057; 0.194]). This association was found only for NYHA functional class and depression-not for NT-proBNP and LVEF. Conclusions Experiencing depression and associated symptoms, such as lack of energy and fatigue, may lead to a further decrease of functional capacity, and consequently to a higher NYHA functional class in CHF patients. As NYHA functional class is associated with higher mortality, this may be a critical development for affected patients. Further studies are required to investigate whether or not this association could be an essential key that explains the pathway from depression to increased mortality in heart failure patients.As this investigative team aptly notes, uptake of hs-Tn in the US has lagged compared to the rest of the world. While reasons for this lie primarily with approval delays at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there remains a reluctance in many institutions to shift from conventional assays to their more sensitive counterparts. When pressed, decision makers at such facilities point to the absence of US data and feign uncertainty about potential accuracy in “their” patient populations. It is within this void that Peackock et al present new(ish) data on Beckman Coulter’s high sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) assay, showing that it can reliably identify emergency department (ED) patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who have not sustained myocardial injury. Such work is important from a validation perspective, though incremental at best, providing information that is really a mirror image of itself (i.e, absence of of a protein that reflects myocardial injury indicates absence of myocardial injury). Said another way, publication of data showing that the Beckman Coulter hsTnI assay can effectively rule out myocardial injury may be necessary to convince skeptics of its safety profile but the exercise is merely revealing an inherent truth based on known characteristics of the underlying pathophysiology and lab medicine. That this analysis included an all-comer prospective cohort of ED patients does make the findings unique and adds to their applicability, though it does not alter this perspective.Background Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) are responsible for transporting sex pheromones and general odorant binding proteins (GOBPs) have been proposed to transport host-plant volatiles. A large number of OBPs have been identified from Lepidoptera insect species. However, olfactory molecular biology and physiology studies on PBP and GOBP proteins in sugarcane pests were limited. Chilo infuscatellus is one of the most widely distributed pests in sugarcane producing areas. Pirfenidone Results Three PBPs (CinfPBP1, CinfPBP2 and CinfPBP3) and two GOBPs (CinfGOBP1 and CinfGOBP2) were identified and five olfactory gene transcripts were abundantly expressed in the antennae. The binding assays showed the CinfPBP1-3 exhibited strong binding affinity to the sex pheromone component Z11-16 OH and 16 OH of C. infuscatellus. Meanwhile, the CinfGOBP1-2 had high binding affinities with its host-plant volatiles from sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum). The field trapping results suggested four volatile components including Octadecane, (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, α-Terpineol and Hexadecane from host plants and sex pheromones mixed baits play synergistic roles in attracting C. infuscatellus adult moths. Conclusion Functional characterization of CinfPBPs and CinfGOBPs in C. infuscatellus could help us to find new environmentally friendly alternative pest control strategies to conventional pest control using pesticides in the sugarcane field. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The term Spodium (Sp) bond is proposed to refer to a net attractive interaction between any element of group 12 and electron rich atoms (Lewis bases or anions). We argue how these noncovalent interactions are markedly different from coordination bonds (antibonding Sp-Ligand orbital involved). We provide evidence of the existence of this interaction by calculations at the RI-MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory, atoms-in-molecules and natural bond orbital analyses and by examining solid state structures in the Cambridge Structure Database.In an effort to improve the presentation of and information within tables and figures in clinical urology research, we propose a set of appropriate guidelines. We introduce six principles (1) include graphs only if they improve the reader’s ability to understand the study findings; (2) think through how a graph might best convey information, do not just select a graph from preselected options on statistical software; (3) do not use graphs to replace reporting key numbers in the text of a paper; (4) graphs should give an immediate visual impression of the data; (5) make it beautiful; and (6) make the labels and legend clear and complete. We present a list of quick “dos and don’ts” for both tables and figures. Investigators should feel free to break any of the guidelines if it would result in a beautiful figure or a clear table that communicates data effectively. That said, we believe that the quality of tables and figures in the medical literature would improve if these guidelines were to be followed. PATIENT SUMMARY A set of guidelines were developed for presenting figures and tables in urology research. The guidelines were developed by a broad group of statistical experts with special interest in urology.Glycoproteins could be highly sialylated and controlling the sialic acid levels for some therapeutic proteins is critical to ensure product consistency and efficacy. N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac, or NANA) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc, or NGNA) are two most common forms of sialic acids produced in mammalian cells. As Neu5Gc is not produced in humans and can elicit immune responses, minimizing Neu5Gc formation is important in controlling this quality attribute for complex glycoproteins. In this study, a sialylated glycoprotein was used as the model molecule to study the effect of culture osmolality on Neu5Gc. A 14-day fed-batch process with osmolality maintained at physiological levels produced high level of Neu5Gc. Increase of culture osmolality reduced Neu5Gc level up to 70-80%, and the effect was proportional to the osmolality level. Through evaluating different osmolality conditions (300-450 mOsm/kg) under low or high pCO2 , we demonstrated that osmolality could be an effective process lever to modulate the Neu5Gc level.