Epigenetics: a link between addiction and social environment

The detrimental effects of drug abuse are apparently not limited to individuals but may also impact the vulnerability of their progenies to develop addictive behaviours. Epigenetic signatures, early life experience and environmental factors, converge to influence gene expression patterns in addiction phenotypes and consequently may serve as mediators of behavioural trait transmission between generations. The majority of studies investigating the role of epigenetics in addiction do not consider the influence of social interactions. This shortcoming in current experimental approaches necessitates developing social models that reflect the addictive behaviour in a free-living social environment. Furthermore, this review also reports on the advancement of interventions for drug addiction and takes into account the emerging roles of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in the etiology of drug addiction and that HDAC may be a potential therapeutic target at nucleosomal level to improve treatment outcomes.     

Model Reduction via Reducibility Matrix

In this work, a new model reduction technique is introduced. The proposed technique is derived using the matrix reducibility concept. The eigenvalues of the reduced model are preserved; that is, the reduced model eigenvalues are a subset of the full order model eigenvalues. This preservation of the eigenvalues makes the mathematical model closer to the physical model. Finally, the outcomes of this method are fully illustrated using simulations of two numeric examples     

Total thyroidectomy is safer with identification of recurrent laryngeal nerve

Objective： To investigate the effect of recurrent laryngeal nerve （RLN） identification on the complications after total thyroidectomy and lobectomy. Methods： Total 134 consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy or thyroid lobectomy from January 2003 to November 2004 were investigated retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups： RLN identified （Group A） or not （Group B）. The two groups were compared for RLN injury and hypocalcaemia. Results： The numbers of patients and nerves at risk were 71 and 129 in Group A, and 63 and 121 in Group B, respectively, RLN injury in Group A （0） was significantly lower than that in Group B （5 [7.9%]） patients, 7 [5.8%] nerves） for the numbers of patients （P=0.016） and nerves at risk （P=0.006）. Temporary hypocalcaemia was significantly higher in Group A than in Group B （14 [24.1%] vs 6 [ 10.3%], P=0.049）, Permanent complications in Group B were significantly higher than those in Group A （13 [20.6%] vs 4 [5.6%], P=0.009）. Conclusion： RLN injury was prevented and permanent complications were decreased by identifying the whole course and branches of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during total thyroidectomy,     

气相色谱实验教学的实践与体会

以气相色谱实验为例,阐述了怎样在很短的教学时间之内,将课堂教学内容与实际实验相结合、实验技术与技巧相结合,虚拟抽象内容与实物相结合的一些方法,并介绍了在增加实验教学的知识性、生动性和趣味性方面的一些做法。     

Characteristic spectral studies and in vitro antifungal activity of some Schiff bases and their organotin (Ⅳ) complexes

The synthesis and in vitro antifungal activity of some Schiff bases and their Sn (Ⅳ) complexes has been tested against plant pathogenic fungi and it is found that they possess excellent fungicidal activity. On the basis of ^1H-, ^13C-,^119Sn NMR-, ^119Sn Mǒssbauer, IR and Elemental analysis the tetrahedral geometry is proposed for the synthesized compounds.