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A preprint by Nakandakari-Higa et al. introduces universal LIPSTIC (uLIPSTIC), a labelling technique for the detection of physical interactions between any cell types without the requirement for specific receptor–ligand interaction.

Germinal center (GC) B cells undergo proliferation at very high rates in a hypoxic microenvironment but the cellular processes driving this are incompletely understood. Here we show that the mitochondria of GC B cells are highly dynamic, with significantly upregulated transcription and translation rates associated with the activity of transcription factor A, mitochondrial (TFAM). TFAM, while also necessary for normal B cell development, is required for entry of activated GC precursor B cells into the germinal center reaction; deletion of Tfam significantly impairs GC formation, function and output. Loss of TFAM in B cells compromises the actin cytoskeleton and impairs cellular motility of GC B cells in response to chemokine signaling, leading to their spatial disorganization. We show that B cell lymphoma substantially increases mitochondrial translation and that deletion of Tfam in B cells is protective against the development of lymphoma in a c-Myc transgenic mouse model. Finally, we show that pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial transcription and translation inhibits growth of GC-derived human lymphoma cells and induces similar defects in the actin cytoskeleton. Clarke and colleagues show that germinal center B cells have highly dynamic mitochondria, which are regulated by the transcription factor TFAM. TFAM activity is required to promote spatial entry into the germinal center reaction by modulating cellular motility.

Water table contribution to plant water use is a significant element in improving water use efficiency (WUE) for agricultural water management. In this study, lysimeter experiments were conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment to investigate the response of soybean water uptake and growth parameters under four different water table depths (WTD) (30, 50, 70, and 90 cm). Soybean crop water use, WUE, and root distribution under the different WTD were examined. For 30, 50, 70, and 90 cm of WTD treatments, the average water table contributions were 89, 83, 79, and 72%; the grain yields were 15.1, 10.5, 14.1, and 17.2 g/lys.; and the WUEs were 0.22, 0.18, 0.25, and 0.31 g/lys./cm, respectively. Further analysis of the root mass and proportional distribution among the different soil layers illustrated that the lysimeters with 70 and 90 cm WTD had greater root mass with higher root distribution at 40–75 cm of the soil layer. The results indicated that 70 and 90 cm of constant WTD can yield higher grain yield and biomasses with greater WUE and better root distribution than the irrigated or shallow WTD treatments.

Introduction: Noise exposure, the main cause of hearing loss in countries with lot of industries, may result both in temporary or permanent hearing loss. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of parenteral papaverine and piracetam administration following an acoustic trauma on hearing function with histopathologic correlation. Materials and Methods: Eighteen Wistar albino rats exposed to noise for 8 h in a free environment were included. We divided the study population into three groups, and performed daily intraperitoneal injections of papaverine, piracetam, and saline, respectively, throughout the study. We investigated the histopathologic effects of cellular apoptosis on inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs) and compared the distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) thresholds among the groups. Results and Discussion: On the 3rd and 7th days, DPOAE thresholds at 8 kHz were significantly higher both in papaverine and piracetam groups compared with the control group (P = 0.004 for 3rd day, P = 0.016 and P = 0.028 for 7th day, respectively). On the 14th day, piracetam group had significantly higher mean thresholds at 8 kHz (P = 0.029); however, papaverine group had similar mean thresholds compared to the control group (P = 0.200). On the 3rd and 7th days following acoustic trauma, both IHC and OHC loss were significantly lower in both papaverine and piracetam groups. On the 7th day, the mean amount of apoptotic IHCs and OHCs identified using Caspase-3 method were significantly lower in both groups, but the mean amount identified using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling method were similar in both groups compared to the control group. Conclusion: We demonstrated the effects of papaverine and piracetam on the recovery of cochlear damage due to acoustic trauma on experimental animals using histopathologic and electrophysiologic examinations.

Prolotherapy is effective in treating refractory tendinopathies, but inadequate clinical evidence exists to recommend its use as a treatment for acute or chronic, medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries. The current case study documents an illustrative case of a rugby player who had a grade 2 sprain of the MCL and shows the clinical and radiological outcomes following injections of 15% dextrose combined with 0.2% lidocaine. In his case, the prolotherapy, together with an exercise therapy, lasted 3 wk. At the end of the 3 wk, the patient was pain free, with a full range of motion (ROM), and he was able to perform all rugby-specific movements. The mean duration for recovery with conservative treatment of isolated, complete tears of the MCL is normally 4-8 wk.

A Microsoft® Visual Basic software, called WinMIgob, has been developed for wet-chemical and electron-microprobe compositions of coexisting magnetite-ulvöspinel and ilmenite-hematite solid solutions to calculate the temperature (T, °C) and oxygen fugacity fO2) conditions of magmatic and metamorphic rocks. The program allows the users to enter total of 34 input variables, including Sample No, SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, V2O3, Cr2O3, Nb2O3, Fe2O3, FeO, MnO, NiO, ZnO, MgO, CaO, Na2O, K2O, BaO (wt. %) for each magnetite and ilmenite compositional data. WinMIgob enables to enter and load multiple magnetite and ilmenite analyses in the programs data entry section. Alternatively, the composition of magnetite-ilmenite pairs can be typed in a blank Excel file as in the above order and then loaded into the programs data entry screen for data processing. The ferric and ferrous iron contents from microprobe-derived total FeO (wt. %) of magnetite-ilmenite compositions are estimated by stoichiometric constraints based on three different approaches. Using the calculated multiple magnetite and ilmenite analyses, WinMIgob estimates molecular (%) and mole fractions of magnetite, uvöspinel, ilmenite and hematite amounts. The program evaluates fourteen magnetite-ilmenite geothermometers, thirteen oxygen barometers and six relative to the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer values based on the different calibrations with various calculation methods. WinMIgob also allows the users to check if their magnetite-ilmenite pairs taken from rocks are within or departure from the Bacon-Hirschmann Mg/Mn exchange equilibrium line ± 2σ level. This program generates and stores all the calculated results in the Microsoft Excel file (i.e., Output.xlsx), which can be displayed and processed by any other software for further data presentation and graphing purposes. The compiled program code is distributed as a self-extracting setup file, including a help file, test data files and graphic files, which are intended to produce a high-quality printout.

Study design: Retrospective, comparative 7-year study. Objectives: To identify the clinical characteristics of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting from gunshot wound (GSW). Setting: Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center, Ankara, Turkey. Methods: The study included 1043 consecutive patients with SCI who were divided into two groups according to etiology: patients with gunshot-induced spinal cord injury (GSWSCI) constituted the study group, and randomly selected patients with non-gunshot-induced spinal cord injury (NGSWSCI) who were matched for gender and for week of admission constituted the control group. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were recorded, compared and analyzed. Results: The study group included 102 patients (mean age: 26.93±9.11 years). The vast majority of the patients were aged 16–30 years (68.6%) and 90.2% were male. The majority of the lesions were at the thoracic level (58.8%) and a complete injury (60.8%). Surgical stabilization of the spine was performed in 50 patients (49%). The most prevalent associated injury was intra-abdominal injury followed by chest injury. Compared with the NGSWSCI group, the GSWSCI patients were more likely to have a complete lesion (60.8% vs 45.1%, P= 0.025), had a lower rate of surgical stabilization (49 vs 88.2%, P= 0.0001) and had a higher rate of associated injuries (54.9% vs 25.5%, P= 0.0001). Compared with the civilian GSWSCI group, the military GSWSCI patients had a higher rate of surgical stabilization and associated injuries (60% vs 40%, P= 0.049, 68.9% vs 43.9%, P= 0.012, respectively). Conclusion: The results revealed that GSWSCI and military GSWSCI patients may have different demographic and clinical features compared with NGSWSCI and civilian GSWSCI patients, respectively.

Myasthenia gravis is an important indication for the long-term prescription of corticosteroids. We present a patient with myasthenia gravis who had worsening of symptoms associated with the use of alendronate. A 24-year-old patient with myasthenia gravis had been administered oral systemic corticosteroid (deflazacort 40 mg/day) for 3 years in order to control his myasthenic symptoms. One year earlier, his lumbar spine bone mineral density was decreased. He was started on oral calcium/vitamin D3 and alendronate (70-mg tablets once a week) for osteoporosis. He reported an exacerbation of muscle weakness and extreme fatigue on days when he took alendronate. He could not work on these days and has to be on leave. Alendronate was stopped, and he was started on intravenous ibandronate injections given every 3 months. He did not experience muscle weakness and fatigue with ibandronate therapy. Alendronate should be used with caution in patients with myasthenia gravis who have corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis.

A Microsoft® Visual Basic software, called WinSpingc, has been developed to calculate and classify wet chemical and electron-microprobe spinel supergroup mineral analyses based on the New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMMN) of the International Mneralogical Association (IMA-19) nomenclature scheme. The program evaluates the 60 approved species according to the dominant valance and constituents in the general AB2X4 formula for the spinel, ulvospinel, carrollite, linnaeite, tyrellite and bornhardtite subgroups that belong to the oxyspinel, thiospinel and selenospinel groups. Mneral analyses of the oxyspinel group are calculated based on 3 cations and 4 oxygen atoms per formula unit, whereas the formulae of thiospinel and selenospinel analyses are on the basis of 7 atoms per formula unit. Employing the anions of spinel supergroup mineral analyses, the program first assigns three groups on the basis of dominant X anion, including 02~, S2~ and Se2~, determines subgroups according to the cation charge arrangement combinations and then defines the spinel species in each subgroup based on the dominant valance and constituents. The Fe3+ and Fe2+, as well as the Mn3+, Mn2+, Co3+ and Co2+ contents from microprobe-derived total FeO, MnO and CoO (wt. %) amounts, are estimated by stoichiometric constraints. WinSpingc allows the users to enter total 57 input variables for groups as well as to type and load the multiple spinel supergroup compositions in the data entry section, to edit and load the Mcrosoft® Excel files in calculating, classifying and naming the spinel species, and to store all the calculated parameters in the Mcrosoft® Excel file for further evaluations. The program is distributed as a self-extracting setup file, including the necessary support files used by the program, a help file, and representative sample data files.