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pubmed_770_13696
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Monomac monochannel and Minimac multichannel cochlear implants bring to the remaining hearing fibers sound information that is previously converted into adequate electric signals. Both function at constant currents. The Monomac monocanal system possesses only one electrode implanted either inside or outside the cochlea and sends off sound of basic laryngeal rythm to all the nervous fibers. The Minimac is entirely numerical and sends off the whole of the sound information by splitting it into 15 frequency tracks, to 15 electrodes inserted within the scala tympani by means of an electrode-holder. Programming allows for selecting specific values from each frequency track and thus regulating the needed compression individually. Both these implants (Monomac and Minimac) work no conflictlessly but complementarily to each other because they answer different, well-defined clinical needs.
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pubmed_770_13696
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pubmed_1025_2045
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The phytochemical system of mustard-oil glucosides (glucosinolates) accompanied by the hydrolytic enzyme myrosinase (beta-thioglucosidase), the latter usually compartmented in special myrosin cells, characterizes plants in 16 families of angiosperms. Traditional classifications place these taxa in many separate orders and thus imply multiple convergences in the origin of this chemical defense system. DNA sequencing of the chloroplast rbcL gene for representatives of all 16 families and several putative relatives, with phylogenetic analyses by parsimony and maximum likelihood methods, demonstrated instead a single major clade of mustard-oil plants and one phylogenetic outlier. In a further independent test, DNA sequencing of the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA gene for all these exemplars has yielded the same result, a major mustard-oil clade of 15 families (Akaniaceae, Bataceae, Brassicaceae, Bretschneideraceae, Capparaceae, Caricaceae, Gyrostemonaceae, Koeberliniaceae, Limnanthaceae, Moringaceae, Pentadiplandraceae, Resedaceae, Salvadoraceae, Tovariaceae, and Tropaeolaceae) and one outlier, the genus Drypetes, traditionally placed in Euphorbiaceae. Concatenating the two gene sequences (for a total of 3254 nucleotides) in a data set for 33 taxa, we obtain robust support for this finding of parallel origins of glucosinolate biosynthesis. From likely cyanogenic ancestors, the "mustard oil bomb" was invented twice.
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pubmed_1025_2045
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pubmed_516_7278
|
BACKGROUND
Factors related to DNA damage and altered immunologic responses, such as reactive oxygen species production, are associated with the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to evaluate NHL risk with intakes of vegetables, fruit, and nutrients involved in antioxidant activities.
DESIGN
Incident case subjects aged 20-74 y were identified between 1998 and 2000 from a National Cancer Institute-sponsored study by using four Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. Control subjects, who were selected by random dialing (< 65 y) and from Medicare files (> or = 65 y), were matched to cases by age, center, race, and sex. Of 1321 case and 1057 control subjects who enrolled, dietary data were collected on a subset (466 cases and 391 controls). Carotenoid intakes were estimated by using updated values from the US Department of Agriculture nutrient databases. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.
RESULTS
NHL risk was inversely associated with higher number of weekly servings of all vegetables (multivariable OR for highest compared with lowest quartile: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.95; P for trend = 0.04), green leafy vegetables (OR: 0.59; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.96; P for trend = 0.01), and cruciferous vegetables (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.00; P for trend = 0.05) and with higher daily intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.91; P for trend = 0.06) and zinc (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.36, 0.91; P for trend = 0.02). An effect modification by exercise and NHL subtype was observed with some food groups and nutrients.
CONCLUSION
Higher intakes of vegetables, lutein and zeaxanthin, and zinc are associated with a lower NHL risk.
|
10.1093/ajcn/83.6.1401
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pubmed_870_9512
|
Clq was comparatively quantified with CH50 or C3 in sera of patients with various types of cutaneous vasculitis and collagen diseases. The following results were found: 1) Elevated levels of Clq were seen much more frequently in cutaneous vasculitis and PSS. 2) No significant correlations were found between Clq and CH50 or C3, except for a moderate rank correlation between Clq and C3 in SLE. 3) The amount of hydroxyproline in serum (collagen-like protein) is nearly identical with the calculated value of that present in Clq.
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pubmed_870_9512
|
pubmed_905_25982
|
Recent investigations strongly suggest that Raman spectroscopy (RS) can be used as a clinical tool in cancer diagnosis to improve diagnostic accuracy. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of Raman imaging microscopy to discriminate between healthy and neoplastic thyroid tissue, by analyzing main variants of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC), the most common type of thyroid cancer. We performed Raman imaging of large tissue areas (from 100 × 100 μm2 up to 1 × 1 mm2), collecting 38 maps containing about 9000 Raman spectra. Multivariate statistical methods, including Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), were applied to translate Raman spectra differences between healthy and PTC tissues into diagnostically useful information for a reliable tissue classification. Our study is the first demonstration of specific biochemical features of the PTC profile, characterized by significant presence of carotenoids with respect to the healthy tissue. Moreover, this is the first evidence of Raman spectra differentiation between classical and follicular variant of PTC, discriminated by LDA with high efficiency. The combined histological and Raman microscopy analyses allow clear-cut integration of morphological and biochemical observations, with dramatic improvement of efficiency and reliability in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic thyroid nodules, paving the way to integrative findings for tumorigenesis and novel therapeutic strategies.
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10.1038/srep35117
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pubmed_328_23388
|
PROBLEM
The accuracy of Chlamydia trachomatis antibody test in predicting tubal factor infertility (TFI) is limited, and more accurate methods are needed. Cell-mediated immune response (CMI) is crucial in the resolution of pathogen, but it may play an important role in the pathogenesis of C trachomatis-associated tubal damage. We studied whether combining the markers of C trachomatis-induced CMI to humoral immune response improves the accuracy of serology in TFI prediction.
METHOD OF STUDY
Our prospective study consists of 258 subfertile women, of whom 22 (8.5%) had TFI. Women with other causes for subfertility served as a reference group. Serum C trachomatis major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and chlamydial heat-shock protein 60 (cHSP60) IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA. CMI was studied by lymphocyte proliferation assay in vitro.
RESULTS
Serological markers were more prevalent in women with TFI than in other subfertile women (40.9% vs 12.3% for MOMP IgG and 27.3% vs 10.2% for cHSP60 IgG). The best test combination for TFI was C. trachomatis MOMP and cHSP60 antibody with an accuracy of 90.3%, sensitivity of 22.7% and specificity of 96.6%. Positive post-test probability of this combination was 54.2%, and negative post-test probability was 12.4%. Adding of the markers of CMI did not significantly improve the accuracy of serology in TFI prediction.
CONCLUSION
The accuracy of TFI prediction increases when the combination of C trachomatis MOMP and cHSP60 antibody tests is used. C trachomatis-induced CMI was common in our study population, but the markers of CMI did not predict TFI.
|
10.1111/aji.13051
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pubmed_495_13604
|
Culicoides biting midges were intermittently collected between July 1988 and December 1992 in the Umlalazi Nature. Reserve on the subtropical eastern coastal margin of South Africa. Altogether 34 species were collected in a diversity of habitats that included a mangrove community, dune forest and mixed thornveld. Most Culicoides were collected with the aid of light traps and whilst biting man. The pupae of ten species were collected from substrata in an open salt marsh, as well as from fresh and stagnant groundwater situations. It was the first time that the pupae of six of these ten species were collected. Of the species collected in light traps, the two most abundant species, C. leucostictus Kieffer (49.1% of 16,563 identified) and C. rhizophorensis Khamala & Kettle (22.3%), were also the two species found biting man. The larval habitat of C. leucostictus was widespread except in the more saline, tidal areas, but that of C. rhizophorensis appeared to be restricted to the tidal salt-march area. Two of the species collected, C. fulvithorax Austen and C. moreli Clastrier, are new records for South Africa.
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pubmed_495_13604
|
pubmed_14_9423
|
This article, the last in a series of three, discusses the evaluation of a project established to provide a programme of education for social services' home carers that focused on the development of skills relating to care work. This education was delivered by district nurses (DNs) to address a number of problems associated with the provision of personal care identified by the home carers and their DN colleagues. An action research framework was used to improve collaborative working between the staff of the two disciplines. The article outlines some of the key findings from the evaluation of the project in relation to the structure, the process and the outcome of the project. The project evaluation was mainly positive and this success can be partly attributed to the fact that an action research method was used to drive the project.
|
10.12968/bjcn.2001.6.2.74
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pubmed_1010_19503
|
Plants experience changes in light intensity and quality due to variations in solar angle and shading from clouds and overlapping leaves. Stomatal opening to increasing irradiance is often an order of magnitude slower than photosynthetic responses, which can result in CO2 diffusional limitations on leaf photosynthesis, as well as unnecessary water loss when stomata continue to open after photosynthesis has reached saturation. Stomatal opening to light is driven by two distinct pathways; the 'red' or photosynthetic response that occurs at high fluence rates and saturates with photosynthesis, and is thought to be the main mechanism that coordinates stomatal behaviour with photosynthesis; and the guard cell-specific 'blue' light response that saturates at low fluence rates, and is often considered independent of photosynthesis, and important for early morning stomatal opening. Here we review the literature on these complicated signal transduction pathways and osmoregulatory processes in guard cells that are influenced by the light environment. We discuss the possibility of tuning the sensitivity and magnitude of stomatal response to blue light which potentially represents a novel target to develop ideotypes with the 'ideal' balance between carbon gain, evaporative cooling, and maintenance of hydraulic status that is crucial for maximizing crop performance and productivity.
|
10.1093/jxb/erz563
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pubmed_1141_10819
|
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
Diaphragmatic injuries have been reported to be a predictor of serious associated injuries in trauma and a marker of severity. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify pitfalls in the diagnosis and treatment of these injuries in children.
METHODS
Data were collected from all patients admitted to the trauma service with traumatic diaphragmatic hernias for the period of January 1977 to August 1998. The authors evaluated 15 cases of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture (6 girls and 9 boys).
RESULTS
Mean age was 7.5 years (range, 3 weeks to 15 years). Thirteen patients suffered from blunt trauma, and 2 patients suffered from penetrating trauma. The right and left hemidiaphragms were injured equally (7 patients each), with 1 additional patient suffering from bilateral injuries. All but 1 patient had laparotomies for trauma (n = 14). The diagnosis was made preoperatively in 8 patients (53%) with just a chest radiograph. Computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and oral contrast studies were used as ancillary tests to diagnose traumatic diaphragmatic rupture. There were 3 missed injuries. Associated injuries included liver lacerations (47%), pelvic fractures (47%), major vessels tear (40%), bowel perforations (33%), long bone fractures (20%), renal lacerations (20%), splenic lacerations (13%), and closed head injuries (13%). The mean hospital stay was 20 days (range, 7 to 60 days). Complications were observed most commonly in those patients with multiple injuries and included postoperative ileus (40%), pneumonia (30%), pancreatitis (20%), wound infection (20%), intestinal obstruction (20%), cholestasis (10%), and renal failure (6%). Five deaths (33%) were caused by hemorrhagic shock, respiratory failure, coagulopathy, and refractory acidosis.
CONCLUSIONS
Traumatic diaphragmatic hernias usually are associated with serious injuries in children. It is important to combine a high index of suspicion with radiological diagnostic tests in patients at risk. Palpation and/or visualization of both diaphragms at laparotomy is extremely important in detecting these injuries when they are not suspected preoperatively.
|
10.1053/jpsu.2000.0350601
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pubmed_146_16551
|
There has been a transformation in the role of clinical pharmacologists in Australasia. The traditional approach was for medically qualified, college-accredited (postgraduate education), hospital-based clinical pharmacologists to confine themselves mainly to a local focus. Today many more opportunities exist for expanding the roles of health professionals who have the clinical pharmacology training. These professionals can influence national and international policy, practice, and education in their field. However, the new roles do require extra initiatives in providing educational input in clinical pharmacology to take care of future needs. Some of the potential gaps in the process are identified in this article.
|
10.1038/clpt.2008.49
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pubmed_275_12873
|
We collected samples from apparently healthy geese in the Playa Lakes Region (USA) during the winters of 2000-01 and 2001-02 to determine whether carriers of Pasteurella multocida, the bacterium that causes avian cholera, were present in wild populations. With the use of methods developed in laboratory challenge trials (Samuel et al., 2003a) and a serotype-specific polymerase chain reaction method for identification of P. multocida serotype 1, we found that a small proportion of 322 wild birds (<5%) were carriers of pathogenic P. multocida. On the basis of serology, an additional group of these birds (<10%) were survivors of recent avian cholera infection. Our results confirm the hypothesis that wild waterfowl are carriers of avian cholera and add support for the hypothesis that wild birds are a reservoir for this disease. In concert with other research, this work indicates that enzootic infection with avian cholera occurs in lesser snow goose (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) populations throughout their annual cycle. Although fewer Ross's geese (Chen rossii) were sampled, we also found these birds were carriers of P. multocida. Even in the absence of disease outbreaks, serologic evidence indicates that chronic disease transmission and recent infection are apparently occurring year-round in these highly gregarious birds and that a small portion of these populations are potential carriers with active infection.
|
10.7589/0090-3558-41.1.48
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pubmed_701_5617
|
Group administrations of the Screening Test of Adolescent Language have been successful in identifying students with English-language problems among groups of university students who include many recent immigrants from southeastern Asia. However, scoring several items requires subjective judgement. Accordingly, interrater reliability was investigated by having two independent examiners score the written responses of 299 first-year medical students at two Australian universities. The examiners produced very similar distributions of total scores with means of 20.36 and 19.36 and achieved a high agreement in the categorisation of students with English problems. The Spearman rank-order correlation of 0.83 was high and statistically significant from zero.
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10.2466/pr0.1995.76.3.1027
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pubmed_489_18386
|
The effective treatment of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has proven to be very challenging. Until recently, docetaxel was the only therapeutic demonstrated to extend overall patient survival. Yet recently, a considerable number of new therapeutics have been approved to treat CRPC patients. These remarkable advances now give new tools for the therapeutic management of late-stage prostate cancer. In this review, we will examine mechanistic and clinical data of several newly approved therapeutics including the chemotherapeutic cabazitaxel, antiandrogen enzalutamide, endocrine disruptor abiraterone acetate, immunotherapy sipuleucel-T, and bone-targeting radiopharmaceutical alpharadin. In addition, we will examine other promising therapeutics that are currently in Phase III trials.
|
10.1155/2013/379641
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pubmed_692_9317
|
UNLABELLED
Diabetic foot infections make up a significant number of orthopaedic ward admissions. The recommended choice of empirical antibiotics used in Malaysia for diabetic foot infections is based on the National Antibiotic Guidelines 2008. The pattern of bacteriology and the effectiveness of the treatment of diabetic foot infections based on this guideline were analyzed through a retrospective study in our hospital. Data over a period of one year (May 2012- April 2013) was analyzed, and 96 patients were included in this study. Polymicrobial growth (58%) was mainly isolated, followed with an almost equal percentage of gram-negative (22%) and gram-positive organisms (20%). The empirical antibiotics based on the national antibiotic guidelines were used as definitive antibiotics in 85% of the cases. Although there was slight variation in the pattern of organisms as compared to other studies conducted in this country, the high rate of positive clinical response proved that the antibiotic guideline was still effective in diabetic foot infection treatment.
KEY WORDS
Diabetic foot infections, National Antibiotic Guidelines, Culture and Sensitivity.
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10.5704/MOJ.1403.017
|
pubmed_1111_11598
|
We sought to determine the influence of exercise intensity on the release of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in amateur marathon runners. Fourteen runners completed three exercise trials of the same duration but at exercise intensities corresponding to: (a) a competitive marathon [mean ± SD: heart rate 159 ± 7 beat min(-1), finish time 202 ± 14 min]; (b) 95% of individual anaerobic threshold [heart rate 144 ± 6 beat min(-1)] and; (c) 85% of individual anaerobic threshold [heart rate 129 ± 5 beat min(-1)]. cTnI and NT-proBNP were assayed from blood samples collected before, 30 min and 3 h post-exercise for each trial. cTnI and NT-proBNP were not different at baseline before each trial. After exercise at 85% of individual anaerobic threshold cTnI was not significantly elevated. Conversely, cTnI was elevated after exercise at 95% of individual anaerobic threshold (0.016 μg L(-1)) and to an even greater extent after exercise at competition intensity (0.054 μg L(-1)). Peak post-exercise values of NT-proBNP were elevated to a similar extent after all exercise trials (P < 0.05). The upper reference limit for cTnI (0.04 μg L(-1)) was exceeded in six subjects at competition intensity. No data for NT-proBNP surpassed its upper reference limit. Peak post-exercise values for cTnI and NT-proBNP were correlated with their respective baseline values. These data suggest exercise intensity influences the release of cTnI, but not NT-proBNP, and that competitive marathon running intensity is required for cTnI to be elevated over its upper reference limit.
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10.1007/s00421-011-1922-3
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pubmed_227_8383
|
The conservation and sustainable use of freshwater resources is of global importance. Microorganisms are not only the most abundant organisms in natural freshwater systems, but are also key players in ecological processes controlling water quality. Detailed knowledge of the diversity and function of microorganisms dwelling in freshwater habitats is an essential prerequisite for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Freshwater systems are inhabited by microbial communities that are indigenous to this habitat type and usually do not occur in marine systems, saline inland waters and terrestrial habitats. Despite recent advances in the characterization of the diversity of freshwater microorganisms, knowledge essential for a holistic understanding of their ecological roles is still lacking.
|
10.1016/j.copbio.2006.05.006
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pubmed_401_13890
|
Virtual Integrated Multi-Site Patient Aligned Care Team (V-IMPACT) was a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) initiative created to increase access to primary care for Veterans through Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) appointments. Between January and August 2019, we conducted 48 semi-structured qualitative interviews with Veterans who had a V-IMPACT appointment. Many participants shared feelings of skepticism before their first appointments but for some, their opinions changed. Veterans talked about how their opinion of video care changed for the better when it made care more convenient or timelier or met their health care needs. For some Veterans, their opinion about video care stayed the same or worsened because they had a poor relationship or rapport with their provider, did not feel like they received needed care, or did not feel like video care was useful. These findings offer an opportunity for telecare providers to better understand and support patients and to deliver effective care in the context of rapidly growing telehealth modalities.
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10.1177/23743735221107237
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pubmed_282_848
|
BACKGROUND
The expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) is one of the most cost-effective interventions to reduce childhood mortality and morbidity. However, determinants of childhood immunization have not been well studied in Senegal. Thus, the aim of our study is to assess routine immunization uptake and factors associated with full immunization status among Senegalese children aged 12-23 months.
METHODS
We used the 2010-2011 Senegalese Demographic and Health Survey data. The DHS was a two stages cross-sectional survey carried out in 2010-2011. The analysis included 2199 children aged 12-23 months. The interviewers collected information on vaccine uptake based on information from vaccination cards or maternal recall Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions models were used to identify the determinants of full childhood immunization.
RESULTS
The prevalence of complete immunization coverage among boys and girls based on both vaccination card information and mothers' recall was 62.8%. The immunization coverage as documented on vaccination cards was 37.5%. Specific coverage for the single dose of BCG at birth, the third dose of polio vaccine, the third dose of pentavalent vaccine and the first dose of measles vaccine were 94.7%, 72.7%, 82.6%, and 82.1%, respectively. We found that mothers who could show a vaccination card [AOR 7.27 95% CI (5.50-9.60)], attended at least secondary education level [AOR 1.8 95% CI (1.20-2.48)], attended four antenatal visits [AOR 3.10 95% CI (1.69-5.63)], or delivered at a health facility [AOR 1.27 95% CI (1-1.74)] were the predictors of full childhood immunization. Additionally, children living in the eastern administrative regions of the country were less likely to be fully vaccinated [AOR 0.62 95% CI (0.39-0.97)].
CONCLUSIONS
We found that the full immunization coverage among children aged between 12 and 23 months was below the national (> 80%) and international targets (90%). Geographic area, mother's characteristics, antenatal care and access to health care services were associated with full immunization. These findings highlight the need for innovative strategies based on a holistic approach to overcome the barriers to childhood immunization in Senegal.
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10.1186/s12889-017-4493-3
|
pubmed_583_6663
|
We present what are to our knowledge the first theoretical and experimental results for dispersion in the anisotropy (sigma) of chi?((3)) associated with optical third-harmonic generation in Si. The theory is based on a full empirical tight binding band-structure calculation, and the results agree well with our measurements for 0.72 microm < lambda < 1.9 microm. The calculated low-frequency limit of sigma agrees with measurements from the literature better than earlier calculations do. In addition, the dispersion in the relative phase of chi1212((3))/chi1111((3)) also shows good agreement with experiment.
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10.1364/ol.14.000057
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pubmed_17_10784
|
In patients with liver cirrhosis, implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic shunt (TIPS) leads to reduction of portal pressure, but not of mortality compared with other therapies. The high stenosis rates of conventional bare stents causes high reintervention rates and costs and may be correlated with poor survival. ePTFE-covered stentgrafts provide much improved patency rates, but their impact on survival is unclear. All suitable patients receiving either bare TIPS (419/466) or undergoing implantation of ePTFE endoprostheses (89/100) in several centers in Austria up to 2002 were included in this retrospective analysis. Both patient groups were compared regarding survival with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Unmatched and 1:1-matched survival analyses were performed. Patients undergoing ePTFE stentgraft implantation had significantly higher survival rates in all analyses. The 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year survival rates were 93%, 88%, and 76% for the ePTFE-group and 83%, 73%, and 62% for conventional TIPS patients, respectively. The matched survival analyses validated these findings. The model of the stent, patient age, and Child-Pugh Class (CPC) were independent predictors of survival. In conclusion, patients undergoing ePTFE-endoprosthesis implantation had higher survival rates within 2 years after TIPS-implantation. This may be the result of improved patency rates after correct placement (up to the inferior caval vein [ICV]) of the ePTFE stentgraft. These data should be validated in a prospective series.
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10.1053/jhep.2003.50423
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pubmed_118_20558
|
Müller glia (MG) is the most abundant glial type in the vertebrate retina. Among its many functions, it is capable of responding to injury by dedifferentiating, proliferating, and differentiating into every cell types lost to damage. This regenerative ability is notoriously absent in mammals. We have previously reported that cultured mammalian MG undergoes a partial dedifferentiation, but fails to fully acquire a progenitor phenotype and differentiate into neurons. This might be explained by a mnemonic mechanism comprised by epigenetic traits, such as DNA methylation. To achieve a better understanding of this epigenetic memory, we studied the expression of pluripotency-associated genes, such as Oct4, Nanog, and Lin28, which have been reported as necessary for regeneration in fish, at early times after NMDA-induced retinal injury in a mouse experimental model. We found that although Oct4 is expressed rapidly after damage (4 hpi), it is silenced at 24 hpi. This correlates with a significant decrease in the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3b expression, which returns to basal levels at 24 hpi. By MS-PCR, we observed a decrease in Oct4 methylation levels at 4 and 12 hpi, before returning to a fully methylated state at 24 hpi. To demonstrate that these changes are restricted to MG, we separated these cells using a GLAST antibody coupled with magnetic beads. Finally, intravitreous administration of the DNA-methyltransferase inhibitor SGI-1027 induced Oct4 expression at 24 hpi in MG. Our results suggest that mammalian MG injury-induced dedifferentiation could be restricted by DNA methylation, which rapidly silences Oct4 expression, preventing multipotency acquisition.
|
10.3389/fnins.2016.00523
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pubmed_51_15769
|
BACKGROUND
Neurogenic claudication due to symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a painful condition causing significant functional disability. While the cause of LSS is multifactorial, thickened ligamentum flavum (LF) accounts for up to 85% of spinal canal narrowing. mild percutaneous lumbar decompression allows debulking of the hypertrophic LF while avoiding the morbidities frequently associated with more invasive surgical procedures.
METHODS
In this prospective case series study, consecutive LSS patients presenting with neurogenic claudication were treated with percutaneous lumbar decompression. Efficacy was evaluated using the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Pre- and postprocedure Standing Time, Walking Distance, and Visual Analog Score (VAS) were also monitored. Significant device- or procedure-related adverse events were reported.
RESULTS
The mild procedure was successfully performed on forty patients. At twelve months, both PDI and Roland-Morris showed significant improvement of 22.6 points (ANOVA, P<0.0001) and 7.7 points (ANOVA, P<0.0001), respectively. Walking Distance, Standing Time, and VAS improvements were also statistically significant, increasing from 246 to 3,956 feet (ANOVA, P<0.0001), 8 to 56 minutes (ANOVA, P<0.0001), and 7.1 to 3.6 points (ANOVA, P<0.0001), respectively. Tukey HSD test found improvement in all 5-outcome measures to be significant from baseline at each follow-up interval. No significant device- or procedure-related adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrated significant functional improvement as well as decreased disability secondary to neurogenic claudication after mild procedure. Safety, cost-effectiveness, and quality-of-life outcomes are best compared with comprehensive medical management in a randomized controlled fashion and, where ethical, to open lumbar decompression surgery.
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10.1111/j.1533-2500.2012.00565.x
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pubmed_589_10262
|
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are recognized as a major public health issue. Here, we evaluated the effects of folic acid intervention on methylation cycles and oxidative stress in autistic children enrolled in structured teaching. Sixty-six autistic children enrolled in this open-label trial and participated in three months of structured teaching. Forty-four children were treated with 400 μg folic acid (two times/daily) for a period of three months during their structured teaching (intervention group), while the remaining 22 children were not given any supplement for the duration of the study (control group). The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and Psychoeducational Profile-third edition (PEP-3) were measured at the beginning and end of the treatment period. Folic acid, homocysteine, and glutathione metabolism in plasma were measured before and after treatment in 29 autistic children randomly selected from the intervention group and were compared with 29 age-matched unaffected children (typical developmental group). The results illustrated folic acid intervention improved autism symptoms towards sociability, cognitive verbal/preverbal, receptive language, and affective expression and communication. Furthermore, this treatment also improved the concentrations of folic acid, homocysteine, and normalized glutathione redox metabolism. Folic acid supplementation may have a certain role in the treatment of children with autism.
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pubmed_589_10262
|
pubmed_990_941
|
AIMS
The presence of lysozyme protein in some gastric adenomas and adenocarcinomas has been well documented. There have been relatively few studies investigating the presence of lysozyme in tumours of the large intestine and they show contrasting results. We aim to investigate the cellular source and expression of lysozyme in colonic adenomas and adenocarcinomas.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We randomly selected 29 and 27 colonic adenomas and adenocarcinomas, respectively. Using in-situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), we found an up-regulation of lysozyme in the dysplastic epithelium of all the adenomas studied, with more than 80% of cases expressing moderate to strong signals. Although the up-regulation of lysozyme was also observed in adenocarcinomas, only 30% of the cases showed moderate to strong signals, mostly with an uneven distribution. Down-regulation of lysozyme in the severely dysplastic and invasive foci were noted in some cases of adenoma with malignant transformation. Normal colonic glands were consistently negative for lysozyme at both the mRNA and the protein level, but inflamed and immature regenerative colonic epithelium at the crypt base showed positive signals in a similar pattern to those observed in the dysplastic epithelium of the adenomas.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results confirm that colonic epithelium can produce lysozyme and its expression is up-regulated in the dysplastic epithelium in adenomas and in invasive cancer cells. It is interesting that regenerative colonic epithelium showed a similar pattern of lysozyme expression as in adenomas. The loss of lysozyme secreting phenotype in most of the invasive tumours suggests that lysozyme may not confer an advantage to tumour progression.
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10.1046/j.1365-2559.1998.00339.x
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pubmed_97_2421
|
Liver abscess is a rare complication of Crohn's disease and in most of the reported cases, the diagnosis of Crohn's disease preceded that of liver abscess. We report herein a case in which a liver abscess was the initial clinical manifestation of Crohn's disease in a 36 year old man who presented with high fever and weakness. The diagnosis of liver abscess was established by abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography and an arterial blood culture. The abscess was resolved with antibiotic therapy alone and during the drug therapy, a barium enema examination was performed which revealed a stricture at the transverse colon. Resection of the transverse colon was performed and macroscopic and microscopic examination of the resected specimen established the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. The liver abscess was thus speculated to be secondary to the inflamed bowel. Although rare, Crohn's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of diseases causing liver abscess.
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10.1007/BF02470959
|
pubmed_533_13679
|
PURPOSE
We aimed to study the potential influence of tumour blood flow -obtained from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)- in the metabolomic profiles of endometrial tumours.
METHODS
Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry established the metabolomic profile of endometrial cancer lesions exhibiting high (n=12) or low (n=14) tumour blood flow at DCE-MRI. Univariate and multivariate statistics (ortho-PLS-DA, a random forest (RF) classifier and hierarchical clustering) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to establish a panel for potentially discriminating tumours with high versus low blood flow.
RESULTS
Tumour blood flow is associated with specific metabolomic signatures. Ortho-PLS-DA and RF classifier resulted in well-defined clusters with an out-of-bag error lower than 8%. We found 28 statistically significant molecules (False Discovery Rate corrected p<0.05). Based on exact mass, retention time and isotopic distribution we identified 9 molecules including resolvin D and specific lysophospholipids associated with blood flow, and hence with a potentially regulatory role relevant in endometrial cancer.
CONCLUSIONS
Tumour flow parameters at DCE-MRI quantifying vascular tumour characteristics are reflected in corresponding metabolomics signatures and highlight disease mechanisms that may be targetable by novel therapies.
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10.18632/oncotarget.22558
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pubmed_107_2301
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We described previously that acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF), but not basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), can induce the rat carcinoma cell line NBT-II to undergo a rapid and reversible transition from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotype (EMT). We now find that NBT-II EMT is stimulated by keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) in cells grown at low density. Accordingly, a high-affinity receptor showing 98% homology to mouse FGF receptor 2b/KGF receptor was cloned and sequenced from NBT-II cells. Northern analysis indicated that mRNA for FGF receptor 2b/KGF receptor was drastically down-regulated within 1 wk in aFGF-induced mesenchymal NBT-II cells. This decrease coincided with an up-regulation of FGF receptor 2c/Bek, a KGF-insensitive, alternatively spliced form of FGF receptor 2b/KGF receptor. Functional studies confirmed that KGF could not maintain EMT induction on mesenchymal NBT-II cells. FGF receptor 1 and FGF receptor 2c/Bek could also support EMT induction when transfected into NBT-II cells in response to aFGF or bFGF. Such transfected cells could bind bFGF as well as aFGF. Therefore, EMT can be induced through different FGF receptors, but EMT may also regulate FGF receptor expression itself.
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10.1091/mbc.5.8.851
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pubmed_219_15452
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This paper describes psychiatric mental health nurses' (PMHN) experiences of patient assaults within mental healthcare settings using a thematic analytical approach. The aim of the study was to explore and describe psychiatric mental health nurses' experiences of patient assaults. The major findings of the study related to the nature and impact of assaults and supportive strategies associated with violence perpetrated by patients against psychiatric mental health nurses. Perpetrator risk factors for patients include mental health disorders, alcohol and drug use and the inability to deal with situational crises. The injuries sustained by nurses in the context of the study include lacerations, head injuries, dislocations and bruises. Psychological harm has also occurred, including quite severe mental health problems, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Protective strategies for combating negative consequences of workplace violence include practice of self-defence, social support and a supportive and consultative workplace culture with access to counselling services and assistance in all aspects, including finances. The paper concludes that while healthcare employers need to provide better support services to the healthcare professionals who are assaulted, the legal system also needs to acknowledge that assaults against nurses are a violation of human rights and violence should not to be tolerated as part of working in mental healthcare settings.
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10.3109/01612840.2014.892552
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pubmed_1046_14300
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In this paper, we develop a new sensor network system with a high sampling rate (over 500 Hz) based on the simultaneous synchronization of clock and data acquisition for integrating the data obtained from various sensors. Hence, we also propose a method for the synchronization of clock and data acquisition in the sensor network system. In the proposed scheme, multiple sensor nodes including PCs are connected via Ethernet for data communication and for clock synchronization. The timing of the data acquisition of each sensor is locally controlled based on the PC's clock locally provided in the node, and the clocks are globally synchronized over the network. We construct three types of high-speed sensor network systems using the proposed method: the first one is composed of a high-speed tactile sensor node and a high-speed vision node; the second one is composed of a high-speed tactile sensor node and three acceleration sensor nodes; and the last one is composed of a high-speed tactile sensor node, two acceleration sensor nodes, and a gyro sensor node. Through experiments, we verify that the timing error between the sensor nodes for data acquisition is less than 15 μs, which is significantly smaller than the time interval of 2 ms or a shorter sampling time (less than 2 ms). We also confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method and it is expected that the system can be applied to various applications.
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10.3390/mi9070325
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pubmed_561_19280
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Progression of renal failure, despite renoprotection with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in patients with proteinuric nephropathies, may be caused by persistent renal production of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) through the angiotensin II subtype 1 (AT1) receptors. We tested the hypothesis that AT1-receptor blocker therapy added to a background of chronic maximal ACE inhibitor therapy will result in a reduction in urinary TGF-beta1 levels in such patients. Sixteen patients completed a two-period, crossover, randomized, controlled trial, details of which have been previously reported. All patients were administered lisinopril, 40 mg/d, with either losartan, 50 mg/d, or placebo. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a 24-hour ambulatory BP monitor. Overnight specimens of urine were analyzed for urine TGF-beta1, protein, and creatinine concentrations. Mean age of the study population was 53 +/- 9 (SD) years; body mass index, 38 +/- 5.7 kg/m2; seated BP, 156 +/- 18/88 +/- 12 mm Hg; and urine protein excretion, 3.6 +/- 0.71 g/g of creatinine. Twelve patients had diabetic nephropathy, and the remainder had chronic glomerulonephritis. At baseline, urinary TGF-beta1 levels were significantly increased in the study population compared with healthy controls (13.2 +/- 1.2 versus 1.7 +/- 1.1 ng/g creatinine; P < 0.001). There was a strong correlation between baseline urine protein excretion and urinary TGF-beta1 level (r2 = 0.53; P = 0.001), as well as systolic BP and urinary TGF-beta1 level (r2 = 0.57; P < 0.001). After 4 weeks of add-on losartan therapy, there was a 38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 16% to 55%) decline in urinary TGF-beta1 levels (13.3 [95% CI, 11.4 to 15.5] to 8.2 pg/mg creatinine [95% CI, 6.2 to 10.7]). The reduction in urinary TGF-beta1 levels occurred independent of changes in mean urinary protein excretion or BP. Thus, proteinuric patients with renal failure, despite maximal ACE inhibition, had increased urinary levels of TGF-beta1 that improved over 1 month of add-on therapy with losartan. We speculate that dual blockade with losartan and an ACE inhibitor may provide additional renoprotection by decreasing renal production of TGF-beta1.
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10.1053/ajkd.2002.31392
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pubmed_953_5191
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The paper presents results of a study of the functional state of major workers of the refinery "Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat" when exposed to hazardous working conditions. The results have shown adverse effects of chemical factors of working environment and the intensity of the labor process on the functional state of the body of workers that shows a violation of efficiency and adaptability of the their organism to the working conditions.
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pubmed_953_5191
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pubmed_949_17270
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The relationship between restricted feeding, core body temperature (Tb), wheel running, survival, and gastric erosion formation was examined in female rats exposed to activity-stress. Core body temperature and gross motor activity were telemetrically monitored in four groups of rats that had free access to running wheels and in one group that was not allowed to run on the wheels. Twenty-four hours prior to the onset of hypothermia and predicted mortality, different groups were left undisturbed, warmed with a heat lamp, denied access to running wheels, or euthanized. Length of survival in wheel-running rats varied from 2 to 12 days. During the first day of food deprivation, premorbid changes in the variability of Tb during the diurnal period and the mean number of wheel revolutions during the nocturnal period were strongly predictive of length of survival. Warming rats with a heat lamp or preventing rats from ever running on the wheel increased the length of survival and attenuated gastric erosion formation. Only rats that were warmed had a greater likelihood of survival. Gastric pathology was also reduced in rats that were euthanized prior to becoming moribund. Rats that were left undisturbed or locked from the running wheel over the last 24 h of testing became moribund and had extensive gastric mucosal damage. These results indicate that thermoregulatory disturbances induced by restricted feeding and not wheel running alone are critical in determining survival and the degree of gastric mucosal injury in rats exposed to activity-stress. Results further suggest that predisposing factors may put some rats at risk for the development of activity-stress-induced mortality.
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10.1016/s0031-9384(97)00243-6
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pubmed_34_8137
|
Originally discovered in the 1930s, tachykinins have been a subject of renewed interest. Antagonists to the tachykinin receptors have shown potential in the treatment of a variety of maladies including neurodegenerative disorders, heart disease, pain perception and malignancies. Tachykinins have been the subject of intense studies due to their impact on hematopoiesis that has significant effects on endothelial tissue and vascular conditions. Hematopoiesis relies on a relatively small subset of bone marrow-resident hematopoietic stem cells. This review discusses the network developed by cytokines and the tachykinins to regulate hematopoiesis. An understanding of tachykinin effect on normal hematopoietic functions and their involvement in hematological disorders could lead to new treatments for bone marrow disorders such as fibrosis, leukemia and anemia.
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10.1016/j.cca.2007.07.008
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pubmed_63_10267
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Polycystic kidney diseases (PKD) are a group of inherited disorders characterized by morbidity-associated development of renal cysts. Three forms of PKD are described here: The common, late onset, autosomal dominant PKD (ADPKD); the mainly infantile, autosomal recessive PKD (ARPKD); and the lethal, syndromic, Meckel syndrome that also includes central nervous system and digital defects. Positional cloning approaches based on genetic linkage have identified the disease genes in these disorders. Completion of the Human Genome Project, cases with atypical mutation, and animal models have greatly aided gene identification, and characterization of the disease genes has allowed establishment of molecular diagnostics. Genetic and allelic heterogeneity, plus genetic modification, underlie the significant phenotypic variability in each disorder. Positional cloning identified novel disease-associated protein families: The polycystins (ADPKD); fibrocystins (ARPKD); and meckelin. A common feature of pathogenesis in each disorder seems to be the primary cilia, implicating detection of fluid flow and the developmental process of planar cell polarity. Identifying the primary defect has contributed to our understanding of defective cellular processes and highlights potential therapeutic targets. A number of agents are now in Phase 3 trials, and many others show promise preclinically, providing hope of effective treatments for ADPKD in the foreseeable future.
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10.1681/ASN.2009010014
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pubmed_1071_7752
|
BACKGROUND
Knowledge of when and in which cells each gene is expressed across multicellular organisms is critical in understanding both gene function and regulation of cell type diversity. However, methods for measuring expression typically involve a trade-off between imaging-based methods, which give the precise location of a limited number of genes, and higher throughput methods such as RNA-seq, which include all genes, but are more limited in their resolution to apply to many tissues. We propose an intermediate method, which estimates expression in individual cells, based on high-throughput measurements of expression from multiple overlapping groups of cells. This approach has particular benefits in organisms such as C. elegans where invariant developmental patterns make it possible to define these overlapping populations of cells at single-cell resolution.
RESULT
We implement several methods to deconvolve the gene expression in individual cells from population-level data and determine the accuracy of these estimates on simulated data from the C. elegans embryo.
CONCLUSION
These simulations suggest that a high-resolution map of expression in the C. elegans embryo may be possible with expression data from as few as 30 cell populations.
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10.1186/1471-2105-14-204
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pubmed_905_10603
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Patients with pelvic kidneys are at an increased risk of developing ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) and nephrolithiasis with limited endourologic options. A 54-year-old man with a left pelvic kidney, recurrent nephrolithiasis, and 12 previous ureteroscopies presented with left UPJO and lower pole calyceal stones. After two failed ureteroscopic attempts, an open pyelolithotomy and pyelocystostomy were performed. After 30 months, he continues to be asymptomatic without recurrence of nephrolithiasis. This constitutes the fifth such reported case. Therefore, pyelocystotomy is a good option for patients with pelvic kidneys, UPJO and recurrent nephrolithiasis refractory to endourologic procedures.
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pubmed_905_10603
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pubmed_51_5575
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There is a need to develop rapid and efficient models to screen chemicals for their potential to cause developmental neurotoxicity. Use of in vitro neuronal models, including human cells, is one approach that allows for timely, cost-effective toxicity screening. The present study compares the sensitivity of human (ReN CX) and mouse (mCNS) neuroprogenitor cell lines to chemicals using a multiplex assay for proliferation and apoptosis, endpoints that are critical for neural development. Cells were exposed to 0.001-100 μM concentrations of 11 chemicals (cadmium, chlorpyrifos oxon, dexamethasone, dieldrin, ketamine, lead, maneb, methylmercury, nicotine, trans-retinoic acid, and trimethyltin) reported in the literature to affect proliferation and/or apoptosis, and 5 chemicals (dimethyl pthalate, glyphosate, omeprazole, saccharin, and d-sorbitol) with no reports of effects on either endpoint. High-content screening of markers for proliferation (BrdU incorporation) and apoptosis (activated caspase 3 and p53) was used to assess the effect of chemicals in both cell lines. Of the chemicals tested, methylmercury, cadmium, dieldrin, chlorpyrifos oxon, trans-retinoic acid, and trimethyltin decreased proliferation by at least 50% of control in either the ReN CX or mCNS cells. None of the chemicals tested activated caspase 3 or p53 in the ReN CX cells, while methylmercury, cadmium, dieldrin, chlorpyrifos oxon, trimethyltin, and glyphosate all induced at least a doubling in these apoptotic markers in the mCNS cells. Compared to control, cadmium, trans-retinoic acid, and trimethyltin decreased cell viability (ATP levels) by at least 50% in the ReN CX cells, while cadmium, dieldrin, and methylmercury decreased viability by at least 50% in the mCNS cells. Based on these results, BrdU is an appropriate marker for assessing chemical effects on proliferation, and human cells are more sensitive than mouse cells for this endpoint. By contrast, caspase 3 and p53 were altered by environmental chemicals in mouse, but not in human cells. Therefore, these markers are not appropriate to assess the ability of environmental chemicals to induce apoptosis in the ReN CX cells.
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10.1016/j.neuro.2012.05.012
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pubmed_909_15316
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Glucocorticoids control a wide array of biological processes from glucose homeostasis to neuronal function. The mechanisms mediating their effects are similarly varied and include rapid and transient nongenomic effects on calcium trafficking, various neurotransmitter receptors, and other membrane/cytoplasmic proteins, as well as slowly developing but durable genomic effects that are mediated by a large number of glucocorticoid-sensitive genes that are affected after variable lag-times. Given this complexity, we suggest that the aggression/glucocorticoid relationship cannot be reduced to the simple "stimulation/inhibition" question. Here, we review the effects of glucocorticoids on aggression by taking into account the complexities of glucocorticoid actions. Acute and chronic effects were differentiated because these are mediated by different mechanisms. The effects of chronic increases and decreases in glucocorticoid production were discussed separately, because the activation of mechanisms that are not normally activated and the loss of normal functions should not be confounded. Findings in healthy/normal subjects and those obtained in subjects that show abnormal forms of behavior or psychopathologies were also differentiated, because the effects of glucocorticoids are indirect, and largely depend on the properties of neurons they act upon, which are altered in subjects with psychopathologies. In addition, the conditions of glucocorticoid measurements were also thoroughly evaluated. Although the role of glucocorticoids in aggression is perceived as controversial by many investigators, a detailed analysis that is sensitive to glucocorticoid and behavioral measure as well as to the mediating mechanism suggests that this role is rather clear-cut; moreover, there is a marked similarity between animal and human findings.
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10.1007/7854_2014_284
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pubmed_407_15677
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There is a need for time-efficient, valid measures of distal paretic upper extremity (UE) movement. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine the psychometric properties of the wrist stability and mobility and wrist/hand scale of the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer (w/h UE FM) as a "stand-alone" measure of distal UE movement; and (2) provide detailed instructions on w/h UE FM administration and scoring. The upper extremity Fugl Meyer (UE FM) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were administered on 2 separate occasions to each of 29 subjects exhibiting stable, mild UE hemiparesis (23 men; mean age ± SD, 60.8±12.3 y; mean time since stroke onset for subjects in the sample, 36.0 mo). Fifty-eight observations were collected on each measure. w/h UE FM internal consistency levels (measured by Cronbach α) were high (.90 and .88 for first and second testing sessions, respectively). The intraclass correlation coefficient for the UE FM was .98, while the intraclass correlation coefficient for the w/h UE FM was .97. Concurrent validity measured by Spearman correlation was moderately high between the w/h UE FM and ARAT (.72, P<.001). From these data, it appears that the w/h UE FM is a promising tool to measure distal UE movement in minimally impaired stroke, although more research with a larger sample is needed. A standardized approach to UE test administration is critical to accurate score interpretation across patients and trials. Thus, the article also provides instructions and pictures for w/h UE FM administration and scoring.
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pubmed_407_15677
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pubmed_901_4639
|
This study was planned in order to investigate the response of the pituitary gonadotropin secretion to the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) in each menstrual phase (early follicular, late follicular, luteal) of women with regular menstrual cycles, and the effect of synthetic sex steroids on the response of the pituitary to LH-RH, as compared with the response in the late follicular phase. A dose of 200microgram of LH-RH was administered intramuscularly in the early follicular, and luteal phase of regular menstrual cycles. Three groups of 35 normal women administered 3 kinds of sex steroids were also examined on the 8th to 10th day after medication, except for a long-term administration group of norethindrone. The first group was a mestranol group with two subgroups given a daily administration of 20microgram and 40microgram. The second was a norethindrone group, in which one was a short-term group given a daily administration of 5mg, and another was a long-term group given a daily administration of 10mg to 20mg for more than 150 days. The third was a chlormadinone acetate group given a daily administration of 2mg. Blood samples were obtained before the injection of LH-RH at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 minutes and 24 hours after the injection. Their sera were separated and frozen at -20 degrees C until assayed. Serum LH and FSH concentrations in each experimental group were used as the standard preparation and expressed as mIU/ml of serum. The results were as follows: 1) Serum LH and FSH responsiveness to LH-RH in women with regular menstrual cycles were greater with regard to late folicular, luteal and early follicular phases, respectively, except for a percent increase of serum LH. 2) The serum LH level in response to the LH-RH injection in the early follicular and luteal phases of the cycle showed a biphasic pattern of elevation characterized by the first pool, releasable LH; and the second pool, newly synthesized and stored LH in the pituitary. The biphasic pattern of serum FSH was not confirmed in this experiment. 3) Sham disappearance of biphasic pattern of serum LH release in the late follicular phase was attributed to a shifting of LH form the 2nd pool to the 1st pool due to an increase of the endogenous estrogen. 4) The capacity of the pituitary FSH synthesis and storage showed a slight increase in the late follicular phase, which was supposed to be enhanced by estrogen. 5) The serum LH peak in the mestranol group was observed at 120 minutes after the LH-RH injection, which was significantly elevated in the group given a daily administration of 40microgram, as compared with the control group. The LH concentration occupied in a definite volume tended to be reduced in the first pool after the LH-RH injection in the mestranol group and didnt change in the second pool after the injection, as compared with the control group...
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10.1507/endocrine1927.54.3_255
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pubmed_917_1961
|
The transabdominal sonographic examination of the lumbar intervertebral discs and the lumbar canal was carried out on 50 patients, for whom no existed clinical symptoms for a lumbosacral nerve root lesion. The sonographic device used was a mechanical sector scanner with a transducer with a frequency of 3.5 MHz. The transversal representation of the lumbar intervertebral discs and the lumbar canal was successful mainly at the height of the intervertebral space L4/5 (96%), less frequent at the height L3/4 (74%), L5/S1 (70%) and L2/3 (18%). The intervertebral disc and the intraspinal space at the height of the disc can be assessed in a transversal section, and thus the noninvasive sonographic method represents an improvement of the conventional X-ray-examination of the lumbar spine.
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pubmed_917_1961
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pubmed_1042_10583
|
BACKGROUND
Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of chronic total occlusions (CTO) are high risk procedures with low success rates compared to standard PCI. Recently the 'hybrid approach' method has been developed to increase success rate. In 2015 we set up a dedicated program to systematically treat CTOs by this hybrid approach. This retrospective, observational registry aims to report achieved results in a single PCI centre.
METHODS AND RESULTS
We reviewed all CTO procedures between January 2012 and December 2017. Procedures performed by dedicated operators after December 2014 were assigned to the hybrid cohort, procedures done before this time or performed by a non-CTO operator were assigned to the non-hybrid cohort. Procedural techniques, difficulty of lesions, J-CTO scores, outcomes and complications were analysed. In total 505 procedures were included. Average J-CTO score was 1.9 ± 1.1, which was significantly higher in the hybrid cohort (2.1 ± 1.2 vs. 1.6 ± 1.1; p < 0.001). Overall procedural success rate was 75.4% with significantly higher success rates in the hybrid cohort (81.2% vs. 68.2%; p < 0.001). Combining both cohorts, overall success rate increased over the years (2012-2017 respectively 65.2%, 60.0%, 71.7%, 83.2%, 77.9% and 81.4%). Complication rate was higher in the hybrid cohort compared to the non-hybrid cohort (4.6% vs 0.4%, respectively; p = 0.026).
CONCLUSION
By introducing a systematic CTO program, including use of the hybrid approach, we observed higher success rates of PCI CTO, despite increased complexity of the lesions (higher J-CTO score). The occurrence of MACE was in accordance with current literature.
CONDENSED ABSTRACT
Our registry demonstrates that introduction of a dedicated CTO program increases success rates of CTO treatments despites increased lesions difficulty and with acceptable MACEs rates.
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10.1016/j.carrev.2020.02.017
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pubmed_118_12542
|
To evade elimination by the host immune system, tumor cells commonly exploit physiological immune checkpoint pathways, restraining efficient anti-tumor immune cell function. Growing understanding of the complex dialog between tumor cells and their microenvironment contributed to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors. This innovative strategy has demonstrated paradigm-shifting clinical activity in various malignancies. Antibodies targeting programmed death 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 are also being investigated in lymphoid malignancies with varying levels of activity and a favorable toxicity profile. To date, evaluated only in the setting of relapsed or refractory disease, anti-programmed death 1 antibodies such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab show encouraging response rates particularly in classical Hodgkin lymphoma but also in follicular lymphoma and diffuse-large B-cell lymphoma. As the first immune checkpoint inhibitor in lymphoma, nivolumab was approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma by the Food and Drug Administration in May 2016. In this review, we assess the role of the pathways involved and potential rationale of checkpoint inhibition in various lymphoid malignancies. In addition to data from current clinical trials, immune-related side effects, potential limitations and future perspectives including promising combinatory approaches with immune checkpoint inhibition are discussed.
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10.3324/haematol.2016.150656
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pubmed_929_22331
|
The selective functionalization of C-H bonds is one of the Grails of synthetic chemistry. In this work, we demonstrate that the selectivity toward fast hydroxylation or radical diffusion (known as the OH-rebound and dissociation mechanisms) following H-atom abstraction (HAA) from a substrate C-H bond by high-valent iron-oxo oxidants is already encoded in the HAA step when the post-HAA barriers are much lower than the preceding one. By applying the reactive mode composition factor (RMCF) analysis, which quantifies the kinetic energy distribution (KED) at the reactive mode (RM) of transition states, we show that reactions following the OH-rebound coordinate concentrate the RM kinetic energy on the motion of the reacting oxygen atom and the nascent substrate radical, whereas reactions following the dissociation channel localize most of their kinetic energy in H-atom motion. These motion signatures serve to predict the post-HAA selectivity, and since KED is affected by the free energy of reaction and asynchronicity (factor η) of HAA, we show that bimolecular HAA reactions in solution that are electron transfer-driven and highly exergonic have the lowest fraction of KED on the transferred H-atom and the highest chance to follow rebound hydroxylation. Finally, the RMCF analysis predicts that the H/D primary kinetic isotope effect can serve as a probe for these mechanisms, as confirmed in virtually all reported examples in the literature.
|
10.1021/jacs.9b12800
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pubmed_351_2736
|
The comparative effect of truncal vagotomy and associated pyloroplasty and orally administrated pirenzepine (75 mg, 1 h before food intake) on the exocrine pancreatic secretory response to food was studied in conscious dogs. Both pirenzepine administration and truncal vagotomy totally abolished the pancreatic hydromineral and organic secretory response to food intake while postprandial pH of intraduodenal content remained above 6. From the results of our study we conclude that the vago nerve must not be altered in order to assure a pancreatic response to food intake and that pirenzepine is as strong as truncal vagotomy in maintaining pH in postprandial intraduodenal content over 6.
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10.1111/j.1472-8206.1992.tb00095.x
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pubmed_270_12828
|
The Arabidopsis AtGRP7 gene, encoding a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein, has been shown to be involved in the regulation of a circadian-regulated negative feedback loop. However, little is known about the role of AtGRP7 in mediating abscisic acid (ABA) and stress responses. Here, we show that AtGRP7 plays a role in both. AtGRP7 was repressed by ABA, high salt and mannitol. Disruption of AtGRP7 by T-DNA insertion led to hypersensitive responses to ABA in both seed germination and root growth assays. The atgrp7-1 mutant was also hypersensitive to osmotic stress conditions, such as high salt and high concentrations of mannitol. In addition, the atgrp7-1 mutant plants accumulated significantly higher transcript levels of two ABA-and stress-inducible genes, RD29A and RAB18, compared with the wild-type plants. Taken together, these results suggest that AtGRP7 is involved in the regulation of ABA and stress responses.
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10.2478/s11658-006-0042-2
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pubmed_947_328
|
The uranium-thorium-helium ((U,Th)-He) dating method applied to calcium carbonate speleothems holds much promise for constraining the timeline of hominin evolution, as well as for palaeoclimatology research beyond the range of U/Th disequilibrium dating. Technical problems are posed by often low U concentrations and the requirement that samples need to be individually removed from the ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system after helium is extracted from them, to be then analyzed for U, Th content and U series disequilibrium. We describe a low-cost furnace with this capability, constructed from standard UHV components, as well as the methods for subsequent U/Th disequilibrium analysis using multicollector ICP mass spectrometry. We present analytical and numerical solutions to determine (U,Th)-He ages for four conditions that have been encountered: (1) for an age range in which the residual activity ratio (234 U/238 U) can still be resolved but not that of (230 Th/234 U) (up to about 3000 ka), (2) for an age range where neither can be resolved (unlimited), (3) for ages up to 1000 ka where both activity ratios may be resolvable, and (4) for cases where (234 U/238 U) and (230 Th/234 U) indicate ages < 200 ka but (U,Th)-He systematics point to much older ages.•Helium extraction is carried out using an in-house built vacuum furnace that allows for large sample sizes (20 to 100 mg) of powdered carbonate material wrapped in Cu foil.•U and Th are separated together using Eichrom UTEVAⓇ resin and their isotope abundances are measured together in a single 2-cycle dynamic run using the multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS).•(U,Th)-He ages are calculated using four methods that take into account the U/Th disequilibria.
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10.1016/j.mex.2021.101608
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pubmed_1085_1856
|
Cytokine driven or "bystander" proliferation of T cells occurs in vivo independently of major histocompatibility complex-T cell receptor interactions. This process may be important for supporting T cell homeostasis and facilitating T cell responses to microbial antigens, and may involve the cytokine interleukin (IL)-15. In this study, we find that IL-15Ralpha-deficient (IL-15Ralpha(-/-)) mice fail to undergo poly I:C or IL-15 driven bystander proliferation of CD8(+) T cells. Surprisingly, IL-15Ralpha(-/-) CD8(+) T cells proliferate in response to poly I:C when adoptively transferred into normal mice, and normal CD8(+) T cells fail to proliferate in IL-15Ralpha(-/-) mice. Normal mice reconstituted with IL-15Ralpha(-/-) bone marrow cells also fail to exhibit bystander responses. Thus, CD8(+) T cell independent IL-15Ralpha signals from radiation sensitive hematopoietic cells are likely required for bystander responses. Moreover, normal CD8(+) T cells proliferate in IL-15Ralpha(-/-) mice after treatment with IL-15. Therefore, IL-15Ralpha signals may mediate a positive feedback loop involving the further physiological production of IL-15. These findings provide new insights into how IL-15Ralpha supports memory phenotype CD8(+) T cell proliferation, and suggest novel mechanisms by which memory CD8(+) T cells are maintained in vivo.
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10.1084/jem.194.8.1187
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pubmed_900_17622
|
PURPOSE
This study evaluated the relationship between timing of lingual nerve repair and functional sensory recovery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Using a retrospective cohort study design, the investigators enrolled a sample of subjects who had lingual nerve repair. The predictor variable was time between injury and repair, categorized as early (<90 days after injury) or late (>90 days after injury). The outcome variable was the time to functional sensory recovery (FSR), measured in days. Other variables were categorized as demographic, anatomic, and operative. Uni- and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between the timing of the repair and time to FSR.
RESULTS
The study sample was composed of 64 subjects who had lingual nerve repair between January 1998 and January 2005. The mean time between injury and repair was 153.2 (31-1606) days; 21.9% of subjects had early repair. The mean age was 28.4 +/- 8.0 years, 62.5% of subjects were female; 77% of the injured nerves were repaired by direct suture, and 23% had surgical exploration with decompression/neurolysis. In bivariate analyses, early repair, method of repair, and neuroma were statistically or near-statistically associated with time to FSR (P <or= .12). In a multiple Cox proportional hazards model, early repair was associated with time to FSR (P = .02). Ninety-three percent of subjects in the early repair group achieved FSR within 1 year, compared with 62.9% in the late group (P = .05).
CONCLUSIONS
Early repair of lingual nerve injuries results in FSR more frequently and earlier than late repair.
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10.1016/j.joms.2006.10.010
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pubmed_210_24366
|
BACKGROUND
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) activate the endogenous immune regulatory system, inducing a therapeutic effect in recipients. MSCs have demonstrated the ability to modulate the differentiation of myeloid cells toward a phagocytic and anti-inflammatory profile. Allogeneic, adipose-derived MSCs (ASCs) have been investigated for the management of complex perianal fistula, with darvadstrocel being the first ASC therapy approved in Europe in March 2018. Additionally, ASCs are being explored as a potential treatment in other indications. Yet, despite these clinical advances, their mechanism of action is only partially understood.
METHODS
Freshly isolated human monocytes from the peripheral blood were differentiated in vitro toward M0 non-polarized macrophages (Mphs), M1 pro-inflammatory Mphs, M2 anti-inflammatory Mphs, or mature dendritic cells (mDCs) in the presence or absence of ASCs, in non-contact conditions. The phenotype and function of the differentiated myeloid populations were determined by flow cytometry, and their secretome was analyzed by OLINK technology. We also investigated the capacity of ASCs to modulate the phenotype and function of terminally differentiated M1 Mphs. The role of soluble factors interleukin (IL)-6 and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on the ability of ASCs to modulate myeloid cells was assessed using neutralization assays, CRISPR/Cas9 knock-down of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and ASC-conditioned medium assays using pro-inflammatory stimulus.
RESULTS
Co-culture of monocytes in the presence of ASCs resulted in the polarization of Mphs and mDCs toward an anti-inflammatory and phagocytic phenotype. This was characterized by an increase in phagocytic receptors on the cell surface of Mphs (M0, M1, and M2) and mDCs, as well as modulation of chemokine receptors and reduced expression of pro-inflammatory, co-stimulatory molecules. ASCs also modulated the secretome of Mphs and mDCs, demonstrated by reduced expression of pro-inflammatory factors and increased expression of anti-inflammatory and reparative factors. Chemical inhibition of PGE2 with indomethacin abolished this modulatory effect, whereas treatment with a neutralizing anti-IL-6 antibody resulted in a partial abolishment. The knock-down of COX-2 in ASCs and the use of IL-1β-activated ASC-conditioned media confirmed the key role of PGE2 in ASC-mediated myeloid modulation. In our in vitro experimental settings, ASCs failed to modulate the phenotype and function of terminally polarized M1 Mphs.
CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that ASCs are able to modulate the in vitro differentiation of myeloid cells toward an anti-inflammatory and reparative profile. This modulatory effect was mediated mainly by PGE2 and, to a lesser extent, IL-6.
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10.1186/s13287-020-01975-2
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pubmed_721_5988
|
A new breathing circuit (the Humphrey A.D.E., double lever model) was evaluated in adults to determine (1) the fresh gas flow (FGF) needed to achieve normocapnia during controlled ventilation and to just induce rebreathing during spontaneous ventilation, (2) end-expired CO2 (PECO2) at those FGF values, (3) the standard deviation of FGF requirements for controlled and spontaneous breathing (reliability of recommended FGF settings) and (4) the magnitude of change in PECO2 produced by varying FGF from the recommended values (sensitivity of the system). The FGFs that provided normocapnia with controlled ventilation and just induced rebreathing with spontaneous ventilation were 67 +/- 10 and 52 +/- 7 ml . kg-1 . min-1 (mean +/- SD), respectively. PECO2 values were 36.0 +/- 0.3 and 41.6 +/- 3.9 mmHg respectively. During controlled ventilation low reliability was offset by low sensitivity so that PECO2 changed little when FGF was raised or lowered from recommended values (0.2 mmHg/ml . kg-1 . min-1). In contrast, during spontaneous ventilation low reliability was additive with high sensitivity when using FGFs lower than the mean value that just induced rebreathing. A threshold was reached where lowering FGF from recommended values caused large changes in PECO2 (1.1 mmHg/ml . kg-1 . min-1). It is concluded that the FGF recommended by Humphrey for controlled ventilation is satisfactory. However, the FGF recommended by Humphrey for spontaneous ventilation may result in hypercapnia in some patients. This can be prevented either by using a higher FGF of 66 ml . kg-1 . min-1 routinely in all patients or by using lower flows with CO2 monitoring.
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10.1007/BF03014355
|
pubmed_341_20377
|
Sexual homicide is a crime of rare occurrence. However, crime severity surveys ranked this form of sexual violence as the second most serious crime. Despite an increase in recent years in the publication of empirical studies on sexual homicide, most of these studies originate from Western countries. Therefore, to our knowledge, no studies to date have tested whether the country where sexual homicides are committed influences the way these crimes are executed by the offenders. The current study attempts to shed additional light on the sexual homicide offender (SHO) by comparing Korean and Canadian SHOs as well as comparing both groups of SHOs with a group of nonsexual homicide offenders (NSHOs). Findings suggest that both Korean and Canadian sexual homicide cases present not only similar patterns but also some specific differences, mainly related to their criminal history, the offender's age, forensic awareness, and some modus operandi characteristics such as the type of violence and the use of a weapon. Findings are discussed in light of cultural differences between the two countries.
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10.1177/0306624X19834408
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pubmed_97_18972
|
To determine whether changes in lung volume may be responsible for the clinical improvement in preterm infants given exogenous surfactant, we measured functional residual capacity (FRC), lung mechanics, and partial pressure of oxygen in seven ventilated neonates (birth weight 1080 +/- 361 gm (mean +/- SD); gestational age 28.3 +/- 2.6 weeks) less than 9 hours of age who had findings typical of hyaline membrane disease. All patients received 100 mg/kg calf lung surfactant extract. FRC was measured by a closed-circuit helium-dilution technique, and lung mechanics were determined by least mean squares analysis. FRC increased in all patients (range 56% to 330%; p less than 0.03). Dynamic lung compliance and total airway conductance did not change. Mean +/- SEM specific lung compliance (dynamic lung compliance/FRC) decreased 55.93% +/- 4.27% (p less than 0.02) and mean specific conductance (total airway conductance/FRC) decreased 45.91% +/- 9.74% (p less than 0.009). Mean alveolar/arterial partial pressure of oxygen ratio decreased 51.0% +/- 8.67% (p less than 0.01). These data indicate that the immediate improvement in oxygenation after surfactant administration is related to increased lung volumes. The decrease in specific lung compliance and specific airway conductance is suggestive of increased distention rather than recruitment of functional alveoli.
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10.1016/s0022-3476(05)82057-8
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pubmed_697_9940
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Objective To investigate the effects of Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) knockdown on hypoxia-induced endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) of human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs), and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods HCMECs were cultured in hypoxic conditions and infected with RUNX3-RNAi lentivirus to knock-down the expression of RUNX3. Reverse transcription PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of RUNX3 and EndoMT related genes such as CD31, vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP-1); Western blotting was used to determine the protein expressions of RUNX3, CD31, α-SMA and another molecules involved in EndoMT; and immunofluorescence cytochemistry was applied to observe the colocalization of CD31 and α-SMA. Results Hypoxia induced the transition of HCMECs to mesenchymal cells. Hypoxia up-regulated the expression of TGF-β2, Smad2/3, phosphorylation of Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3), Notch-1, Hes1, and Hey1; knockdown of RUNX3 down-regulated the levels of Smad2/3, p-Smad2/3, Hes1, and Hey1 to different extents, and raised the levels of TGF-β2 and Notch-1. Conclusion Knockdown of RUNX3 in HCMECs attenuates hypoxia-induced EndoMT via partially inhibiting TGF-β and Notch signaling pathway.
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pubmed_697_9940
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pubmed_469_11185
|
BACKGROUND
Abusive head trauma (AHT), previously known as the shaken baby syndrome, is a severe and potentially fatal form of traumatic brain injury in infant children who have been shaken, and sometimes also sustained an additional head impact. The clinical and autopsy findings in AHT are not pathognomonic and, due to frequent obfuscation by perpetrators, the circumstances surrounding the alleged abuse are often unclear. The concept has evolved that the finding of the combination of subdural hemorrhage, brain injury, and retinal hemorrhages ("the triad") is the result of shaking of an infant ("shaken baby syndrome") and has led to the ongoing controversy whether shaking alone is able to generate sufficient force to produce these lesions.
OBJECTIVE
In an attempt to investigate whether shaking can engender this lesion triad, animal models have been developed in laboratory rodents and domestic animal species. This review assesses the utility of these animal models to reliably reproduce human AHT pathology and evaluate the effects of shaking on the immature brain.
RESULTS
Due largely to irreconcilable anatomic species differences between these animal brains and human infants, and a lack of resemblance of the experimental head shaking induced by mechanical devices to real-world human neurotrauma, no animal model has been able to reliably reproduce the full range of neuropathologic AHT changes.
CONCLUSION
Some animal models can simulate specific brain and ophthalmic lesions found in human AHT cases and provide useful information on their pathogenesis. Moreover, one animal model demonstrated that shaking of a freely mobile head, without an additional head impact, could be lethal, and produce significant brain pathology.
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10.1007/s00381-022-05577-6
|
pubmed_798_2491
|
Toxocariasis is one of the causes of eosinophilia in peripheral blood and provokes eosinophilic infiltration in internal organs. In Israel, the number of cases of toxocariasis is very low, 3 cases annually, according to the records at the Ministry of Health. Many cases of eosinophilia might be misdiagnosed as hypereosinophilia syndrome (HES), if serological testing for Toxocara is not conducted, leading to inappropriate treatment. The test is for specific serum IgG antibody of Toxocara canis antigen measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The authors present a 4 year old girl with hypereosinophilia of 40,000 cell/microl, without involvement of target organs. The authors found that toxocara was the cause of hypereosinophilia. After appropriate treatment the number of eosinophils decreases, presenting a measurement of the parasite activity.
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pubmed_798_2491
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pubmed_670_17587
|
It has been difficult to demonstrate functionally distinct T cell populations in humans on the basis of cytokine secretion. As previous investigators have examined the T cell cytokine profile from immunized animals, we examined whether Th1 or Th2 type T cells could be identified in the peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immune compartments from subjects with or without inflammatory diseases. Using limiting dilution analysis and growth with PHA and IL-2/IL-4, we directly cloned a total of 177 T cells from the peripheral blood and CSF of seven subjects, four with inflammatory disease and three control subjects, and examined the cytokine message profile after stimulation with ionomycin and PMA. We found that most clones from both the peripheral blood and CSF express IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IFN-gamma, or TNF-alpha cytokine mRNA after activation with ionomycin and PMA. All T cell clones tested produced TNF-alpha mRNA, and all but 14 produced IFN-gamma mRNA. As reported previously, Th0 cells, which produced IFN-gamma, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5 mRNA, were found in most subjects. In striking contrast, Th1 cells, which expressed IL-2 and IFN-gamma but not IL-4 or IL-5 mRNA, were present in both peripheral blood and CSF of subjects with inflammatory disease but not found in peripheral blood or CSF of subjects without systemic inflammation. Th2 cells, expressing IL-4 and IL-5 but not IFN-gamma or IL-2 mRNA, were not found in any subject. These data present the first evidence for Th1 T cell clones in humans that may be associated with systemic inflammation.
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pubmed_670_17587
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pubmed_242_19665
|
Intelligence is our ability to learn appropriate responses to new stimuli and situations. Neurons in association cortex are thought to be essential for this ability. During learning these neurons become tuned to relevant features and start to represent them with persistent activity during memory delays. This learning process is not well understood. Here we develop a biologically plausible learning scheme that explains how trial-and-error learning induces neuronal selectivity and working memory representations for task-relevant information. We propose that the response selection stage sends attentional feedback signals to earlier processing levels, forming synaptic tags at those connections responsible for the stimulus-response mapping. Globally released neuromodulators then interact with tagged synapses to determine their plasticity. The resulting learning rule endows neural networks with the capacity to create new working memory representations of task relevant information as persistent activity. It is remarkably generic: it explains how association neurons learn to store task-relevant information for linear as well as non-linear stimulus-response mappings, how they become tuned to category boundaries or analog variables, depending on the task demands, and how they learn to integrate probabilistic evidence for perceptual decisions.
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10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004060
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pubmed_975_16018
|
To investigate the failure of high-level production of hepatitis B viral (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg), including three authentic forms, large (L), middle (M) and major/small (S) HBsAg, in Escherichia coli, we employed the high-expression vector pGEX containing the glutathione S-transferase-encoding gene (GST) to study HBsAg production. Different fragments of HBV DNA containing the entire pre-S1/pre-S2/S region (for L protein), or partial pre-S1, pre-S2, pre-S1/pre-S2 and pre-S2/S region (for M protein), were fused downstream from the GST gene, in order to obtain five plasmids which encode GST-HBsAg fusion proteins. SDS-PAGE analyses revealed that cells containing plasmids with a full-length S region (pGLS and pGMS) produced undetectable GST-HBsAg fusion proteins, in contrast to those cells harboring plasmids without the S region (pGS1, pGS2 and pGS1S2), which synthesized fusion proteins in 3-10% of the total cellular protein. Using an immunoblot method to screen HBsAg production in cells which harbored plasmids derived from exonuclease BAL 31-digested pGLS, we obtained eight positive clones. Nucleotide sequence analyses of plasmids from the positive clones revealed that termination, deletion or frameshift occurred at the regions encoding either the first or the third transmembrane domain of the major HBsAg. Correlation between the production level of GST-HBsAg fusion proteins and their constituent and arrangement of amino acids (aa) at the last 20 aa among 15 clones suggested that the fusion protein ended with a longer stretch of or a higher ratio of hydrophobic aa had a lower production in E. coli.
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10.1016/0378-1119(95)00204-j
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pubmed_730_11970
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Pathologic increases in intestinal permeability to hydrophilic macromolecules has been identified in a number of clinical conditions. The significance of gut barrier dysfunction as a clinical issue remains to be delineated, although it seems likely that alterations in intestinal epithelial permeability play a causative role in a number of conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to the development of complications after cardiopulmonary bypass. It is unlikely that any one mechanism can account for all cases of intestinal hyperpermeability. Rather, it is more probable that myriad factors or combinations of factors, including mesenteric ischemia and cytokine-induced phenomena, lead to alterations in permeability in different clinical entities. Nevertheless, from a purely mechanistic standpoint, some common themes, notably the role of ATP depletion, increases in [Ca2+]i, and cytoskeletal derangements in enterocytes, have emerged as being particularly important.
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10.1016/s0889-8553(05)70004-2
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pubmed_1054_1048
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The DNA in a eukaryotic nucleus is arranged into a series of supercoiled loops that are anchored at their bases to the nuclear matrix. We have analyzed the DNA sequences that are closest to the matrix attachment points for their relative content of specific repeated sequences. Sequences were enriched (mouse satellite, human Alu family) or depleted (mouse EcoRI repeat, monkey alpha component), depending on the specific sequence and species examined. These results can be understood in terms of a nonrandom arrangement of DNA sequences with respect to nuclear DNA loops.
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10.1073/pnas.79.19.5911
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pubmed_460_821
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We present here a tractable theory of transport of simple fluids in cylindrical nanopores, which is applicable over a wide range of densities and pore sizes. In the Henry law low-density region the theory considers the trajectories of molecules oscillating between diffuse wall collisions, while at higher densities beyond this region the contribution from viscous flow becomes significant and is included through our recent approach utilizing a local average density model. The model is validated by means of equilibrium as well nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of supercritical methane transport in cylindrical silica pores over a wide range of temperature, density, and pore size. The model for the Henry law region is exact and found to yield an excellent match with simulations at all conditions, including the single-file region of very small pore size where it is shown to provide the density-independent collective transport coefficient. It is also shown that in the absence of dispersive interactions the model reduces to the classical Knudsen result, but in the presence of such interactions the latter model drastically overpredicts the transport coefficient. For larger micropores beyond the single-file region the transport coefficient is reduced at high density because of intermolecular interactions and hindrance to particle crossings leading to a large decrease in surface slip that is not well represented by the model. However, for mesopores the transport coefficient increases monotonically with density, over the range studied, and is very well predicted by the theory, though at very high density the contribution from surface slip is slightly overpredicted. It is also seen that the concept of activated diffusion, commonly associated with diffusion in small pores, is fundamentally invalid for smooth pores, and the apparent activation energy is not simply related to the minimum pore potential or the adsorption energy as generally assumed.
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10.1063/1.1644108
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pubmed_272_19586
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The enteric protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum infects intestinal epithelial cells in a wide range of hosts, causing severe gastrointestinal disease. The invasive sporozoite stage most likely attaches to and invades host cells through multiple host receptor/parasite ligand interactions. Preliminary evidence suggests that the glycoprotein products of the Cpgp40/15 gene, gp40 and gp15, are involved in these interactions. In addition, the Cpgp40/15 gene that encodes these glycopeptides is highly polymorphic in genotype I isolates, suggesting that the gene products may be subject to immune selection. In this study, we characterized the Cpgp40/15 gene in a genotype I isolate and compared expression of the Cpgp40/15 gene in isolates of both genotype. Cpgp40/15 is a single copy gene in both TU502 (genotype I) and GCH1 (genotype II) isolates. However, Northern blot analysis revealed the presence of two transcripts, 2.3 and 1.5 kb in size, in mRNA from GCH1 as well as TU502-infected Caco-2A cells. Accumulation of the two Cpgp40/15 mRNAs peaked 12-24 h post-infection. Using 3'RACE analysis, three polyadenylation sites were identified 371, 978 and 1002 bp downstream of the GCH1 Cpgp40/15 stop codon. Two of these polyadenylation sites were also used in TU502. The sequences of the GCH1 Cpgp40/15 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) were identical to genomic sequence and shared 96.7% homology with TU502 3'UTRs. Actinomycin D treatment of GCH1-infected Caco-2A cells followed by Northern blot analysis, revealed that the stability of the 1.5 kb message was considerably greater than that of the 2.3 kb transcript.
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10.1016/s0166-6851(01)00416-9
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pubmed_36_16660
|
PURPOSE
Survival analysis of gastric cancer patients requires knowledge about factors that affect survival time. This paper attempted to analyze the survival of patients with incomplete registered data by using imputation methods.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three missing data imputation methods, including regression, expectation maximization algorithm, and multiple imputation (MI) using Monte Carlo Markov Chain methods, were applied to the data of cancer patients referred to the cancer institute at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran in 2003 to 2008. The data included demographic variables, survival times, and censored variable of 471 patients with gastric cancer. After using imputation methods to account for missing covariate data, the data were analyzed using a Cox regression model and the results were compared.
RESULTS
The mean patient survival time after diagnosis was 49.1±4.4 months. In the complete case analysis, which used information from 100 of the 471 patients, very wide and uninformative confidence intervals were obtained for the chemotherapy and surgery hazard ratios (HRs). However, after imputation, the maximum confidence interval widths for the chemotherapy and surgery HRs were 8.470 and 0.806, respectively. The minimum width corresponded with MI. Furthermore, the minimum Bayesian and Akaike information criteria values correlated with MI (-821.236 and -827.866, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Missing value imputation increased the estimate precision and accuracy. In addition, MI yielded better results when compared with the expectation maximization algorithm and regression simple imputation methods.
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10.5230/jgc.2014.14.4.259
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pubmed_202_4819
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An experimental study was planned to show the suppression of contralateral ovary in unilateral ovarian torsions. In the study, 55 New Zealand female rabbits were used. Basal and stimulation 17 beta estradiol values were measured and unilateral torsion in 20 rabbits, bilateral torsion in ten rabbits and bilateral oophorectomy in five rabbits were performed. Eight, 16, 24 hours after the procedure, 17 beta estradiol levels were measured again and the second stimulation values maintained. The control group consisted of 20 rabbits. Values were analyzed statistically and the results were significant.
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pubmed_202_4819
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pubmed_946_2811
|
By means of mass spectrometric precision analysis of the natural variation of the 12C/13 relation in carbon dioxide of different provenience we contrive to pursue quantitatively the penetration of CO2 from the water of natural containing carbonic acid mineral baths (mineral springs Bad Elster) into the human body (skin--blood--expiratory air). First experiments confirm that in a bath of 21 or 20 minutes duration must be reckoned with a quantity of approximately equal to 24 ml . min-1 . m-2 of resorbed carbon dioxide and that the size of the basic metabolic rate of the bathing patient as well as the CO2 concentration of the bath water have an influence on the resorption process as well as on the measurement. On the other hand, the unspecific effect of the bath activating metabolism itself does not lead to a simulation of increased resorption rates. The borderline value for the penetration of CO2 through the skin seems to be 1.0 g . 1-1, i.e. within the region of the alkali reserve of the blood. The examinations are carried on.
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pubmed_946_2811
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pubmed_51_13504
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After the onset of a long-term low dose rate radiation exposure (55-60 y later) of the Techa riverside residents within a range of individual red bone marrow (RBM) doses from 0.01 to 1.79 Gy, it was established that there was an obvious association between the type of reaction manifested by peripheral blood lymphocytes to small dose irradiation in vitro (adaptive potential) and the RBM cell composition (during the period of the major exposure), as well as the peripheral blood cell composition (at a late time period coincident with the studies of induced radioresistance). The nature of these dependencies observed in chronically exposed individuals differs from that revealed in the controls. Based on the results of the study, it can be suggested that the capacity for adaptive response shown by peripheral blood lymphocytes donated by exposed persons at late time after exposure can be regarded as a biological marker of the functional state of the hemopoietic stem cell pool.
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10.1097/HP.0b013e318249c117
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pubmed_921_11008
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The effect of long-term treatment with haloperidol on gene expression of the presynaptic protein complexins was investigated in the discrete brain regions of rats, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Four-week-treatment with haloperidol decanoate (25 mg eq/kg) produced a significant decrease in the mRNA levels of complexin I in the medial prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area, but not in the striatum and substantia nigra. No significant changes in complexin II mRNA levels were observed in any brain region examined here. The reduced expression of complexin I may be associated with the haloperidol-induced depolarization block of mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurons.
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10.1016/s0304-3940(00)01312-4
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pubmed_691_13787
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The polymorphic transformations of phenylbutazone from metastable forms alpha and beta to stable form delta were studied quantitatively at four temperature and five humidity levels by X-ray powder diffractometry. The transformation of form alpha conformed with the Avrami-Erofe'ev kinetic model and form beta conformed with apparent first-order kinetics. In the two transformation systems, the induction periods depended on the storage conditions and were prolonged with lowering of temperature and humidity. The transformation rate of form alpha was not affected by humidity, whereas that of form beta increased according to a rise in humidity. The temperature dependency of the transformation rate constant was remarkable. The Arrhenius treatment was applicable to the beta----delta transformation at low temperatures. The overall half-life, including induction period, revealed that form alpha was more stable than form beta under any storage condition. A good linear relationship existed between the induction period and the transformation rate constant, irrespective of the storage conditions. The scanning electron photomicrographs of forms alpha and beta demonstrated that acicular crystals of form delta grew as the transformation progressed. This could be confirmed as the change in particle diameter of the samples.
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10.1002/jps.2600731034
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pubmed_259_3048
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An amplified enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (amp-ELISA) was compared with the AOAC Official Method 977.26 for detection of Clostridium botulinum and its toxins in foods. Eleven laboratories participated and the results of 10 laboratories were used in the study. Two anaerobic culture media, tryptone peptone glucose yeast extract (TPGY) and cooked meat medium (CMM) were used to generate toxic samples with types A, B, E, and F botulinal strains. Nonbotulinal clostridia were also tested. The toxicity of each botulinal culture was determined by the AOAC method, and the cultures were then diluted, if necessary, to high (about 10,000 minimal lethal dose [MLD]/mL) and low (about 100 MLD/mL) test samples. The overall sensitivity of detection in TPGY and CMM cultures with the amp-ELISA was 94.7% at about 100 MLD/mL and 99.6% for samples with > or = 10,000 MLD/mL toxicity. The amp-ELISA detection sensitivity for low toxin samples was 92.3% in TPGY and 99.4% in CMM. The false-positive rate ranged from 1.5% for type A to 28.6% for type F in TPGY, and from 2.4% for type A to 11.4% for type F in CMM. Most of the cross-reactivity was due to detection of other botulinal types, especially in high toxin samples. The amp-ELISA could be used to screen suspect cultures for botulinal toxins. Positive amp-ELISA samples would be confirmed by the AOAC reference method.
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pubmed_259_3048
|
pubmed_997_14553
|
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of resistance exercise on peripheral inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus, were searched from inception until April 1st, 2022. A meta-analysis was conducted using a random-effects model, followed by sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, meta-regression analysis, and publication bias analysis.
RESULTS
15 randomized controlled trials were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that resistance exercise significantly decreased TNF-α levels (SMD = -0.81, 95% CI: -1.42 to -0.20, p = 0.009) but did not affect IL-6 and CRP levels. Individuals with BMI 18.5-24.9 exhibited significantly decreased IL-6 levels, while moderate strength resistance exercise could significantly decrease TNF-α levels. Finally, age might be a confounding factor influencing the effect of resistance exercise on IL-6.
CONCLUSIONS
Resistance exercise could reduce TNF-α levels in healthy adults, and resistance exercise with moderate intensity could reduce TNF-α levels more effectively.
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10.26355/eurrev_202211_30123
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pubmed_397_18267
|
Three experiments were conducted to identify factors influencing steam-flaked corn (SFC) characteristics and feeding value. In Exp. 1, corn samples (n = 108) were tempered for 2 h using 6, 10, or 14% moisture containing 0 or 0.67 mL of surfactant/L. Samples were steamed for 20 or 40 min and flaked to 360, 335, or 310 g/L. Treatments were arranged in a 3 x 2 x 2 x 3 factorial. No interactions existed in Exp. 1. Increasing tempering moisture linearly (P < 0.001) increased corn moisture after tempering, steaming, and flaking; however, SFC moisture was not increased (quadratic; P < 0.001) greatly by applying more than 10% water during tempering. The surfactant, steam time, and flake density had no effect (P = 0.16 to 0.93) on corn moisture after tempering, steaming, or flaking, but adding a surfactant during tempering decreased (P = 0.05) moisture loss after flaking. Starch availability was unaffected (P = 0.31 to 0.84) by tempering moisture concentration, tempering with a surfactant, or steam time but was increased (linear; P < 0.01) by decreasing flake density. Flake durability was increased by increasing tempering moisture (linear; P < 0.001), tempering with a surfactant (P = 0.04), increasing steam time (P < 0.001), and decreasing flake density (linear; P = 0.02). In Exp. 2, 89 heifers (initial BW = 350 kg) were fed 75% SFC-based diets for 108 d to determine the effects of SFC particle size on performance and carcass traits. Treatments were SFC that was mixed for 0 (4,667 microm) or 15 min (3,330 microm) before addition of other ingredients. Heifers fed 3,330-microm SFC tended (P = 0.13) to eat less DM, but ADG and G:F did not differ (P = 0.58 to 0.65) between treatments. Carcass traits did not differ, except that heifers fed 3,330-microm SFC had less (P = 0.008) KPH. In Exp. 3, 96 heifers (initial BW = 389 kg) were fed for 82 d diets containing 73% SFC that was either 18 or 36% moisture. Heifers fed 36% moisture SFC ate less DM (P = 0.02) and gained slower (P = 0.05) than heifers fed 18% moisture SFC, but G:F did not differ (P = 0.93) with SFC moisture. Heifers fed 36% moisture SFC were fatter at the 12th rib (P = 0.009), but all other carcass traits did not differ. Methods that increase moisture of SFC improved durability, but extreme moisture levels negatively affected cattle performance. Flake particle size did not affect cattle performance. Flake density is the major factor affecting starch availability in SFC.
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10.2527/2006.841154x
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pubmed_108_24486
|
Atraumatic spinal cord injuries can be due to inflammatory, vascular, and nutritional etiologies. Due to progression from these causes, the identification and initiation of appropriate treatment are of significant importance. This article explores a case of copper deficiency myeloneuropathy in a patient initially thought to have an inflammatory transverse myelitis. The lack of response to antirheumatologic interventions prompted an extensive workup consistent with copper deficiency. This case stresses the importance of evaluating nutritional causes of myeloneuropathy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.
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10.1002/pmrj.12005
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pubmed_1096_2704
|
The overall success of organ transplantation in the 21st century has been predicated, in part, on the use of newer, more potent, and selective immunosuppressive agents. However, the high cost of lifelong immunosuppression represents a financial burden for many patients. In the past 15 years, regulatory agencies in Europe and America have approved several generic immunosuppressants. One concern is whether the conversion between innovator and generic immunosuppressants will prove to be problematic. This manuscript aims to compare and contrast the bioequivalence requirements among regulatory authorities in the USA, Europe, and Canada, evaluate published studies of generic immunosuppressants in transplant recipients, summarize consensus statements made by transplant organizations and discuss how to engage patients in discussion regarding the choice between innovator and generic immunosuppressants.
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10.1586/1744666X.2015.1026895
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pubmed_337_24564
|
INTRODUCTION
The study aimed to compare the oral health variables, general, and oral health-related quality of life (QoL), depression, and anxiety between spinal cord injury (SCI) patients and healthy controls and also to determine the key factors related to the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the SCI patients.
METHODS
A total of 203 SCI patients and 203 healthy controls were enrolled. Patients and healthy adults were invited to attend a dental clinic to complete the study measures and undergo oral clinical examinations. OHRQoL was assessed by the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), and the general health-related quality of life (GHRQoL) was evaluated by SF-36. In SCI patients, depression and anxiety were recorded using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), while Functional Assessment Measure (FAM) was used to assess dependence and disability. All the subjects were examined for caries which was quantified using the decayed, missing, and filled Teeth (DMFT) index, gingival bleeding index (GI), plaque index, and periodontal status by community periodontal index (CPI).
RESULTS
The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed significant differences between the two groups in terms of oral health expressed in DMFT, oral hygiene, and periodontal status, controlled for age, gender, family income, and occupational status (p<0.001). Using the hierarchical linear regression analyses, in the final model, which accounted for 18% of the total variance (F(126.7), p<0.01), significant predictors of OHRQoL were irregular tooth brushing (β=1.23; 95% CI=1.06; 1.41), smoking (β=0.82; 95% CI=0.66; 0.97), dry mouth (β=0.37; 95% CI=-0.65 to 0.10) functional and motor functioning (β=0.32; 95% CI=-0.45 to 0.17), DMFT (β=0.06; 95% CI=0.02; 0.09), CPI (β=0.22; 95% CI=0.04; 0.04), physical component measure of GHRQoL (β=-0.275; 95% CI=-0.42 to 0.13), lesion level at the lumbar-sacral (β=-0.18; 95% CI=-0.29 to -0.06) and thoracic level (β=-0.09; 95% CI=-0.11 to -0.06).
CONCLUSION
SCI patients had poor oral hygiene practices, greater levels of plaque, gingival bleeding, and caries experience than the healthy controls. In addition, more number of SCI patients had periodontal pockets and dry mouth than the comparative group. SCI patients experienced more depression and anxiety, poor GHRQoL, and OHRQoL than the healthy control group. The factors that influenced OHRQoL in SCI patients were age, toothbrushing frequency, smoking, oral clinical status, depression, physical component of GHRQoL, and level of lesion.
|
pubmed_337_24564
|
pubmed_61_17127
|
BACKGROUND
Studies have been performed suggesting that administration of probiotics may have therapeutic and/or preventive benefits in the development of sensitization and atopic disease, particularly in infants with atopic dermatitis (AD).
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and immunological effects of supplementation of a hydrolysed formula with two probiotic strains of bacteria on symptoms of AD in infancy.
METHODS
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After 4-6 weeks of baseline and double-blind, placebo-controlled challenges for diagnosis of cow's milk allergy (CMA), infants less than 5 months old with AD received a hydrolysed whey-based formula as placebo (n = 17), or supplemented with either Lactobacillus rhamnosus (n = 17) or Lactobacillus GG (n = 16) for 3 months. Before, during and after intervention, the clinical severity of AD was evaluated using SCORing index Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD). Allergic sensitization was evaluated by measurement of total IgE and a panel of food-specific IgEs as well as skin prick testing for cow's milk. Inflammatory parameters were blood eosinophils, eosinophil protein X in urine, fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin and production of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells after polyclonal stimulation.
RESULTS
No statistically significant effects of probiotic supplementation on SCORAD, sensitization, inflammatory parameters or cytokine production between groups were found. Only four infants were diagnosed with CMA.
CONCLUSION
We found no clinical or immunological effect of the probiotic bacteria used in infants with AD. Our results indicate that oral supplementation with these probiotic bacterial strains will not have a significant impact on the symptoms of infantile AD.
|
10.1111/j.1365-2222.2006.02513.x
|
pubmed_42_9384
|
We tested an asthma education program in 204 underserved Latino families with an asthmatic child. The education program consisted of one or two sessions delivered in each family's home in the targeted participant's preferred language by a bilingual, bicultural educator. We encouraged, but did not require, attendance by the child. The curriculum was culturally-tailored, and all participants received education on understanding asthma, preventing asthma attacks, and managing asthma. Outcomes included change in asthma knowledge and change in home environment asthma management procedures. Asthma knowledge increased significantly (39 to 50% correct from pre- to post-test, P < 0.001) and participants made significant changes to the child's bedroom environment (mean number of triggers decreased from 2.4 to 1.8, P < 0.001; mean number of controllers increased from 0.7 to 0.9, P < 0.001). The results support the value of asthma education and its importance in the national agenda to reduce health disparities among minorities.
|
10.1016/s0738-3991(00)00102-6
|
pubmed_1094_21618
|
Bioconversion of C1 gases to produce chemicals has good application prospects. Here, the combination of trace metals optimization using a statistical method with variable-temperature cultivation was used to enhance alcohol synthesis during CO-rich off-gas fermentation by Clostridium carboxidivorans P7. Based on ATCC medium 1754, the optimum concentration of the trace metals was found to be 5-fold Ni2+, Co2+, SeO42+, and WO42+; 3.48-fold Cu2+; 0.55-fold MoO42+; 0.5-fold Zn2+ and (NH4)2SO4·FeSO4·6H2O; and additional 44.32μM FeCl3·6H2O. The production of alcohol and organic acid changed to 4.40g/L and 0.50g/L from 2.16g/L and 2.37g/L, respectively, yielding an increase of alcohol-to-product ratio from 47.7% to 89.8%. By fermenting with the optimized medium and timed control of the incubation temperature (37°C [0-24h]-25°C [24-144h]), the alcohol titre further increased to 6.97g/L with 1.67g/L butanol and 1.33g/L hexanol, exceeding those previously reported for strain P7.
|
10.1016/j.biortech.2017.04.099
|
pubmed_67_19155
|
Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate left ventricular mechanical activation pattern by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) as a predictor of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure. Methods: Echocardiography was performed during no pacing, right ventricular pacing (RVP), biventricular pacing (BVP) and multipolar pacing (MPP) immediately after CRT implantation in 16 patients at a single centre. Seven patients were diagnosed as responders and 9 patients as non-responders after 6 months of standard CRT pacing. All had adequate short axis views, and 1 CRT responder and 2 CRT non-responders had limited longitudinal views. Results: Longitudinal and circumferential global strain (GS) and global strain rate (GSR) or their change analysis, did not yield any CRT response prediction. However, the longitudinal BVP/RVP GS ratio was significantly higher in the responder group (1.32 ± 0.2%, 2.0 ± 0.4% and 1.9 ± 0.4%), compared with the non-responder group (1.06 ± 0.2%, 1.1 ± 0.4% and 1.2 ± 0.4%) in the apical two-chamber, APLAX and four-chamber views, respectively. Similarly, the longitudinal BVP/RVP GSR at active systolic phase (GSRs) was significantly higher in the responder group (1.9 ± 0.9% and 1.7 ± 0.4%) compared with the non-responder group (1.0 ± 0.4% and 1.1 ± 0.2%) in the apical APLAX and four-chamber views, respectively. Measurements of the strain delay index showed predictive power regarding CRT response in non-paced patients. Conclusion: Post implantation, longitudinal BVP/RVP GS and GSRs ratios of 1.4% and above may be useful as a CRT response prediction tool. Furthermore, our findings support the usefulness of strain delay index prior to CRT implantation in non-paced patients.
|
10.17925/HI.2022.16.1.64
|
pubmed_924_23768
|
The fluoroscope can be a valuable tool during hamstring ACL reconstruction when appropriate measures are taken to minimize radiation exposure risk to patients and operating room personnel.
|
10.3928/01477447-20110505-10
|
pubmed_912_8524
|
Benign vocal fold lesions are grouped in lesions arising from the epithelium like papillomas, lesions affecting the Reinke's space (nodules, polyps, cysts, Reinkes's edema as a form of chronic laryngitis) and lesions affecting the arytenoid (granulomas). A multifactorial genesis is assumed. Main symptoms are dysphonia and hyperfunctional vocal behavior that might also be a cause of these lesions.
|
10.1055/s-0032-1331162
|
pubmed_1041_4963
|
OBJECTIVE
To examine the incidence rates of antipsychotic (AP) and antidepressant (AD) drug treatment in Norway and the proportions initiated in general practice and specialist care respectively.
METHOD
Data on all prescriptions of APs and ADs dispensed to the general population in Norway from 1 January 2004 until 31 August 2009 were extracted from the Norwegian Prescription Database. This information was merged with data about general practitioners (GPs) from the Norwegian Regular General Practitioner Scheme.
RESULTS
One-year incidence rates per 1000 inhabitants were 3.4 for APs and 8.6 for ADs. GPs initiated 58% of APs and 73% of ADs, while psychiatrists initiated 15% and 6% respectively. Psychiatrists initiated treatment more often among younger patients, and they prescribed relatively newer drugs more commonly than GPs. A large share of incident users did not refill their prescriptions for APs (57%) or ADs (33%).
CONCLUSION
GPs have a key role as regards initiating treatment with APs and ADs in Norway, while psychiatrists' influence seems limited, particularly among older patients. Efforts for quality improvement of mental health care need to involve primary health care. In addition, an increased focus from psychiatrists towards the increasingly ageing part of the population seems requisite.
|
10.1111/j.1600-0447.2011.01697.x
|
pubmed_594_5838
|
The following contribution addresses several issues concerning speech degrees of freedom in French oral vowels, stop, and fricative consonants based on an analysis of tongue and lip shapes extracted from cineradio- and labio-films. The midsagittal tongue shapes have been submitted to a linear decomposition where some of the loading factors were selected such as jaw and larynx position while four other components were derived from principal component analysis (PCA). For the lips, in addition to the more traditional protrusion and opening components, a supplementary component was extracted to explain the upward movement of both the upper and lower lips in [v] production. A linear articulatory model was developed; the six tongue degrees of freedom were used as the articulatory control parameters of the midsagittal tongue contours and explained 96% of the tongue data variance. These control parameters were also used to specify the frontal lip width dimension derived from the labio-film front views. Finally, this model was complemented by a conversion model going from the midsagittal to the area function, based on a fitting of the midsagittal distances and the formant frequencies for both vowels and consonants.
|
10.1121/1.1361090
|
pubmed_646_17003
|
Doping prevention is mainly directed to providing information on the dangers of doping to young athletes and to every profession concerned with athletic performance. Unfortunately, repression is also necessary in the fight against doping. Measurement of performance-enhancing drugs is complex, partly because of the large number of prohibited substances. A number of sophisticated analytical techniques are increasingly being used to provide the maximum detection time window. However, the effectiveness of methods to separate exogenous from endogenous biological molecules and the cost of antidoping analyses makes controls invalid or impossible. Moreover, most athletes, because of the metabolic and psychological stresses caused, legitimately refuse blood testing. It is becoming crucial to introduce new methods in the form of longitudinal health monitoring, since this is probably the most effective tool to prevent the use of doping agents when athletes become overtrained and/or overstressed. This paper describes new methods using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to analyse serum from 50 microl samples of capillary blood. This technique has been shown to allow determination of the concentration of a wide range of biological molecules in a single microsample with clinically useful accuracy, and to provide a 'discriminatory biomolecular profile' to differentiate individuals on the basis of their physiological status. A specific application of this methodology is to perform longitudinal health monitoring in athletes, allowing prevention of overtraining. It is proposed to apply such methods in longitudinal studies for health monitoring and prevention of doping.
|
10.2165/00007256-200029060-00002
|
pubmed_1138_3607
|
The use of intraarticular steroids was evaluated in 15 children with chronic pauciarticular juvenile arthritis. Of the 25 joints injected, 23 responded favorably. At the 6-month check-up, 65% remained in remission. One year after injection, 42% maintained a good response. The beneficial effect of the injection was not associated with age, sex, erythrosedimentation or arthritis duration. A small atrophic lesion in the area of the injection in one patient was the only complication.
|
pubmed_1138_3607
|
pubmed_914_2698
|
Nitrogen uptake and metabolism are essential to microbial growth. Gat1 belongs to a conserved family of zinc finger containing transcriptional regulators known as GATA-factors. These factors activate the transcription of Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR) sensitive genes when preferred nitrogen sources are absent or limiting. Cryptococcus neoformans GAT1 is an ortholog to the Aspergillus nidulans AreA and Candida albicans GAT1 genes. In an attempt to define the function of this transcriptional regulator in C. neoformans, we generated null mutants (gat1Δ) of this gene. The gat1 mutant exhibited impaired growth on all amino acids tested as sole nitrogen sources, with the exception of arginine and proline. Furthermore, the gat1 mutant did not display resistance to rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug that transiently mimics a low-quality nitrogen source. Gat1 is not required for C. neoformans survival during macrophage infection or for virulence in a mouse model of cryptococcosis. Microarray analysis allowed the identification of target genes that are regulated by Gat1 in the presence of proline, a poor and non-repressing nitrogen source. Genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis, iron uptake, cell wall organization and capsule biosynthesis, in addition to NCR-sensitive genes, are Gat1-regulated in C. neoformans.
|
10.1016/j.fgb.2010.07.011
|
pubmed_299_11071
|
Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers. This paper seeks to address the question: Can the mortality of lung cancer be decreased by screening with low-dose computerized tomography (LDCT) in higher risk patients compared to chest X-rays (CXR) or regular patient care? Currently, CXR screening is recommended for certain high-risk patients. Several recent trials have examined the effectiveness of LDCT versus chest radiography or usual care as a control. These trials include National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), Detection And screening of early lung cancer with Novel imaging TEchnology (DANTE), Lung Screening Study (LSS), Depiscan, Italian Lung (ITALUNG), and Dutch-Belgian Randomized Lung Cancer Screening Trial (Dutch acronym: NELSON study). NLST, the largest trial (n=53, 454), demonstrated a decrease in mortality from lung cancer in the LDCT group (RRR=20%, P=0.004). LSS demonstrated a greater sensitivity in detecting both early stage and any stage of lung cancer in comparison to traditional CXR. Although the DANTE trial yielded data consistent with findings in LSS, it also showed that via LDCT screening a greater proportion of patients were placed under unnecessary surgical procedures. The Depiscan trial yielded a high nodule detection rate at the cost of a high false-positive rate compared to CXR screening. The ITALUNG and NELSON trials demonstrated the early detection capabilities of LDCT for lung cancers compared to usual care without surveillance imaging. False-positive findings with unnecessary workup, intervention, and radiation exposure remain significant concerns for routine LDCT screening. However, current data suggests LDCT may provide a highly sensitive and specific means for detecting lung cancers and reducing mortality.
|
10.7759/cureus.589
|
pubmed_543_14425
|
Echocardiography was valuable in identifying tumorous growth in the cardiac tissues of a bull with enzootic bovine leukosis. The tumor was discernable as a thickening of the interatrial septum and wall of the right atrium, accompanied by an immobile pedunculated mass that originated from the interatrial septum and extended into the lumen of the right atrium. The mass did not interfere with right atrioventricular valve function. The pedunculated mass and thick portion of the atrial wall had a similar echogenic appearance; both were hypoechoic, when compared with the wall of the right ventricle. A thin anechoic rim surrounding the heart was indicative of mild pericardial effusion. Echocardiographically detectable abnormalities in combination with results of other clinical examinations were the basis for recommending euthanasia of the bull.
|
pubmed_543_14425
|
pubmed_455_18561
|
As a result of the cadaveric organ shortage, the number of centers performing living donor liver transplantation has increased. Living donor liver transplantation provides immediate organ availability and avoids the risk of life-threatening complications that occur with long waiting times for cadaveric organs; however, it puts a healthy person at risk for little personal gain. A standardized approach to donor evaluation ensures safety to potential donors. Careful medical (physical examination as well as laboratory and radiological evaluation) and psychological evaluation is imperative to reduce donor complications and ensure good outcomes in recipients. A social worker and psychiatrist assess for mental competency, provide emotional support, and can serve as independent donor advocates. Informed understanding and consent are crucial aspects of the evaluation and include ensuring that the donor understands all potential complications and is free of coercion. Safety of the donor must be the highest priority.
|
10.1177/152692480301300207
|
pubmed_786_14971
|
The neurohypophyseal peptide [Arg(8)]-vasopressin (AVP) exerts major physiological actions through three distinct receptor isoforms designated V1a, V1b, and V2. Among these three subtypes, the vasopressin V1b receptor is specifically expressed in pituitary corticotrophs and mediates the stimulatory effect of vasopressin on ACTH release. To investigate the functional roles of V1b receptor subtypes in vivo, gene targeting was used to create a mouse model lacking the V1b receptor gene (V1bR-/-). Under resting conditions, circulating concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone were lower in V1bR-/- mice compared with WT mice (V1bR+/+). The normal increase in circulating ACTH levels in response to exogenous administration of AVP was impaired in V1bR-/- mice, while corticotropin-releasing hormone-stimulated ACTH release in the V1bR-/- mice was not significantly different from that in the V1bR+/+ mice. AVP-induced ACTH release from primary cultured pituitary cells in V1bR-/- mice was also blunted. Furthermore, the increase in ACTH after a forced swim stress was significantly suppressed in V1bR-/- mice. Our results clearly demonstrate that the V1b receptor plays a crucial role in regulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. It does this by maintaining ACTH and corticosterone levels, not only under stress but also under basal conditions.
|
10.1172/JCI19656
|
pubmed_628_17858
|
Rap1p, the major telomere repeat binding protein in yeast, has been implicated in both de novo telomere formation and telomere length regulation. To characterize the role of Rap1p in these processes in more detail, we studied the generation of telomeres in vivo from linear DNA substrates containing defined arrays of Rap1p binding sites. Consistent with previous work, our results indicate that synthetic Rap1p binding sites within the internal half of a telomeric array are recognized as an integral part of the telomere complex in an orientation-independent manner that is largely insensitive to the precise spacing between adjacent sites. By extending the lengths of these constructs, we found that several different Rap1p site arrays could never be found at the very distal end of a telomere, even when correctly oriented. Instead, these synthetic arrays were always followed by a short ( approximately 100-bp) "cap" of genuine TG repeat sequence, indicating a remarkably strict sequence requirement for an end-specific function(s) of the telomere. Despite this fact, even misoriented Rap1p site arrays promote telomere formation when they are placed at the distal end of a telomere-healing substrate, provided that at least a single correctly oriented site is present within the array. Surprisingly, these heterogeneous arrays of Rap1p binding sites generate telomeres through a RAD52-dependent fusion resolution reaction that results in an inversion of the original array. Our results provide new insights into the nature of telomere end capping and reveal one way by which recombination can resolve a defect in this process.
|
10.1128/MCB.21.23.8117-8128.2001
|
pubmed_800_12207
|
Atypical manifestations of cat-scratch disease have been described in children and immunosuppressed adults. We report the first case of hepatosplenic cat-scratch disease in an immunocompetent subject, demonstration of diversity of this infection. A 33-year-old man presented with prolonged fever, lymphadenopathy and multiple hypodense lesions of liver and spleen in ultrasonographic imaging. The hepatic biopsy showed non-specific inflammatory reactions including granulomata and stellate necrosis. Anti-Bartonella antibodies have been found. The therapy with clarithromycin and doxycycline for many weeks was effective for hepatic lesions. A month ago a history of a cat contact with the presence of a skin lesion has been reported.
|
pubmed_800_12207
|
pubmed_357_7852
|
Iron and copper chelation restricts Plasmodium growth in vitro and in mammalian hosts. The parasite alters metal homeostasis in red blood cells to its favor, for example metabolizing hemoglobin to hemozoin. Metal interactions with the mosquito have not, however, been studied. Here, we describe the metallomes of Anopheles albimanus and Aedes aegypti throughout their life cycle and following a blood meal. Consistent with previous reports, we found evidence of maternal iron deposition in embryos of Ae. aegypti, but less so in An. albimanus. Sodium, potassium, iron, and copper are present at higher concentrations during larval developmental stages. Two An. albimanus phenotypes that differ in their susceptibility to Plasmodium berghei infection were studied. The susceptible white stripe (ws) phenotype was named after a dorsal white stripe apparent during larval stages 3, 4, and pupae. During larval stage 3, ws larvae accumulate more iron and copper than the resistant brown stripe (bs) phenotype counterparts. A similar increase in copper and iron accumulation was also observed in the susceptible ws, but not in the resistant bs phenotype following P. berghei infection. Feeding ws mosquitoes with extracellular iron and copper chelators before and after receiving Plasmodium-infected blood protected from infection and simultaneously affected follicular development in the case of iron chelation. Unexpectedly, the application of the iron chelator to the bs strain reverted resistance to infection. Besides a drop in iron, iron-chelated bs mosquitoes experienced a concomitant loss of copper. Thus, the effect of metal chelation on P. berghei infectivity was strain-specific.
|
10.1371/journal.pntd.0009509
|
pubmed_0_13030
|
PURPOSE
To determine whether early referral to reproductive specialists improves fertility preservation (FP) outcomes and reduces delay in adjuvant treatment in young women with breast cancer.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
A secondary analysis of a prospective database of patients with breast cancer undergoing ovarian stimulation (OS) for FP by oocyte or embryo cryopreservation was performed.
RESULTS
Of the 154 patients, 93 met the inclusion criteria (mean age, 35.2 ± 4.4 years). Thirty-five of the 93 patients were referred before breast surgery (PreS), and 58 patients were referred after surgery (PostS). The time periods from initial diagnosis (ID) to initiation of OS (42.6 ± 27.7 days for PreS v 71.9 ± 30.7 days for PostS; P < .001) and from ID to initiation of chemotherapy (83.9 ± 24.3 days for PreS v 107.8 ± 42.9 days for PostS; P = .045) were significantly shorter for the PreS group versus the PostS group. Nine (25.7%) of 35 patients in the PreS group versus one (1.7%) of 58 patients in the PostS group were able to undergo two FP cycles (P < .001), resulting in an increased yield of oocytes in the PreS group (18.2% [93 of 511 oocytes] v 0.6% [five of 800 oocytes], respectively; P < .001) and embryos (17.2% [40 of 233 embryos] v 0.6% [two of 357 embryos], respectively; P < .001). Patients who had an oocyte retrieval within 5 weeks of the surgery were able to complete a second cycle within 9 weeks of the surgery.
CONCLUSION
FP referral before breast surgery enables earlier initiation of cryopreservation cycles and chemotherapy and, when appropriate, multiple FP cycles. Women who can undergo multiple cycles may be at advantage for FP because of a larger number of oocytes or embryos cryopreserved. This is the first study demonstrating the benefit of early FP referral in patients with cancer.
|
10.1200/JCO.2010.30.5748
|
pubmed_1107_14308
|
Three methods of screening RF surface coil receivers are discussed. The aim is to design coils with very much greater sensitivity on one side than on the other so that signal and noise contributions from unwanted regions of the body can be minimized. These methods can usefully be applied to situations wherein data are only wanted from one leg, although the coil is most conveniently located between the two, or from an arm lying adjacent to the body.
|
10.1002/mrm.1910360221
|
pubmed_222_6066
|
Bcl-2 inhibits apoptosis induced by a variety of death stimuli but does not completely inhibit Fas-mediated apoptosis. We have previously shown that a HeLa-derived cell line lacking mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) expresses Fas at a high level and apoptosis is easily induced using a low concentration of an anti-Fas antibody. In this study, overexpression of Bcl-2 in the mtDNA-less cells completely blocked Fas-mediated apoptosis, and this was not due to a depression of the enhanced Fas expression. These findings suggest that the Fas-mediated apoptotic pathway is directly linked to Bcl-2 protection in the cells with an accompanying mitochondrial dysfunction.
|
10.1006/bbrc.1997.7210
|
pubmed_521_16863
|
A number of epidemiologic studies have focused on the risk of bladder and lung cancer in hairdressers and beauticians, and the risk of breast cancer, and bladder cancer associated with the private use of hair dyes has also been addressed. The most consistent, although by no means unequivocal, finding is the increased risk of bladder cancer in male hairdressers. The use of brillantine containing p-dimethylaminoazobenzene could be suggested as a relevant exposure. We present recent incidence data on bladder cancer in Danish hairdressers showing relative risk (RR) = 2.05 (men) and RR = 1.75 (women) in 1970-1980 and RR = 1.17 (men) and RR = 0.88 (women) in 1981-1987. Furthermore, in female hairdressers, the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was increased for the whole period of 1970-1987.
|
10.1159/000211281
|
pubmed_688_17188
|
The lipase activity of two enteric-coated and two uncoated pancreatic enzyme formulations was evaluated in vitro at different pH values and compared with postprandial duodenal pH data in cystic fibrosis patients. Lipase activity was measured over a pH range of 4-8 in four formulations: Viokase tablets and Viokase powder (Viobin), Cotazym-S (Organon), and Pancrease enteric-coated spherules (McNeil). A pH-stat technique was used in which the amount of hydroxyl ion that must be added to maintain a preset pH value is measured to determine the amount of lipase substrate (tributyrin) that is split into butyric acid. At least three determinations of activity were made at each pH. Six capsules of each enteric-coated formulation were subjected to disintegration testing at various pH values. These data were then compared with data available for postprandial duodenal pH in patients with cystic fibrosis. The lipase activity of all formulations studied decreased when pH decreased, especially when the pH was below 5.75. At a pH value between 5 and 5.5, which represents the postprandial duodenal pH in cystic fibrosis patients, activity was reduced 50% or more for all formulations tested. The two enteric-coated products displayed no activity at pH 5.5 and below because the coating did not dissolve in this pH range. Lipase activity in enteric-coated pancreatic enzyme preparations is limited because the enteric coating of these products dissolves slowly in the duodenal pH range (5-5.75) that is found in patients with cystic fibrosis.
|
pubmed_688_17188
|
pubmed_879_13200
|
MicroRNAs play important roles in atherosclerogenesis and are important novel pharmaceutic targets in atherosclerosis management. The whole spectrum of miRNAs dysregulation is still under intense investigation. This study intends to identify more novel dysregulated microRNAs in atherosclerotic mice. Half of eight-week-old male ApoE-/- mice were fed with high-fat-diet for 12 weeks as a model mice, and the remaining half of ApoE-/- mice were fed with a normal-diet as a control. A serum lipid profile was performed with ELISA kits, and atherosclerotic lesions were assessed. Aortic tissues were dissected for gene expression profiling using a Multispecies miRNA 4.0 Array, and significant differentially expressed miRNAs were identified with fold change ≥ 2 and p < 0.05. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to validate microarray gene expression data on selected genes. Predicted target genes were extracted and subjected to bioinformatic analysis for molecular function and pathway enrichment analysis. Model mice showed a 15.32% atherosclerotic lesion compared to 1.52% in the control group. A total of 25 significant differentially expressed microRNAs were identified, with most of them (24/25) downregulated. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed the GeneChip data. Bioinformatic analysis of predicted target genes identified high involvement of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Microarray profiling of miRNAs in high-fat-fed Model mice identified 25 differentially expressed miRNAs, including some novel miRNAs, and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway is highly enriched in the predicted target genes. The novel identified dysregulated miRNAs suggest a broader spectrum of miRNA dysregulation in the progression of atherosclerosis and provide more research and therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis.
|
10.1080/21655979.2021.2004979
|
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