scans were recorded at a resolution of 4 cmSample (0.1 g) was placed into each of five preweighed centrifuge tubes containing 10 mL water, mixed thoroughly for 1 min, and then heated at controlled temperatures of 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90°C, respectively, with regular stirring. After 10 min, the tubes were cooled and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 15 min. The supernatant was dried to a constant weight at 120°C. The weights of the dried residue and of the sedimented paste were used to calculate the solubility percentage and the swelling power, respectively [P < 0.05). Significant differences among mean values were determined by Duncan's multiple range test.All tests were performed at least in triplicate. The statistical significant tests were performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95% confidence level (4 contents) but also to the physical/structural  characteristics of each starch [Under the same analytical conditions, the RS2 content in native JFS was much higher than that of mung bean starch, cassava starch, and rice starch, but it remained significantly lower than that of raw banana starch and Hi-maize 260 starch . Hi-maizh starch .Upon HMT, the RS contents varied considerably. No significant change in RS content, compared to non-HMT sample, was observed for the 10% MC samples after incubation at various temperatures and times, indicating that there was a minimum amount of moisture required for starch granules to undergo transition. In HMT-JFS samples prepared at 20% MC, RS content increased in samples treated at 80–100°C for 6 h, at 80–120°C for 12 h, and at 80–110°C for 16 h. Samples adjusted to 25% MC before HMT showed significant increases in RS content when the conditions were 80–90°C for 6 h or 80–100°C for 12 or 16 h. Most of these samples exhibited RS contents in the range of 35 to 45%. The highest RS content, 52.2%, was achieved in a sample adjusted to 25% MC and incubated at 80°C for 16 h (JF-25-80-16). In this case, however, high RS contents observed in JF-25-80-6 and JF-25-80-12 suggested that the time of treatment might have lesser effect than MC and temperature. At 30% MC, samples treated at 80°C had slight increases in RS content, while higher temperatures started to show some diminished RS content. At 35% MC, decreases in RS content were observed, especially at higher temperatures and longer periods of heat exposure. The sample JF-35-120-16 showed the lowest RS content at 7.0% . Similarr) of 0.73. Increases in AC in HMT samples resulting in higher RS were also reported for mung bean starch [Apparent amylose content of HMT-JFS samples ranged between 24.7 and 28.4%. AC average of 26.7 ± 0.8%, on first glance, was not significantly different from that of native starch. A closer look at the relationship between AC and RS content, however, revealed that there possibly was a correlation between the two parameters in HMT samples. Samples with higher AC were likely to have higher RS content. Linear regression analysis of a plot between AC and RS content  yielded n starch  and weren starch . The decSEM images of native JFS and some HMT-JFS are presented in θ of 15.3°, 17.2°, 18.1°, and 23.1°, consistent with an A-type crystallinity pattern, as reported previously [XRD pattern of JFS showed strong diffraction peaks at Bragg angles 2eviously , 5. AfteTg) of native JFS (84.24 ± 0.37°C) suggested, in part, that the structural organization within the granules was more ordered as compared to other starches with lower Tg. Increases in gelatinization parameters  were observed in 16 h HMT-JFS samples and are presented in Tg (T (Tg range) were seen in some HMT-JFS samples treated at 80–100°C. Similar results have been reported for rice, cassava, and pinhão starches [T, which was typical for HMT [H) were slight to moderate (0.5–4.0 J/g) in samples treated with 20–25% MC at 80–100°C. At higher MC and/or temperatures, the decrease in ΔH values was more pronounced (5.5–9.5 J/g). Decreased or unchanged ΔH of starches upon HMT was common [H values after HMT have been reported in recent studies on mung bean starch [A relatively high gelatinization temperature  (−1 peak ratio (0.70–0.78) in these samples. The values, however, were not as low as that of pregelatinized starch (0.63–0.65), in which most of the granules were ruptured and the crystallinity was destroyed, but were more similar to that of carboxymethyl starches prepared using 2-propanol as solvent (i-CMJF) (0.74–0.76), in which partial gelatinization was evident but the granules retained their integrity and crystallinity [−1 has been used as a parameter to assess structural organization or change of starch chains on a molecular level [The ratio of absorbance 1047/1022 cmus 0.80) , indicatar level  and was ar level .Swelling of native and HMT-JFS was temperature dependent. JFS showed very slight swelling in water up to 70°C. At 80°C, JFS showed significant increase in swelling and continued to increase as the temperature was raised to 90°C. Madruga et al.  reportedThe effect of HMT on water solubility, on the other hand, was not obvious as HMT-JFS samples exhibited mostly similar or slightly decreased water solubility compared to that of JFS. An only exception was for HMT samples at 100°C in which the decrease in solubility was significant in samples of higher MC . PreviouOne major concern regarding the practical significance of resistant starch type II in the food industry is that the RS content of raw starch is greatly reduced or almost eliminated when the starch is cooked. However, a number of studies have recently reported applications of RS in food products, with some potential values. Examples include ice cream added with RS, which acts as a prebiotic compound , and yogJackfruit seed offers a sustainable source of potentially new commercial starch, with comparatively high amount of resistant starch. Heat-moisture treatment was shown to be an effective mean to increase resistant starch content in jackfruit seed starch. The moisture content and the temperature of treatment significantly affected the resistant starch content, while the time of treatment seemed to have lesser effect. The moisture levels of 20–25%, together with temperature between 80 and 110°C, generally resulted in increases of RS amount, while higher moisture contents and/or temperatures led to drastic decreases. Under an optimum condition, the obtained RS amount was comparable to that of commercial resistant starch. Moderate changes in SEM and XRD profiles were observed in samples treated with high moisture/temperature. DSC analyses showed increases in the gelatinization temperature as the MC was increased in the samples. Amylose contents changed in a narrow range but exhibited a correlated trend with RS content. Samples with higher RS exhibited less swelling, while the solubility remained mostly unchanged. This starch source and HMT technique could collectively be used to prepare commercial resistant starch, currently in demand for food and pharmaceutical industries.


Rare diseases pose transitioning challenges owing to limited provider expertise and changing healthcare systems. The timeframe and developmental changes of emerging adulthood overlap with the transition of patients with cystinosis from pediatric to adult-oriented healthcare.This study utilized techniques of qualitative grounded theory to explore the experiences of adults aged 18–47 with cystinosis, and their parents, with a focus on the transition to adulthood and adult-oriented care. Forty-six individuals from 21 families were recruited online and at cystinosis conferences to participate in focus groups and/or individual interviews. The constant comparative method was used to conduct both line-by-line and focused coding of verbatim transcripts.The following elements were reported to be critical to the transition to adulthood and adult-oriented care: gaining skills and responsibility for disease management, progressing toward autonomy while remaining connected to caregivers, and having strong communication with and between providers.Data analysis identified behaviors and relationships that support and/or threaten autonomy and treatment adherence. Participants described institutional, relational, and practical barriers to transition. Suggestions for improving transitioning include: identifying patient/family strengths and improving pediatric–adult provider partnerships and communication. Further research is needed into the experience of patients before and after transition to adult-oriented care. Nephropathic cystinosis is a rare autosomal-recessive metabolic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1 case per 100,000 to 200,000 live births . TreatmeThe availability of treatment in developed nations has transformed cystinosis from a fatal to a chronic disease , 5, withtransitioning in the medical context first came into use in the late 1980s, inspired by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop  as an adult because he still lives at home with us. And there are things that he still just doesn’t do.I’m hopeful he’ll be able to get a job, be independent, take care of himself. That would be icing on the cake of his life, being able to do those things.[She’s] so organized; she takes care of everything. But she’s still my baby/I feel like we’re just starting to think of him as an adult.Parent participants also tied perceptions of adulthood to self-care and financial management. Some noted concerns about maturity and recognized that their perceptions of their adult children with cystinosis were changing (or needed to).connected autonomy, being independent yet staying connected to their family. They were willing to ask for and accept help, both in daily living and in the event of a medical crisis. In maintaining connected autonomy, emerging adults (and adults) steered the management of their illness and their healthcare, and involved family and significant others as necessary. They reported the ability to call on family to help instrumentally and emotionally when needed. Depending on the participant’s health status and age, such help entailed accompanying patients during medical visits, helping with prescription refills, talking with college staff, managing childcare or domestic tasks, or giving input into healthcare decisions.When I was in the hospital, after transplant, I needed some blood. I was like, ‘oh, I don’t want it.’ But my mom was there and said ‘you need it.’ She helped me make the right decision. It was my decision. I had to sign the consent. A lot of those medical choices I made myself but with the help and opinion of my mom or family.Adult participants with cystinosis described wanting a sense of If she was going to be living on her own, things that I do for her, how can we make it that she can do things for herself? If she were going to be doing her own grocery shopping, she can’t buy a gallon of milk. She would have to buy a half a gallon. So that she can carry it and tip it. Independence is going to take a lot of planning…a lot of assistance.One mother spoke practically about planning for the challenges of her daughter living independently (given her muscle weakness), envisioning a future in which she would be involved in her daughter’s daily life:I had some health issues so I moved back home, which was very difficult for me because I like to be very independent, and the whole reason I think I moved [away] was because it was basically the farthest that I could go.For some participants, the need to rely on family was a source of disappointment, and a threat to autonomy:connected autonomy provided the safety of knowing that parents would be there when needed, even while adults with cystinosis were striving to live independently.They’ll always be there to help me, but I just want to let them know I can hang out myself and if I ever need any help I know they’ll be there.You always want help. Help’s great. But at the same time you want them to carry on with their lives too.For others, connected autonomy extended from family of origin to family of choice. Adults with cystinosis who entered into long-term relationships considered the implications of chronic illness and possible progression, the need for assistance, now or in the future, and decisions about child-bearing or adoption. Yet, they reported expectations and motivations of partners and parents that were quite different. One participant described how her mother “screened” her fiancé, recognizing a need for a partner willing to be a caregiver. When that relationship was unsuccessful, this participant envisioned her parents as protective eagles watching over her:that eagle covering me.I do feel that I need to be with my parents because of cystinosis. I’m not just transplanted. I have cystinosis. I do need that protection still. I don’t think my kidney would have failed if I was with them. Because my mom—she wasn’t begging me, but she would say, did you take the medicine? So I feel like I do need that protection, For partnered young adults, regimenting by parents, to the transfer of power throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood, the roles and responsibilities seen as part of defining adulthood, and the maintenance of connecting autonomy represents a positive pathway for the management of illness and improved outcomes for those diagnosed with cystinosis in childhood. Reflective of Arnett’s features of emerging adulthood [being in-between in their definitions of adulthood and in descriptions of institutional and practical barriers to transition from pediatric to adult-oriented care, and shared concerns about instability, personally, financially, and medically. They also spoke of their lives with a great deal of positivity and possibility, as they pursued higher education, traveled, formed long-term relationships, and started families.The movement from dulthood , particireprieve offered by changing medicine over the last few decades does not guarantee a smooth or positive trajectory throughout the lifespan. As Fig. transfer of power, at least temporarily. Health concerns, combined with other socio-economic drivers, may maintain or return emerging adults to the nest. At times a disappointing realization, it is difficult to let go of autonomy once one has claimed it. Providers may consider tempering expectations of self-management and autonomy as part of transitioning with a realistic need for support throughout the lifespan, and a developmentally appropriate renegotiation of roles.The Adult patients with cystinosis and parents both identified how these adults are attempting to assume greater responsibility for self-care with fewer institutional supports and in a new and unknown medical environment. Ongoing efforts within the professional pediatric nephrology community seek to address gaps in transitioning for the broad spectrum of pediatric renal patients –39. The reprieve without treatment. The challenges of medication adherence for adolescents with renal disease have been well-documented [regimenting styles and tools they have adopted, and communicating this understanding to accepting adult-oriented providers, may make transitioning a smoother, more positive process.As described by participants, the survival of individuals with cystinosis relies in no small part on the effort, time, dedication, and focus of families in both obtaining and maintaining adequate treatment and fitting illness into family life. There is no cumented , 41, 42.cumented , 44 and cumented , 16, patInability to afford medications has been a major concern for adults with cystinosis, and their families, in the USA. Insurance coverage and healthcare utilization has been an area of particular instability for emerging adults , 46. ForCriteria for assessing qualitative and grounded theory research include trustworthiness , credibiThe specific disease population, sample size, qualitative nature, and methods of this study provided rich data regarding the experiences of adults with cystinosis, which may or may not be comparable with the experience of individuals with other chronic and rare diseases, or with other birth cohorts affected by cystinosis. The sample is based primarily in the USA; the experience of living with cystinosis, and of transitioning to adulthood and adult-oriented care, outside of the USA and/or other developed nations, with potentially limited access to cystine-depleting therapy, and differences in organ allocation for transplantation, may be quite different , 51.One risk of the “thick description” made possible through this qualitative method is the risk of inferred identification ; the smatransfer of power, and creating a sense of connected autonomy allow them, as adults, to engage in age-appropriate developmental tasks. The progressive nature of the illness, and the demands of medication regimens, underlie much  decision-making around higher education, vocations, romantic relationships, and family planning. Further research into the experience of emerging adulthood and adulthood with rare and chronic disease, during and following transition to adult-oriented care, is needed to continue improvements in quality of care, health outcomes, and quality of life.Findings from this study conceptualize behaviors and relationships that support and/or threaten autonomy, disease self-management, and treatment adherence during this time of transition to adulthood and adult-oriented care. Imbuing individuals diagnosed in childhood with cystinosis, or other forms of rare or chronic illness, with the skills and philosophy for self-care, negotiating the


Articles from all past issues are indexed, as will be the current and future issues.The Fall 2015 issue of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation (IJT) presents original articles in the areas of Research; Privacy and Security; and Technology Review. As of May 2015, the International Journal of Telerehabilitation (IJT) is live on PubMed Central:  The Fall 2015 issue of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation (IJT) presents the original work of three distinguished and innovative interdisciplinary teams. Interdisciplinarity is also a hallmark of the IJT editorial staff, reviewers, and publishing team.The first article is a product of engineers with expertise in computing science (LoPresti and Simpson) and a medical speech-language pathologist (Jinks) who practices in the area of assistive technology. These authors reported upon the degree to which consumers are satisfied with the provision of telerehabilitation services for augmentative and alternative communication or alternative computer accessibility.A second article, by Proffitt,  and Lange,  demonstrated the feasibility of employing a 6-week, game-based, in-home telerehabilitation exercise program using the Microsoft Kinect® for individuals with chronic stroke.Finally, the third article co-authored by Watzlaf , DeAlmeida , Zhou , and Hartman  describes a protocol to conduct systematic reviews of research in telerehabilitation, with the aim that IJT readers can ultimately apply this protocol to identify best practices in telerehabilitation.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/2411/. Articles from all past issues are indexed, as will be the current and future issues.The International Journal of Telerehabilitation (IJT) is live on PubMed Central: ecohn@pitt.edu) or Senior Associate Editor Jana Cason  if you are interested in contributing to a future issue.The next volume of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation will be published in 2016. We cordially invite your submissions by February 2, 2016. IJT accepts original research, case studies, viewpoints, technology reviews, book reviews, and country reports that detail the current status of telerehabilitation. Our peer reviewers constitute a multi-disciplinary group, and include researchers and clinicians from each of the major rehabilitation disciplines, rehabilitation engineers, health information managers, information technologists, and others. We welcome new peer-reviewers and invite guest editors with ideas for special, thematically focused issues. The IJT publication team is agile and can add additional issues as warranted to ensure currency. Please contact Editor Ellen Cohn, PhD (Respectfully,Ellen R. Cohn, PhD, CCC-SLPIJT EditorJana Cason, DHS, OTR/L, FAOTAIssue Co-Editor and IJT Senior Associate Editor


The emulsifying ability of OSA-modified and native starch in the granular form, in the dissolved state and a combination of both was compared. This study aims to understand mixed systems of particles and dissolved starch with respect to what species dominates at droplet interfaces and how stability is affected by addition of one of the species to already formed emulsions. It was possible to create emulsions with OSA-modified starch isolated from Quinoa as sole emulsifier. Similar droplet sizes were obtained with emulsions prepared at 7% (w/w) oil content using OSA-modified starch in the granular form or molecularly dissolved but large differences were observed regarding stability. Pickering emulsions kept their droplet size constant after one month while emulsions formulated with OSA-modified starch dissolved exhibited coalescence. All emulsions stabilized combining OSA-modified starch in granular form and in solution showed larger mean droplet sizes with no significant differences with respect to the order of addition. These emulsions were unstable due to coalescence regarding presence of free oil. Similar results were obtained when emulsions were prepared by combining OSA-modified granules with native starch in solution. The degree of surface coverage of starch granules was much lower in presence of starch in solution which indicates that OSA-starch is more surface active in the dissolved state than in granular form, although it led to unstable systems compared to starch granule stabilized Pickering emulsions, which demonstrated to be extremely stable. Formulations based on emulsions are present in many fields, such as processed foods, paints and coatings, personal care products, agro-chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among others. Emulsions are defined as a two-phase system consisting of two immiscible liquids of different composition, one of which is in the shape of droplets, dispersed in the other one. Emulsion droplet stabilization is often achieved through the addition of amphiphilic molecules such as emulsifiers, which decrease the interfacial tension between the phases and increase the steric hindrances and/or the electrostatic repulsion between the droplets ,2.The use of particles to stabilize emulsions, instead of surfactants, has received substantial and increased research interest because of their distinctive characteristics and promising technological applications in a range of fields –12. A PiThis special type of emulsion was originally observed independently by Ramsden  and PickProperties such as shape, size and hydrophobicity of the particles may affect the stability of the emulsion. Particles should also have partial dual wettability for both phases. The contact angle of the particles to the surface of the droplet is a characteristic of the hydrophobicity. Therefore, particles that are partially hydrophobic (i.e. contact angle of approximately 90°) are better stabilizers because they bind better to the surface of the droplets. This leads to the spontaneous accumulation of particles at the oil-water interface with subsequent stabilization against coalescence by volume exclusion and steric hindrances , i.e. thin situ since the surface coverage starch granules can be partially gelatinized creating a more impermeable layer at the droplet surface , of approximately 2 μm. The particles were also observed under SEM and it was observed that they were uni-modal but with some aggregates of granules generating the peak at 10 μm  at 50 mg starch/ml oil (For emulsions prepared with OSA-modified starch in the granular form or in solution at 7% (w/w) oil, similar droplets sizes were obtained, which decreased as the amount of starch was increased , as expeh/ml oil  but highh/ml oil . The stah/ml oil .Previously, chemically modified (OSA) potato and barely starches in solution have been used to stabilize emulsions and results showed that it was possible to generate an emulsion with OSA-starch as the sole emulsifier since as its high molar mass and branched polymer structure allowed it to be adsorbed at the interface, leading to steric stabilization of emulsions ,21. The However, huge discrepancies were observed in the stability of emulsions prepared with OSA-modified starch in the two different forms. While emulsions prepared with starch granules maintained a constant droplet size after one month, indicating high stability, emulsions formulated with dissolved starch were very unstable showing variations up to 113% in particles size between fresh and stored emulsions . BackscaAll Pickering emulsions were stable for several weeks at room temperature and neither coalescence nor Ostwald ripening was observed showing little change in appearance and emulsions layer height, according to previous results where no variations were observed even after several months ,9. An exThe highest BS values were observed in all cases at the top of the cell (from 8 to 12 mm) indicating the presence of emulsion droplets in this region. A BS decrease was observed with time at the top accompanied with a simultaneous increase at the bottom, promoted by the sedimentation of the unadsorbed granules in the continuous phase or small starch granule stabilized emulsion droplets dense enough to sink due to a large enough starch to oil ratio . This prNo transmitted light was observed along the cell at the beginning of the monitoring time. However, a TS increase was noticed in the middle of the cell (from 2 to 8 mm) while sedimentation was taking place. The thickness of this front changes being smaller for higher starch concentrations since a higher emulsion index was obtained. The % of transmitted light is inversely proportional to the amount of starch added according to the corresponding BS profiles. Larger variations in clarification fronts heights were observed at lower starch concentrations.For emulsions formulated with higher starch concentrations (200 and 400 mg starch per ml of oil) oil droplets settled at the bottom of the cells . These dLarger BS variations along the height of the cell were observed in emulsions prepared with dissolved starch. An example of the BS profiles of emulsions prepared with OSA-modified starch in the dissolved state is shown in Larger variations in the BS profiles were observed  for emulAdsorbed macromolecules which are soluble in the continuous phase give rise to steric stabilization mainly with entropic contributions but destabilization may occur if the surface coverage is insufficient. It could allow the macromolecules to form bridges between particles and the non-adsorbed macromolecules may be depleted from the vicinity of the surface and can give rise to depletion flocculation ,33,34.The BS front velocities of emulsions droplets were obtained from the slope of the phase thickness (delta H) of the clear phases, from BS profiles versus time. They were much higher for emulsions prepared with lower starch concentration, exhibiting values in the range 13 or 17μm/s for 50 or 100 mg/ml oil confirming that destabilization phenomena occurred faster. Emulsions prepared with 400 mg starch per ml oil showed the lowest migration velocity value and the smallest BS variations (16%). This was in good agreement with microscope observations. Larger droplets coalesced fast even forming a continuous thin oily film. This explains the red color observed at the top of the cells after the addition of oil soluble dye .Turbiscan stability index (TSI) was also calculated. In order to compute it, the intensity of light toward the complete cell height was compared mathematically, based on a scan-to-scan difference. It sums all the variations detected in the samples in terms of size and/or concentration and is defined by the following equation:Variations in the range 6–15% were observed with the lowest variations at the highest starch concentration.), and droplet size distributions, did not change after one month of storage at room temperature  oil content showed extreme stability. Mean volume diameters  small sediment appeared at the bottom caused by the unadsorbed starch granules. Similar behavior was previously reported when Pickering emulsions were prepared with several starch types at the same oil content .As it was aforementioned, from PSD results, emulsions stabilized with OSA-modified starch in the dissolved state showed high instability as observed in A slight creaming was noticed at the top of the cell, Emulsions with 7% (w/w) oil content  were preEmulsions formulated using a combination of OSA-modified starch granules and OSA starch dissolved (mixtures) were unstable and coalescence was clearly observed under the microscope  and oil Microscope images shown in. Sedimentation of unadsorbed granules was observed at the bottom of BS profiles, while a clarification process was observed in the middle of the cell of the TS profiles (results not shown).Finally, a set of experiments was performed to prepare emulsions stabilized by native starch, both in the granular form and in solution, and also by combining OSA-modified starch granules with native starch dissolved simultaneously.Emulsions stabilized by native starch granules lead to larger sizes compared to emulsions stabilized by the OSA-modified starch granules, being in the range 30–82 μm  accordinThe opposite effect was obtained with the native starch dissolved leading to lower mean droplet sizes in the range 14–78 μm. Similar sizes were obtained when emulsions were stabilized by mixtures of OSA-modified starch granules and native starch dissolved. Micrographs also revealed the presence of granules in the continuous phase which means that the native starch in the dissolved state was surprisingly more surface active than the OSA-modified granules. However, the stability of these of emulsions was rather poor, coalescence took place quickly and presence of free oil at the top of the samples was readily observed . values after one month storage. These differences between the two types of starches were also reflected in emulsions stabilized by granules, according to previous results  values after one month under storage, up to 26%.Moreover, emulsions stabilized by native starch in solution showed larger variations in stability  and size (Δd) were obtained with Turbiscan Lab , compare results . Emulsio20. Results indicated that there was an influence of both of kinetic factors during emulsion formation and the physical-chemical properties of the hydrophobically modified starch, such as the degree of substitution, the molar mass, and radius. It was reported that adsorption of larger molecules was favored by mass transport to the interface in turbulent flow fields and also that these larger molecules will have higher substituent density and adsorption energy than smaller ones [The adsorption at emulsions droplets of OSA-modified potato and barely starches was studied by other authorsler ones . Taking Results revealed that it is possible to create an emulsion with OSA-modified starch isolated from Quinoa as the sole emulsifier.Similar droplet sizes were obtained when emulsions were prepared at 7% (w/w) oil content and stabilized using OSA-modified starch in the granular form or on the dissolved state but large differences were observed regarding their stability. Pickering emulsions kept their droplet size constant and were stable against coalescence and other destabilization processes, while emulsions formulated with OSA-modified starch in solution exhibited high instability shown as a clear coalescence process in Turbiscan Lab. Higher emulsions index were obtained at higher oil content for both types of emulsions.Emulsions stabilized by a combination of OSA-modified starch in granular form and in solution with a 7% (w/w) oil content had larger mean droplet sizes and no significant differences were obtained with respect to the order of addition. All emulsions containing mixtures of granules and dissolved starch were unstable due to coalescence and the presence of free oil was clearly observed in all cases. The same trend was also observed when emulsions were prepared by combining OSA-modified granules with native starch in solution.The degree of surface coverage of starch granules was much lower in presence of starch in solution. This is an indication that OSA-starch is more surface active in the dissolved state than in granular form, although it led to unstable systems compared to starch granule stabilized Pickering emulsions, which were found to be extremely stable.S1 FigA) Mixtures of OSA-modified starch in the form of granules and on the dissolved state added at the same time. B) Added first in the form of granules. C) Added first on the dissolved state. D) Mixtures of OSA-modified granules and native starch on the dissolved state added at the same time. Note: Oil red EGN was added to visualize the eventual presence of free oil.(TIF)Click here for additional data file.


International Cardiovascular Research Journal has been recently indexed in PubMed. In order to evaluate the role of this journal in global and international scientific growth, the scientific growth of cardiovascular researches in the past 13 years has been evaluated. In this way, one can compare the role of this journal in Iran and Iran’s role in the global scientific growth rate.Each year, new medical inventions and discoveries all around the world have major influences on increase of public health and decrease of treatment expenditures. It is obvious that in case the results of a study have not been published, that study has not probably been done or reached any result. Therefore, in evaluation of scientific researches, one may think that only published (and indexed) articles should be taken into account. The number of officially indexed articles in acceptable databases is considered as a manifestation of progression in any field. In the field of medical sciences, PubMed is one of the main databases in which each paper is valuable. In addition, the number of indexed papers in PubMed is considered as a good criterion for determining the progresses in medical sciences. This study aims to identify the scientific outcomes in the field of cardiovascular researches both in Iran and around the world during the past 13 years. According to the statistics, more than 32000 articles were indexed in PubMed during 2000. This International Cardiovascular Research Journal is a quarterly journal indexed in PubMed which publishes about 40 articles every year. Considering this journal’s broad range of authors, it has a significant role in increasing Iran’s scientific share and can play even a more significant role in this regard in future.