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others_179_2890 | Penicillin was administered to the primary roots of soybean (Glycine max. L. Merr) at the time of inoculation with Rhizobium japonicum and at various times after inoculation. Penicillin reduces nodule yield and shifts the frequency distribution of nodules along the primary roots. When administered at the time of inoculation, the earliest nodules do not form; when administered at later times, from 10 to 72 h after inoculation, the later nodules are reduced in number. These effects, when related to parallel effects of penicillin on bacterial viability, peptidoglycan synthesis, and binding to the roots suggest that penicillin interferes with more than one stage of nodule indu | 10.1139/m84-014 |
pubmed_353_12464 | The first six months of 2008 brought a distressing number of air ambulance crashes, including one in late June that claimed six lives. But providers say the benefits far outweigh the risks. "Our job is to provide healthcare to our patients as quickly as possible," says Art Chance, left, of East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System. "We see helicopter service as a vital part of that". | pubmed_353_12464 |
pubmed_12_15435 | To provide for early detection of abnormal changes in growth, we propose the monitoring of all children for changes in relative height and relative weight as indirect indicators of growth velocity. To this end we analyzed the growth of 2,156 children, as recorded by the child health surveillance services at ages 2 to 19 years. From their data we constructed growth standards on charts of a novel type, which allow direct reading of relative height (SD score, SDS) and relative weight (percentage deviation of weight from median weight for height and sex, %DW). Variation in height explained most (mean 60%) of the variation in weight, and age did not contribute significantly. Hence, our weight charts are height-based. Next, we defined the variations of changes in (delta) SDS and %DW during the different periods of growth. The group means of changes in each period were zero. Variation in delta SDS is widest at the earliest ages, then decreases until year 9-10 (girls) and 10-11 (boys), and again increases. For delta %DW the picture is similar. We present these variations as diagrams for use in growth screening. | 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1990.tb11503.x |
pubmed_71_22326 | Schizophrenia is associated with a strong deficit in the decoding of emotional facial expression (EFE). Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether this deficit is specific for emotions or due to a more general impairment for any type of facial processing. This study was designed to clarify this issue. Thirty patients suffering from schizophrenia and 30 matched healthy controls performed several tasks evaluating the recognition of both changeable (i.e. eyes orientation and emotions) and stable (i.e. gender, age) facial characteristics. Accuracy and reaction times were recorded. Schizophrenic patients presented a performance deficit (accuracy and reaction times) in the perception of both changeable and stable aspects of faces, without any specific deficit for emotional decoding. Our results demonstrate a generalized face recognition deficit in schizophrenic patients, probably caused by a perceptual deficit in basic visual processing. It seems that the deficit in the decoding of emotional facial expression (EFE) is not a specific deficit of emotion processing, but is at least partly related to a generalized perceptual deficit in lower-level perceptual processing, occurring before the stage of emotion processing, and underlying more complex cognitive dysfunctions. These findings should encourage future investigations to explore the neurophysiologic background of these generalized perceptual deficits, and stimulate a clinical approach focusing on more basic visual processing. | 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.04.007 |
pubmed_855_9899 | Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy (HHM) occurs when secretion of parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) by cancer cells causes hypercalcemia in the absence of skeletal metastases. High extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)(o)) increases secretion of PTH-like bioactivity by rat H-500 leydig cells, a transplantable model of HHM, an action potentially mediated by the Ca(2+)(o)-sensing receptor (CaR). In this study we investigated whether H-500 cells express the CaR and, if so, whether CaR agonists modulate PTHrP secretion. Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR revealed bona fide CaR transcript(s), and immunocytochemistry and Western analysis with a specific anti-CaR antiserum demonstrated CaR protein expression in H-500 cells. Furthermore, high Ca(2+)(o) and neomycin stimulated PTHrP secretion dose-dependently with maximal 2.7- and 3.3-fold increases at 5 mM Ca(2+)(o) and 300 microM neomycin, respectively. Thus in HHM caused by H-500 cells, the CaR could participate in a vicious cycle whereby PTHrP-induced increases in Ca(2+)(o) further stimulate PTHrP release and exacerbate hypercalcemia. | 10.1006/bbrc.2000.2157 |
pubmed_538_24791 | The vitelline or omphalomesenteric duct malformations constitute a rare group and are seen in only 2% of people. The malformations can take the form of a patent duct, a cyst, a fistula, or a sinus. They may or may not be symptomatic depending on the type of malformation. We present ultrasonographic features of a patent omphalomesenteric duct remnant in a 3-week-old boy who presented to our hospital with a non-healing umbilical lesion. Ultrasound can prove beneficial in the work-up of such cases. | 10.1080/02841850500409534 |
pubmed_218_15808 | PURPOSE
To determine the value of a breast ultrasound (US) examination in addition to mammography in cases of American College of Radiology (ACR) tissue pattern III and IV in symptomatic women and women at risk.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A prospective cohort was initiated between 2001 and 2005 with a total of 59,514 patients and 102,744 mammograms. Documentation was available for 102,557 diagnostic procedures. Breast US was indicated in all women with ACR III and IV in addition to a suspicious clinical examination and in cases of masses and focal asymmetries in mammography.
RESULTS
In total, 62,006 additional USs were performed, in which 116 mammographically and clinically occult breast cancers were diagnosed (detection rate: 1.9/1,000 examinations), while mammography alone (40,551 examinations) revealed 903 cancers (22.3/1,000). Of all 1,019 breast cancer findings, 12.8% were detected because of the combination of mammography and US. In the group with ACR III/IV, 15.9% of cancers were found by supplemental US compared with mammography alone.
CONCLUSION
The addition of US to mammography vs. mammography alone resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) increase in breast cancer detection rate. | 10.1007/s00330-009-1641-x |
pubmed_682_10652 | Respiratory system reactance (Xrs) measured by the forced oscillation technique (FOT) is theoretically and experimentally related to lung volume. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the absolute volume measured by body plethysmography includes a proportion that is inaccessible to pressure oscillations applied via the mouth, that is, a "noncommunicating" lung volume. We hypothesized that in COPD the presence of noncommunicating lung would disrupt the expected Xrs-volume relationship compared with plethysmographic functional residual capacity (FRCpleth). Instead, Xrs would relate to estimates of communicating volume, namely, expiratory reserve volume (ERV) and single-breath alveolar volume (VaSB). We examined FOT and lung function data from people with COPD (n = 51) and from healthy volunteers (n = 40). In healthy volunteers, we observed an expected inverse relationship between reactance at 5 Hz (X5) and FRCpleth. In contrast, there was no such relationship between X5 and FRCpleth in COPD subjects. However, there was an inverse relationship between X5 and both ERV and VaSB. Hence the theoretical Xrs-volume relationship is present in COPD but only when considering the communicating volume rather than the absolute lung volume. These findings confirm the role of reduced communicating lung volume as an important determinant of Xrs and therefore advance our understanding and interpretation of FOT measurements in COPD. NEW & NOTEWORTHY To investigate the determinants of respiratory system reactance (Xrs) measured by the forced oscillation technique (FOT) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we examine the relationship between Xrs and lung volume. We show that Xrs does not relate to absolute lung volume (functional residual capacity) in COPD but instead relates only to the volume of lung in communication with the airway opening. This communicating volume may therefore be fundamental to our interpretation of FOT measurements in COPD and other pulmonary diseases. | 10.1152/japplphysiol.00503.2018 |
pubmed_652_7086 | Gilliamella apicola and Snodgrassella alvi are dominant members of the honey bee (Apis spp.) and bumble bee (Bombus spp.) gut microbiota. We generated complete genomes of the type strains G. apicola wkB1(T) and S. alvi wkB2(T) (isolated from Apis), as well as draft genomes for four other strains from Bombus. G. apicola and S. alvi were found to occupy very different metabolic niches: The former is a saccharolytic fermenter, whereas the latter is an oxidizer of carboxylic acids. Together, they may form a syntrophic network for partitioning of metabolic resources. Both species possessed numerous genes [type 6 secretion systems, repeats in toxin (RTX) toxins, RHS proteins, adhesins, and type IV pili] that likely mediate cell-cell interactions and gut colonization. Variation in these genes could account for the host fidelity of strains observed in previous phylogenetic studies. Here, we also show the first experimental evidence, to our knowledge, for this specificity in vivo: Strains of S. alvi were able to colonize their native bee host but not bees of another genus. Consistent with specific, long-term host association, comparative genomic analysis revealed a deep divergence and little or no gene flow between Apis and Bombus gut symbionts. However, within a host type (Apis or Bombus), we detected signs of horizontal gene transfer between G. apicola and S. alvi, demonstrating the importance of the broader gut community in shaping the evolution of any one member. Our results show that host specificity is likely driven by multiple factors, including direct host-microbe interactions, microbe-microbe interactions, and social transmission. | 10.1073/pnas.1405838111 |
pubmed_1049_42 | A number of human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1)-based vectors have recently been shown to transduce nondividing cells in vivo as well as in vitro. However, if these vectors are to be considered for eventual clinical use, a major consideration is to reduce the probability of unintended generation of replication-competent virus. This can be achieved by eliminating viral genetic elements involved in the generation of replication-competent virus without impairing vector production. We have designed a system to transiently produce HIV-1-based vectors by using expression plasmids encoding Gag, Pol, and Tat of HIV-1 under the control of the cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter. Our data show that the best vector yield is achieved in the presence of the Rev/Rev-responsive element (RRE) system. However, the constitutive transport element of Mason-Pfizer monkey virus can substitute for RRE and Rev at least to some extent, whereas the posttranscriptional regulatory element of human hepatitis B virus appeared to be inefficient. In addition, we show that high-titer virus preparations can be obtained in the presence of sodium butyrate, which activates the expression of both the packaging construct and the vector genome. Finally, our results suggest that efficient infectivity of vectors defective in the accessory proteins Vif, Vpr, Vpu, and Nef depends on the nature of the target cells. | 10.1128/JVI.73.3.1828-1834.1999 |
pubmed_222_16801 | OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether oligoasthenozoospermia may lead to a higher spontaneous abortion (SAB) rate once a pregnancy is established by IVF-ET.
DESIGN
Retrospective clinical observational study.
SETTING
University-based IVF program.
PATIENT(S)
Three hundred sixty-four couples with normal semen parameters who underwent IVF-ET with conventional sperm incubation; 70 couples with oligoasthenozoospermia but without marked abnormal sperm morphology (< 4% normal forms using strict criteria) who underwent ET after IVF with conventional sperm incubation; and 20 couples with oligoasthenozoospermia but without abnormal sperm morphology who underwent ET after IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, SAB rate, and delivery rate after IVF-ET.
RESULT(S)
Despite similar pregnancy and implantation rates per ET, as a result of a higher SAB rate (40.0% versus 11.7%), the delivery rates were lower in the female partners of men with oligoasthenozoospermia. Similar patients who used ICSI had a 0% SAB rate.
CONCLUSION(S)
Oligoasthenozoospermia should be considered a possible risk factor for SAB in IVF achieved pregnancies. Further studies are needed to determine whether ICSI reduces the risk of SAB associated with oligoasthenozoospermia. | 10.1016/s0015-0282(97)00235-5 |
pubmed_1122_10288 | The genetic biodiversity of Clostridium botulinum type E strains was studied by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) with two macrorestriction enzymes (SmaI-XmaI and XhoI) and by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with two primers (OPJ 6 and OPJ 13) to characterize 67 Finnish isolates from fresh fish and fishery products, 15 German isolates from farmed fish, and 10 isolates of North American or North Atlantic origin derived mainly from different types of seafood. The effects of fish species, processing, and geographical origin on the epidemiology of the isolates were evaluated. Cluster analysis based on macrorestriction profiles was performed to study the genetic relationships of the isolates. PFGE and RAPD analyses were combined and resulted in the identification of 62 different subtypes among the 92 type E isolates analyzed. High genetic biodiversity among the isolates was observed regardless of their source. Finnish and North American or North Atlantic isolates did not form distinctly discernible clusters, in contrast with the genetically homogeneous group of German isolates. On the other hand, indistinguishable or closely related genetic profiles among epidemiologically unrelated samples were detected. It was concluded that the high genetic variation was probably a result of a lack of strong selection factors that would influence the evolution of type E. The wide genetic biodiversity observed among type E isolates indicates the value of DNA-based typing methods as a tool in contamination studies in the food industry and in investigations of botulism outbreaks. | 10.1128/AEM.65.5.2057-2064.1999 |
pubmed_832_16953 | Turner Syndrome (TS) is the most common female sex chromosome aneuploidy in females, and patients may present with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism due to gonadal dysgenesis. Timing and modalities of pubertal induction in these patients is still a matter of debate. Aim of this review was to focus on the latest update on pubertal induction in TS. Based on literature data, the following practical approach to this issue is recommended. Pubertal induction should begin between 11 and 12 years of age, starting with low doses of estradiol to preserve height potential. Transdermal 17β-Estradiol (17β-E2) could represent the first-choice induction regimen as it is more physiologic compared to an oral regimen and avoids the first-pass mechanism in the liver. In the case of poor compliance, administration of oral 17β-E2 or ethinyl estradiol could be offered. Incremental dose increases, approximately every 6 months, can contribute to mimic normal pubertal progression until adult dosing is reached over a 2- to 3-year period. Progestin should be added once breakthrough bleeding occurs or after 2 to 3 years of estrogen therapy or if ultrasound shows a mature uterus with thick endometrium. Treatment needs to be individualized and monitored by clinical assessment in relation to patient compliance and satisfaction. Well-designed prospective randomized clinical trials aimed to identify the best estrogen regimen for pubertal induction in TS girls are needed. | 10.23736/S2724-6507.20.03285-X |
pubmed_550_3640 | OBJECTIVE
To evaluate need of elective neck dissection in patients with early oral tongue cancer, and to see the pattern of involvement of different lymph node levels.
METHODS
Ninety four patients with T1-T2, N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue were treated with a partial glossectomy and an elective modified radical neck dissection.
RESULTS
Thirty two patients had T1 and 62 patients had T2 lesion. In patients with T1 carcinoma, 9 out of 32 had metastases (28%), whereas in patients with T2 carcinoma, 21 out of 62 showed metastases(34%).Thus, the overall rate of occult lymph node metastases was high(32%). In our study skip metastases to level III was seen in only in 2 patients (6%) but there was no skip metastases seen involving level IV or V.
CONCLUSION
The overall micrometastases rate in our patients (32%) warrants elective neck dissection in early cases also. The incidence of metastases to level IV and V from T1-T2 oral tongue cancer is low so these lymph nodes should be removed only when there is intraoperative suspicion of extensive metastases in levels I, II or III., otherwise supraomohyoid neck dissection is sufficient. | pubmed_550_3640 |
pubmed_1048_6218 | A sonication accelerated, catalyst free, simple, high yielding and efficient method for the Passerini-type three component reaction (PT-3CR) has been developed. It comprises reaction of an aldehyde/ketone, a isocyanide and a TMS-azide in methanol:water (1:1) as the solvent system. Use of sonication not only accelerated the rate of the reaction but also provided up to quantitative yields. This reaction is applicable to a broad scope of aldehyde/ketone and isocyanides. | 10.1039/C6GC00910G |
pubmed_482_23753 | Drought stress severely restricts crop yield and quality. Small noncoding RNAs play critical roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses by regulating target gene expression, but their roles in drought stress tolerance in apple (Malus domestica) are poorly understood. Here, we identified various small noncoding RNAs and their targets from the wild apple species Malus sieversii via high-throughput sequencing and degradome analysis. Forty known microRNAs (miRNAs) and eight new small noncoding RNAs were differentially expressed in response to 2 or 4 h of drought stress treatment. We experimentally verified the expression patterns of five selected miRNAs and their targets. We established that one miRNA, mdm-miR171i, specifically targeted and degraded SCARECROW-LIKE PROTEINS26 1 (MsSCL26 1) transcripts. Both knockout of mdm-miR171i and overexpression of MsSCL26 1 improved drought stress tolerance in the cultivated apple line 'GL-3' by regulating the expression of antioxidant enzyme genes, especially that of MONODEHYDROASCORBATE REDUCTASE, which functions in metabolism under drought stress. Transient expression analysis demonstrated that MsSCL26.1 activates MsMDHAR transcription by positively regulating the activity of the P1 region in its promoter. Therefore, the miR171i-SCL26 1 module enhances drought stress tolerance in apple by regulating antioxidant gene expression and ascorbic acid metabolism. | 10.1104/pp.20.00476 |
pubmed_468_4726 | BACKGROUND
Previous studies have suggested a detrimental prognostic effect of preoperative obstruction proximal to colorectal cancer (CRC). If such a detrimental effect is preserved in each stage of advanced (stage II or III) CRC, we can identify high-risk patients.
METHODS
We enrolled 641 patients with pathologically confirmed advanced CRC (stage II, n = 207; stage III, n = 434) who had undergone curative resection of the primary lesion. The association of preoperative obstruction with clinicopathologic parameters was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the effect of preoperative obstruction on disease-free survival in each stage.
RESULTS
Preoperative obstruction was seen in 63 patients (9.8%) (stage II, n = 16; stage III, n = 47). Multivariable analysis showed that preoperative obstruction was significantly associated with preoperative elevation of carcinoembryonic antigen level in patients with colon cancer (odds ratio = 3.59; P < 0.001), while it was correlated with poor differentiation in patients with rectal cancer (odds ratio = 3.99; P = 0.016). Preoperative obstruction was a significant prognostic factor in stage III CRC (P < 0.001), but not in stage II disease. Multivariable prognostic analysis showed that preoperative obstruction was a remnant independent prognostic factor in stage III CRC. This finding was confirmed by separate analyses of colon and rectal cancer. Preoperative obstruction was associated with systemic recurrence (P = 0.003) rather than peritoneal or local recurrence.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that preoperative obstruction may predict worse long-term prognosis in patients with stage III CRC and may be a potential clinical marker to identify patients with high-risk stage III CRC. | 10.1245/s10434-011-1625-3 |
pubmed_841_20914 | Arthritis is the leading chronic condition for older adults and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Providing holistic care to promote positive health perception and support healthy lifestyle decisions with these individuals is critical in attaining and maintaining quality of life. This study examined variables reflecting reactions to stress, lines of defense and resistance, and the basic core of humans in the context of the Neuman Systems Model in a convenience sample of 47 adults with a mean age of 70.4 years. The combined effects of the social, emotional, and physical impact of arthritis and additive or mediating effects of learned resourcefulness and spirituality on general health perception in older adults were investigated. Social, emotional, and physical impact together predicted health perception. The social impact of arthritis was a significant independent predictor for spirituality. Furthermore, spirituality and health perception were significantly correlated. | 10.1177/089801010001800403 |
pubmed_1000_19809 | The authors verify whether in silicosis the accumulation of silicon dioxide (SiO2) particles in the lung can induce changes of the activated T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. The lymphoblastic transformation of lymphocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) and purified protein derivative (PPD) was studied using the classical methods. It was observed that in patients exposed to SiO2 lymphocyte reactivity to the above stimulants decreases. Significant differences between patients and controls were observed only in the response to PHA (p < 0.001). | pubmed_1000_19809 |
pubmed_1127_17342 | Panic has not always been recognised as an exclusively psychiatric condition. Research in this area continued along separate medical and psychological axes until 1980, when the development of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-III criteria established the overall concept of panic disorder. The lifetime prevalence of DSM-III panic disorder and repeated panic attacks, defined as the average of individual estimates from six studies, are 2.7% and 7.1% of the general population, respectively. Females are almost twice as likely as males to suffer panic disorder, and about seven times as likely to suffer repeated panic attacks. Overall, panic disorder or panic attacks occur in up to one in ten of the general population. The prevalence of panic disorder and panic attacks, their associations with other conditions, and their time courses have been investigated in a prospective epidemiological study in Zurich, Switzerland, in which 591 individuals were followed for 15 years. The validity of panic disorder and panic attacks as genuine psychological phenomena are attested to by their positive associations with a family history of panic disorder, elevated risk of suicide, lifetime treatment for psychiatric disorders, and especially treatment with prescribed medication and substantial work and social impairment. Strong comorbidity exists between panic states and other psychiatric conditions, including depression (major depression, bipolar disorder and recurrent brief depression), agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disease. A lower degree of comorbidity is seen with alcohol and tobacco dependence. Comorbid conditions usually precede panic, except for alcohol abuse, which is usually secondary to episodes of panic. The prognosis of panic states is often optimistic, and chronic disease is present in less than half of sufferers. Both panic disorder and repeated panic attacks are common, serious and disabling conditions. Effective diagnosis and treatment of repeated panic attacks and panic disorder are of equal importance. | 10.1016/S0924-9338(98)80014-X |
pubmed_450_5206 | Fruit juices are popular drinks as they contain antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for human being and play important role in the prevention of heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. They contain essential nutrients which support the growth of acid tolerant bacteria, yeasts, and moulds. In the present study, we have conducted a microbiological examination of freshly prepared juices (sweet lime, orange, and carrot) by serial dilution agar plate technique. A total of 30 juice samples were examined for their microbiological quality. Twenty-five microbial species including 9 bacterial isolates, 5 yeast isolates, and 11 mould isolates were isolated from juices. Yeasts and moulds were the main cause of spoilage of juices. Aspergillus flavus and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were observed in the maximum number of juice samples. Among bacteria Bacillus cereus and Serratia were dominant. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in few samples. Candida sp., Curvularia, Colletotrichum, and Acetobacter were observed only in citrus juice samples. Alternaria, Aspergillus terreus, A. niger, Cladosporium, and Fusarium were also observed in tested juice samples. Some of the microorganisms detected in these juice samples can cause disease in human beings, so there is need for some guidelines that can improve the quality of fruit juices. | 10.1155/2014/408085 |
pubmed_830_7937 | Plumbum (Pb) is a heavy metal toxin that causes many pathophysiological effects in various systems of the human body. It has previously been reported that excessive lead trioxide causes hematopoietic system toxicity. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as cells with self-renewal and multipotent differentiation potential, play a supportive role in hematopoietic function. Lead is well known to interfere with hemoglobin synthesis and affect erythrocyte morphology and survival. MSCs and the cytokines secreted by MSCs are the important components of the hematopoietic microenvironment. Thus, we hypothesized that lead may cause damage to MSCs, which may provide a new understanding of the mechanism of lead toxicity in the hematopoietic system. In the present study, cell count, MTT assay, apoptosis assay, osteogenic differentiation, cell histochemical staining, cell cycle analysis, colony forming assay and RT-PCR were used. The results showed that the proliferation of umbilical cord MSCs (UCMSCs) was affected if the concentrations of lead were higher than 10 µM. Following osteogenic differentiation, the rate of alkaline phosphatase and Von Kossa stain positivity in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that lead suppresses the self-renewal and multipotent differentiation potential of UCMSCs, and induces an adverse effect on the expression of UCMSCs cytokines. MSCs also have a hematopoiesis-promoting function that is capable of supporting colony formation of bone marrow cells. Furthermore, we found that following treatment with lead acetate, the supportive function of UCMSCs on colony formation was inhibited. Taken together, lead acetate has a toxic effect on the self-renewal, multipotent differentiation potential and hematopoiesis-promoting function of UCMSCs. | 10.3892/mmr.2012.1014 |
others_196_17677 | : Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS) is thought to relate primarily to tendinosis/tendinopathy of the hip abductors. Previous studies have suggested that certain anatomic factors may predispose one to development of the condition. Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that intrinsic acetabular bony stability of the hip is related to the development of GTPS. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 198 consecutive patients diagnosed with GTPS were compared with 198 consecutive patients without clinical evidence of GTPS. Electronic health records of the included patients were examined; data recorded included patient age, sex, race, and body mass index (BMI). Standing anteroposterior radiographs were evaluated by 2 blinded examiners who measured the Tönnis angle, lateral center-edge angle (LCEA), and acetabular depth/width ratio (ADW) and assessed for the presence of a posterior wall sign. The number of dysplastic measures was recorded for each patient based on published norms. Associations between radiographic and patient variables versus the presence or absence of GTPS were determined. Factors with univariate associations where P <.20 were included in a binary logistic regression model to identify independent predictors of the presence of GTPS. Results: There was no difference between groups in terms of age, BMI, or race. There were significantly more women than men in the GTPS group (71% vs 30%; P <.001). Intraclass correlation coefficients were good for the LCEA (0.82) and Tönnis angle (0.82) and poor (0.08) for the ADW. Kappa was moderate for the presence of a posterior wall sign (0.51). An increased Tönnis angle, decreased ADW, and ADW <0.25 were significantly associated with the presence of GTPS. The binary logistic regression model identified an increased Tönnis angle (P <.010) and female sex (P <.001) as independent risk factors for GTPS. Conclusion: Based on this preliminary retrospective study, decreased intrinsic acetabular bony stability of the hip may be associated with an increased risk of GTPS. © The Author(s) 2020 | 10.1177/2325967120958699 |
pubmed_414_7319 | The antiferromagnetic molecular wheel Fe18 of 18 exchange-coupled Fe;{III} ions has been studied by magnetic torque, magnetization, and inelastic neutron scattering. The combined data show that the low-temperature magnetism of Fe18 is very accurately described by the Néel-vector tunneling (NVT) scenario, as unfolded by semiclassical theory. In addition, the magnetic torque as a function of applied field exhibits oscillations that reflect the oscillations in the NVT splitting with field due to quantum phase interference. | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.157202 |
others_286_15271 | Mathematical decomposition of tetanic contractions of slow motor units (MUs) of the rat heterogeneous medial gastrocnemius muscle revealed immense variability of twitch-shape responses to successive pulses, contrary to results obtained for fast MUs. The aim of this study in rat soleus muscle, almost exclusively composed of slow MUs, was to reveal whether such variability of twitch-shape decomposed components was a common property of slow MUs in the two studied muscles, and whether ranges of the force amplitude or time parameters of these decomposed twitches showed sex differences. Unfused tetanic contractions evoked by stimulation at variable interpulse intervals were analyzed for 10 MUs of males and 10 MUs of females. Significantly higher variability between parameters of the decomposed responses was observed for male soleus MUs, as the mean ratio of forces of the strongest decomposed twitch and the first (the weakest) decomposed twitch amounted to 3.8 for males and 2.8 for females. The ratios of the contraction times of the longest decomposed to the first twitch were much more similar between male and female MUs, 2.6 and 2.9, respectively. Consequently, the mean ratio of the force-time area for the strongest decomposed to the first twitch was much bigger in male than female MUs (7.35 vs. 5.07, respectively). Our observations indicate that high variability of responses to successive stimuli is a general property of slow MUs in different rat muscles, but the mechanisms of summation of individual twitches into tetanic contractions of MUs are not identical for male and female rats. © 2015 Elsevier L | 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.07.019 |
pubmed_386_17628 | Rapid and sensitive indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ic-ELISA) and gold nanoparticle immunochromatographic strip tests were developed to detect thiamphenicol (TAP), florfenicol (FF) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk and honey samples. The generic monoclonal antibody for TAP, FF and CAP was prepared based on a hapten [D-threo-1-(4-aminophenyl)-2- dichloroacetylamino-1,3-propanediol], and the haptenwas linked to a carrier protein using the diazotization method. After the optimization of several parameters (coating, pH, sodium chloride content and methanol content), the ic-ELISA was established. The quantitative working range for TAP was 0.11-1.36 ng/mL, with an IC50 of 0.39 ng/mL. The optimized ELISA showed cross-reactivity to CAP (300%) and FF (15.6%), with IC50 values of 0.13 and 2.5 ng/mL, respectively. The analytical recovery of TAP, FF and CAP in milk and honey samples in the ic-ELISA ranged from 81.2 to 112.9%. Based on this monoclonal antibody, a rapid and sensitive immunochromatographic test strip was also developed. This strip had a detection limit of 1 ng/mL for TAP, FF and CAP in milk and honey samples. Moreover, the test was completed within 10 min. Our results showed that the proposed ic-ELISA and immunochromatographic test strip method are highly useful screening tools for TAP, FF and CAP detection in milk and honey samples. | 10.1002/bmc.3442 |
others_153_2053 | The goals of this study were to determine the concentration-response (C-R) relationship of endothelin-1 (ET-1), compare 2 ET-receptor antagonists and determine the antagonist concentrations that block the vasomotor effects of ET-1, and compare the effectiveness of ET-1 and previously studied vasoconstrictors in equine palmar digital arterial and venous rings in vitro. Vessel rings from 8 nonlaminitic horses were placed in Tyrode's solution, 1 side fixed to the floor of an organ bath and the other side fixed to a force-displacement transducer. Two separate studies were conducted: (I) incubation with a single ET-receptor antagonist (PD142893 or PD145065 at a concentration of 10-7, 10-6, or 10-5 M), followed by determination of an ET-1 C-R curve (using concentrations of 10-10 to 10-6 M) for medial vessel rings; and (II) comparison of ET-1 with norepinephrine and histamine (10-10 to 10-6 M) and comparison of contractile responses of medial and lateral vessel rings. In study I, ET-1 administration caused pronounced and sustained concentration-dependent contraction of vessel rings; these contractile responses were decreased by 10-5 M PD142893 and were completely blocked by 10-5 M PD145065. Venous rings had greater apparent maximum contraction in response to ET-1 than arterial rings. In study II, the relative sensitivity of norepinephrine was found to be equivalent to that of ET-1, whereas that of histamine was lower. No significant differences were observed between responses of medial versus lateral vessel rings. Thus, ET-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor of equine palmar digital arteries and veins, and the ET-receptor antagonist PD145065 is more effective than PD142893 in inhibiting these contractile effects in | others_153_2053 |
pubmed_812_4408 | Laparoscopic surgery has been associated with less postoperative pain, an early return of bowel function, a shorter period of hospitalization and disability, and better cosmetic results. In the past decade laparoscopic techniques are increasingly being applied to colorectal surgical procedures. Diagnostic laparoscopy, the creation of stomas, and limited resections are becoming reasonable indications for benign diseases. However, the application of laparoscopic techniques to the curative resection of colorectal cancer is still controversial, owing to reports of cancer recurrence at the port site wounds. Port-site recurrence remains a leading concern regarding the widespread acceptance of laparoscopic resection for colorectal carcinoma. The last reports has presented that with careful technique, training and experience wound recurrences are rarely seen, suggesting that this phenomenon is primarily technique and advanced cancer stages related. The final results of the large randomized prospective studies may well determine the role of laparoscopy for colorectal cancer in the near future. | pubmed_812_4408 |
pubmed_1032_1440 | Left main coronary artery (LMCA) aneurysm is a very rare condition that usually requires surgical treatment. Although there is no consensus on the standard surgical technique, aneurysmal ligation with coronary artery bypass grafting is commonly used. This report presents a case of a giant LMCA aneurysm for which an alternative surgical approach was performed. The aneurysm was incised and partially resected. An interposition right internal thoracic artery graft from the LMCA to the left circumflex coronary artery was placed together with a left internal thoracic artery and free right internal thoracic artery graft. Postoperative imaging showed good patency of all grafts. This case demonstrates an effective approach for the surgical treatment of LMCA aneurysm that offers an alternative when other techniques are not desirable. | 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.12.035 |
pubmed_703_6961 | OBJECTIVES
Fecal immunochemical tests (FIT) are preferred over guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing as colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tool. However, hemoglobin (Hb) degradation over time may influence FIT outcome. We therefore evaluated the effect of sample return time on FIT performance characteristics in a population-based CRC screening trial.
METHODS
A representative random sample of the Dutch population (n=17,677), aged 50-74 years, was invited for FIT screening (OC-Sensor Micro; cutoff ≥ 50 ng Hb/ml). Sample return time was defined as the interval in days between fecal sampling and FIT laboratory delivery. Moreover, a random sample of positive FITs were selected to be stored at room temperature and re-tested every 3-4 days.
RESULTS
In total, 8,958 screenees fulfilled our inclusion criteria. The mean sample return time was 3 days (± 3). Overall, 792 screenees (8.8%) had a positive test. Between the sample return time groups, the positivity rate (PR) varied between 7.7 and 9.0%. No statistically significant associations were found between PR or detection rate (DR) and the different sample return time groups (P value=0.84 and 0.76, respectively). For the laboratory experiment, 71 positive FITs were stored at room temperature and re-tested with standard intervals. The mean daily fecal Hb decrease was 5.88% per day (95% confidence interval 4.78-6.96%). None of the positive FITs became negative before 10 days after fecal sampling.
CONCLUSIONS
This population-based CRC screening trial demonstrates that both the PR and DR of FITs do not decrease with prolonged sample return times up to 10 days. This means that a delay in sending the FIT back to the laboratory, of up to at least 1 week, does not necessitate repeat sampling in case of a negative test result. These data support the use of FIT-based screening as a reliable tool for nationwide CRC screening programs. | 10.1038/ajg.2011.396 |
pubmed_283_15881 | The aim of the study was to analyse the relationship between smoking initiation and the time spent watching TV, video, DVD by adolescents 11, 13, and 15-year-old in Poland. The research was conducted in 2010 as a part of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study (HBSC) in a sample of 4751 students, using a standard, international HBSC questionnaire. It was found that there is a relationship between smoking attempts made by the young people and time spent watching TV during weekdays. In the analyzes using logistic regression combined variable relating to the time to watch TV on weekdays and weekends was used. Nearly a quarter of respondents (24.3%) were qualified to the group of adolescents spending too much time in front of the screen. Age was the strongest predictor of smoking onset. Between 11 and 13 years of age the risk of taking the first cigarette increased three times, and between 11 and 15 years of age more than seven times. Relative risk of smoking attempts related to gender and frequency of watching television, video or DVD was both equal to 1.5. In smoking prevention focused on adolescents it is should be better to pay more attention on constructive leisure time activities, and the role of parents in shaping pro-health attitudes. This is particularly important in the initial stages of schooling, when to develop and enhance the psychosocial competences as a the protective factor of risk taking behaviors among adolescents. | pubmed_283_15881 |
pubmed_1065_1219 | Measurement of gastrin in serum or plasma in patients with gastrinoma may be complicated by the presence of circulating biosynthetic intermediates which may not be detected by commonly available immunoassays. In contrast, the "processing-independent analysis" of gastrins developed by professor Jens Rehfeld et al in Copenhagen detects gastrin forms irrespective of their size. The authors review gastrinoma pathophysiology, the biochemistry of gastrin and other biomarkers of gastrinoma, the differential diagnosis of hypergastrinemia as well as other methods currently employed in the workup of gastrinoma patients, and illustrate with a clinical case. | pubmed_1065_1219 |
pubmed_207_5566 | Our findings indicate that allelic exclusion is maintained in B cells that successfully rearrange and express and endogenous H chain gene, despite carrying a functionally rearranged H chain transgene (17.2.25 mu a). Cloned hybridomas having a functionally rearranged endogenous H chain gene as well as the transgene produce only endogenous gene products. Some of these hybridoma cultures, upon continuous growth, will secrete transgene as well as endogenous gene products. However, the two H chain polypeptides appear to be made by different cells. In each of three cases of such "double producer" lines examined, further subcloning at this time reveals two types of clones: those that secrete only transgene and those that secrete only endogenous H chains. The clones producing transgene product have lost the functionally rearranged endogenous H chain genes, whereas the clones producing endogenous gene products still contain both transgene and endogenous functionally rearranged H chain genes. These results indicate that hybridomas expressing endogenous Ig have transgene copies that are potentially functional but are reversibly silenced by an unknown mechanism and suggest that inhibition of transgene expression may be mediated by endogenous Ig gene expression. | pubmed_207_5566 |
pubmed_398_7929 | Fibromyalgia, a condition that sometimes causes disagreement among physicians, has also been debated in several court cases that highlight the role of physicians as expert witnesses. Lawyer Karen Capen says physicians who provide expert opinion in court should be aware that there are specific requirements regarding their qualifications. In an Alberta court case, a judge discounted evidence provided by a rheumatologist who ran a clinic that treated fibromyalgia patients because of his "personal and perhaps financial interest in perpetuating the existence of this condition." The judge ruled that "this particular disorder is often found in individuals who will not or cannot cope with everyday stresses of life and convert this inability into acceptable physical symptoms to avoid dealing with reality." | pubmed_398_7929 |
pubmed_218_22226 | The Raf-mitogen activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) protein kinase signaling cascade is an important intracellular pathway whose activation influences many fundamental cellular processes and whose aberrancy is associated with cancer cell growth. In addition to activation from within by, for example, Raf mutations, this pathway is frequently activated from above by mutated Ras or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Given the near ubiquity of derangements affecting at least part of this network in cancer, there is a strong and clear rationale for interrupting it. In recent times, in colorectal and lung cancer, Ras and EGFR mutant status have been shown to be critically important and mutually exclusive predictors of response to anti-EGFR therapies. These developments underline the importance of targeting downstream effectors, and MEK inhibition has been the subject of intense scientific and clinical research for some time now. This article reviews the current status of MEK inhibitors with regard to their clinical development. | 10.1007/s11523-009-0125-x |
pubmed_355_20507 | The aspartyl protease cathepsin D has been shown to be a marker of poor prognosis when found at high levels in primary breast tumors. It has been suggested that this is because the production of cathepsin D increases the invasive potential of the tumor cells, thus increasing the probability of metastasis. We have therefore conducted experiments to determine if secreted cathepsin D makes a significant contribution to the invasive phenotype of breast cancer cells in the Boyden chamber assay of invasion, which measures the ability of a cell to invade through an artificial basement membrane. Cathepsin D secretion and Boyden chamber invasiveness were measured in nine clones of the breast cancer cell line MCF-7, and no correlation was found between cathepsin secretion and invasive behavior. Invasion assays were also conducted in the presence of the aspartyl protease inhibitor pepstatin A, and no inhibition of the invasive behavior of cells was seen. Since low-pH environments are required for both the activation of pro-cathepsin D and the activity of the mature enzyme, assays were also conducted in the presence of chloroquine to neutralize the pH in the acidic compartments of the cells. This treatment did not inhibit invasiveness. Cathepsin D secretion by the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435, MDA-MB-435s, MDA-MB-468, SK-Br-3, and MCF-7-ADRr was also measured. Again, there was no correlation with invasion. In fact, cathepsin D levels were inversely correlated with aggressive behavior in vivo and in vitro in previously reported studies. These data suggest that cathepsin D secretion by tumor cells is not an important determinant of the invasiveness of the tumor cells per se. These data also reinforce the view that the poor prognosis in clinical breast cancer linked to high tumor levels of cathepsin D is probably due to high levels of cathepsin D in the stromal components of the tumor such as infiltrating inflammatory cells. | pubmed_355_20507 |
pubmed_304_24006 | Stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1) is a CXC chemokine that selectively activates the CXCR4 chemokine receptor. Fibronectin is an intracellular matrix component that binds integrin and mediates cell-matrix adhesion. Activation of the integrin receptor can occur in two ways: by ligand binding (outside-in signaling), and in response to intracellular events (inside-out signaling). In the current study we showed that SDF-1a inhibited adhesion of T lymphocyte Jurkat cells resulting from binding high concentrations of fibronectin as well as that of THP-1 monocytes. The effect of SDF-1a on fibronectin-mediated adhesion was partly reversed by the CXCR4 receptor antagonist T140. Our results suggest that an SDF-1/ CXCR4 signal pathway modulates fibronectin-mediated lymphocytes adhesion. | pubmed_304_24006 |
pubmed_277_17797 | Tumour growth and metastasis involve the degradation of extracellular matrix components by matrix degrading enzymes produced by tumour cells and stromal fibroblasts. In this study, fibroblasts were obtained from biopsies on the border (TB) and 1 cm distant from the melanoma (TD) and cultured separately. Similar studies were performed with fibroblasts surrounding melanocytic nevi as control. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) mRNA and tissue matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 1 (TIMP-1) were studied by Northern blot analysis. The activation antigen intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in TB-and TD-fibroblasts was investigated by flow cytometry. In melanoma, TB-fibroblasts showed an increased expression of MMP-1 mRNA mainly in fibroblasts obtained from tumours with extended invasive growth demonstrated by Clark level whereas the expression of the major specific inhibitor TIMP-1 was unaltered. In contrast, fibroblasts surrounding benign melanocytic nevi did not express elevated levels of MMP-1. The upregulation of MMP-1 in TB-fibroblasts compared to TD-fibroblasts was maintained during cultivation. Furthermore, MMP-1 mRNA expression and MMP-1 total protein amount in normal fibroblasts were increased by melanoma cell conditioned medium. We demonstrated an increased expression of ICAM-1 in TB-fibroblasts compared to TD-fibroblasts in vitro depending on the amount of inflammatory infiltrate in situ. The differences of ICAM expression disappeared during continued cell culture. These results support the idea that fibroblasts surrounding melanoma are activated and are possibly involved in the degradation of matrix proteins surrounding the tumour. | 10.1034/j.1600-0625.2000.009001034.x |
pubmed_837_10976 | Active opioid receptors have been solubilized from bovine striatal synaptosomal membranes and purified approximately 4000-fold using a combination of affinity and hydroxyapatite chromatography. The affinity column was constructed by attaching hybromet, a newly synthesized opioid ligand with high affinity for the mu receptor, to a solid support matrix. A polyclonal antibody was generated to opioid receptors by injection of the purified receptor preparation into female New Zealand rabbits. The specificity of the antiserum was demonstrated by receptor competition and immunoprecipitation studies. Immunological titration of opioid binding activity from rat brain showed that the antibody was able to displace specific binding of [3H]etorphine (universal opioid) and [3H]dihydromorphine (mu opioid) from rat membranes, but was ineffective against the binding of [3H]ethylketocyclazocine (kappa [3H]D-Ala2,D-Leu5-enkephalin (delta opioid) or [3H]phencyclidine (phencyclidine/sigma receptor ligand). The antibody was able to precipitate the Mr 94,000 component of the 125I-labeled affinity-purified receptor, a finding which suggests that this subunit may be an opioid recognition component. By indirect immunofluorescence, the antibody was shown to bind specifically to the plasma membranes of the neurotumor cell line NCB-20 (neuroblastoma X Chinese hamster brain hybrid cells), which has high affinity opioid receptors. The observed fluorescence in the neuroblastoma cells was prevented by pre-adsorption of the antibody with purified receptor from rat brain. These results indicate that the antibody is specific for opioid receptors and may prove useful in the precise localization of opioid receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems by immunohistochemical procedures. | 10.1016/0165-5728(88)90068-9 |
pubmed_192_19906 | An effective local drug delivery system remains an urgently needed product for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis in the clinic. In this study, we developed an antibacterial functionalization bone graft by immobilizing levofloxacin hydrochloride-loaded mesoporous silica microspheres (LFH @ MSNs) on the surface of a nanohydroxyapatite/polyurethane (n-HA/PU) bioactive composite scaffold. Through pretreatment of the n-HA/PU scaffold by chitosan solution and subsequent crosslinking by vanillin, LFH @ MSNs were uniformly and stably immobilized on the scaffold surface. The results of drug release experiments showed that the release of LFH from LFH @ MSN-modified n-HA/PU scaffolds (LFH @ MSN/n HA/PU) lasted up to 42d. The antibacterial assays indicated that LFH @ MSN/n-HA/PU offers satisfactory antibacterial activity against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The biosafety assays demonstrated that the LFH @ MSN/n-HA/PU scaffold could satisfy the requirements of the biosafety standards. The constructed LFH @ MSN/n-HA/PU porous scaffolds with an antibacterial surface and favorable biosafety are deemed a promising candidate for infectious bone defect repair. | 10.1166/jbn.2019.2743 |
pubmed_970_20014 | Pressure on health care providers is growing due to capping of remuneration for medical services in most Western European countries. We wanted to investigate, if robotic-assisted ventral hernia repair is reasonable from an economic point of view in our setting. Patients undergoing open or robotic-assisted repair for complex abdominal wall hernia using a Transversus Abdominis Release (TAR) between September 2017 and January 2019 were included. Procedure-related costs were calculated exact to the minute and cost unit accounting for the postoperative in-patient stay was done. Abdominal wall reconstruction using the TAR-technique was done in a total of 26 (10 female) patients via an open (n = 10) or robotic-assisted (n = 16) approach. No significant difference was seen in regard to age, BMI and ASA scores between subgroups. Time for operation was longer (253.5 vs 211.5 min; p = 0.0322), while postoperative hospital stay was shorter for patients operated with a robotic-assisted approach (4.5 vs 12.5 days; p < 0.005). Procedure-related costs were 2.7-fold higher when a robotic-assisted reconstruction was done (EUR 5397 vs. 1989), while total costs for in-patient stay were about 60% lower (EUR 2715 vs 6663). Currently, revenues by national insurance account for a total of EUR 9577 leading to a profit of EUR 1465 and 925 for the robotic-assisted and open myofascial release, respectively. In addition, 30-day re-admission rate was in favor of the robotic-assisted approach as well (6.3% vs 20%). From an economic point of view, robotic-assisted TAR for complex ventral hernia repair is a viable option in our setting. Higher procedure-related costs are offset by a significant shorter hospital stay. The economic advantage goes along with improvement in outcome of patients. | 10.1007/s11701-020-01078-3 |
pubmed_1001_9057 | X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) measurements at the C, N, and Fe K absorption edges were performed for iron(III)-tetraphenylporphyrin (FeTPP), iron(III)-tetrakis(p-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (FeTCPP), and iron(III)-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (FeTSPP). The spectral shapes differ in the Fe K XANES, but not in C and N K XANES among FeTPP, FeTCPP, and FeTSPP. Crosschecks of XANES data for C, N, and Fe K absorption edges in combination with discrete variational (DV)-Xalpha molecular orbital (MO) calculations indicate that each p-electron-withdrawing group on four meso-phenyl substitutes in an Fe(III)-porphyrin complex brings about a unique electron state through the complex because of the electron-withdrawal strength, itself. Consequently, they affect the positive charge of the center Fe(III) ion. | 10.2116/analsci.21.309 |
pubmed_762_15992 | To assess mutagenesis during early B-lymphocyte development in vitro, progenitor B cells (pre-B cells) were obtained from fetal livers of BALB/c mice and DBA/2N mice that harbored the transgenic shuttle vector, pUR288, with a lacZ reporter gene for the determination of mutant frequencies (MFs). Differentiation-arrested pre-B cells demonstrated a marked dose-dependent increase in lacZ mutant levels after exposure to gamma-irradiation with a peak MF of 250 x 10(-5) at 2.5 Gy. Without genotoxic treatment, pre-B cells undergoing spontaneous differentiation into surface IgM expressing immature B cells exhibited lacZ mutant levels of up to 95 x 10(-5). The mutational pattern was dominated in both experiments by illegitimate recombination mutations of lacZ, not point mutations. Likewise, in both experiments, the enforced expression of Bcl-2 resulted in a striking reduction of lacZ mutations. These findings indicated that mouse pre-B cells are prone to accumulate induced and self-inflicted mutations, particularly recombinations. Additionally, our studies revealed a heretofore unknown role of Bcl-2 in inhibiting mutagenesis during early B-cell development in mice. | 10.1016/s0027-5107(02)00309-3 |
pubmed_999_5817 | PURPOSE
Vaccine requirements are effective population-based strategies to increase vaccination rates. In 2018, Puerto Rico's DOH announced that the HPV vaccine would be required for school entrance. This study explored arguments in favor of and against the HPV vaccine school-entry requirement in PR.
METHODS
We conducted a content analysis of two Puerto Rican newspapers. Articles (n = 286) published between 1/1/2015 and 7/31/2018 containing the Spanish terms for "HPV" and "human papillomavirus" were included. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Articles that mentioned the HPV vaccine school-entry requirement (n = 33) were reviewed qualitatively using applied thematic analysis.
RESULTS
The top five primary focus areas were education about HPV and the HPV vaccine, advertisements promoting the HPV vaccine, general vaccine information, cervical cancer and screening information, and the HPV vaccine school-entry requirement. Of the 33 articles that mentioned the requirement, 61% presented arguments in favor, 15% presented arguments against, 12% presented both arguments, and 12% only mentioned the existence of the requirement or were the DOH announcement. Arguments in favor centered on cancer prevention, high rates of HPV-associated cancers, and population wellness. Arguments against included worries about sexual transmission of HPV, HPV vaccine's side effects, issues related to the policy (e.g., mandatory), and lack of education.
CONCLUSION
Understanding reasons people support or oppose an HPV vaccine school-entry requirement is important for the policy processes to be successful. Education efforts must continue to change the HPV vaccine narrative. Messages should be crafted to educate and gain support among parents and stakeholders towards this population-based cancer prevention strategy. | 10.1007/s10552-021-01431-3 |
pubmed_114_1955 | erythro-5-[1-Hydroxy-2-(isopropylamino)butyl]-7-hydroxycarbostyril (4), which is a terbutaline-type derivative of the bronchodilator procaterol, was synthesized by transfer of the 8-hydroxyl group of procaterol to the 7 position. Compound 4 showed less potent beta-adrenoceptor stimulant activities than procaterol or terbutaline in an in vitro test using guinea pig tracheal muscle and right atrium. In an in vivo assay on anesthetized dogs, compound 4 showed 42 times less bronchodilator activity and 87 times less effect on the heart rate than l-isoproterenol. | 10.1021/jm00137a030 |
pubmed_773_1491 | Affirmative action on the campus has led to some changes, but women and minorities have made little headway, especially in terms of being hired. At some institutions, after a year or two of affirmative action, the number and percentage of women has decreased while the number and percentage of men increased. The greatest progress has been in the areas of new legislation, general awareness, and correction of salary inequities. Various laws and court decisions relative to discrimination are discussed, as well as the relationship between women's and minority issues--Sandler, B. Women and discrimination in academe. | pubmed_773_1491 |
others_314_124813 | Transposable element insertions (TEIs) are an important source of genomic innovation by contributing to plant adaptation, speciation, and the production of new varieties. The often large, complex plant genomes make identifying TEIs from short reads difficult and expensive. Moreover, rare somatic insertions that reflect mobilome dynamics are difficult to track using short reads. To address these challenges, we combined Cas9-targeted Nanopore sequencing (CANS) with the novel pipeline NanoCasTE to trace both genetically inherited and somatic TEIs in plants. We performed CANS of the EVADE (EVD) retrotransposon in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and rapidly obtained up to 40x sequence coverage. Analysis of hemizygous T-DNA insertion sites and genetically inherited insertions of the EVD transposon in the ddm1 genome uncovered the crucial role of DNA methylation in shaping EVD insertion preference. We also investigated somatic transposition events of the ONSEN transposon family, finding that genes that are downregulated during heat stress are preferentially targeted by ONSENs. Finally, we detected hypomethylation of novel somatic insertions for two ONSENs. CANS and NanoCasTE are effective tools for detecting TEIs and exploring mobilome organization in plants in response to stress and in different genetic backgrounds, as well as screening T-DNA insertion mutants and transgenic plants | 10.1101/2021.06.11.448052 |
pubmed_1019_4602 | Despite their similar genetic makeup, honeybee (A. mellifera) queens and workers show alternative morphologies driven by nutritional difference during the larval stage. Although much research have been done to investigate the causes of honeybee caste polymorphism, information at subcellular protein levels is limited. We analyzed queen- and worker-destined larvae mitochondrial proteome at three early developmental stages using combinations of differential centrifugation, two-dimensional electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and quantitative real time PCR. In total, 67, 69, and 97 protein spots were reproducibly identified as mitochondrial proteins at 72, 96, and 120 h, respectively. There were significant qualitative and quantitative protein expression differences between the two castes at three developmental stages. In general, the queen-destined larvae up-regulated large proportions of proteins at all of the developmental stages and, in particular, 95% at 72 h. An overwhelming majority of the queen larvae up-regulated proteins were physiometabolic-enriched proteins (metabolism of carbohydrate and energy, amino acid, and fatty acid) and involved in protein folding, and this was further verified by functional enrichment and biological interaction network analyses as a direct link with metabolic rates and cellular responses to hormones. Although wide-ranging mitochondrial proteomes participate to shape the metabolic, physiologic, and anatomic differences between the two castes at 72 h, physiometabolic-enriched proteins were found as the major modulators of the profound marking of this caste differentiation. Owing to nutritional difference, prospective queen larvae showed enhanced growth, and this was manifested through the overexpression of metabolic enzymes. Differently from similar studies targeting the causes of honeybee caste polymorphism, this subcellular level study provides an in-depth insight into mitochondrial proteins-mediated caste polymorphism and greatly improves protein coverage involved during honeybee caste determination. Hence, it is a major step forward in the analysis of the fundamental causes of honeybee caste pathway decision and greatly contributes to the knowledge of honeybee biology. In particular, the consistency between the 22 proteins and mRNA expressions provides us important target genes for the reverse genetic analysis of caste pathway modulation through RNA interference. | 10.1021/pr200473a |
pubmed_458_3563 | The C825T polymorphism in the GNB3 gene encoding a beta3 subunit from heterotrimeric G-proteins correlates strongly with the variation in activity of the G-proteins. It has so far been associated with a variety of medical conditions, but has not been tested for association with vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR). Primary VUR is a condition of genetic origin that appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant mode, but with reduced penetrance. The constitutional change in G-protein-mediated cell signaling associated with the C825T polymorphism might be one of the factors that participate in the development of VUR by modifying the effect of still unknown mutated gene(s). A significant difference in genotype frequencies (chi(2) = 7.38, P = 0.025, df = 2) was observed between patients with primary VUR (33 CC homozygotes, 40 CT heterozygotes, 12 TT homozygotes) and healthy controls with no medical record of reflux (114 CC homozygotes, 88 CT heterozygotes, 18 TT homozygotes). This result suggests that the C825T polymorphism of the GNB3 gene might be associated with the development of VUR. | 10.1016/j.anngen.2004.04.003 |
pubmed_507_5878 | The notion of home is well known from our everyday experience, and plays a crucial role in all kinds of narratives about human life, but is hardly ever systematically dealt with in the philosophy of medicine and health care. This paper is based upon the intuitively positive connotation of the term "home." By metaphorically describing the goal of palliative care as "the patient's coming home," it wants to contribute to a medical humanities approach of medicine. It is argued that this metaphor can enrich our understanding of the goals of palliative care and its proper objectives. Four interpretations of "home" and "coming home" are explored: (1) one's own house or homelike environment, (2) one's own body, (3) the psychosocial environment, and (4) the spiritual dimension, in particular, the origin of human existence. Thinking in terms of coming home implies a normative point of view. It represents central human values and refers not only to the medical-technical and care aspects of health care, but also to the moral context. | 10.1007/s11017-009-9121-5 |
pubmed_3_7437 | A method for precision frequency trimming of surface acoustic wave (SAW) and surface transverse wave (STW) based resonant devices using a Xe(+) heavy ion bombardment technique is described. The devices are downtrimmed in frequency in an in-situ monitoring process by means of a Kaufmann type ion source that allows first a rough and then a fine frequency trimming with an accuracy of 1 ppm in a single continuous in-situ monitoring process. An improvement of the device insertion loss and unloaded Q as a result of the trimming process is achieved. Single mode 776 MHz STW resonators can be downtrimmed by more than 5000 ppm without deteriorating their parameters while SAW resonators allow a much lower frequency downshift. The method is simple and can cost effectively be applied to SAW and STW device fabrication. | 10.1109/58.308505 |
pubmed_114_14504 | Unilateral neck deafferentation produces in cats a postural asymmetry, characterized by an increase in the extensor activity of the ipsilateral limbs and a decreased activity in the contralateral limbs; moreover, the placing reactions are severely depressed in the ipsilateral limbs. The present experiments were performed to investigate the influence of unilateral section of the cervical dorsal roots C1-C2 or C1-C3 on the postural adjustments occurring during flexion limb movements induced by cortical stimulation in chronically implanted cats. Only weak stimulations were used and motor activity was mainly isometric, to facilitate quantification of responses analyzed by measuring changes in vertical force exerted at the level of each limb in the up-right position of the animal. The results obtained were the following. The general motor behaviour of the animal was not affected by the lesion. In particular, stimulation of the motor cortex evoked not only flexion movement of a contralateral limb but also an initial postural adjustment consisting of a diagonal force pattern. The response threshold of the moving limb increased on the hypertonic side and decreased on the hypotonic side. Moreover, the changes in threshold of the performing limb following unilateral neck deafferentation were coupled with parallel changes in threshold of the limbs involved in the postural adjustment. There were great quantitative modifications both of the movement and the postural adjustment after the neck deafferentation. In fact weight shift latencies increased when the performing limb was ipsilateral to the hypertonic side, while the weight shifts themselves decreased in amplitude and speed. The opposite occurred when the performing limb was ipsilateral to the hypotonic side. Parallel with these changes, the slope of the response curve of the moving limb as well as of the limbs involved in the postural adjustment decreased following stimulation of the motor cortex at different stimulus intensities if the performing limb was ipsilateral to the hypertonic side, but increased if the performing limb was ipsilateral to the hypotonic side. These changes compensated after chronic neck deafferentation. In summary, the results indicate that well coordinated posturo-kinetic responses were still elicited by cortical stimulation in spite of the prominent changes in posture and reflex movements induced by unilateral neck deafferentation. In particular, changes in threshold, latency, amplitude and speed of the force changes under the limb making a movement were coupled with parallel alterations of the force changes under the limbs undergoing postural adjustment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) | pubmed_114_14504 |
pubmed_634_11660 | OBJECTIVE
To examine the trend of cesarean delivery (CD) rate among twin pregnancies and the trend in maternal and neonatal morbidities within two decades.
STUDY DESIGN
Population-based cohort study, conducted at a single teaching hospital in Israel on data between January 1995 and December 2015. All pregnant women with twin gestation who delivered at a gestational age of 24 weeks or more were included. Data on mode of deliveries, Apgar score <7 at 5 min, cord artery pH < 7.1, early postpartum hemorrhage, blood transfusion, and intrapartum fever for each year were extracted and plotted, and trends were analyzed. CDs performed for one or both twins were divided to laboring, i.e., after a trial of labor, and non-laboring CDs. Data was obtained from the hospital discharge register with ICD-9 codes and crosschecked with the labor medical records. The Cochran-Armitage Trend Test was used to identify trends and correlations.
RESULTS
Of all 88,145 deliveries that took place during this period, 1955 (2.2%) were twins. Of these 53 were ineligible and were excluded. There was a statistically significant trend (increase) in twins birth over time (p = 0.004). CD rate increased significantly from 43.4% in 1995 to 66.0% in 2015 (p = 0.001). This increase was observed only among non-laboring cesareans (p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that maternal and early neonatal morbidities examined did not differ significantly during the study period.
CONCLUSION
Non-laboring CD rate increased significantly over the past two decades among twin pregnancies. Despite this increase, maternal and early neonatal morbidities did not change. | 10.1016/j.eurox.2019.100023 |
pubmed_498_26510 | Összefoglaló. Az Egészségügyi Világszervezet (WHO) Látásról szóló világjelentése (World report on vision 2019) szerint a népesség növekedése és elöregedése világszerte növekvő számban vezet mérsékelt vagy súlyosabb fokú látáskárosodáshoz. A WHO adatai szerint napjainkban 1,1 milliárd személy él a látáskárosodás valamely formájával, melyek mintegy 80%-a megelőzhető lenne. A látáskárosodott vagy látáskárosodással veszélyeztetett személyek 90%-a ugyan alacsony vagy közepes humán fejlettségű országban él, de a rövidlátás és a cukorbetegség miatti retinopathia okozta látáskárosodások száma a magas és a nagyon magas humán fejlettségű országok csoportjában is emelkedik. A WHO előrejelzései szerint ezzel a tendenciával 2050-re 61 millióan élnek majd vaksággal, és 1,7 milliárd személy lehet csökkentlátó világszerte. Riasztó adat, hogy az emberiség 23%-a rövidlátó, de a jelenlegi növekedési tendenciák alapján 2050-re az előfordulás már 50%-os lehet. A vakság, illetve a látáskárosodás megelőzése és a látásrehabilitáció fejlődése érdekében a WHO globális akcióprogramjainak (VISION 2020, World report on vision) ismertetésén túl tanulmányunk bemutatja a hazai intézkedéseket és a populációalapú felmérések nemzetközi és hazai eredményeit, köztük a látásromlás legfőbb kórokait és a látáskárosodáshoz leggyakrabban vezető szembetegségeket. Tanulmányunkban bemutatjuk a látáskárosodással élő gyermekek hazai, egészségügyi és pedagógiai szempontból releváns populációjellemzőit is. Összefoglalónk célja felhívni a figyelmet arra, hogy a látáskárosodás megelőzése és a kialakult látáskárosodással élő emberek komplex rehabilitációja nemcsak a szemészeti szakma feladata, hanem be kell, hogy épüljön az egészségügyi alapellátáson túl az oktatási és szociális rendszerekbe is. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(30): 1187-1197. Summary. World Health Organization's (WHO) World report on vision (2019) underlines that the increasing size and age of the population leads to a general growth in cases of vision impairment of varying severity (moderate and severe vision impairment). According to WHO data, globally 1.1 billion individuals live with vision impairment, and approximately 80% of all cases is preventable. While around 90% of people with vision impairment or at risk of vision impairment live in low- or middle-income countries, the prevalence of near vision impairment and diabetic retinopathy is increasing in high-income countries, too. WHO assumes that if this tendency is not interrupted, by 2050 61 million individuals will be blind and 1.7 billion individuals will have vision impairment. It is rather frightening that currently 23% of the world's population is diagnosed with near vision impairment, and with this tendency by 2050 this number may reach 50%. Our study takes a closer look at global actions for preventing vision loss and vision impairment together with the joint efforts to improve vision rehabilitation services, and briefly introduces Hungarian measures, results of international and national population-centred research results, and the major causes of vision impairment. Then, the Hungarian population of children with vision impairment is characterised from both healthcare and pedagogical perspectives. The objective of this review is to point out that the prevention of vision impairment and comprehensive rehabilitation of persons with vision impairment requires joint efforts from ophthalmology, pedagogy and social services. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(30): 1187-1197. | 10.1556/650.2021.32187 |
pubmed_125_3941 | The concept of using informative wavelength imagery to monitor plant health and ecosystem stability from space is derived from the deployment of Landsat and the development of the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index, or NDVI. NDVI presents the relative reflectance of the Near IR from plant leaves as a measure of relative plant health in terrestrial habitats and landscapes. However, the use of NDVI and NDVI-like imagery is rapidly evolving toward higher spatial resolution and more localized assessments of plant health, such as the use of drone imagery to monitor outdoor farms, and the use of mounted cameras within indoor growing facilities. With the advancement of plant growth systems in support of human space exploration, especially to the moon and Mars, remote assessment of plant health within exploration habitats becomes a critical element for development. This project examines the deployment of NDVI-like capabilities within a planetary analog greenhouse on the Antarctic ice shelf. The EDEN ISS Antarctica project provides a case study on the practical use of specific wavelength imagery to monitor plant health within space exploration environments. GoPro cameras, modified to dual bandpass capabilities, provided Single Image NDVI analyses for a year within the EDEN ISS Future Exploration Greenhouse at the Neumayer Station III in Antarctica. Images were acquired on site, analyzed remotely, and archived for the entire duration of the deployment through a combination of back-room science activities and operational communications with the Neumayer Station III. The results provide insights into the potential use of specific imaging wavelengths to enhance crop production in space exploration. | 10.1016/j.lssr.2020.03.006 |
pubmed_804_18768 | Tripartite integrative and conjugative elements (ICE3) are a novel form of ICE that exist as three separate DNA regions integrated within the genomes of Mesorhizobium spp. Prior to conjugative transfer the three ICE3 regions of M. ciceri WSM1271 ICEMcSym1271 combine and excise to form a single circular element. This assembly requires three coordinated recombination events involving three site-specific recombinases IntS, IntG and IntM. Here, we demonstrate that three excisionases-or recombination directionality factors-RdfS, RdfG and RdfM are required for ICE3 excision. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that expression of ICE3 transfer and conjugation genes was induced by quorum sensing. Quorum sensing activated expression of rdfS, and in turn RdfS stimulated transcription of both rdfG and rdfM. Therefore, RdfS acts as a "master controller" of ICE3 assembly and excision. The dependence of all three excisive reactions on RdfS ensures that ICE3 excision occurs via a stepwise sequence of recombination events that avoids splitting the chromosome into a non-viable configuration. These discoveries expose a surprisingly simple control system guiding molecular assembly of these novel and complex mobile genetic elements and highlight the diverse and critical functions of excisionase proteins in control of horizontal gene transfer. | 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007292 |
pubmed_596_11928 | In a previous cross-sectional study on baseline data, we demonstrated that the volume of brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in the splenium of corpus callosum (SCC) predicted the current mobility function of older persons. The primary aim of this follow-up study was to determine the relation of WMH volume change in SCC (SCC-∆WMH) with change in mobility measures. A secondary aim was to characterize the global and regional progression of WMH. Mobility function and WMH burden were evaluated at baseline and at 2 years in 77 community-dwelling individuals (baseline age, 82 ± 4). Regional WMH in SCC, as well as genu and body of corpus callosum, subregions of corona radiata, and superior longitudinal fasciculus were determined using a white matter parcellation atlas. The total WMH volume increased 3.3 ± 3.5 ml/year, mainly through enlargement. Significant WMH increases were observed in all selected regions, particularly within the corona radiata. While at baseline and follow-up we observed correlations between WMH burden and several measures of mobility, longitudinal change correlated only with change in chair rise (CR). SCC-∆WMH showed the highest correlation (r = -0.413, p = 0.0002) and was the best regional predictor of CR decline (OR = 1.5, r(2) = 0.3). The SCC-∆WMH was more than five times larger in the CR-decline group compared to the no-decline group (p = 0.0003). The SCC-∆WMH (top quartile) showed a higher sensitivity/specificity for CR decline compared to change in total WMH, 63/88% versus 52/84%, respectively. The findings suggest that accrual of WMHs in posterior areas of the brain supporting inter-hemispheric integration and processing of visual-spatial information is a mechanism contributing to age-related mobility deterioration. | 10.1007/s11357-011-9242-4 |
pubmed_244_18420 | PURPOSE
Novel linac improvements in speed of gantry, collimator, leaf and dose rate may increase the time-efficiency of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery, however remains to be investigated. In this study, a fast-rotating O-ring linac (Halcyon) with fast moving leaves is compared with a general linac (TrueBeam: TB) in terms of plan quality for VMAT of C-shape, prostate, multi target and, head and neck (H&N) cases from AAPM TG-119.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
For the four test cases, VMAT planning was performed using single to four-arc VMAT on a Halcyon and using single to three-arc VMAT on a TrueBeam. Same conditions for optimization were used in each test case. Target coverage metrics and organ at risks (OAR) dose were compared. Monitor unit (MU) and irradiation time in each plan were also compared.
RESULTS
In all cases, single-arc plans of Halcyon were inferior to TB plans on dose objectives. Conformity index (CI) to outer target of C-shape case was better for Halcyon (1-arc: 1.242, 2-arc: 1.202, 3-arc: 1.198, 4-arc: 1.181) than for TB (1-arc: 1.247, 2-arc: 1.211, 3-arc: 1.211) except to single arc. D5 (Gy) of core for C-shape case was better for halcyon (1-arc: 23.29, 2-arc: 21.01, 3-arc: 20.64, 4-arc: 20.47) than for TB (1-arc: 24.04, 2-arc: 22.94, 3-arc: 23.04). Calculated MU was smaller for Halcyon than for TB. In addition, Halcyon is more faster than TB because mechanical movements were improved.
CONCLUSION
For VMAT plan in each case, Halcyon as well or better at the plan quality of two or three arcs on TB while reducing the delivery time. | 10.6009/jjrt.2020_JSRT_76.4.339 |
pubmed_157_20224 | Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a well-recognized human carcinogen, yet the molecular mechanisms by which cause human cancer are still not well understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which are small non-coding RNAs, are involved in carcinogenesis and DNA damage repair. Previous occupational population study showed that hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) downregulated plasma miR-3940-5p level, and a low miR-3940-5p level was associated with high XRCC2 expression in lymphocytes, indicating that miR-3940-5p maybe play a protective effect in Cr(VI) induced DNA damage. Here we investigated miR-3940-5p expression and its roles in DNA repair in Cr(VI)-treated 16HBE cells. miR-3940-5p change was detected by qRT-PCR. Rad51 foci formation and double strand break (DSB) were investigated to assess homologous recombination repair (HR) capacity by Immunofluorescent assay and Neutral Comet assay. XRCC2 expression was also evaluated after miRNA oligonucleotides transfection using Western blot. Cr(VI) treatment suppressed miR-3940-5p level in 16HBE cells. miR-3904-5p mimic downregulated XRCC2 expression. As a result, the formation of Rad51-foci was inhibited and DSB repair was prolonged. The results indicate that miR-3940-5p plays a protective effect in Cr(VI) induced DNA damage. | pubmed_157_20224 |
pubmed_392_5110 | BACKGROUND
Due to the chronic nature of multiple sclerosis, palliative care can play a significant role in improving the quality of life and well-being of the affected patients. An essential step for developing appropriate palliative care for these patients is to determine the types of palliative care necessary, from different points of view. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the palliative care needs from the nurses' and patients' points of view in southeast Iran in 2017.
METHOD
This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 154 nurses working in neurology wards of teaching hospitals associated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences and 132 patients with multiple sclerosis who were referred to these hospitals in southeast Iran. The data were collected using a questionnaire for assessing the palliative care needs of patients with multiple sclerosis. Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, and the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine the data.
RESULTS
Both nurses and patients mentioned the palliative needs of patients with multiple sclerosis in terms of physical, social, spiritual, psychological, and economic dimensions, respectively, but the results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in all dimensions of palliative needs (P < 0.0001).
CONCLUSION
Given the differences in how patients and nurses prioritize palliative care needs, it is essential to consider the different dimensions of palliative needs of patients with multiple sclerosis. | 10.1186/s12904-021-00867-3 |
pubmed_778_12133 | In our study ethoxyquin (EQ) and its two complexes with flavonoids were obtained from ethoxyquin (1,2-dihydro-6-ethoxy-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline, EQ) and quercetin (EQ-Q, 1:1) or rutin (EQ-R, 1:1). Cytotoxicity of the tested compounds was studied using the trypan blue exclusion method and the properties of the studied compounds were also analyzed with the TUNEL method evaluating their ability to induce apoptosis. It was shown that EQ induced apoptosis in cultured human lymphocytes, especially at 0.25 and 0.5 mM concentrations. The same effects were also observed after the incubation of lymphocytes with EQ-Q and EQ-R, but the numbers of apoptotic cells observed were lower than for EQ. | pubmed_778_12133 |
pubmed_515_4005 | In a recent study, we have shown a rapid inflammatory cell influx across the glandular epithelium and strong proinflammatory cytokine expression at 4 hours after inhalation injury. Studies have demonstrated a significant role of nuclear factor kappa B in proinflammatory cytokine gene transcription. This study examines the acute airway inflammatory response and immunohistochemical detection of p65, a marker of nuclear factor kappa B activation, in sheep after smoke inhalation and burn injury. Pulmonary tissue from uninjured sheep and sheep at 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours after inhalation and burn injury was included in the study. Following immunostaining for p65 and myeloperoxidase, the cell types and the percentage of bronchial submucosal gland cells staining for p65 and the extent of myeloperoxidase stained neutrophils in the bronchial submucosa were determined. Results indicate absence of detection of P65 before 12 hours after injury. At 12 hours after injury, strong perinuclear staining for p65 was evident in bronchial gland epithelial cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Bronchial submucosal gland cells showed a significant increase in the percentage of cells stained for p65 compared with uninjured animals and earlier times after injury, P < .05. At 24 and 48 hours after injury, p65 expression was evident in the bronchiolar epithelium, Type II pneumocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Quantitation of the neutrophil influx into the bronchial submucosa showed a significant increase compared with uninjured tissue at 24 and 48 hours after injury, P < .05. In conclusion, immunohistochemical detection of activated p65 preceded the overall inflammatory response measured in the lamina propria. However, detection of p65 did not correlate with a recent study showing rapid emigration of neutrophils at 4 hours postinjury. Together, these results suggest that p65 immunostaining may identify cells that are activated to produce proinflammatory cytokines after injury; however, the immunoexpression may not adequately reflect the temporal activation of gene transcription that may occur with proinflammatory cytokine production with inhalation injury. | 10.1097/BCR.0b013e3181a28e13 |
pubmed_1117_17837 | Twelve patients recovering from open heart surgery received an intravenous infusion of dopexamine hydrochloride, a novel beta 2 adrenergic and dopamine receptor agonist. The mean cardiac index increased from 2.58 to a maximum of 3.64 1 min-1 m-2 (P less than 0.001) and the systemic vascular resistance (SVR) decreased from 1527 to 1116 dyne s cm-5 (P less than 0.001) at a dose of 3 micrograms kg-1 min-1. Heart rate increased with dose from 85 beats min-1 to a maximum of 119 beats min-1 (P less than 0.001). There was no significant change in the pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with treatment in the group as a whole. However, PVR decreased (P less than 0.05) in patients who had aortic-valve replacement (AVR) only, whereas in patients who had mitral-valve replacement (MVR) the PVR increased (P less than 0.05). We conclude that dopexamine hydrochloride was well tolerated in patients following cardiac surgery. It produced a significant increase in cardiac output with evidence of afterload reduction and, although the increase in heart rate may limit its use in some patients, dopexamine hydrochloride is potentially of value in the treatment of low cardiac output state following cardiac surgery. | 10.1093/oxfordjournals.eurheartj.a062578 |
pubmed_805_1651 | The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV exhibits extensive genetic diversity and it is apparent that an infected individual contains different populations of distinct viral strains, a large proportion of which has been found surprisingly to be defective for replication. A similar phenomenon has also been observed with some cell lines that are known to produce infectious viral particles but harbor defective proviral genomes. Here, we investigated the molecular basis of this phenomenon by cloning proviral genomes of HIV from a cell line that was capable of producing high titers of biologically active HIV particles that readily induced syncytia with CD4+ cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes. This cell line was found to contain five proviral genomes, all of which, when tested individually, failed to produce replication-competent viruses upon transfection into human cells. However, when a specific combination of two proviral genomes was used in such transfection studies, it was possible to obtain biologically active, replication-competent viral particles that infected and replicated in CD4+ cell lines and induced syncytia characteristic of HIV. Such a result may be due to homologous recombination between proviral DNAs occurring in cells after transfection and/or complementation of replication-defective proviral DNAs. The diploid nature of the viral RNA genome present in the viral particle may enable the persistence of defective HIV genomes. | 10.1073/pnas.88.6.2278 |
pubmed_1096_14736 | An understanding of the dynamics of intestinal Lgr5(+) stem cells is important for elucidating the mechanism of colonic cancer development. We previously established a method for evaluating Lgr5(+) stem cells by tamoxifen-dependent Lgr5-lineage tracing and showed that high-dose-rate radiation stimulated replenishment of colonic stem cells. In this study, we evaluated the effects of low-dose-rate radiation on stem cell maintenance. Tamoxifen (4OHT)-injected Lgr5-EGFP-IRES-Cre(ERT2) × ROSA-LSL-LacZ mice were used, LacZ-labeled colonic crypts were enumerated, and the loss of LacZ(+) crypts under low-dose-rate radiation was estimated. After 4OHT treatment, the number of LacZ-labeled Lgr5(+) stem cells was higher in the colon of infant mice than in adult mice. The percentage of LacZ-labeled crypts in infant mice rapidly decreased after 4OHT treatment. However, the percentage of labeled crypts plateaued at ∼2% at 4 weeks post-treatment and remained unchanged for up to 7 months. Thus, it will be advantageous to evaluate the long-term effects of low-dose-rate radiation. Next, we determined the percentages of LacZ-labeled crypts irradiated with 1 Gy administered at different dose rates. As reported in our previous study, mice exposed to high-dose-rate radiation (30 Gy/h) showed a marked replenishment (P = 0.04). However, mice exposed to low-dose-rate radiation (0.003 Gy/h) did not exhibit accelerated stem-cell replenishment (P = 0.47). These findings suggest the percentage of labeled crypts can serve as a useful indicator of the effects of dose rate on the stem cell pool. | 10.1093/jrr/rrv012 |
pubmed_394_12637 | BACKGROUND
Necrotizing pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus producing Panton Valentine Leukocidine (PVL) has been described recently and is associated with a high mortality (75%).
OBSERVATION
We report a case of pneumonia due to PV secreting Staphylococcus aureus in a healthy young adult, complicated by multiple necrotizing lung lesions and major cystic changes, with a favourable final outcome. Acute respiratory failure with haemodynamic failure and ARDS developed a few days after an influenza-like illness. The appearances at fibreoptic bronchoscopy were atypical, consisting of a purulent, necrotic tracheo- bronchitis with desquamation. The initial unfavourable progress despite broad spectrum antibiotic therapy and, finally, the identification of PV leukotoxin in blood cultures and tracheal aspirate, led to the diagnosis. During the clinical course there were repeated pneumothoraces (8 drains) due to multiple bilateral cystic lesions. Ultimately progress was favourable following treatment with antibiotics (flucloxacillin and clindamycin) and steroids.
CONCLUSION
It is important to consider pulmonary complications of the Panton-Valentine leukotoxin in a healthy young adult who presents with necrotizing pneumonia and an unfavourable outcome in spite of broad spectrum antibiotics. Treatment is difficult on account of the extent of the necrotizing lesions and the need to use antibiotics effective against both the bacterium and its toxin. | 10.1016/s0761-8425(08)74356-0 |
pubmed_363_20341 | Some Tetraponera ants (Formicidae, Pseudomyrmecinae) subsist almost entirely on amino acid deficient honeydew secretions of pseudococcids and harbour a dense aggregation of bacterial symbionts in a unique pouch-shaped organ at the junction of the midgut and the intestine. The organ is surrounded by a network of intruding tracheae and Malpighian tubules, suggesting that these bacteria are involved in the oxidative recycling of nitrogen-rich metabolic waste. We have examined the ultrastructure of these bacteria and have amplified, cloned and sequenced ribosomal RNA-encoding genes, showing that the ant pouch contains a series of close relatives of Flavobacteria and Rhizobium, Methylobacterium, Burkholderia and Pseudomonas nitrogen-fixing root-nodule bacteria. We argue that pouch bacteria have been repeatedly 'domesticated' by the ants as nitrogen-recycling endosymbionts. This ant-associated community of mutualists is, to our knowledge, the first finding of symbionts related to root-nodule bacteria in animals. | 10.1098/rspb.2002.2101 |
others_417_6536 | : Anaerobic digestion (AD) is important in treating of food waste, and thousands of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) have been constructed for the microbiome in AD. However, due to the limitations of the short-read sequencing and assembly technologies, most of these MAGs are grouped from hundreds of short contigs by binning algorithms, and the errors are easily introduced. Results: In this study, we constructed a total of 60 non-redundant microbial genomes from 64.5 Gb of PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) long reads, generated from the digestate samples of a full-scale biogas plant fed with food waste. Of the 60 microbial genomes, all genomes have at least one copy of rRNA operons (16S, 23S, and 5S rRNA), 54 have ≥18 types of standard tRNA genes, and 39 are circular complete genomes. In comparison with the published short-read derived MAGs for AD, we found 23 genomes with average nucleotide identity less than 95% to any known MAGs. Besides, our HiFi-derived genomes have much higher average contig N50 size, slightly higher average genome size and lower contamination. GTDB-Tk classification of these genomes revealed two genomes belonging to novel genus and four genomes belonging to novel species, since their 16S rRNA genes have identities lower than 95 and 97% to any known 16S rRNA genes, respectively. Microbial community analysis based on the these assembled genomes reveals the most predominant phylum was Thermotogae (70.5%), followed by Euryarchaeota (6.1%), and Bacteroidetes (4.7%), and the most predominant bacterial and archaeal genera were Defluviitoga (69.1%) and Methanothrix (5.4%), respectively. Analysis of the full-length 16S rRNA genes identified from the HiFi reads gave similar microbial compositions to that derived from the 60 assembled genomes. Conclusion: High-fidelity sequencing not only generated microbial genomes with obviously improved quality but also recovered a substantial portion of novel genomes missed in previous short-read based studies, and the novel genomes will deepen our understanding of the microbial composition in AD of food waste. Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Li, Wang, Shen, Wang, Wang, Xu, Yuan, Lei, Chen, Yang, Deng and F | 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1095497 |
pubmed_288_2848 | The indications for endoscopic treatment are limited to cases without lymph node metastasis, because it is only a local therapy. The relationship between cancer depth and lymph node metastasis has been clarified based on the pathologic analysis of lymph nodes removed during esophagectomy for early esophageal cancer. Cancer confined to the lamina propria mucosa rarely undergoes lymph node metastasis and complete endoscopic resection (ER) is indicated. ER allows the esophagus to be preserved and is less invasive, enabling specimens to be pathologically examined. Lesions extending over large area can be resected by repeating endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), but have recently been resected using endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), as indicated for gastric cancer. Which of the two procedures, EMR or ESD, to be chosen depends on the difficulty, skill of the surgeon, time to be spared, and economic management. ER is now performed in SM1 without lymph node metastasis, although some patients require additional treatment after pathologic examination of resected lesions. | pubmed_288_2848 |
pubmed_1057_4363 | The present study investigated the extent to which physiological and biochemical traits varied because of root-zone salinity in three Mediterranean evergreens differing greatly in their strategies of salt allocation at an organismal level: the 'salt-excluders', Olea europaea L. and Phillyrea latifolia L. (both Oleaceae), and Pistacia lentiscus L., which, instead, largely uses Na+ and Cl- for osmotic adjustment. Both Oleaceae spp. underwent severe leaf dehydration and reduced net photosynthesis and whole-plant growth to a significantly greater degree than did P. lentiscus. Osmotic adjustment in Oleaceae mostly resulted from soluble carbohydrates, which, in turn, likely feedback regulated net photosynthesis. Salt stress reduced the actual efficiency of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) and enhanced the concentration of de-epoxided violaxanthin-cycle pigments in O. europaea and P. latifolia. Phenylpropanoid metabolism was upregulated by salt stress to a markedly greater degree in O. europaea and P. latifolia than in P. lentiscus. In contrast, species-specific variations in leaf lipid peroxidation were not observed in response to salinity stress. The results suggest that the species-specific ability to manage the allocation of potentially toxic ions out of sensitive leaf organs, other than affecting physiological responses, largely determined the extent to which leaf biochemistry, mostly aimed to counter salt-induced oxidative damage, varied in response to salinity stress. | 10.1071/FP09054 |
pubmed_958_8177 | We describe a renal allograft patient with a Chlamydia trachomatis infection. A 43 year-old man was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease in 1985 which necessitated the transplantation of a cadaver kidney in 1986. The kidney was rejected two years later. A second transplantation was performed in 1991. At the beginning of 1998 symptoms and signs of chronic renal failure and dysuria set in. Routine microbiological studies were negative. Cell culture on McCoy cell line was positive for an active infection with C. trachomatis--initially 3+, then 2+, 1+ and negative following treatment. The patient was positive on the AMPLICOR CT/NG test (Roche Diagnostic Systems, Branchburg, USA) twice with OD values OVER--above 2 at 450 nm wavelength measured on an ELISA reader. The patient received treatment with azithromycin and doxycycline for 10 days following which the serum creatinine levels fell and the creatinine clearance values improved. Dynamic microbiological follow-up showed disappearance of C. trachomatis as evidenced by the negative PCR test. We conclude that the deterioration of renal function in our patient is complex but the infection with C. trachomatis is part of the complex of the underlying chronic renal failure and immunosuppressive treatment. | pubmed_958_8177 |
pubmed_856_9259 | Importance
Present-on-admission (POA) indicators in administrative claims data allow researchers to distinguish between preexisting conditions and those acquired during a hospital stay. The impact of adding POA information to claims-based measures of hospital quality has not yet been investigated to better understand patient underlying risk factors in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision setting.
Objective
To assess POA indicator use on Medicare claims and to assess the hospital- and patient-level outcomes associated with incorporating POA indicators in identifying risk factors for publicly reported outcome measures used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Design, Setting, and Participants
This comparative effectiveness study used national CMS claims data between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2018. Six hospital quality measures assessing readmission and mortality outcomes were modified to include POA indicators in risk adjustment models. The models using POA were then compared with models using the existing complications-of-care algorithm to evaluate changes in risk model performance. Patient claims data were included for all Medicare fee-for-service and Veterans Administration beneficiaries aged 65 years or older with inpatient hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia within the measurement period. Data were analyzed between September 2019 and March 2020.
Main Outcomes and Measures
Changes in patient-level (C statistics) and hospital-level (quintile shifts in risk-standardized outcome rates) model performance after including POA indicators in risk adjustment.
Results
Data from a total of 6 027 988 index admissions were included for analysis, ranging from 491 366 admissions (269 209 [54.8%] men; mean [SD] age, 78.2 [8.3] years) for the acute myocardial infarction mortality outcome measure to 1 395 870 admissions (677 158 [48.5%] men; mean [SD] age, 80.3 [8.7] years) for the pneumonia readmission measure. Use of POA indicators was associated with improvements in risk adjustment model performance, particularly for mortality measures (eg, the C statistic increased from 0.728 [95% CI, 0.726-0.730] to 0.774 [95% CI, 0.773-0.776] when incorporating POA indicators into the acute myocardial infarction mortality measure).
Conclusions and Relevance
The findings of this quality improvement study suggest that leveraging POA indicators in the risk adjustment methodology for hospital quality outcome measures may help to more fully capture patients' risk factors and improve overall model performance. Incorporating POA indicators does not require extra effort on the part of hospitals and would be easy to implement in publicly reported quality outcome measures. | 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.8512 |
pubmed_629_16647 | SIGNATURE is a particle selection system for molecular electron microscopy. It applies a hierarchical screening procedure to identify molecular particles in EM micrographs. The user interface of the program provides versatile functions to facilitate image data visualization, particle annotation and particle quality inspection. The system design emphasizes both functionality and usability. This software has been released to the EM community and has been successfully applied to macromolecular structural analyses. | 10.1016/j.jsb.2006.06.001 |
pubmed_432_575 | In 22- to 26-day-old beagle puppies, just after superficial nephrons have begun to function, the single nephron glomerular filtration rate is extremely low (6.7 nl.min-1) approximating a tenth of the adult value (57 nl.min-1) even though blood pressure is as high as 90 mm Hg. Glomerular vascular resistance is almost six times the value found in the adult dog (1.8 vs. 0.32 mm Hg.ml-1.min), this increase being mainly due to a rise in afferent (80%) rather than in efferent (20%) resistance. The glomerulus, having only recently started to function, is characterized by filtration pressure equilibrium, a phenomenon atypical of superficial glomeruli in the adult dog. These findings favor the concept that a low glomerular blood flow rate might be the main cause of the very low SNGFR in the new glomeruli, although some contribution of an altered ultrafiltration coefficient cannot be excluded. | pubmed_432_575 |
pubmed_607_7627 | The impact of the presence of the allograft on the induction of unresponsiveness by the immunosuppressive combination of cyclosporine (CsA) and 3M KCl-extracted histocompatibility Antigen (Ag) was assessed by comparing the outcome of renal transplants when the regimen was used pretransplantation versus peri- and posttransplantation. WFu rat hosts, which had been pretreated with either one (-11, -10, -9) or three (-25, -24, -23, -18, -17, -16, -11, -10, -9) cycles of CsA and BUF Ag (-11 or -25, -18, -11) prior to implantation of BUF renal allografts, failed to display the prolonged graft survival achieved with this regimen administered in the peri- (-1, 0, +1) and immediate posttransplant (+7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16) period. However, OX-8 positive, putative T-suppressor (Ts) cells in the spleens of pretreated hosts were able to transfer slightly prolonged BUF allograft survival to virgin, secondary syngeneic hosts. The OX-8-positive cells induced by pretreatment were apparently inhibited from prolonging BUF allografts in primary hosts by cellular elements vulnerable to splenectomy, total-body irradiation, or a three-day peritransplant course of CsA therapy. Therefore the presence of the renal graft at the time of peri and immediate posttransplant administration of Ag-CsA facilitates the induction of unresponsiveness, possibly due to continued release of histocompatibility antigen to stimulate, and/or to providing an important peripheral environment promoting differentiation and maturation of, Ts cells. | 10.1097/00007890-198612000-00013 |
pubmed_228_17345 | We put forward a nonlinear wave model describing the fundamental dynamical features of an aggressive type of brain tumors. Our model accounts for the invasion of normal tissue by a proliferating and propagating rim of active glioma cancer cells in the tumor boundary and the subsequent formation of a necrotic core. By resorting to numerical simulations, phase space analysis, and exact solutions we prove that bright solitary tumor waves develop in such systems. Possible implications of our model as a tool to extract relevant patient specific tumor parameters in combination with standard preoperative clinical imaging are also discussed. | 10.1103/PhysRevE.84.021921 |
pubmed_589_1465 | BACKGROUND
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are not routinely assessed due to the lack of an adequate screening strategy. We aimed to develop a clinically relevant screening procedure for symptomatic HAND, validated against a gold standard neuropsychological (NP) test battery.
METHODS
Representative HIV-infected (HIV+) and demographically matched HIV-uninfected (HIV-) participants in an observational study completed a standard evaluation for mood, drug and/or alcohol use, and activities of daily living and a newly designed 20-minute computerized CogState battery that assessed 5 cognitive domains. A subset completed standard NP assessment for 8 cognitive domains. HAND definition on screening and gold standard NP was determined using demographically corrected z scores and the global deficit score (≥ 0.5), applying the Frascati criteria. Participants were blinded to screening results, and the NP examiner was blinded to screening and HIV status.
RESULTS
A total of 254 HIV+ participants were enrolled-mean age, 48.9 ± 10.2 years; median nadir CD4, 270 cells/mL; tertiary educated, 54%; and HIV- controls, 72. HIV+ HAND screening prevalence was 30.7% (HIV-associated dementia, 3.2%; mild neurocognitive disorder, 12.6%; and asymptomatic neurocognitive disorder, 15.0%; HIV- group: 13.9%; P = .004). Of the 75 participants who completed the NP battery, the HAND rate in the HIV+ group was 50.9% vs 43.4% by screening (P > .50). HAND screening vs gold standard NP sensitivity was 76% and specificity was 71%. Clinically relevant HIV-associated dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 98% (positive predictive value 0.92).
CONCLUSIONS
Symptomatic HAND warranting neurological review was accurately predicted using a CogState-based screening procedure. | 10.1093/cid/ciw399 |
pubmed_608_22654 | CONTEXT
There are numerous studies on the benefits of dry needling (DN) for pain relief. No studies exist examining the effects of DN on hamstring flexibility.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the immediate effects of DN on hamstring flexibility in healthy subjects with shortened hamstrings.
DESIGN
A single-blinded, pretest-posttest clinical pilot study.
SETTING
A university physiotherapy clinic.
SUBJECTS
A total of 15 healthy subjects (female = 11; age = 23.26 [4.3] y) with shortened hamstrings participated in this study.
INTERVENTION
Subjects received a single session of DN. Three locations on the hamstring muscle group were needled, each for 1 minute.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The active knee extension test, muscle compliance, passive peak torque, and stretch tolerance were measured at baseline, immediately, and 15 minutes after DN.
RESULTS
There were statistically significant improvements in all outcome measures immediately after DN and at the 15-minute follow-up. The effect sizes for all outcome measures were large (Cohen's d ≥ 0.8). No serious adverse events were observed with DN.
CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study that demonstrates the beneficial effects of DN on hamstring flexibility, muscle compliance, and stretch tolerance without added stretching. The beneficial effects of DN should encourage clinicians to use DN as a novel strategy for increasing muscle flexibility. | pubmed_608_22654 |
pubmed_568_10039 | AIMS
Upregulation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene is a frequent finding in follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) with metastatic features. The augmented expression is usually caused by TERT promoter mutations. As TERT protein immunohistochemistry might not correlate to TERT mRNA levels in follicular thyroid tumours, we therefore sought to determine if visualisation of TERT mRNA through in situ hybridisation could highlight high-risk cases.
METHODS
We collected formalin-fixated paraffin-embedded tissues from 26 follicular thyroid tumours; 7 FTCs, 2 follicular thyroid tumours of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMPs) and a single Hürthle cell carcinoma with established TERT promoter mutations and gene expression, as well as 16 FTCs with no TERT gene aberrancy or gene expression, and assessed them using RNA Scope in situ hybridisation (ISH) and TERT probes targeting the two main TERT transcripts (TERT1 and TERT2).
RESULTS
TERT 1 and/or 2 mRNA was found by ISH in 8/10 cases with established promoter mutations and mRNA expression, whereas all 16 cases without TERT gene aberrancies or gene expression were negative (Fisher's exact p<0.001). Strikingly, TERT mRNA was visualised in the nuclear compartment only, thereby corroborating earlier studies suggesting a non-conventional role for TERT in tumour biology. Moreover, TERT mRNA expression was scattered across the tissue sections and only found in a few percentages of tumour nuclei.
CONCLUSIONS
TERT mRNA seems to be focally expressed and localised exclusively to the nucleus in TERT promoter mutated follicular thyroid tumours, possibly reflecting a true biological and unorthodox phenomenon worthy of further investigations. | 10.1136/jclinpath-2021-207631 |
pubmed_881_7443 | Analysis of literature data and the personal studies of oil and gas extraction enterprises proved that the radiation environment depends mainly on natural radionuclides (uranium-238, thorium-232, potassium-40) incorporated into soil, deposit water, oil, gas and construction materials. Radioactive barytic accumulations in compressor pump tubes appeared to b a possible cause for significant background gamma-irradiation (up to 3,000 microR/hr and more; Neftekoumsk town of Stavropol area). Major radiation dose received by personnel in such cases results mainly from radon-222 and its derivatives, that should be considered in placement of living area, location of industrial and special compartments, water extraction sites. The places with minimal rate of radon emission are recommended for such purposes. To decrease radiation doses associated with gas and oil extraction in the North, the authors suggested a scheme of radiation control and listed all the equipment necessary. | pubmed_881_7443 |
pubmed_3_1892 | OBJECTIVE
Recent studies have hypothesized that perinatal complications might increase the risk of developing eating disorders. However, it is unclear which pathways might link obstetric complications and eating disorders. The present study aimed at exploring the relationship between obstetric complications and temperament in eating disordered subjects.
METHODS
The sample was selected among subjects who took part in a prevalence study carried out on a representative sample of the general population and from among people with anorexia and bulimia nervosa referred to an outpatient specialist unit. Subjects who were born in the two obstetric wards of Padua Hospital between 1971 and 1979 and who completed the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire were included. A blind analysis of the obstetric records of the whole sample was performed. The final sample was composed of 66 anorexia nervosa, 44 bulimia nervosa, and 257 control subjects.
RESULTS
Among the different groups of obstetric complications, only the group that included preterm birth and other signs of neonatal immaturity or dysmaturity displayed a significant relationship with harm avoidance. The use of a mediation path analytic model revealed a significant, but incomplete, mediation effect of harm avoidance in explaining the link between neonatal dysmaturity and the development of eating disorders. Maternal weight gain during pregnancy seemed to have a protective effect on harm avoidance.
CONCLUSIONS
The presence of signs of neonatal dysmaturity at birth seems to influence the development of high levels of harm avoidance in eating disorders. | 10.1097/PSY.0b013e318164604e |
pubmed_301_4540 | The possibility of expressing mitochondrial DNA-coded genes in the nuclear-cytoplasmic compartment provides an attractive system for genetic treatment of mitochondrial disorders associated with mitochondrial DNA mutations. In theory, by recoding mitochondrial genes to adapt them to the universal genetic code and by adding a DNA sequence coding for a mitochondrial-targeting sequence, one could achieve correct localization of the gene product. Such transfer has occurred in nature, and certain species of algae and plants express a number of polypeptides that are commonly coded by mtDNA in the nuclear-cytoplasmic compartment. In the present study, allotopic expression of three different mtDNA-coded polypeptides (ATPase8, apocytochrome b, and ND4) into COS-7 and HeLa cells was analyzed. Among these, only ATPase8 was correctly expressed and localized to mitochondria. The full-length, as well as truncated forms, of apocytochrome b and ND4 decorated the periphery of mitochondria, but also aggregated in fiber-like structures containing tubulin and in some cases also vimentin. The addition of a hydrophilic tail (EGFP) to the C terminus of these polypeptides did not change their localization. Overexpression of molecular chaperones also did not have a significant effect in preventing aggregations. Allotopic expression of apocytochrome b and ND4 induced a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in transfected cells, which can lead to cell death. Our observations suggest that only a subset of mitochondrial genes can be replaced allotopically. Analyses of the hydrophobic patterns of different polypeptides suggest that hydrophobicity of the N-terminal segment is the main determinant for the importability of peptides into mammalian mitochondria. | 10.1093/genetics/165.2.707 |
pubmed_509_7086 | BACKGROUND
Empirical evidences have shown that happiness, life satisfaction and health status are strongly correlated with each other. In Jamaica, we continue to collect data on health status to guide policies and intervention programs, but are these wise?
AIMS
The current study aims to fill the gap in the literature by examining life satisfaction, health status, and happiness in order to ascertain whether they are equivalent concepts in Jamaica as well as the coverage of the estimates.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The current study used a cross-sectional survey of 2000 men 55 years and older from the parish of St. Catherine in 2007 which is it also generalizable to the island. A132-item questionnaire was used to collect the data. The instrument was sub-divided into general demographic profile of the sample; past and Current Good Health Status; health-seeking behavior; retirement status; social and functional status. Ordinal logistic regression techniques were utilized to examine determinants of happiness, life satisfaction and health status.
RESULTS
Happiness was correlated with life satisfaction - Pseudo r-squared = 0.311, -2LL = 810.36, χ(2) = 161.60, P < 0.0001. Life satisfaction was determined by happiness - Pseudo r-squared = 0.321, -2LL = 1069.30, χ(2) = 178.53, P < 0.0001. H ealth status was correlated with health status age, income, education and area of residence - Pseudo r-squared = 0.313, -2LL = 810.36, χ(2) = 161.60, P < 0.0001.
CONCLUSION
The current study refuted the empirical finding that self-reported happiness depends on perceived health status for older men in Jamaica. | 10.4297/najms.2010.2311 |
pubmed_48_12921 | Two azaphilonidal derivatives [penicilazaphilones B (1) and C (2)], have been isolated from the fermented products of marine fungus strain Penicillium sclerotiorum M-22, penicilazaphilones C was a new compound. The compound's structures were identified by the analysis of spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR techniques (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, COSY, HMQC, and HMBC). Biological evaluation revealed that penicilazaphilones B and C showed selective cytotoxicity against melanoma cells B-16 and human gastric cancer cells SGC-7901 with IC50 values of 0.291, 0.449 and 0.065, 0.720 mM, respectively, while exhibiting no significant toxicity to normal mammary epithelial cells M10 at the same concentration. Moreover, penicilazaphilones C also exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli with MIC values 0.037-0.150 mM, while penicilazaphilones B's bacteriostatic action was weaker. | 10.1007/s12272-016-0828-3 |
pubmed_506_1053 | Ultrasonography (US) is increasingly recognized as an important tool for diagnosis and therapeutic management of a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. Advantages of US use in the young athlete include the ability to diagnose dynamic conditions that are occult with other modalities, provide additional diagnostic information, and aid in treatment. Uses of US in young patients include evaluation of acquired musculoskeletal conditions that manifest with symptoms and assessment of congenital variants that may manifest with pain or limitations in activity. Acquired conditions in the young athlete include tendon disorders, such as proximal tendinosis, and ligament disorders, such as anterior talofibular ligament or ulnar collateral ligament tears. While static images are frequently able to depict these disorders without difficulty, a dynamic examination that provides stress to the joint of interest may be able to uncover a ligament tear or insufficiency and concurrently provide the clinician with information regarding joint stability. Numerous congenital variants that occur throughout the musculoskeletal system can be associated with awkward sensations such as snapping, popping, and clunking and occasionally with pain. Pathologic processes associated with congenital variants in the upper extremities include slipping rib syndrome, atraumatic anterior subluxation of the sternoclavicular joint, and snapping triceps syndrome. Conditions that affect the lower extremities include internal and external snapping hip syndrome, snapping knee syndrome, and medial plica syndrome. The dynamic capability of US is ideal for diagnosis of many conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system of the young athlete, many of which would be difficult or impossible to identify with use of other imaging modalities. | 10.1148/rg.345130151 |
pubmed_67_8990 | OBJECTIVE
Yunnan, China, is a central tobacco-producing region with a large smoking population and an increasing incidence of lung cancer in recent years. This study aimed to understand the incidence of lung cancer and the characteristics of lung nodules on low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans of the chest in a long-term smoking population in Kunming.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Long-term smokers in Kunming who were not at risk of evident lung disease symptoms were recruited through recommendation and publicity by the Kunming University of Science and Technology.
RESULTS
Among 375 cases eligible for inclusion,14 cases of lung cancer were detected with a detection rate of 3.73% (95% CI: 2.55%-4.27%), including one case of squamous carcinoma, one case of small cell lung cancer, seven cases of adenocarcinoma of the lung and five cases of early-stage lung cancer (35.71%). In the group of < 6 mm solid nodules and < 5 mm non-solid nodules, no lung cancer was detected in 201 cases; lung cancer was detected in 14 cases in 61 cases, and there was a statistical difference between the two groups (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The lung cancer detection rate in long-term smokers was high, with the type predominantly adenocarcinoma and a high incidence of lung nodules, and increased when solid nodules≥6 mm or non-solid nodules ≥ 5 mm were present. It is recommended that screening for lung cancer by LDCT of the chest be introduced in the male smoking population who meet the risk factors and that screening for lung cancer in women should be redefined as a high-risk factor. | 10.26355/eurrev_202210_29894 |
pubmed_515_19138 | BACKGROUND
People with asthma who come from minority groups have poorer asthma outcomes and more asthma related visits to Emergency Departments (ED). Various programmes are used to educate and empower people with asthma and these have previously been shown to improve certain asthma outcomes. Models of care for chronic diseases in minority groups usually include a focus of the cultural context of the individual and not just the symptoms of the disease. Therefore, questions about whether culturally specific asthma education programmes for people from minority groups are effective at improving asthma outcomes, are feasible and are cost-effective need to be answered.
OBJECTIVES
To determine whether culture-specific asthma programmes, in comparison to generic asthma education programmes or usual care, improve asthma related outcomes in children and adults with asthma who belong to minority groups.
SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, review articles and reference lists of relevant articles. The latest search was performed in May 2008.
SELECTION CRITERIA
All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the use of culture-specific asthma education programmes with generic asthma education programmes, or usual care, in adults or children from minority groups who suffer from asthma.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently selected, extracted and assessed the data for inclusion. We contacted authors for further information if required.
MAIN RESULTS
Four studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. A total of 617 patients, aged from 5 to 59 years were included in the meta-analysis of data. Use of a culture-specific programme was superior to generic programmes or usual care, in improving asthma quality of life scores in adults, pooled WMD 0.25 (95% CI 0.09 to 0.41), asthma knowledge scores in children, WMD 3.30 (95% CI 1.07 to 5.53), and in a single study, reducing asthma exacerbation in children (risk ratio for hospitalisations 0.32, 95%CI 0.15, 0.70).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Current limited data show that culture-specific programmes for adults and children from minority groups with asthma, are more effective than generic programmes in improving most (quality of life, asthma knowledge, asthma exacerbations, asthma control) but not all asthma outcomes. This evidence is limited by the small number of included studies and the lack of reported outcomes. Further trials are required to answer this question conclusively. | 10.1002/14651858.CD006580.pub4 |
pubmed_12_14819 | In most instances of anomalous left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery, surgical treatment is recommended. Because establishment of a direct systemic to coronary blood flow is expected to provide the best recovery of left ventricular function, various corrective procedures have been proposed. Subclavian-left coronary artery anastomosis appears to be a logical approach. Four patients operated on at Sainte-Justine Hospital, at an average age of 33 months (27 to 44), with an end-to-end subclavian-left coronary artery anastomosis were evaluated 6 to 46 months postoperatively. The anastomosis was patent in all cases. End-diastolic volume index (74.6 +/- 24.7 versus 122.7 +/- 15.3 ml/m2) and ejection fraction (0.58 +/- 0.07 versus 0.33 +/- 0.06) were improved significantly. Subclavian-left coronary artery anastomosis appears to meet the main criteria for an optimal physiologic correction of anomalous left coronary artery: restoration of a two-coronary artery system, improvement of left ventricular function, and likelihood of long-term patency. | pubmed_12_14819 |
pubmed_372_6004 | OBJECTIVE
It is unknown if remaining intubated after cardiac surgery is associated with a decreased risk of postoperative reintubation. The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether there was an association between the timing of extubation and the risk of reintubation after cardiac surgery.
DESIGN
A retrospective, observational study.
SETTING
Two university-affiliated tertiary care centers.
PARTICIPANTS
A total of 9,517 patients undergoing either isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or aortic valve replacement (AVR).
INTERVENTIONS
None.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 6,609 isolated CABGs and 2,908 isolated AVRs were performed during the study period. Reintubation occurred in 112 patients (1.64%) after CABG and 44 patients (1.5%) after AVR. After multivariate logistic regression analysis, early extubation (within the first 6 postoperative hours) was not associated with a risk of reintubation after CABG (odds ratio [OR] 0.53, 95% CI 0.26-1.06) and AVR (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.22-1.22). Risk factors for reintubation included increased age in both the CABG (OR per 10-year increase, 1.63; 95% CI 1.28-2.08) and AVR (OR per 10-year increase, 1.50; 95% CI 1.12-2.01) cohorts. Total bypass time, race, and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class were not associated with reintubation risk.
CONCLUSION
Reintubation after CABGs and AVRs is a rare event, and advanced age is an independent risk factor. Risk is not increased with early extubation. This temporal association and low overall rate of reintubation suggest the strategies for extubation should be modified in this patient population. | 10.1053/j.jvca.2021.11.027 |
pubmed_1119_11487 | This study compares methods for direct identification of S. aureus in blood cultures by detection of the thermonuclease (TNase) of this bacterium or the nuc gene encoding it. The protein was detected by an enzyme diffusion test in o-toluidine blue DNA agar with a test time of at least 4 h, by a monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (sELISA) with a test time of approximately 4 h, and by a MAb-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunofiltration assay (sELIFA) with a test time of 25-30 min (sample preparation included). The nuc gene was amplified by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a test time (amplification plus detection) of approximately 3.5 h. The tests were optimized for direct examination of blood-containing cultures. All tests were positive with 67/67 blood cultures which grew S. aureus, negative with 35/35 cultures which grew coagulase-negative staphylococci, and negative with 37/37 cultures with various other bacteria. These results showed positive agreement with those of the commercial AccuProbe test but not with the StaphAurex agglutination kit. With an artificially seeded blood culture, minimum total times required (incubation plus testing) were as follows: nuc-PCR, 9.5 h; sELIFA, 12.5 h; enzymatic test, 16-36 h; AccuProbe, 14 h. Direct examination of both the nuc gene and the mecA gene encoding methicillin resistance demonstrated the mecA gene in all the coagulase-negative staphylococci (48.6%) which showed oxacillin resistance. The sELIFA had the particular advantage of its short test time, the PCR its high sensitivity and the possibility of simultaneous detection of the species-specific nuc gene and genes encoding other clinically important characters of the bacteria. These tests offer the prospect of direct application to a variety of clinical specimens for rapid diagnosis of S. aureus infection. | 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1995.tb01097.x |
pubmed_521_13431 | The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-resistant, SV40-transformed, murine fibroblast cell lines, F5b and F5m, became sensitive to TNF-mediated cytolysis after treatment with a biologically active 18 kDa peptide fragment (SGP) derived from a 66-kDa parental cell surface sialoglycoprotein. Neither TNF nor the SGP alone exhibited cytotoxicity to the two SV40-transformed cell lines. However, Balb/c 3T3 cells, incubated with SGP alone or with SGP and TNF, were not killed. Therefore, SGP can selectively sensitize cells for TNF alpha-mediated cytotoxicity. This selective sensitization may be due to the previously documented ability of the SGP to selectively mediate cell cycle arrest. | 10.1006/bbrc.1994.2652 |
others_314_159458 | Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most widely prevalent infectious diseases that cause significant mortality. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the current TB vaccine used in clinics, shows variable efficacy and has safety concerns for immunocompromised patients. There is a need to develop new and more effective TB vaccines. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are vesicles released by Mycobacteria that contain several lipids and membrane proteins and act as a good source of antigens to prime immune response. However, the use of OMVs as vaccines has been hampered by their heterogeneous size and low stability. Here we report that mycobacterial OMVs can be stabilized by coating over uniform-sized 50 nm gold nanoparticles. The OMV-coated gold nanoparticles (OMV-AuNP) show enhanced uptake and activation of macrophages and dendritic cells. Proteinase K and TLR inhibitor studies demonstrated that the enhanced activation was attributed to proteins present on OMVs and was mediated primarily by TLR2 and TLR4. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed several potential membrane proteins that were common in both free OMVs and OMV-AuNP. Such strategies may open up new avenues and the utilization of novel antigens for developing TB vaccines | 10.1101/2022.06.07.495204 |
pubmed_340_5685 | PURPOSE OF REVIEW
To review the most recent reports on continuous infusion of coagulation factors, focusing on the current issues relating to this mode of therapy.
RECENT FINDINGS
Continuous infusion has been extensively used as an alternative to intermittent bolus factor replacement since the 1990s. To date, more than 100 reports comprising more than 800 continuous infusion treatments in various clinical situations have been published, with an increase in the current utilization of recombinant coagulation factors. An excellent hemostatic efficacy of continuous infusion has been reported. Continuous infusion protocols, however, still vary widely in terms of the different hemostatic levels targeted, dosage regimens, modes of continuous infusion and duration of therapy, which obviously result in variations in the cost-effectiveness reported by different centers.
SUMMARY
Continuous infusion has been shown to be a safe and cost-effective mode of replacement for treatment of hemophilia. The lack of evidence-based information on the hemostatic levels to be maintained in specific clinical situations, and recent concerns regarding the development of inhibitors, particularly in patients with mild hemophilia treated with continuous infusion, need to be addressed by prospective, randomized studies that compare traditional intermittent injections and the continuous infusion mode of factor replacement. | 10.1097/01.moh.0000239701.32674.e0 |
pubmed_952_9818 | A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for thromboxane B2 were detected in perfusates of anaphylactic guinea pig hearts. Indomethacin decreased thromboxane B2 levels in the perfusates to below the detection limit of the radioimmunoassay and concomitantly delayed the onset of coronary vasoconstriction after antigenic challenge. | 10.1016/0014-2999(77)90120-0 |
pubmed_993_1017 | L-Gulono-gamma-lactone oxidase [EC 1.1.3.8] was purified 80-fold from rat liver microsomes. In confirmation of our previous finding with a cruder preparation, the purified enzyme was shown to contain an L-gulono-gamma-lactone-reducible pigment as a prosthetic group. This pigment was not liberated from the protein by acid ammonium sulfate, 10% trichloroacetic acid or 2 M area, but was effectively released by proteolytic digestion. The pigment thus released showed a reduced-minus-oxidized difference spectrum characteristic of a flavin compound. The pigment was liberated from a trichloroacetic acid-treated preparation of the enzyme by pronase digestion and purified by Florisil column chromatography and paper chromatography. The absorption spectrum as well as the fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of the purified pigment indicated that it was actually a flavin peptide. It was, however, different not only from FMN but also from flavin peptides isolated from other sources such as succinate dehydrogenase [EC 1.3.99.1] and monoamine oxidase [EC 1.4.3.4] as regards the pH dependence of fluorescence intensity and the Rf value on thin-layer chromatography. A preliminary analysis showed that the purified flavin compound contained several amino acid residues. Alkaline photolysis of the purified flavin peptide suggested that the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin is involved in its binding to the peptide. The hypsochromic shift of the absorption peak in the near-ultraviolet region suggested further that the linkage between the flavin and the peptide may be mediated by the 8-methyl group of the isoalloxazine nucleus. It can be concluded that the prosthetic group of gulonolactone oxidase is a flavin which is covalently bound to the enzyme protein. | pubmed_993_1017 |
pubmed_1057_6434 | Aortic valve disease (AVD) has similarities to atherosclerosis in the case of aortic stenosis. The important role of platelet in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is known. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether platelet disorders play any role in aortic valve disease. We used patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) for this study. We evaluated any association between ITP and AVD using a large inpatient database. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, and Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for ITP and AVD from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database were used for this study. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed on data from 2002 to 2011 to evaluate any association between ITP and AVD. In the 2002 database, AVD was present in 1.73% of ITP patients versus 1.12% in the control population (odds ratio [OR], 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34-1.81; p < 0.001). In the 2011 database, AVD was present in 1.96% of ITP patients versus 1.33% in the control population (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.30-1.68; p < 0.001). ITP remained independently associated with AVD following a multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in 2002 (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.16-1.57; p < 0.001) with a trend of this association in 2011 (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.98-1.27; p = 0.096). ITP was strongly associated with AVD over the 10-year period analyzed in a large inpatient database. The reason for this association is not known warranting further investigations. | 10.1007/s00277-020-04170-8 |
pubmed_888_9630 | The enzyme LuxS is responsible for the production of autoinducer-2 (AI-2), a molecule that has been implicated in quorum sensing in many bacterial species. This study investigated whether there is a luxS-dependent signalling system in the Gram-negative bacteria Serratia spp. Serratia marcescens is a broad-host-range pathogen and an important cause of nosocomial infections. Production of AI-2 activity was detected in S. marcescens ATCC 274 and Serratia ATCC 39006 and their luxS genes were sequenced. luxS mutants were constructed in these strains and were analysed to determine which phenotypes are regulated by luxS and therefore, potentially, by AI-2. The phenotypes of the luxS mutants included decreased carbapenem antibiotic production in Serratia ATCC 39006 and decreased prodigiosin and secreted haemolysin production in S. marcescens ATCC 274. The luxS mutant of S. marcescens ATCC 274 was also found to exhibit modestly reduced virulence in a Caenorhabditis elegans model. Finally, it was shown that the culture supernatant of a wild-type strain contains a signal, presumably AI-2, capable of complementing the prodigiosin defect of the luxS mutant of another strain, even when substantially diluted. It is concluded that luxS modulates virulence and antibiotic production in Serratia, in a strain-dependent manner, and that, for at least one phenotype, this regulation is via extracellular signalling. | 10.1099/mic.0.26946-0 |
pubmed_675_26376 | CONTEXT
Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares clinicians for collaborative practice, yet little is known about the effectiveness of postgraduate IPE.
OBJECTIVES
This is the first study to describe educational outcomes of an interprofessional fellowship in pediatric palliative care. Objectives were to understand the experiences of postgraduate trainees in an interprofessional, clinical environment and to evaluate program effect on interprofessional competencies.
METHODS
In this mixed-methodology study, we surveyed former fellows from 2002 to 2018 about their fellowship experience and perceived change in interprofessional skills. We performed qualitative semantic content analysis of fellows' responses about learning in an interprofessional context. We compared fellows' self-rated ability (5-point Likert scale), before and after fellowship, in 10 interprofessional competencies selected from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's core competencies.
RESULTS
Response rate was 87% (41/47). Fifty-one percent of respondents were physicians, 29% were social workers, and 20% were nurse practitioners. Respondents reported significant improvement in all 10 competencies, with summed mean scores of 2.8 ± 0.6 prefellowship ("not very well prepared") and 4.4 ± 0.4 postfellowship ("very well" to "extremely well prepared") (t = 15.6, P< 0.0001). Effect size for each competency was greater than 1.9 (strong positive impact). The fellowship experience was characterized by dynamic educational relationships: peer relationships with interprofessional co-fellows, mentoring relationships with faculty, clinical relationships with patients and families, and collaborative relationships with the healthcare system. Benefits and challenges of IPE were associated with interprofessional roles, teamwork, patient care, and educational needs.
CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of an interprofessional postgraduate fellowship in preparing clinicians for collaborative practice. | 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.02.014 |
others_52_4026 | To identify the factors (selective or mutational) that affect the distribution of transposable elements (TEs) within a genome, it is necessary to compare the pattern of newly arising element insertions to the pattern of element insertions that have been fixed in a population. To do this, we analyzed the distribution of recent mutant insertions of the Tc1, Tc3, and Tc5 elements in a mul-7 background of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and compared it to the distribution of element insertions (presumably fixed) within the sequenced genome. Tc1 elements preferentially insert in regions with high recombination rates, whereas Tc3 and Tc5 do not. Although Tc1 and Tc3 both insert in TA dinucleotides, there is no clear relationship between the frequency of insertions and the TA dinucleotide density. There is a strong selection against TE insertions within coding regions: the probability that a TE will be fixed is at least 31 times lower in coding regions than in noncoding regions. Contrary to the prediction of theoretical models, we found that the selective pressure against TE insertions does not increase with the recombination rate. These findings indicate that the distribution of these three transposon families in the genome of C. elegans is determined essentially by just two factors: the pattern of insertions, which is a characteristic of each family, and the selection against insertions within coding regions | others_52_4026 |
pubmed_210_3145 | We have developed a diagnostic that uses time-domain spectroscopy to measure transient infrared absorption spectra in gases. Using a time-stretch Fourier transform approach, we can determine pressure, temperature, and gas concentrations with sub-microsecond time resolution for over two milliseconds. We demonstrate high-resolution (0.015 nm), time-resolved spectral measurements in an acetylene-oxygen gas mixture undergoing combustion. Within a 5 µs period during the reaction, the acetylene line intensities decrease substantially, and new spectra appear that are consistent with the hydroxyl (OH) radical, a common by-product in the combustion, deflagration, and detonation of fuels and explosives. Post-reaction pressures and temperatures were estimated from the OH spectra. The technique measures spectra from 1520 to 1620 nm using fiber optics, photodetectors, and digitizers. No cameras or spectrometers are required. | 10.1364/OE.401737 |
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