Vaccine effectiveness is not

assured, however. Several BMS-907351 supplier studies have evaluated the tetanus vaccine responsiveness of children and adolescents on HAART. Those who are immunosuppressed when starting HAART have reduced capacity to mount protective responses to toxoid antigens, especially during the first year on HAART [32]. Achieving viral suppression may have limited effect on restoring memory responses to tetanus toxoid, and on-HAART antibody responses are reduced in magnitude and durability [31, 37]. Tetanus-specific lymphocyte proliferation and antibody responses seem to be suppressed in the longer term, but this is possibly independent of the timing of vaccination [32] or HAART initiation [36]. One study determined that anti-tetanus antibody titres declined from 27 times the baseline level to

3 times baseline within 32 weeks in HIV-infected children, whereas HIV-uninfected children used as historical controls achieved higher peak responses (180 times baseline), which were then sustained for 12 months post-vaccination (29 times baseline) [38]. Another small study of pre- and post-tetanus booster responses in complete versus incomplete HAART responders showed modest cellular selleck chemicals llc and humoral responses in both groups, with poor durability [17], the antibody titres decaying rapidly within 1 year. So, despite numerical reconstitution over the first year on HAART, reimmunization rather than a single booster may be necessary to achieve durable protective anti-tetanus titres. Diphtheria is a weaker antigen than tetanus, and immunity wanes more rapidly in healthy children. In one study of children on HAART [37], 40–65% achieved protective vaccine-induced diphtheria antibodies, with some correlation with the degree of viral suppression achieved. Monitoring both tetanus- and diphtheria-specific titres can guide the need for reinforcing doses of vaccine. HIV-infected children should receive booster tetanus

vaccination (as a combined tetanus and diphtheria vaccine) much at least 10-yearly and antibody titres should be measured 5-yearly to guide additional boosting requirements. Given their favourable safety profile, acellular pertussis vaccines rather than whole-cell preparations are recommended for both the primary course in infancy and reinforcing doses. Studies on pertussis vaccine responsiveness are hampered by a lack of standardized functional assays and clinically relevant correlates of protection. Available data on HIV-positive children indicate that low CD4 cell count is associated with poor responsiveness in those not receiving HAART [39], while treated children mounted better responses to a reinforcing dose if their previous antibody titres were high, and if the degrees of CD4 recovery and viral suppression were greater.

The results suggest that the

population of nuclei in an individual plasmodium behaves synchronously in terms of gene regulation to an extent that the plasmodium provides a source for macroscopic amounts of homogeneous single-cell material for analysing the dynamic processes of cellular reprogramming. Based on the experimental findings, we predict that circuits with switch-like behaviour that control the cell fate decision of a multinucleate plasmodium operate through continuous changes in the concentration of cellular regulators because the nuclear population suspended in a large cytoplasmic volume damps stochastic noise. “
“Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes are universal Gefitinib for all living organisms. Yet, the correspondence between genome composition and rRNA phylogeny remains poorly known. The aim of this study was to use the information from genome sequence databases to address the correlation between rRNA gene phylogeny and total gene composition in bacteria. This was done by analysing 327 genomes

with TIGRFAM functional gene annotations. Our approach consisted of two steps. First, we searched for discriminatory clusters of co-occurring genes. Using a multivariate statistical approach, we identified Torin 1 11 such clusters which contain genes that were co-occurring only in a subset of genomes and contributed to explain the gene content differences between genome subsets. Second, we mapped the discovered clusters to 16S rRNA-based phylogeny and calculated the correlation between co-occuring genes and phylogeny. Six of the 11 clusters exhibited significant correlation with 16S rRNA gene phylogeny. The most distinct phylogenetic finding was a high correlation between iron–sulfur oxidoreductases in combination with carbon nitrogen ligases and Chlorobium. The other correlations identified covered relatively large

phylogroups: Actinobacteria were positively associated with kinases, while Gammaproteobacteria were positively associated with methylases and acyltransferases. The suggested functional differences between higher phylogroups, however, need experimental verification. “
“Streptomyces transglutaminase (TGase) Resveratrol is secreted as a zymogen (pro-TGase) in liquid cultures and is then processed by the removal of its N-terminal region, resulting in active TGase. To date, there is no report describing TGase (or pro-TGase) secretion in Escherichia coli. In this study, the pro-TGase from Streptomyces hygroscopicus was efficiently secreted by E. coliBL21(DE3) using the TGase signal peptide or the pelB signal peptide. The secreted pro-TGase was efficiently transformed into active TGase by adding dispase to the culture supernatant of the recombinant strains.

, 1998; Siddiqui & Mahmood, 1999; Siddiqui, 2002), the nematicidal-related genes of B. subtilis were not identified. This study identified nematicidal activity associated with the purL gene that encodes a FGAM synthase Anti-infection Compound high throughput screening II which catalyzes the conversion of FGAR into FGAM in the purine biosynthetic pathway. The purine biosynthesis pathway plays an important

role in metabolism and is involved not only in the synthesis of nucleic acids but also in the synthesis of various intermediates which are the precursors associated with other biosynthetic pathways. Previous studies have reported that purL present in some Rhizobium spp. affected nodulation processes (Newman et al., 1994; Giraud et al., 2007; Xie et al., 2009). In B. subtilis, FGAM synthase activity requires three proteins: smPurL (∼80 kDa), PurQ (∼25 kDa) and PurS (∼10 kDa) at a ratio of 1 : 1 : 2 (Saxild & Nygaard, 2000; Anand et al., 2004; Hoskins et al., 2004). This is the first report demonstrating that the purL gene of OKB105 influenced nematicidal activity. Disruption of purL in the M1 mutant affected FGAM synthase II synthesis, whose amino acid sequence is dissimilar that of bacterial extracellular proteases (Siddiqui et al., 2005; Huang et al., 2005; Niu et al., 2006; Tian et

al., 2006). This observation, in combination with the data presented Forskolin concentration in this report, suggested that FGAM synthase II did not mediate the nematicidal Lck activity observed. Because FGAM synthase II is involved in the purine biosynthesis pathway and some intermediates are produced by this pathway, we deduced that the nematicidal substance was likely derived from these intermediates. Not only did the culture filtrates of complemented M1 show similar nematicidal activity against M. javanica as wild-type OKB105 filtrates, but M1 nematicidal activity was restored following the

addition of adenine and thiamine or AICA-riboside similar to Rhizobium spp. purL mutants showed restored nodulation ability following the addition of adenine and thiamine or AICA-riboside (Ana et al., 2003; Worland et al., 1999; Xie et al., 2009), indicating that OKB105 nematicidal activity was affected by purL via the generation of purine biosynthesis pathway intermediates. The above results demonstrated that the purL gene regulated the production of purine biosynthesis intermediates which affected the nematicidal activity of strain OKB105. However, the specific mechanism of action remains unclear. Further studies will be required to elucidate the nematicidal mechanism. In addition, the purine biosynthesis also involves other genes (Saxild & Nygaard, 1988). Whether disruption of these genes affects nematicidal activity of OKB105 is a matter for further study.

In this report, we identified 11 proteins containing histidine triad motifs from S. suis 2, and three of them were revealed to have the characteristics of histidine triad family proteins. Both SSU05_1267 and SSU05_1577 are homologous to InlA. SSU05_1577 also shows similarity to Slr and Blr, two InlA-like proteins of S. pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae, with the histidine triad motifs in the N-terminal region and leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) in

the C-terminal region. Although both Slr and Blr have been shown to be cell surface-associated proteins, their biological function and protective capacity are poorly understood (Reid et al., 2003; Waldemarsson et al., 2006). HtpS, Z-VAD-FMK supplier one of the three histidine triad family proteins of S. suis 2 described in this report, is homologous to HtpA and PhtD, which have been shown to be protective antigens (Adamou et al., 2001; Kunitomo et al., 2008). The htpS gene is distributed in 83% (29/35) of the tested S. suis reference strains of different serotypes and highly conserved in the four genome-sequenced S. suis 2 strains of different geographic origins. FCM and Western blotting confirmed that HtpS is a cell surface-associated protein. It is worth noting that although no palpable TSA HDAC purchase LPXTG motif was present in HtpS, or Pht proteins and HtpA, this family of proteins

could be exposed to the cell surface by an unknown mechanism. However, it was predicted that N-terminal hydrophobic leader sequences of this protein

family are involved in targeting them to the bacterial cell surface (Adamou et al., 2001). Considering that recent reports have proposed that the histidine triad protein family protein HtpA was associated with zinc transport (Kunitomo et al., 2008), and that Pht proteins were involved in C3 deposition by means of directly binding to complement factor H (Ogunniyi et al., 2009), histidine triad protein family proteins may play important roles in the physiology and pathogenesis of Streptococcus. Immunological data showed that HtpS reacted strongly with convalescent-phase sera from pigs infected by S. suis 2, indicating that HtpS is expressed and exposed in vivo, and could be recognized by the immune system and elicit a host response during the natural infection of S. suis 2. We also observed that immunization with rHtpS could Urocanase elicit specific antibody responses in mice. It is believed that antibodies specific to external antigens of microbial pathogens are critical factors of humoral immunity in the protection of the host against invasive diseases (Lancefield et al., 1975; Matthews & Burnie, 1998; Corbeil, 2002; Glatman-Freedman, 2006; Campos et al., 2008; Granoff, 2009). Our experiment on C3 deposition demonstrated that antibodies to HtpS increased C3 deposition on S. suis 2. This could be considered to be the reason why the survival of S. suis 2 was decreased in whole blood containing anti-HtpS sera.

Although infective endocarditis is frequently associated with splinter hemorrhages, and has been reported in patients with histoplasmosis, it is unlikely to have occurred in this patient. In histoplasma endocarditis the left-sided valves are more commonly affected, and approximately half of the patients have prior valvular FK506 concentration disease. Echocardiography usually shows extensive valvular lesions, and the disease is unlikely to respond promptly to medical treatment alone.[11] In this case, TEE revealed

no vegetations or valvular abnormalities, and all symptoms and signs resolved promptly with medical treatment alone. In addition, the patient had no other disease or condition associated with splinter hemorrhages. We thus hypothesize that

splinter hemorrhages can be a manifestation of disseminated histoplasmosis itself. Diagnosis of histoplasmosis relies on culture, histopathology, serologic tests, and antigen detection,[12] although culture is considered the gold standard for confirmation. Because histoplasmosis is not endemic in Israel, our laboratory does not have sufficient experience with identification by culture, and we rely on the use of PCR to confirm the final diagnosis. Moreover selleck antibody serologic tests are known to be unreliable, especially in disseminated disease,[13] and culture yield is probably low in travelers,[12] emphasizing the need for faster and newer diagnostic strategies. PtdIns(3,4)P2 Histoplasmosis is uncommon among returning travelers, and mostly presents as a pulmonary disease. When histoplasmosis is encountered among travelers,

it is commonly associated with cave exploration and appears in outbreaks associated with a common source.[14-18] However this is not always the case, and sometimes an environmental source of the infection is not found. Clinicians should therefore be aware of this uncommon infection and its various clinical manifestations in patients with the appropriate travel history. The authors state they have no conflicts of interest. “
“Rabies is an irreversible, fatal disease most frequently characterized by acute encephalitis that causes approximately 55,000 deaths annually in Africa and Asia. Disease occurs when rabies virus, a Lyssavirus, is transmitted to a human via the saliva of an infected mammalian carnivore or bat, usually a dog, if it comes in contact with mucous membranes or enters the body via a bite, scratch, or lick on broken skin. Animal reservoirs for rabies exist in all continental areas worldwide. Deaths are presumed to be underreported in areas with poor access to medical facilities. Children are considered to be at a higher risk than adults.1,2 Although the risk of contracting rabies in developed countries is generally low, those who travel to areas with high epizootic endemicity are at increased risk of exposure and death.

4 Clark MA, Hartley phosphatase inhibitor library A, Geh JI. Cancer of the anal canal. Lancet Oncol 2004; 5: 149–157. 5 Kim JH, Sarani B, Orkin BA et al. HIV-positive patients with anal carcinoma have poorer treatment tolerance and outcome than HIV-negative patients. Dis Colon Rectum 2001; 44: 1496–1502. 6 Chiao EY, Giordano TP, Richardson P, El-Serag HB. Human immunodeficiency virus-associated squamous cell cancer of the anus: epidemiology and outcomes in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era. J Clin Oncol 2008; 26: 474–479. 7 Shiels MS, Pfeiffer RM, Engels EA. Age at cancer diagnosis among persons with AIDS in the

United States. Ann Intern Med 2010; 153: 452–460. 8 Kreuter A, Potthoff A, Brockmeyer NH et al. Anal carcinoma in human immunodeficiency virus-positive men: results of a prospective study from Germany. Br J Dermatol 2010; 162: 1269–1277. 9 Piketty C, Selinger-Leneman H, Bouvier AM et al. Incidence of HIV-related buy Ganetespib anal cancer remains increased despite long-term combined antiretroviral treatment: results from the French Hospital Database on HIV. J Clin Oncol 2012; 30: 4360–4366. 10 Silverberg MJ, Lau B, Justice AC et al. Risk

of anal cancer in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals in North America. Clin Infect Dis 2012; 54: 1026–1034. 11 Bower M, Powles T, Newsom-Davis T et al. HIV-associated anal cancer: has highly active antiretroviral therapy reduced the incidence or improved the outcome? J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2004; 37: 1563–1565. 12 Clifford GM, Polesel

J, Rickenbach M et al. Cancer risk in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study: associations with immunodeficiency, smoking, and highly active antiretroviral therapy. J Natl Cancer Inst 2005; 97: 425–432. 13 Diamond C, Taylor TH, Aboumrad T et al. Increased PRKACG incidence of squamous cell anal cancer among men with AIDS in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Sex Transm Dis 2005; 32: 314–320. 14 Engels EA, Pfeiffer RM, Goedert JJ et al. Trends in cancer risk among people with AIDS in the United States 1980–2002. AIDS 2006; 20: 1645–1654. 15 Piketty C, Selinger-Leneman H, Grabar S et al. Marked increase in the incidence of invasive anal cancer among HIV-infected patients despite treatment with combination antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2008; 22: 1203–1211. 16 Franceschi S, Lise M, Clifford GM et al. Changing patterns of cancer incidence in the early- and late-HAART periods: the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. Br J Cancer 2010; 103: 416–422. 17 Crum-Cianflone NF, Hullsiek KH, Marconi VC et al. Anal cancers among HIV-infected persons: HAART is not slowing rising incidence. AIDS 2010; 24: 535–543. 18 Beckmann AM, Daling JR, Sherman KJ et al. Human papillomavirus infection and anal cancer. Int J Cancer 1989; 43: 1042–1049. 19 Palefsky JM. Anal squamous intraepithelial lesions: relation to HIV and human papillomavirus infection. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 1999; 21(Suppl 1): S42–48. 20 Machalek DA, Poynten M, Jin F et al.

No lysis of other B. flavum ATCC strains, B. lactofermentum BLOB or C. glutamicum RM3 was observed. Consequently, the same strains were used for lysis studies of BFK20 endolysin along with two controls –B. subtilis wt PY79 (Gram-positive control) and E. coli XL1 Blue (Gram-negative control). The corynebacteria and bacilli cells were prepared as described (Materials and methods). The purified BFK20 endolysin gp24′T (without His6Tag) and its catalytic domain gp24CD were used in the turbidity reduction assay. The lytic activity of BFK20 endolysin towards the host cells of B. flavum CCM 251 was not as strong (Fig. 4a) as might have been expected

based on the lytic activity of previously characterized endolysins (Low et al., 2005; Briers et al., 2007). Moreover, BFK20 endolysin Roscovitine concentration lysed the other six corynebacterial strains tested with higher efficiency than the original

host cells. Brevibacterium lactofermentum BLOB cells were lysed 20 times faster by the entire endolysin compared with lysis of B. flavum CCM 251 cells (Fig. 4c). Corynebacterium glutamicum RM3 and B. flavum ATCC strains 21474, 21128, 21127 and 21129 were also lysed more efficiently AUY-922 concentration (Fig. 4a and c). Interestingly, the lytic activity of the catalytic domain alone (gp24CD) was 13 times higher on the host cell substrate than that of the entire endolysin and about eight times higher for the other corynebacterial strains (Fig. 4b and c). Possibly the antibacterial activity of BFK20 endolysin was increased by removing

the cell wall binding domain. Similarly, other lysins have been reported to exhibit higher antibacterial activity after removal of their C-terminal domains (Borysowski et al., 2006). The C-terminal domain is responsible for binding to the bacterial cell wall but it could also interact with the catalytic domain before the interaction with the cell wall substrate (Fischetti, many 2010). A high-affinity binding to the catalytic domain may aid in controlling diffusion of the endolysin molecules after the phage progeny is released from the host cell. Neighboring host cells that are not yet infected by phages may be killed by the released endolysin molecules and this might either prevent or reduce new infections. It is possible that a similar inhibition of the catalytic domain activity by an interaction with the cell wall binding domain occurs in the BFK20 endolysin. We confirmed that BFK20 endolysin and its catalytic domain possess antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (corynebacteria, B. subtilis) (Fig. 5a and b). No degradation of Gram-negative E. coli was observed (Fig. 5a and b). Amidases generally have been suggested to display a broader spectrum of antibacterial activity than the other classes of endolysins because of the very frequent occurrence of the amide bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and l-alanine in peptidoglycan.

This review demonstrates international travelers are at risk of HBV and HCV infection and provides evidence-based information enabling health practitioners to provide more appropriate pre-travel advice. HBV vaccination should be considered in all travelers to countries with a moderate to high HBV prevalence (HBsAg ≥ 2%) and the risk and benefits discussed with the individuals in consultation with the health practitioner. There is no duration of travel

without risk of HBV infection. However, it is apparent that those travelers with a longer duration of travel are at greatest risk of HBV infection (ie, expatriates). Navitoclax clinical trial Travelers should also receive advice regarding the modes of transmission and the activities that place them at risk of both HBV and HCV infection. Over the last three decades, the number of international travelers has risen dramatically. In 2011, the number of international tourist arrivals was 983 million worldwide up from 799 million arrivals in 2005 and 435 million arrivals in 1990.[1] Worldwide, an estimated 350 to 400 million people are living with chronic

hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and 170 million with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection,[2] placing a large number of travelers at risk of both HBV and HCV infection. While the incidence of HBV infection in long-term RG-7388 in vitro travelers (expatriates) has been reasonably well described, there is minimal information Chlormezanone available to guide health practitioners on the risks of HBV infection

among short-term travelers or of travel-associated HCV infection. This review focuses on the epidemiology of HBV and HCV in international travelers, the modes of transmission, and the prevention strategies. Evidence-based information is crucial to facilitate informed decision making and support health practitioners in providing more appropriate pre-travel advice. HBV is part of the Hepadnaviridae family in the genus Orthohepadnavirus. It is the leading cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide resulting in 500,000 to 1.2 million deaths per year.[2, 3] The prevalence of HBV infection varies widely, so the risk of HBV infection to travelers will alter depending on destination. There are areas of low prevalence (0.1%–2%) including Australia, the United States, Canada, and Western Europe; areas of intermediate prevalence (2%–7% HBsAg+ve) in parts of central Asia, Central and South America, and Eastern Europe; and areas of high prevalence (≥8% HBsAg+ve) in China, Africa, and countries within the Middle East and Southeast Asia (Figure 1).[4, 5] It is estimated that 88% of the world’s population live in intermediate- to high-prevalence countries and >2 billion people have been infected worldwide.[6] The global prevalence of HBV infection and the risk to travelers are likely to decrease as universal vaccination of infants is progressively introduced[7, 8] (Table 1).

Although the results were not directly comparable, they all indicated greater willingness to participate in ‘high-incidence’ men. Finally, the questions on willingness to participate in rectal

microbicide and trials of ARVs to prevent HIV infection were asked only in the final 2 years of the study period (2006–2007). In Australia and in other low-incidence resource-rich settings [42], HIV vaccine efficacy trials including MSM have already been conducted. Population-specific information is also needed for other HIV interventions such as PREP and microbicides in these settings. We have demonstrated here that the selection of well-defined and pragmatic eligibility criteria led to the identification of a cohort of Australian gay men at AZD9668 concentration high risk of HIV infection, who were more willing than men at lower risk of HIV infection to be involved in HIV prevention trials. Targeted recruitment strategies would aid in enrolling sufficient numbers

www.selleckchem.com/products/pci-32765.html of men to make these trials feasible. Effectiveness trials of all HIV biomedical prevention technologies could be undertaken in low HIV prevalence resource-rich settings such as Australia. Such research is necessary to provide effectiveness and acceptability data in the at-risk communities who may use these interventions. The authors thank all the participants, the dedicated HIM study team and the participating doctors and clinics. Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest. Sources of support: The National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research and the National Centre in HIV Social Research are funded by the Australian Government Department

of Health and Ageing. The Health in Men Cohort study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services (NIH/NIAID/DAIDS: HVDDT Award N01-AI-05395), the National STK38 Health and Medical Research Council in Australia (Project grant 400944), the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (Canberra) and the New South Wales Health Department (Sydney). M.P. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Public Health Postgraduate Scholarship. “
“The accuracy and precision of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations based on plasma creatinine (GFRcr), cystatin C (GFRcys) and the combination of these markers (GFRcr-cys) have recently been assessed in HIV-infected individuals. We assessed the associations of GFR, estimated by these three equations, with clinical events in HIV-infected individuals. We compared the associations of baseline GFRcr, GFRcys and GFRcr-cys [using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations] with mortality, cardiovascular events (CVEs) and opportunistic diseases (ODs) in the Strategies for the Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (SMART) study.

In the sham sessions, electrodes were placed and triggers were set

as in the tSOS sessions, but the stimulator remained off. Post-experimental debriefing ensured that subjects were not aware of whether or not they had been stimulated. The EEG was recorded with Ag/AgCl electrodes placed at Fz, C3, Cz, C4, P3, Pz, and P4, according to the 10–20 system, all referenced to an electrode attached to the nose. The ground electrode was placed on the forehead (Fpz). Electrode impedances were < 5 kΩ. EEG signals were recorded with a Neurofax EEG-9200 (Nihon Kohden Corporation, Tokyo, Japan), and filtered between 0.05 and 30 Hz. Additionally, horizontal and vertical eye movements and a chin electromyogram were recorded for standard polysomnography and for artefact detection. All recordings were sampled at 500 Hz and stored for later offline analyses. selleck inhibitor Sleep stages (1, 2, 3, and 4, and REM sleep), wakefulness time and movement artefacts were scored offline for 30-s intervals (Rechtschaffen

& Kales, 1968). Analyses of the acute effects of tSOS on the sleep EEG signal during the 4-min periods of stimulation were focused on the spindle frequency band (9–15 Hz). As several studies have shown that the slow oscillation has a synchronizing effect on spindles, we expected that acute effects of the stimulation would primarily show up in the spindle band frequency, although we also performed exploratory analyses for the faster beta see more frequency band (15–20 Hz). Because of the strong contamination in the EEG originating from the stimulation signal, which also prevented the standard scoring of sleep stages for these periods, all activity below 4 Hz

was removed by means of a digital finite impulse response filter. This analysis was also restricted to the parietal channels (P3, Pz, and P4), because of saturation artefacts in the recorded signals of all other channels caused by the high amplitudes during stimulation. For these 4-min periods, the band-pass-filtered (5–25 Hz) EEG signal was subjected to the calculation of time–frequency plots of wavelet power in a time window ± 2 s around the sine wave peak of the tSOS signal. Additionally, we visually scored and compared arousals during the stimulation Verteporfin in vitro and sham stimulation periods by using the electromyogram, vertical and horizontal electrooculogram and EEG in Pz. For both conditions, we applied a 5-Hz high-pass filter on all four signals before scoring of arousals. In addition to changes occurring during ongoing stimulation, the effects of tSOS on sleep and EEG activity were analysed for 1-min intervals, starting 3 s after the termination of a 4-min period of tSOS or sham stimulation. The analyses concentrated on the first six of these stimulation periods, because this was the minimum number of stimulation periods applied in each subject in both conditions (number of stimulations for sham/tSOS conditions: 6/6 for n = 2; 7/7 for n = 1; 8/8 for n = 10; 7/8 for n = 1; 8/6 for n = 1).