Geographical Latitude Remains as an Important Factor for the Prevalence of Some Myositis Autoantibodies: A Systematic Review

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are characterized by muscular weakness, cutaneous manifestations, muscle damage revealed by increase of muscular enzymes, muscle biopsy, electromyography and changes on magnetic resonance imaging. However, the hallmark of these IIM, is the development of myositis specific antibodies (MSA) or myositis associated antibodies (MAA). The theories about their presence in the serum of IIM is not known. Some studies have suggested that some of these MSA, such as anti-Mi-2 increases according to the intensity of UV radiation. There is scarce information about the environmental factors that might contribute in order to be considered as triggering factors as UV radiation might be. In this review, we analyzed the reported prevalence of MSAs and MAAs regarding to their geographical location and the possible relation with UV radiation. We collected the prevalence data of fifteen MSA and thirteen MAA from 22 countries around the world and we were able to observe a difference in prevalence between countries and continents. We found differences in anti-PL7, anti-Ro52, anti-La and anti-Ku prevalence according to UV radiation level. Otherwise, we observed that anti-Mi-2 prevalence increases near to the Equator meanwhile anti-MJ/NXP2 and anti-ARS prevalence had an opposite behavior increasing their prevalence in the geographical locations farther to the Equator. Our results highlighted the importance to include the UV radiation and other environmental factors in IIM studies, in order to clarify its association with MSA and MAA prevalence as well as its possible role in the immunopathogenesis of these diseases.

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Magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with Parry-Romberg syndrome and en coup de sabre

Pediatric Rheumatology ◽

10.1186/s12969-021-00512-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Harry Knights ◽

Elizabeth Minas ◽

Faraan Khan ◽

Lindsay Shaw ◽

Muthana Al Obaidi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

White Matter ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Brain Imaging ◽

Case Series ◽

Dystrophic Calcification ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Cutaneous Manifestations ◽

Street Hospital ◽

Parry Romberg Syndrome

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to: (i) describe the abnormalities seen on brain imaging in a group of children with en coup de sabre (EDCS) with/without Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS); and (ii) identify clinical predictors of brain imaging abnormalities. Methods This was a single centre (Great Ormond Street Hospital, London) retrospective case series of patients with ECDS/PRS seen from 2000 to 2018. We identified patients with cutaneous manifestations consistent with the clinical descriptions of ECDS/PRS. Presenting clinical, laboratory, and radiological brain findings are described. Results are expressed as medians and ranges or frequencies and percentages. Fisher’s exact test was used to identify clinical associations with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. Results Fourteen patients were studied: 6 males and 8 females; median age 14 years (range 3–20). We observed neuroimaging abnormalities in 2/6 ECDS and 5/8 ECDS/PRS patients. White matter signal abnormality, dystrophic calcification, leptomeningeal enhancement, and sulcal crowding were the typical findings on brain imaging. A total of 50% of patients had no MRI abnormality despite some of these patients having neurological symptoms. The presence of seizures was significantly associated with ipsilateral enhanced white matter signalling on MRI (p < 0.05). Conclusions In summary, we observed several distinct radiographic patterns associated with ECDS/PRS. Seizure disorder was strongly associated with the presence of ipsilateral enhanced white matter signalling. Improved neuroimaging techniques that combine morphological with functional imaging may improve the detection rate of brain involvement in children with ECDS/PRS in the future.

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Bayesian Geographical Multi-Dimensional Scaling

Abstracts of the ICA ◽

10.5194/ica-abs-1-271-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Hayato Nishi ◽

Yasushi Asami

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Point Of View ◽

Statistical Point ◽

Dimensional Scaling ◽

Regional Features ◽

Geographical Distances ◽

Strong Relation ◽

Geographical Locations ◽

Multi Dimensional Scaling

Abstract. Multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) is a popular method of visualizing the similarity of individuals in a dataset. When dissimilarities between individuals in a dataset are measured, MDS projects these individuals into the (typically two- or three-dimensional) map. In this map, because similar individuals are projected to be close to one another, distances between individuals correspond to their dissimilarities. In other words, MDS makes a similarity map of a dataset.Some of the dissimilarities and distances have a strong relation to the geographical location. For example, time distances are similar to geographical distances, and regional features will be similar if the regions are close together. Therefore, it will be useful to compare the MDS projection and geographical locations. However, because MDS projection is not concerned with the rotation, parallel translation, and similarity expansion, it might be difficult to compare the projection to the actual geographical locations. When geographically related similarities are visualized, projected locations should be bound to the geographical locations.In this article, we propose Bayesian Geographical Multidimensional Scaling (BGMDS), in which geographical restrictions of projections are given from a statistical point of view. BGMDS gives not only geographically bound projections, but also incorporates the uncertainty of the projections.

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INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON PHYSICAL-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF POLYDIMETHYL ETHER OF NORBORENE -2;3-DICARBOXYLIC ACID

IZVESTIYA VYSSHIKH UCHEBNYKH ZAVEDENIY KHIMIYA KHIMICHESKAYA TEKHNOLOGIYA ◽

10.6060/tcct.2017605.5511 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Galina S. Bozhenkova ◽

Alexandra N. Tarakanovskaya ◽

Oksana D. Tarnovskaya ◽

Roman V. Ashirov

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Glass Transition ◽

Transition Temperature ◽

Glass Transition Temperature ◽

Hydrochloric Acid ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Dicarboxylic Acid ◽

Uv Radiation ◽

Accelerated Aging ◽

The Impact

The article is devoted to the production of polymer by metathesis ring-opening polymerization under the influence of ruthenium initiator of type of Hoveyda-Grubbs II generation. The monomer used the mixture of dimethyl ether norbornene-2;3-dicarboxylic acid. The monomer was prepared by the Diels-Alder reaction of dicyclopentadiene and dimethyl maleate. The polymer was prepared in bulk of the monomer mixture. In this paper we have studied the physical and mechanical properties polydimethyl ether of norbornene-2;3-dicarboxylic acid; and assessed the impact of environmental factors on the change in properties of the polymer. As environmental factors; light; UV radiation; water; 0.1 M hydrochloric acid were applied; and accelerated aging conditions; which were held in a climate chamber. During performance we found that maintaining the polymer samples in the UV light chamber led to the slight increase in flexural modulus. In contrast; the polymer storage in water and in a hydrochloric acid solution for two months resulted in a slight decrease in the modulus of elasticity in bending index. These factors did not affect the change in the glass transition temperature of the polymer. Under the conditions of accelerated aging conducted for 1; 2 and 6 days after two cycles we observed the drop in modulus for bending of 8.5%; after 6 cycles of 13%. The glass transition temperature of polydimethyl ether of norbornene-2;3-dicarboxylic acid after 6 cycles decreased by only 3.4% in the climatic chamber. Studies have shown that the resulting polymer is resistant to water; hydrochloric acid; light and UV radiation; as well as it saves properties at a sufficient level for operation at conditions of accelerated aging. It should be noted that the tested polymer was prepared without additives; stabilizers and antioxidants. The proposed polymer can be used as a structural material for machine parts; including bulky.For citation:Bozhenkova G.S.; Tarakanovskaya A.N.; Tarnovskaya O.D.; Ashirov R.V. Influence of environmental factors on physical-mechanical properties of polydimethyl ether of norborene -2;3-dicarboxylic acid. Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved. Khim. Khim. Tekhnol. 2017. V. 60. N 5. P. 68-73

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Selective 4H-SiC UV Detectors

Materials Science Forum ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.740-742.1014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 740-742 ◽

pp. 1014-1017

Author(s):

Evgenia V. Kalinina ◽

O. Konstantinov ◽

A.A. Lebedev ◽

Yu. Gol’dberg

Keyword(s):

Quantum Efficiency ◽

Uv Radiation ◽

Wavelength Range ◽

Optical Transition ◽

Human Beings ◽

Radiation Level ◽

Uv Detectors ◽

Uv Photodetectors ◽

Oncological Diseases ◽

Direct Optical Transition

Carcinogenic (bactericidal) radiation (λ = 200–300 nm with a peak at 254 nm) is present in natural (Sun) and artificial (lamps) source of UV radiation. Its intensity is very low as compared to other types of radiation, but it strongly affects the health of human beings. To prevent oncological diseases, it is important to monitor the carcinogenic radiation level; i.e., selective photodetectors are required. A UV photodetectors based on n-4H-SiC Schottly barriers and p+-n junctions are proposed. The quantum efficiency spectrum of such detectors is very close to the spectrum of relative action of carcinogenic radiation on human beings due to the direct optical transition at 4.9 eV in 4H-SiC. The quantum efficiency (at the spectral peak 254 nm) amounts to about 0.3 electrons/photon for virtually zero sensitivity in other spectral regions. Quantum efficiency in the wavelength range 247–254 nm is practically independent of temperature in the range from −100 to +300°C.

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Intra-articular venous malformation of the knee in children: magnetic resonance imaging findings and significance of synovial involvement

Pediatric Radiology ◽

10.1007/s00247-019-04580-5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 509-515 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Katariina A. Mattila ◽

Johanna Aronniemi ◽

Päivi Salminen ◽

Risto J. Rintala ◽

Kristiina Kyrklund

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Knee Pain ◽

Venous Malformation ◽

Cartilage Damage ◽

Venous Malformations ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Cutaneous Manifestations ◽

Timely Diagnosis ◽

Clinical Awareness

Abstract Background Intra-articular venous malformations of the knee are an uncommon cause of unilateral knee pain in children. Timely diagnosis is important because lesions with intrasynovial involvement can lead to joint space hemorrhage and secondary cartilage damage. Objective To describe our tertiary center’s experience of diagnostics and typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. Materials and methods A retrospective review of all patients ≤16 years of age managed for intra-articular venous malformations of the knee at our institution between 2002 and 2018. Results Of 14 patients (8 male), the mean age at presentation was 6 years (range: 0–14 years). The most common clinical findings were unilateral knee pain (93%), joint swelling (79%), quadriceps atrophy (50%) and a limited range of motion (29%). Cutaneous manifestations were present in four patients (29%). Contrast-enhanced MRI was available in all cases. After initial MRI, a vascular anomaly etiology had been identified in 11 cases (79%), and correctly reported as a venous malformation in 6 (55%). Three patients received entirely different diagnoses (arthritis, tumor or pigmented villonodular synovitis). Three of seven patients with intrasynovial lesions had established chondropathy at diagnosis. Two patients with lesions of the suprapatellar fat pad had intrasynovial involvement that was not visualised on MRI. Conclusion Although MRI usually permits the diagnosis, clinical awareness of these lesions is important for optimal imaging, accurate interpretation and timely diagnosis. Involvement of the intrasynovial cavity carries a risk of hemarthrosis and progressive chondropathy that may be underestimated by MRI.

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Alignment of Chartered SUCs Information Technology Program to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Policies and Standards

IAMURE International Journal of Education ◽

10.7718/iamure.ije.v13i1.969 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Unife O. Cagas

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Information Technology ◽

Technology Education ◽

Statistical Treatment ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Survey Questionnaire ◽

Global Challenge ◽

Information Technology Education ◽

Excellence In Education ◽

Geographical Locations

Considering the global challenge of achieving excellence in education, it is imperative that the Philippine Higher Education Institutions should align to the standards set by the accrediting bodies. The study aimed to determine the alignment of chartered SUCs IT program in the Caraga Region to CHED Policies and Standards. Employing mixed methods, the study considered three types of instruments: survey questionnaire, interview schedule, and observation/ocular visit checklist. The survey questionnaire and observation/ocular visit checklist, which was based on CMO no. 53, series 2006 for Information Technology Education Programs, were used. Data were subjected to statistical treatment as frequency, mean, standard deviation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that in terms of alignment percentage by geographical location, generally, the areas – curriculum outline, instructional standards, admission and residence requirements, garnered the highest alignment percentage of 100.00% in four geographical locations. The study, therefore, concludes that one geographical location is not significantly better than the other, or that one is not significantly more aligned than other geographical locations. It is recommended that chartered SUC administrations should continuously upgrade and update the school’s physical facilities and equipment in conformity to the CHED standards and other recognized accrediting agencies that require standardization to support the IT faculty in the delivery of instruction. Keywords - Technology Education, alignment, chartered SUCs, CHED policies and standards, descriptive design, Philippines

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Britain Breathing: using the experience sampling method to collect the seasonal allergy symptoms of a country

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ◽

10.1093/jamia/ocx148 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 88-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Markel Vigo ◽

Lamiece Hassan ◽

William Vance ◽

Caroline Jay ◽

Andrew Brass ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Sampling Method ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Experience Sampling ◽

Experience Sampling Method ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Uk ◽

Seasonal Allergies ◽

Allergy Symptom

Abstract Objective Allergies are increasing, but the reasons for this are unclear. Although environmental factors are thought to be important, there is a lack of data on how they contribute to symptom development. To understand this relationship better, we need accurate data about both symptoms and environmental factors. Our objective here is to ascertain whether experience sampling is a reliable approach for collecting allergy symptom data in the general population, allowing us to map symptoms and understand etiology. Materials and Methods We conducted a 32-week cross-sectional study where individuals reported their seasonal allergy symptoms and severity via a mobile application. Symptom geographical location and timestamp were also collected automatically. Results The experience sampling method reliably infers the incidence of seasonal allergies as indicated by the strong correlation (r = 0.93, P < .003) between the reported lack of wellness and the number of antihistamines prescribed by General Practitioners. Discussion and Conclusion The project has resulted in the first dataset to map allergy symptoms over time and place and reveals periods of peak hay fever symptoms in the UK.

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Diversity of Intestinal Microbiota in Coilia ectenes from Lake Taihu, China

Open Life Sciences ◽

10.1515/biol-2017-0037 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 315-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jinrong Duan ◽

Dongpo Xu ◽

Kai Liu ◽

Yanfeng Zhou ◽

Pao Xu

Keyword(s):

Chlorophyll A ◽

Total Nitrogen ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Lake Taihu ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Operational Taxonomic Units ◽

Coilia Ectenes ◽

Geographical Locations

AbstractTo investigate the community structure and species composition of intestinal microbiota in Coilia ectenes, sixty-seven samples were collected from Lake Taihu in China. The intestinal microbiota of the C. ectenes were identified by the V4 of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene using high-throughput sequencing. Furthermore, the water quality of different sampling sites was also evaluated. A total of 53 phyla and 730 classified genera were found in all the samples. The eight dominant phyla Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Crenarchaeota, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia were included. The intestinal microbiota compositions of the C. ectenes obtained from the same location presented more similar profiles, and the intestinal microbiota compositions of the C. ectenes from different geographical locations showed considerable differences. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) abundance of the intestinal microbiota was significantly correlated with both the concentrations of total nitrogen and chlorophyll-a of the aquatic environment (p<0.05). Geographical location was an important determinant for the fish’s intestinal microbiota composition. The intestinal microbiota of C. ectenes would be affected by the concentrations of total nitrogen and chlorophyll-a in the water. These findings achieve a basic understanding of fish’s gut microbiota, and are helpful for the protection of fish resources in Lake Taihu and provided the cornerstone to sustainable utlization of C. ectenes.

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Molecular Variation of Satellite DNAβ Molecules Associated with Malvastrum yellow vein virus and Their Role in Pathogenicity

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02461-07 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 74 (6) ◽

pp. 1909-1913 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Wei Guo ◽

Tong Jiang ◽

Xian Zhang ◽

Guixin Li ◽

Xueping Zhou

Keyword(s):

Petunia Hybrida ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

Geographical Origin ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Yellow Vein ◽

Molecular Variation ◽

Infectious Clones ◽

Malvastrum Coromandelianum ◽

Geographical Locations ◽

Limited Sequence

ABSTRACT Previous studies have found that the diversity of begomovirus-associated DNAβ satellites is related to host and geographical origin. In this study, we have cloned and sequenced 20 different isolates of DNAβ molecules associated with Malvastrum yellow vein virus (MYVV) isolated from Malvastrum coromandelianum plants in different geographical locations of Yunnan Province, China. Analyses of their molecular variation indicate that the satellites are clustered together according to their geographical location but that they have only limited sequence diversity. Infectivity tests using infectious clones of MYVV and its associated DNAβ molecule indicate that MYVV DNAβ is indispensable for symptom induction in Nicotiana benthamiana, N. glutinosa, Petunia hybrida, and M. coromandelianum plants. Furthermore, we showed that MYVV interacts functionally with heterologous DNAβ molecules in N. benthamiana plants.

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Natural variation of profundal macroinvertebrate communities in boreal lakes is related to lake morphometry: implications for bioassessment

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f09-025 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 66 (4) ◽

pp. 589-601 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Jussi Jyväsjärvi ◽

Kimmo T. Tolonen ◽

Heikki Hämäläinen

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Human Activities ◽

Natural Variation ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Boreal Lakes ◽

Biological Assessment ◽

Compositional Variation ◽

Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽

Lake Morphometry ◽

Partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis

Modern biological assessment of aquatic systems is often based on the reference condition approach, which requires characterization of biota in undisturbed conditions. For this approach, it is essential to recognize the origins and degree of natural variation in communities. We used data from 55 minimally disturbed Finnish lake basins to investigate the natural variation of profundal macroinvertebrate community composition in relation to environmental factors. Partial canonical correspondence analysis showed that most (68% combined, 39% uniquely) of the total explained compositional variation (29%) was correlated with environmental variables insensitive to human activities, especially lake morphometry. In contrast, the unique contributions of geographical location and variables influenced by human activities (dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus) were substantially smaller (5.5% and 22%, respectively). All of the explained variation (38%–64%) of three widely used community metrics was also correlated with human-insensitive environmental factors. The results suggest that variation in undisturbed profundal invertebrate communities of reference sites is strongly dependent on variables insensitive to human activities and especially on those related to lake morphometry, suggesting that reference communities for bioassessment of impacted lakes should be rather predictable from these variables.

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