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pubmed_0_11786 | The medial amygdala (MeA) is an important site for the gonadal hormone control of several socio-sexual behaviours that emerge during puberty, including aggression, mating and parental behaviour. We have previously shown that rising levels of pubertal androgens increase the regional volume and mean soma size of neurones in the posterodorsal subnucleus of the MeA, the MePD. The present study aimed to determine some of the constituents of pubertal volumetric growth. Using computer-guided unbiased stereology, we compared the regional volume, mean somal volume and the overall number of neurones and glia in 45-day-old male Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Half of the hamsters had completed puberty, whereas the remainder were prepubertal as a result of photoinhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Puberty significantly increased MePD regional volume and mean somal volume, as previously observed. We also compared the number of puncta immunoreactive for vesicular glutamate transporter-2 (vGlut2) and post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95), which are both markers of glutamatergic pre- and post-synaptic specialisations, as well as glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD-65), which is a marker of GABAergic terminals. Puberty increased the number of vGlut2 and PSD-95 immunoreactive puncta by two- and three-fold, respectively, whereas the number of GAD-65 immunoreactive puncta was unchanged. These results suggest that numerous excitatory synapses are added to the MeA during puberty. More broadly, they show that the pubertal emergence of sexual behaviour is accompanied by synaptic reorganisation of a key network involved in the expression of sexual behaviour. | 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2010.02075.x |
pubmed_319_17676 | The 8-repetition maximum test has the potential to be a feasible, cost-effective method of measuring muscle strength for clinicians. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of the 8-repetition maximum test in the measurement of muscle strength by comparing the 8-repetition maximum test to the gold standard of isokinetic dynamometry. Thirty participants (15 males and 15 females, mean age = 23.2 years [standard deviation = 1.0]) underwent 8-repetition maximum testing and isokinetic dynamometry testing of the knee extensors (at 60, 120, and 240 degrees per second) on two separate sessions with 2-3 days between each mode of testing. Linear regression was used to assess the validity by comparing the findings between 8-repetition maximum testing and isokinetic dynamometry testing. Significant correlations were found between the 8-repetition maximum and isokinetic dynamometry peak torque at each testing velocity (r = 0.71-0.85). The highest correlations were between the 8-repetition maximum and isokinetic dynamometry peak torques at 60 (r = 0.85) and 120 (r = 0.85) degrees per second. The findings of this study provide supportive evidence for the use of 8-repetition maximum testing as a valid, alternative method for measuring muscle strength. | 10.3109/09593985.2012.727529 |
pubmed_621_11809 | Attention selects objects/groups as the most fundamental units, and this may be achieved by an attention-spreading mechanism. Previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have found that attention-spreading is reflected by a decrease in the N1 spatial attention effect. The present study tested whether the electrophysiological attention effect is associated with the perception of object unity or amodal completion through the use of partly-occluded objects. ERPs were recorded in 14 participants who were required to pay attention to their left or right visual field and to press a button for a target shape in the attended field. Bilateral stimuli were presented rapidly, and were separated, connected, or connected behind an occluder. Behavioral performance in the connected and occluded conditions was worse than that in the separated condition, indicating that attention spread over perceptual object representations after amodal completion. Consistently, the late N1 spatial attention effect (180-220 ms post-stimulus) and the early phase (230-280 ms) of feature selection effects (target N2) at contralateral sites decreased, equally for the occluded and connected conditions, while the attention effect in the early N1 latency (140-180 ms) shifted most positively for the occluded condition. These results suggest that perceptual organization processes for object recognition transiently modulate spatial and feature selection processes in the visual cortex. | 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.05.032 |
pubmed_1050_11795 | Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) plays an important role in the biogeochemical cycle and energy flow of aquatic ecosystems. Thus, systematic and comprehensive understanding of CDOM dynamics is critically important for aquatic ecosystem management. CDOM spans multiple study fields, including analytical chemistry, biogeochemistry, water color remote sensing, and global environmental change. Here, we thoroughly summarize the progresses of recent studies focusing on the characterization, distribution, sources, composition, and fate of CDOM in inland waters. Characterization methods, remote sensing estimation, and biogeochemistry cycle processes were the hotspots of CDOM studies. Specifically, optical, isotope, and mass spectrometric techniques have been widely used to characterize CDOM abundance, composition, and sources. Remote sensing is an effective tool to map CDOM distribution with high temporal and spatial resolutions. CDOM dynamics are mainly determined by watershed-related processes, including rainfall discharge, groundwater, wastewater discharges/effluents, and biogeochemical cycling occurring in soil and water bodies. We highlight the underlying mechanisms of the photochemical degradation and microbial decomposition of CDOM, and emphasize that photochemical and microbial processes of CDOM in inland waters accelerate nutrient cycling and regeneration in the water column and also exacerbate global warming by releasing greenhouse gases. Future study directions to improve the understanding of CDOM dynamics in inland waters are proposed. This review provides an interdisciplinary view and new insights on CDOM dynamics in inland waters. | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143550 |
pubmed_832_1578 | CONTEXT
Low energy availability causes disruption of hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion leading to functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) and hypoestrogenism, which in turn contributes to decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased bone marrow adipose tissue (MAT). Transdermal estradiol administration in physiologic doses increases BMD in adolescents and adults with FHA. However, the impact of estrogen replacement on MAT in relation to changes in BMD has not been studied in adolescents and young adults. We hypothesized that physiologic estrogen replacement would lead to decreases in MAT, associated with increases in BMD.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
We studied 15 adolescent and young adult females with FHA (14-25 years). All participants received a17β- estradiol transdermal patch at a dose of 0.1 mg/day (applied twice weekly) for 12 months. Participants also received cyclic progestin for 10-12 days each month. We quantified MAT (lipid/water ratio) of the fourth lumbar (L4) vertebral body and femoral diaphysis by single proton (1H)-magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and compartmental volumetric BMD of the distal radius and tibia using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.
RESULTS
Transdermal estradiol therapy over 12 months resulted in a decrease in MAT at the lumbar (L4) vertebra from 0.92 ± 0.55 at baseline to 0.63 ± 0.29 at 12-months (p = 0.008), and an increase in radial and tibial cortical vBMD (p = 0.006, p = 0.0003). Changes in L4 MAT trended to be inversely associated with changes in radial cortical vBMD (rho = -0.47, p = 0.08).
CONCLUSION
We show that in adolescent and young adult girls with FHA, MAT decreases following transdermal estrogen therapy and these changes are associated with increased cortical vBMD. | 10.1016/j.bone.2021.115841 |
pubmed_760_16362 | OBJECTIVE
To analyze the effect of lymphocyte/monocyte ratio(LMR) on clinical features and prognosis of patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma(PGI-DLBCL).
METHODS
The clinical data of 38 PGI-DLBCL patients with complete follow-up data in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The absolute lymphocyte count(ALC), absolute monocyte count(AMC) and LMR were counted by automating complete blood cell count statistics in newly diagnosed patients, and then the LMR cut off value was obtained by ROC curve. All patients were divided into ≤3.9 group and >3.9 group according to cut off value.
RESULTS
Out of 38 patients 21 male and 17 female with a median age 55 old years (29-73 years), 7 cases died, the clinical B symptom occurred in 7 cases (18.4%); the pathologic type of 13 cases (34.2%) belonged to germinal center B-cell like, the primary gastral and intestinal DLBCL were observed in 18 and 20 cases respectively. The chisquare test showed that the LMR associated with of clinical stage and tumor size of PGI-DLBCL. The median survival time was 44 months (7-100 months), and 5-year overrall survival(OS) rate was 78.3% for 38 PGI-DLBCL cases. The univariate analysis showed that age (P=0.021), stage (P=0.012), IPI score (P=0.001), LDH level (P<0.001), tumor size (P=0.037) and LMR (P=0.026) all associate with the 5 years OS rate(%), and the difference was between them statistically significant, but the multivariate analysis showed that only clinical staging is independent risk factors for the OS.
CONCLUSION
LMR shows an important effect on clinical features and prognosis of PGI-DLBCL. | 10.7534/j.issn.1009-2137.2016.05.022 |
pubmed_228_18798 | The mechanisms governing atlastin-mediated membrane fusion are unknown. Here we demonstrate that a three-helix bundle (3HB) within the middle domain is required for oligomerization. Mutation of core hydrophobic residues within these helices inactivates atlastin function by preventing membrane tethering and the subsequent fusion. GTP binding induces a conformational change that reorients the GTPase domain relative to the 3HB to permit self-association, but the ability to hydrolyze GTP is required for full fusion, indicating that nucleotide binding and hydrolysis play distinct roles. Oligomerization of atlastin stimulates its ability to hydrolyze GTP, and the energy released drives lipid bilayer merger. Mutations that prevent atlastin self-association also abolish oligomerization-dependent stimulation of GTPase activity. Furthermore, increasing the distance of atlastin complex formation from the membrane inhibits fusion, suggesting that this distance is crucial for atlastin to promote fusion. | 10.1073/pnas.1106421108 |
pubmed_373_705 | Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a mediator produced in human airways during acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases. The levels of PAF are regulated by acetylhydrolase (AH), the enzyme that converts PAF to lyso-PAF. To determine whether AH was present in human bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, BAL was obtained from normal donors (n = 18) and from adult patients with mild bronchial asthma (n = 15) or with lung fibrosis (n = 15). AH activity was consistently found in the cell-free BAL fluid. BAL-AH is an enzyme different from secretory phospholipase A2 and from plasma AH and erythrocyte AH. Furthermore, BAL-AH is inhibited as much as 95% by exposure to an oxygen radical-generating system (xanthine/xanthine oxidase). BAL-AH is significantly correlated with the number of BAL macrophages (rs = 0.63; p < 0.02). In addition, BAL macrophages release AH both spontaneously and after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (100 ng/ml). BAL-AH activity in patients with bronchial asthma (1.32 +/- 0.18 pmol of PAF converted to lyso-PAF/min) is significantly lower than that in normal donors (2.25 +/- 0.26 pmol/min; p < 0.001). In contrast, BAL-AH activity in patients with lung fibrosis (6.13 +/- 0.81 pmol/min) is higher than that found in normal donors (p < 0.01). The variations in BAL-AH activity in patients with bronchial asthma or lung fibrosis are due to a reduction and to an increase, respectively, in the number of active molecules rather than to changes in enzyme affinity. These data demonstrate that human BAL fluid contains an extracellular AH activity that inactivates PAF released in the airways. BAL-AH is secreted by alveolar macrophages and is highly sensitive to oxygen radical-induced damage. The secretion and inactivation of BAL-AH may influence the levels of this enzyme in BAL fluid during acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases and, ultimately, regulate the proinflammatory activities of PAF in these disorders. | 10.1164/ajrccm.156.1.9608084 |
pubmed_731_124 | Expanded porphyrins are attractive research targets because of their large and flexible structures, optical and electrochemical properties, and diverse coordination abilities. We are interested in the use of double bonds within expanded porphyrins because double bonds could conduct isomerization, expansion of π-conjugation, and giving different molecular geometry. We, thus, report [30]hexaphyrin(2.1.2.1.2.1) 3H-1, which was synthesized by a simple condensation reaction of 1,2-di(pyrrol-2-yl)ethene and pentafluorobenzaldehyde under an acidic condition. The compound 3H-1 exhibited 30π aromatic property with a highly planar structure, displaying intense Soret- and weak Q-like absorption bands. The compound 3H-1 has a sufficient space and dipyrrin-like coordination sites in its cavity. Trinuclear rhodium(I) complex 3Rh-1 was obtained with [Rh(CO)2Cl]2 and exhibited six redox potentials. | 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.8b00977 |
pubmed_633_21896 | Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) from the Burkholderia genus are proposed to be involved in pathological conditions in humans, such as cystic fibrosis and septicemia, as well as in the stability of soil aggregates. Hence, considering that the conformational and dynamic aspects of such EPSs may influence their biological activity, the current work employs a series of molecular dynamics simulations on di-, oligo-, and polysaccharide fragments of three EPSs, from Burkholderia caribensis, Burkholderia cepacia, and Burkholderia pseudomallei, with previously determined NOE data, to obtain a conformational description of such EPSs at the atomic level. As the obtained results show good agreement with the experimental data, pointing to the adequacy of the employed methodology to accurately describe the dynamics of polysaccharides, the strategy was also employed to predict the conformational behavior of an additional compound, from Burkholderia tropica, for which NOE signals are not available. Taking into account the potential importance of EPSs on the interaction of Burkholderia bacteria with distinct environments, it may be expected that a greater understanding of their structural aspects may contribute to controlling their pathological roles and potential agricultural applications. | 10.1016/j.carres.2010.06.010 |
pubmed_886_15198 | The B cell receptor (BCR) is a multiprotein complex that is pivotal to antigen recognition and signal transduction in B cells. It consists of an antigen binding component, membrane Ig (mIg), non-covalently associated with the signaling component, a disulphide-linked heterodimer of CD79a and CD79b. In this study, the gene and corresponding cDNA for CD79a and CD79b in the gray short-tailed opossum, as well as the cDNA sequences for CD79a and CD79b in the tammar wallaby, are described. Many of the structural and functional features of CD79a and CD79b were conserved in both marsupials, including the ITAM regulatory motif in the cytoplasmic tails of both subunits. The marsupial CD79 sequences shared a high degree of amino acid identities of 76% (CD79a) and 72% (CD79b) to each other, as well as 60-61% (CD79a) and 58-59% (CD79b) with their eutherian counterparts. RT-PCR analysis of CD79a and CD79b transcripts in the immune tissues of tammar pouch young revealed CD79a transcripts in the bone marrow, cervical thymus and spleen at day 10 postpartum. CD79b transcripts were detected in the bone marrow and cervical thymus at day 10 but were not detected in the spleen until day 21 postpartum. These results suggest that a functional BCR may not be assembled until day 21 postpartum and the tammar neonate may not be capable of mounting an effective adaptive immune response until this time. The molecular information presented here will allow further investigation of the role of the CD79 subunits in marsupial B cell signaling, especially during ontogeny and disease. | 10.1016/j.vetimm.2010.03.013 |
pubmed_608_24997 | The human prion diseases are a diverse set of often rapidly progressive neurodegenerative conditions associated with abnormal forms of the prion protein. We review work to establish diagnostic biomarkers and assays that might fill other important roles, particularly those that could assist the planning and interpretation of clinical trials. The field now benefits from highly sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarkers using cerebrospinal fluid: detecting by-products of rapid neurodegeneration or specific functional properties of abnormal prion protein, with the second generation real time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay being particularly promising. Blood has been a more challenging analyte, but has now also yielded valuable biomarkers. Blood-based assays have been developed with the potential to screen for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, although it remains uncertain whether these will ever be used in practice. The very rapid neurodegeneration of prion disease results in strong signals from surrogate protein markers in the blood that reflect neuronal, axonal, synaptic or glial pathology in the brain: notably the tau and neurofilament light chain proteins. We discuss early evidence that such tests, applied alongside robust diagnostic biomarkers, may have potential to add value as clinical trial outcome measures, predictors of future disease course (including for asymptomatic individuals at high risk of prion disease), and as rapidly accessible and sensitive markers to aid early diagnosis. | 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.12.003 |
pubmed_470_122 | We have identified previously in mitochondrial DNA of the colorless, chlorophycean, green algal taxon, Polytomella parva, potential coding regions for four small subunit (SSU) and eight large subunit (LSU) rRNA fragments. In this study with P.parva, we isolated RNA from a mitochondrial-enriched preparation, characterized the 12 mitochondrial rRNA transcripts by either northern blot analysis or chemical sequencing and performed secondary structure modeling of the SSU and LSU rRNA sequences. The results show the following features about the mitochondrial SSU and LSU rRNAs of P.parva: (i) they are considerably shorter than their homologs from other green algae, although the main domains typical of conventional rRNAs are conserved; (ii) the rRNA fragmentation pattern is most similar to that of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii among green algae that have been characterized; (iii) three nucleotides are missing from the normally highly conserved GTPase center of the LSU rRNA; and (iv) post-transcriptional modification of the 3'-terminal region of the SSU rRNA is unusual in that it has the 'eubacterial' 3-methyluridine (corresponding to m(3)U at Escherichia coli 16S rRNA position 1498) but lacks the more highly conserved modifications at two adjacent A residues (corresponding to N(6),N(6)-dimethyladenosine at E.coli 16S rRNA positions 1518 and 1519). This is the first report of the characterization by direct sequencing of fragmented mitochondrial rRNAs from a green alga. | 10.1093/nar/gkg144 |
pubmed_378_1832 | OBJECTIVE
To determine the impact of an emergency department (ED) triage protocol for rapid influenza testing of febrile infants and children on additional diagnostic testing, ED charges and patient time in the ED.
METHODS
A trial of triage-based rapid influenza A and B testing of febrile infants and children 3 to 36 months of age presenting to an urban ED during December 2002 to March 2003 was performed. Children with a temperature of 39 degrees C or higher or history of fever 102 degrees F or higher at home were included. Those with obvious focal infection, potential immunodeficiency, and indwelling medical devices were excluded. The intervention group, tested for influenza at triage (TT) was compared with a nonintervention group consisting of those receiving usual care (SP). A subanalysis comparing influenza-positive children was performed.
RESULTS
Of 1007 eligible subjects a total of 719 (71%) patients were in the SP group and 288 in the TT group. There were significant differences in respiratory syncytial virus rapid test (RSV; 18%-7%) and chest radiographs (CXRs; 26%-20%) tests in the TT group. In addition, significant increases in obtaining a complete blood count (relative risk [RR] 12.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-49), blood culture (RR, 12.0; 95% CI, 3.0-51.0), RSV testing (RR, 0.9.2; 95% CI, 3.4-25.0), urinalysis (RR, 5.7; 95% CI, 2.0-16.0), CXR (RR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.04-4.5), time in the ED (195 vs 156 minutes; 95% CI, of the difference 19-60), and medical charges ($666 vs $393; 95% CI, of the difference 153-392) were seen among those testing positive for influenza in the SP group.
CONCLUSIONS
A triage protocol for rapid influenza testing for febrile infants and children appears to significantly decrease additional testing, time in the ED, and charges in children testing positive for influenza. | 10.1097/01.pec.0000202454.19237.b0 |
pubmed_845_1223 | PURPOSE
There is robust evidence that higher macular pigment concentrations help reduce both veiling and discomfort glare in patients with or without ocular disease. We investigated whether there was also a relationship between macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and patient surveys about glare or ocular discomfort.
METHODS
We measured MPOD psychophysically in 23 healthy subjects and administered the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (VFQ-25). Responses for each survey question were sorted from low (no limitation) to high (very severe limitation). The median response for each question was determined, and independent t-tests were performed on the mean MPOD values for survey responses above and below the median. We also performed a non-parametric correlation analysis between MPOD and survey responses.
RESULTS
While the median response was "no limitation" for most (22 of 25) survey questions, responses were slightly higher for two questions concerning ocular discomfort and one question related to driving at night. MPOD levels were significantly higher in subjects that reported no discomfort in or around their eyes than in those that reported mild discomfort. There was also a trend toward higher MPOD levels in subjects who reported that pain in or around their eyes never limited their activity as well as in subjects who reported no difficulty driving at night.
CONCLUSION
These preliminary findings are consistent with the well-established discomfort and glare hypotheses for MPOD. The current findings on subjective ocular discomfort in the absence of glare deserve further study. | 10.1016/j.optom.2020.07.008 |
pubmed_86_10976 | The existence of cells sharing features of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes has been repeatedly proposed. We have studied this problem ultrastructurally in organotypic tissue culture together with light-microscopic immunocytochemistry for the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and for 2 oligodendrocyte markers, myelin basic protein (MBP) and myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). Large numbers of GFAP+ cells (astrocytes) were seen, invariably giving rise to a wealth of tapering processes. In contrast, oligodendrocytes were found far less frequently either immunocytochemically or ultrastructurally, and showed smooth contours and scarcity of processes. Ultrastructurally, the cells corresponding to the intermediate glial cells in the literature which were far more numerous in culture than MBP-stained cells, were identified as reactive astrocytes by their numbers, location and morphological similarity with the GFAP-stained cells. Other characteristics were the presence of bundles of intermediate filaments and the covering of the plasmalemma adjacent to the collagen substrate by a basal lamina, in spite of the content of microtubules and the density of the cells. It was possible to demonstrate the difference between the wrapping of axons by astrocytic digitiform processes, and true myelination by processes identifiable as oligodendrocytes. We conclude that in this model the astrocytic and oligodendrocytic cell lines appear separate from the time of initial differentiation; in other systems such as dissociated cell culture, this may not be so. The cells with 'intermediate' features are in fact a reactive form of astrocyte. | 10.1016/s0165-5728(85)80065-5 |
pubmed_527_10714 | INTRODUCTION
The aims of this study were to investigate the practice of axillary lymph node management within different units throughout the UK, and to assess changes in practice since our previous survey in 2004.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
A structured questionnaire was sent to 350 members of the British Association of Surgical Oncology.
RESULTS
There were 177 replies from respondents who managed more than 100 patients a year with breast cancer. Of these: 12 did not perform axillary ultrasound at all in their centre; 17 (10%) employed axillary node clearance (ANC) on all patients; 122 (69%) performed sentinel node biopsy (SNB) with dual localisation; and 111 respondents had attended the New Start Course. Radioisotope was most frequently injected 2 h or more before operation. Just 13 surgeons were convinced of the value of dissecting internal mammary nodes visualised on a scan. Reasons for not using dual localisation included lack of nuclear medicine facilities, no local ARSAC licence holder, no probe, and no funding. Sixty-six surgeons stated that, if they had an ARSAC licence and could inject the radioactivity in theatre, this would be a major improvement. In addition, 83 (47%) did not perform SLNB in patients receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
CONCLUSIONS
Despite significant changes since 2004, substantial variation remains in management of the axilla. A number of surgeons are practicing outwith current guidelines. | 10.1308/003588410X12664192075819 |
pubmed_1047_725 | We studied the interaction between Trypanosoma congolense and bovine aorta endothelial (BAE) cell monolayers. Our findings suggest that trypanosomes adhere predominantly to the flattened, peripheral cell surface domains as well as to filamentous endothelial outgrowths that are present during in vitro cultivation in non-confluent monolayers. Adhesion is mediated exclusively by the flagellum in a distinct geometrical order with respect to the flagellar cytoskeleton. Thus, it is possible to define exactly the trypanosomal cell surface domain involved in the attachment process. After 24-48 h of cultivation on monolayers, trypanosomes start to develop short, filopodia-like flagellar protrusions, which serve as additional elements in assisting parasite attachment. Small filaments (3-5 nm) also serve as cross-links between flagellar and endothelial cell surface membranes. Lectin-gold labeling shows that these cross-links contain sialic acid residues. In vitro assays confirm that sialic acid is involved in the adhesion process, whereas the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins fibronectin, collagen, laminin and vitronectin are not. The presence of T. congolense exhibits a mitogenic effect on BAE cells. | 10.1007/BF00931503 |
pubmed_994_23617 | Most internationally travelled researchers will have encountered jetlag. If not, working odd hours makes most of us feel somehow dysfunctional. How can all this be linked to circadian rhythms and circadian clocks? In this review, we define circadian clocks, their composition and underlying molecular mechanisms. We describe and discuss recent crystal structures of Drosophila and mammalian core clock components and the enormous impact they had on the understanding of circadian clock mechanisms. Finally, we highlight the importance of circadian clocks for the daily regulation of human/mammalian physiology and show connections to overall fitness, health and disease. | pubmed_994_23617 |
pubmed_1013_1133 | PURPOSE
Conventional time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) failed to depict clear visualization of coiled cerebral aneurysms with PulseRider due to metal-induced susceptibility artifacts. Our aim was to overcome the metal artifact using a novel imaging technique of non-contrast-enhanced ultrashort echo-time magnetic resonance angiography (UTE-MRA).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five unruptured intracranial aneurysms were treated using PulseRider and the patients underwent silent MRA (UTE-MRA). The images were compared with TOF-MRA and digital subtraction angiography (DSA).
RESULTS
Silent MRA can visualize the residual cavity of the coiled aneurysms, which was not well visualized and rather defective when using TOF-MRA. While a segment of the proximal marker composed of stainless steel was poorly visualized, the other parts of the parent artery and the arteries of bifurcation, including the aneurysmal neck, were clearly visualized, equivalent to that of DSA.
CONCLUSIONS
UTE-MRA achieves better visualization of cerebral aneurysms after PulseRider treatment than TOF-MRA. | 10.1007/s11604-022-01276-z |
pubmed_826_15641 | Impaired flow-mediated dilation (FMD) occurs prior to clinical disease in young cigarette smokers. We investigated two potential biomarkers of FMD: serum aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) activity and RBC omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in healthy young Hispanic cigarette smokers. We recruited never (n=16) and current (n=16) Hispanic smokers (32 ± 7 years old), excluding individuals with clinical cardiovascular disease. We measured FMD with duplex ultrasound, RBC fatty acids and serum AHR activity using a luciferase reporter assay. FMD was significantly impaired in smokers (5.8 ± 4%) versus never smokers (12.3 ± 7.4%, p=0.001). Serum AHR activity was significantly increased in smokers (1467 ± 358 relative light units (RLU)) versus never smokers (689 ± 251 RLU, p<0.001), and correlated positively with FMD only in smokers (r=0.691, p<0.004). RBC percentage of α-linolenic acid (ALA%) was significantly increased in smokers (0.14 ± 0.03%) versus never smokers (0.11 ± 0.03%, p=0.018), and correlated inversely with FMD only in smokers (r=-0.538, p=0.03). The combination of serum AHR activity, ALA%, and systolic blood pressure significantly correlated with FMD in a multivariable regression model (r=0.802, p<0.008). These results suggest that serum AHR activity and RBC ALA% could serve as biomarkers of FMD in healthy, young Hispanic cigarette smokers. | pubmed_826_15641 |
pubmed_446_18997 | We study a stochastic matrix model to understand the mechanics of risk spreading (or bet hedging) by dispersion. Up to now, this model has been mostly dealt with numerically, except for the well-mixed case. Here, we present an analytical result that shows that optimal dispersion leads to Zipf's law. Moreover, we found that the arithmetic ensemble average of the total growth rate converges to the geometric one, because the sample size is finite. | 10.1103/PhysRevE.88.052809 |
pubmed_180_20706 | The stability of diclofenac sodium injection was studied by means of a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography assay method that was developed in our laboratory. There was a direct relationship between the peak heights and the concentrations. The percent relative standard deviation based on five injections was 0.9. The products of decomposition and the excipients present in the dosage form did not interfere with the developed assay method. The injection was stable for at least 23 days when stored in clear glass vials at room temperature. Contrary to the recommendation in the literature, the injection may not be stored at the refrigerated temperature. The physcial appearacne and the pH value of the injection did not change during the study period. | pubmed_180_20706 |
pubmed_405_1417 | Polyacrylamides (PAMs) are used in sand and gravel quarries as water purification flocculants for recycling process water in a recycling loop system where the flocculants remove fine particles in the form of sludge. The PAM-based flocculants, however, contain residual amounts of acrylamide (AMD) that did not react during the polymerization process. This acrylamide is released into the environment when the sludge is discharged into a settling basin. Here, we explore the microbial diversity and the potential for AMD biodegradation in water and sludge samples collected in a quarry site submitted to low AMD concentrations. The microbial diversity, analyzed by culture-dependent methods and the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis approach, reveals the presence of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria, among which some species are known to have an AMD biodegradation activity. Results also show that the two main parts of the water recycling loop-the washing process and the settling basin-display significantly different bacterial profiles. The exposure time with residual AMD could, thus, be one of the parameters that lead to a selection of specific bacterial species. AMD degradation experiments with 0.5 g L(-1) AMD showed a high potential for biodegradation in all parts of the washing process, except the make-up water. The AMD biodegradation potential in samples collected from the washing process and settling basin was also analyzed taking into account on-site conditions: low (12 °C) and high (25 °C) temperatures reflecting the winter and summer seasons, and AMD concentrations of 50 μg L(-1). Batch tests showed rapid (as little as 18 h) AMD biodegradation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at both the winter and summer temperatures, although there was a greater lag time before activity started with the AMD biodegradation at 12 °C. This study, thus, demonstrates that bacteria present in sludge and water samples exert an in situ and rapid biodegradation of AMD at low concentration, whatever the season, and in both the aerobic and anaerobic parts of the water recycling system. | 10.1007/s11356-014-3767-x |
pubmed_1058_21526 | Activation of CD4+ cells is a prerequisite for infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Thus, any agent capable of suppressing CD4+ cell proliferation could create a refractory stage that would impede viral infection. We have reported, in a previous publication, that a biological response modifier (BRM), polyantigenic immunomodulator (PAI) substantially reduces HIV-1 titer (from 20 to 100%) in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultures with high viral titer (p24 = 10(2)-10(5) pg/ml). We are presenting data suggesting that the reported reduction in virus titer seems to be associated with a suppressive activity of PAI on the proliferation of PBMC from intravenous drug users (IVDU) infected and non-infected with HIV-1. PAI, a well characterized BRM, is a mixture of inactivated bacterial and influenza virus vaccines. PBMC from healthy donors and IVDU individuals were exposed to PAI, phytohemagglutinin (PHA), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and to combinations of PAI with either PHA or IL-2. Appropriate controls were included. 3H-thymidine pulsing was used as indicator of cell proliferation. The stimulation index and the difference between mean cpm of test sample and control were used to measure proliferative activity. There was a low proliferative response in the PBMC cultures from IVDU and HIV-1 positive patients, but it was substantially lower in the later group. When PBMC cultures from the same group of individuals were exposed to PAI, PHA and IL-2, and to the combination of either PAI plus PHA or IL-2, the response observed in the PAI treated group was uniformly lower than in the other treated cultures. Moreover, when PAI was combined with PHA, it exerted a significant reduction in the measured parameters. The effect of PAI on IL-2 activity was negligible. A suppressive effect of a PAI has been detected on the proliferation of PBMC from IVDA and HIV-1 positive individuals. This activity may be associated with the capacity of PAI to reduce HIV titers in infected PBMC cultures. | pubmed_1058_21526 |
pubmed_196_24498 | Quantitative analysis of the contribution rate of China's hydraulic science and technology and analysis of the underlying reasons behind changes provide an important foundation upon which the government can formulate water policies. This paper abandons the assumption of a scale economy and separates the changes of benefits brought about by the scale from scientific and technological progress, thus changing the C-D production function from linear to nonlinear. Based on a feedforward neural network, it calculates the coefficient of the output elasticity, the economic contribution rate of China's hydraulic science and technology and the scale economies for each year using relevant data from 1981 to 2016. The results show that (1) the average contribution rate of capital investment from 1981 to 2016 was 47.3%, and the average contribution rate of labor from 1981 to 2016 was 9.1%. It is not obvious that the significant increase in the labor force has contributed to the growth of China's water conservancy industry. (2) The average contribution rate of scale economies in 1981-2016 was 26.7%, and the contribution rate of scale economies is negatively correlated with the capital contribution rate. (3) The average contribution rate of China's hydraulic science and technology was 43.6% from 1981 to 2016, and the average contribution rate of the total factor productivity after removing scale economies from 1981 to 2016 was 16.9%. During the period of the 6th Five-Year Plan(1981~1985), the contribution rate of water conservancy science and technology was relatively high. Since that time, it has remained at 40%. In recent years, as water conservancy reforms in key areas have made positive progress, scientific and technological progress has increased the growth of water conservancy benefits annually. | 10.1371/journal.pone.0222091 |
pubmed_240_20595 | Following synthesis, tRNAs are peppered by numerous chemical modifications which may differentially affect a tRNA's structure and function. Although modifications affecting the business ends of a tRNA are predictably important for cell viability, a majority of modifications play more subtle structural roles that can affect tRNA stability and folding. The current trend is that modifications act in concert and it is in the context of the specific sequence of a given tRNA that they impart their differing effects. Recent developments in the modification field have highlighted the diversity of modifications in tRNA. From these, the combinatorial nature of modifications in explaining previously described phenotypes derived from their absence has emerged as a growing theme. | 10.1002/wrna.1144 |
pubmed_547_23129 | Watershed algorithms is an automatic segmentation scheme to generate closed outlines, which might give rise to over-segmentation, i.e., numerous small segmented closed regions that blur the target contours or shapes. In this paper, the author proposed a scheme to merge the small regions and generate a hierarchical segmentation representation. We first define the dissimilarity measure between the neighboring regions, and based on this dissimilarity measurement, a fuzzy matrix calculation followed by hierarchical segmentation is performed. Experiments with various types of images are given. | pubmed_547_23129 |
pubmed_988_3357 | 1. The ability of a computerized tomography scan to project a three-dimensional reconstruction of the patient's skeleton allows surgeons to plan the reconstructive process preoperatively. 2. Because of the length of the procedure, patient positioning, cardiorespiratory status, and laboratory values are essential. 3. It is beneficial to perform craniofacial surgery at early ages while there is still growth potential and before the skin and muscles have tightened. | pubmed_988_3357 |
pubmed_598_4865 | OBJECTIVE
To evaluate hypertension and hyperlipidemia management patterns in youth with type 1 diabetes and to assess perceived effectiveness of management strategies and barriers to management.
STUDY DESIGN
An electronic survey, including clinical scenarios, fielded to pediatric providers (members of the American Diabetes Association Diabetes in Youth Interest Group, Pediatric Endocrine Society, or T1D Exchange).
RESULTS
Respondents (N = 207, 86% MDs, 68% female) were practicing clinicians for youth with type 1 diabetes. As an initial recommendation, the overwhelming majority of respondents (83%-99%) endorsed lifestyle and nonmedical recommendations (eg, improve glycemic control) for hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Yet, few (6%-17%) reported these recommendations as effective. Many respondents (57%) reported referring to another specialist for hypertension, whereas few (8%) reported referring to another specialist for hyperlipidemia management. Approximately one-fifth (21%) of respondents never initiate antihypertensive medications, whereas only 8% never initiate lipid-lowering medication. Among prescribers, the majority of respondents only started antihypertensive or lipid-lowering medications after persistent elevations and in the setting of either ineffective lifestyle or nonmedical interventions or additional cardiovascular risk factors. More than two-thirds of respondents endorsed medications as often effective for hypertension and hyperlipidemia (68% and 69%, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric diabetes providers commonly defer prescribing antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications until nonmedication interventions have been ineffective. Most providers describe medications, but not lifestyle interventions, as often effective. Efforts to align clinical practice with clinical guidelines are needed. | 10.1016/j.jpeds.2017.11.059 |
pubmed_1122_34 | BACKGROUND
Almost 10% of breast and ovarian cancer are inherited, and the majority are linked to BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutations. Despite the uncertainty, consensus guidelines were defined to assist practitioners', and patients' decisions about the health care decisions to be made.
METHODOLOGY
The ad hoc committee consisted of 14 experts designated by the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research. They all attended eleven workshops at which a systematic analytical review of more than 3,500 articles was carried out. Five additional experts critically analyzed the first version of the report.
PROCESS
Two thresholds were defined on a probability scale giving the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer, to serve as a means of deciding as whether an intervention is worthwhile. The first threshold is that above which an intervention can be envisaged or recommended; the second is that under which an intervention can be ruled out; between the two, the decision has to be made on a each by case basis. SCREENING AND PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES ANALYZED: About breast cancer: 1) hormonal interventions; 2) primary prevention (diet, family planning and chemoprevention); 3) screening (breast self-examination, clinician breast examination, tumor markers, imaging); 4) prophylactic mastectomy. About ovarian cancer: 1) hormonal stimulation; 2) screening (clinical screening, ultrasound and tumor markers); 3) prophylactic oophorectomy.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS
With each strategy the following points were dealt with: the information to be delivered to the consult and, the procedure and the indications. The committee's opinion about BRCA mutation screening is that population-based or even large scale implementation are not justified. The committee feels that specific management is indispensable and advocates the use of defined and evaluated procedures, and involvement in clinical trials. | pubmed_1122_34 |
pubmed_1058_14796 | Even though melanin is commonly viewed as a photoprotective agent, the molecular mechanism of the melanin-related photoprotective action remains unclear. We studied the interaction of a synthetic dopa melanin with positively and negatively charged porphyrins using an array of spectroscopic techniques. Thus absorption, fluorescence, time-resolved delayed luminescence in the microsecond time range, and photoacoustic spectra at different modulation frequencies of both porphyrins and their mixtures with dopa melanin were measured in buffered aqueous solution at room temperature. It has been confirmed that dopa melanin forms a complex with the cationic porphyrin in its ground state, which significantly modifies the optical properties of the dye molecule. Although no such complex can be detected for the anionic porphyrin, some interaction between melanin and the porphyrin molecule can be detected in its excited state. Both porphyrins show delayed luminescence with a decay time of 35-38 microseconds, which is substantially reduced by melanin. Our photoacoustic measurements indicate that upon photoexcitation, melanin efficiently liberates heat. Our data also suggest that the thermal properties of melanin can be modified by porphyrins, particularly by the cationic form of the dye. The ionic complexes of dopa melanin with the positively charged porphyrin exhibit properties typical for a supermolecular system that liberates heat as a whole. | 10.1016/s1011-1344(97)00079-1 |
pubmed_194_11788 | High dosages of narcotic analgesics are frequently utilized as the sole anaesthetic agents for patients requiring open-heart surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high dosages of fentanyl and piritramide upon the cardiovascular system. In anaesthetized dogs (N2O:O2=2:1; 0.5 vol% halothane) 0.03 mg/kg fentanyl (=8) and 1.5 mg/kg piritramide (n=8) respectively were given intravenously as a bolus. After the administration of fentanyl there was a slight decrease in blood pressure (10%). The hypotension was the result of a decrease in cardiac output (thermodilution technique) by 13% due to bradycardia. Total peripheral resistance and myocardial contractility remained unaffected. Similar effects were only found late after injection of piritramide, since there was an initial cardiovascular response to piritramide characterized by a marked fall in blood pressure (29%). The major cause of arterial hypotension was peripheral vasodilatation. Load data and the decrease in max dp/dt however indicated also a slight myocardial depression. The altered haemodynamics led to a decrease in myocardial oxygen consumption with both narcotics, which was nearly paralleled by a reduction in coronary blood flow. The narrowing of arteriovenous oxygen difference of the heart proved coronary dilatatory properties of fentanyl and especially of piritramide. This study indicated that high dosages of fentanyl have advantages in comparison to high dosages of piritramide. The clinical implications of the results are discussed. | pubmed_194_11788 |
pubmed_402_17032 | Prostate-specific antigen values provide important and unique information about prostate cancer to clinicians. However, there is conflicting information about the prognostic significance of the dynamics of PSA decline and elevation after treatment. To provide further insight into the dynamics of PSA as prognostic factors, we herein studied various PSA values as possible prognostic factors in 93 patients with prostate cancer treated with endocrine therapy. Thirteen (14.0%) had stage B tumors, 20 (21.5%) had stage C tumors, and 60 (64.5%) had stage D tumors. The overall 5-year survival rate was 41.2%. Relapse was observed in 32 (34.4%) patients. The influence of pre- and post-treatment PSA (both absolute and percentage values) on survival was analyzed. Normalization of PSA value was associated with prolonged survival regardless of interval to reach the lowest PSA level. The absolute value of PSA at 3 or 6 months following treatment was a significant discriminator, while the pre-treatment PSA level and percentage values of post-treatment PSA were not. These data show that the PSA nadir and PSA value at 3 or 6 months following treatment provide important prognostic information. | pubmed_402_17032 |
pubmed_6_27231 | BACKGROUND
We explored the associations between serum leptin concentration and cardiovascular prognosis in maintenance hemodialysis patients.
METHODS
In our prospective study with no intervention, demographics data at baseline were collected from electronic medical records. Serum leptin concentration was determined by ELISA. Patients underwent body composition assessment and echocardiographic measurements after hemodialysis. The primary endpoints were defined as cardiovascular events (CVEs), cardiovascular death (CVD) and all-cause death.
RESULTS
A total of 165 eligible patients aged 51(43-65) y were enrolled and the mean serum leptin concentration was 35.49 (29.98) ng/ml. During a median follow-up of 18 (12-22) months, CVEs occurred in 37 (22.42%) patients and the cardiovascular and all-cause mortality was 10.91% and 21.82%. Serum leptin concentration was associated with CVEs (HR = 0.982, p = 0.003), CVD (HR = 0.934, p = 0.002) and all-cause death (HR = 0.943, p < 0.001). Decreased serum leptin concentration was an independent risk factor for the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH, OR = 0.98, p = 0.007) and peripheral vascular disease (PVD, OR = 0.974, p = 0.007).
CONCLUSION
Serum leptin concentration can independently predict cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause death in MHD patients. The effects that serum leptin concentration on development of LVH and PVD maybe the potential mechanism. | 10.1016/j.cca.2021.06.003 |
pubmed_292_1416 | We study nonaxisymmetric linearized gravitational perturbations of the Emparan-Reall black ring using numerical methods. We find an unstable mode whose onset lies within the "fat" branch of the black ring and continues into the "thin" branch. Together with previous results using Penrose inequalities that fat black rings are unstable, this provides numerical evidence that the entire black ring family is unstable. | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.221101 |
pubmed_897_10175 | Microbial transformation of oleanolic acid (1) was carried out. Six transformed products (2-7) from 1 by Alternaria longipes and three transformed products (8-10) from 1 by Penicillium adametzi were isolated. Their structures were elucidated as 2α,3α,19α-trihydroxy-ursolic acid-28-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), 2α,3β,19α-trihydroxy-ursolic acid-28-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), oleanolic acid 28-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (4), oleanolic acid-3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), 3-O-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-oleanolic acid-28-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (6), 2α,3β,19a-trihydroxy-oleanolic acid-28-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7), 21β-hydroxyl oleanolic acid-28-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8), 21β-hydroxyl oleanolic acid (9), and 7α,21β-dihydroxyl oleanolic acid (10) based on the extensive NMR studies. Among them, 10 was a new compound and compounds 5 and 8-10 had stronger cytotoxic activities against Hela cell lines than the substrate. At the same time, it was reported for the first time in this paper that the skeletons of compounds 2 and 3 were changed from oleanane to uranane and seven glycosidation products were obtained by biotransformation. | 10.1080/10286020.2010.547028 |
pubmed_192_19053 | There are a multitude of dilemmas faced today by over 3 million significantly disabled Americans, many of whom depend on Medicaid for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) in obtaining the services they need to simply live. While the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has done a lot to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the reality is that using Medicaid as the vehicle for funding LTSS places unreasonable restrictions on disabled people who want to live independent lives and be as successful as possible. The Federal Government must change funding for LTSS in order to provide disabled Americans with real choices regarding living arrangements and maximize their earning potential without fear of being deprived of support they cannot live without. Part II of this note provides background information on LTSS (what they are, who uses them, what they cost, and how they are currently funded). Part III examines the Medicaid Program and specifically Medicaid HCBS17 Waiver Programs, which provide the bulk of LTSS funding today. A brief history of the federal laws, amendments, and policies that have impacted Medicaid LTSS are provided. Part IV analyzes an alternative to Medicaid for LTSS funding for those working-age disabled individuals who would not otherwise be Medicaid eligible. This section specifically focuses on recommendations from the congressionally established Commission on Long-Term Care and a pilot program proposed by the American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD). Finally, Part V concludes that the Federal government must take action to establish a stand-alone, non-Medicaid Program to provide LTSS for working-age disabled Americans who are capable of working and living independently. | pubmed_192_19053 |
pubmed_117_5170 | Background and study aims Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) performs poorly in the histological diagnosis of type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). The aim of this study was to assess the performance of fine-needle biopsy (FNB) comparing reverse bevel (RB) and fork-tip (FT) needles. Patients and methods A retrospective study of prospectively maintained databases was performed. Patients with a final diagnosis of type 1 AIP who underwent EUS-FNB during diagnostic workup were included. Pathology reports were reviewed and classified as per international consensus diagnostic criteria (ICDC). The Primary outcome was EUS-FNB sensitivity in diagnosing type 1 AIP. Results Between March 2011 and December 2018, 24 patients with a final diagnosis of type 1 AIP underwent FNB. Six patients underwent biopsy with the RB needle and 18 with the FT needle. Mean age (± SD) 62.2 (± 11.4), 17 (70.8 %) male. No RB samples were diagnostic compared to 14 (78 %) FT; P = 0.001; of which 13 (72 %) were level 1. In eight (44 %) of FT cases a diagnosis was not possible without histology. Initial biopsy was diagnostic in five (62.5 %) of these cases. Including repeat biopsy, seven (87 %) had a diagnosis made by FT needle. Obliterative phlebitis (44 %) was the least frequently identified pathological feature and immunoglobulin (IgG)4 + plasma cells > 10 per high power field (78 %) the most common. Conclusion The FT needle demonstrated good performance for diagnosing type 1 AIP. The results support the preferential use of this core biopsy needle for EUS pancreatic tissue sampling. | 10.1055/a-1236-3266 |
pubmed_234_21116 | BACKGROUND
There is evidence indicating that serotonin uptake and density of 5-HT2A receptors are altered in brain regions of depressed suicide victims and in platelets of depressed suicidal subjects. The present investigation tested the hypothesis that these changes in the serotonergic system in depressed suicide victims are trait rather than state markers and associated with a polymorphism in respective candidate genes.
METHODS
Two polymorphic variants (102T/C polymorphism and His452Tyr functional polymorphism) of the 5-HT2A receptor gene and a functional polymorphism in the 5' regulatory region of the 5-HT transporter gene, have been determined in genomic DNA obtained from postmortem brain samples of 24 depressed suicide victims and 31 control subjects of the same ethnic background. In a subset of subjects, density (Bmax) of 5-HT uptake sites (labeled with 3H-paroxetine) and of 5-HT2A receptors (labeled with 3H-ketanserin) was also determined in prefrontal cortex samples.
RESULTS
The major finding of this study was a significantly higher frequency of the 5-HT transporter gene long (L) allele (chi 2 = 3.9, df = 1; p = .048) in depressed suicides. No significant differences between suicides and controls were observed for the 102T/C polymorphism and His452Tyr polymorphism of 5-HT2A receptor gene. The density of 3H-paroxetine binding sites tended to be higher in subjects expressing the short (S) allele of 5-HT transporter gene. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in serotonin transporter binding sites between the genotype S/S and combined genotypes S/L and L/L.
CONCLUSIONS
Our finding provides the first evidence suggesting that a functional polymorphism in the regulatory region of serotonin transporter gene may be associated with suicide in depressed subjects. | 10.1016/s0006-3223(98)00376-x |
pubmed_5_19378 | BACKGROUND
The lungs are a frequent site of metastasis in patients with melanoma, and this may cause respiratory problems in the terminal phase of the illness. Inhalation interleukin (IL)-2 therapy to the lung has been piloted and appears to be well tolerated.
METHODS
Twenty-seven patients were treated with single agent dacarbazine and concurrent high dose inhalation IL-2 36 million IU per day). The patients previously had progressed on chemotherapy, predominately dacarbazine-based regimens. Patients included those with American Joint Committee on Cancer Stage IV melanoma, predominately those with lung metastases, but patients with extrapulmonary metastases also were allowed on the study.
RESULTS
Five of the 27 patients experienced a complete pulmonary remission. Eight patients achieved a partial pulmonary remission, and 5 patients experienced stabilization of their disease. Eight patients developed pulmonary metastases. One patient was not evaluable. Four of the five patients who achieved a complete response and seven of the eight patients who achieved a partial response previously were treated with dacarbazine and progressed. There were no responses in extrapulmonary metastases. Side effects of treatment were minimal. The complete responses all were durable with a follow-up of 12 months, whereas patients with partial responses and stable disease progressed when IL-2 was discontinued.
CONCLUSIONS
Inhalation therapy with IL-2 for pulmonary metastases from melanoma appears to be safe. The current preliminary study suggests efficacy although concurrent chemotherapy was given, thus confounding results to some extent. Therefore, these results need to be reproduced without concomitant chemotherapy. In addition, a strategy comprised of therapy with IL-2 inhalation until disease progression may prolong responses. | 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(20000501)88:9<2042::aid-cncr9>3.0.co;2-j |
pubmed_235_4785 | BACKGROUND
Previous research has reported an association between texting messages sent and De Quervain's tenosynovitis (DQT) symptomatology. However, these studies do not report smartphone dependence and DQT symptomatology.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to evaluate the association between problematic smartphone use (PSU) and DQT symptomatology among young adults.
DESIGN
Analytical cross-sectional study.
METHODS
We included adults between 18 and 25 years and evaluated DQT symptomatology's presence using the Finkelstein test. We used Experiences Related to Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire to measure the PSU. We carried out a generalized linear model from the Poisson family. We calculated the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI).
RESULTS
In total, we analyzed 491 subjects, the majority were women (52%), and the median age was 20 years. Of the total study population, 53% had positive results in the Finkelstein test, while 53% of the population had PSU. After adjusting our generalized linear model for confounders variables, we found that there is a higher prevalence of DQT symptomatology in those participants with occasional PSU and frequent PSU compared with participants without PSU, (aPR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.47-2.05) and (aPR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.29-2.00); respectively. We also found a higher prevalence of DQT symptomatology related to the number of hours per day in smartphones, pain with smartphones in the last week and using WhatsApp.
CONCLUSION
We found a higher prevalence of De Quervain's tenosynovitis symptomatology in the people with problematic smartphone use. | 10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102356 |
pubmed_1123_4873 | A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of a brief nurse practitioner (NP) intervention on care transitions among older hospitalized adults discharged to home (N = 199). Immediately following discharge, participants randomly assigned to the intervention received up to three home visits and two telephone calls from a registered NP that included medication review, care coordination, assessment of medical care needs, and brief coaching in self-management skills. Usual care participants received all standard medical care, including access to case management services. Intervention participants reported improved satisfaction with medical care (p = 0.008) and self-efficacy in managing medical conditions (p = 0.001) and had fewer primary care visits (p = 0.036) but no change in hospital readmissions at 6 months following enrollment. These findings suggest that intervening at the point of transition may extend the reach of the primary care physician by improving patient outcomes through nursing support at a high-risk period of care-the transition from hospital to home. | 10.3928/00989134-20120116-01 |
pubmed_522_12336 | CASE REPORT
A successful laparoscopic management of an interstitial pregnancy of 42-year-old woman, treated by cornual resection was presented. The patient had an unremarkable postoperative course.
DISCUSSION
The laparoscopic approach toward cornual pregnancy was presented as well as its advantages over classic laparotomy. Other techniques of conservative treatments have been reviewed. | 10.1007/s00404-003-0499-4 |
pubmed_411_13084 | A key hallmark of many diseases, especially those in the central nervous system (CNS), is the change in tissue stiffness due to inflammation and scarring. However, how such changes in microenvironment affect the regenerative process remains poorly understood. Here, a biomimicking fiber platform that provides independent variation of fiber structural and intrinsic stiffness is reported. To demonstrate the functionality of these constructs as a mechanotransduction study platform, these substrates are utilized as artificial axons and the effects of axon structural versus intrinsic stiffness on CNS myelination are independently analyzed. While studies have shown that substrate stiffness affects oligodendrocyte differentiation, the effects of mechanical stiffness on the final functional state of oligodendrocyte (i.e., myelination) has not been shown prior to this. Here, it is demonstrated that a stiff mechanical microenvironment impedes oligodendrocyte myelination, independently and distinctively from oligodendrocyte differentiation. Yes-associated protein is identified to be involved in influencing oligodendrocyte myelination through mechanotransduction. The opposing effects on oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination provide important implications for current work screening for promyelinating drugs, since these efforts have focused mainly on promoting oligodendrocyte differentiation. Thus, the platform may have considerable utility as part of a drug discovery program in identifying molecules that promote both differentiation and myelination. | 10.1002/smll.202003656 |
pubmed_781_16477 | This paper studies the approach of model predictive control (MPC) for the non-linear systems under networked environment where both data quantization and packet loss may occur. The non-linear controlled plant in the networked control system (NCS) is represented by a Tagaki-Sugeno (T-S) model. The sensed data and control signal are quantized in both links and described as sector bound uncertainties by applying sector bound approach. Then, the quantized data are transmitted in the communication networks and may suffer from the effect of packet losses, which are modeled as Bernoulli process. A fuzzy predictive controller which guarantees the stability of the closed-loop system is obtained by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. | pubmed_781_16477 |
pubmed_779_4115 | Immunotherapy (IO) has increasingly been demonstrated to provide therapeutic benefit to patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, only a subset of mCRC tumors respond to IO. Monitoring response with tumor biomarkers like carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) has been challenging in patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) mCRC due to low expression of CEA (CEA/lo). Noninvasive blood-based biomarkers such as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can inform early treatment response and augment radiographic monitoring. We describe a case study of a patient with chemotherapy-refractory CEA/lo MSS mCRC, with metastatic disease present in a cardiophrenic lymph node. The patient was given 2 cycles of combination IO (ipilimumab/nivolumab). Response was monitored by ctDNA using a multiplex PCR next-generation sequencing assay, CEA, and CT scan. After IO administration, ctDNA levels rapidly declined, becoming undetectable. This was concurrent with radiographic resolution of the lymph node metastasis. Serial monitoring of CEA during this same period was uninformative, with no significant changes observed. Significant decline in ctDNA identified metastatic response to IO in a patient with CEA/lo, MSS mCRC and was concurrently validated by CT scan. This case study provides evidence that ctDNA can be used as a prospective surrogate for radiographic tumor response. | 10.1159/000516190 |
pubmed_325_8726 | Management of neuropathic foot ulcers in patients with diabetes (DFUs) has changed little over the past decade, and there is currently no objective method to gauge probability of successful healing. We hypothesized that studies of stem/progenitor cells (SPCs) in the early weeks of standard wound management could predict who will heal within 16 weeks. Blood and debrided wound margins were collected for 8 weeks from 100 patients undergoing weekly evaluations and treatment. SPC number and intracellular content of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) were evaluated by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. More SPCs entered the bloodstream in the first 2 weeks of care in patients who healed (n = 37) than in those who did not (n = 63). Logistic regression demonstrated that the number of blood-borne SPCs and the cellular content of HIFs at study entry and the first-week follow-up visit predicted healing. Strong correlations were found among week-to-week assessments of blood-borne SPC HIF factors. We conclude that assays of SPCs during the first weeks of care in patients with DFUs can provide insight into how well wounds will respond and may aid with decisions on the use of adjunctive measures. | 10.2337/db15-0517 |
pubmed_354_18190 | We have prepared and studied silver nanoparticles functionalized with ligands based on lactic acid derivatives. Several types of hybrid systems that differed in the size of silver nanoparticles as well as the length of surface ligands were analyzed. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation provided information about the size and shape of nanoparticles and proved good homogeneity of studied systems. By dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements, we have measured the size distribution of nanoparticle systems. Plasmonic resonance was detected at around 450 nm. For two hybrid systems, the mesomorphic behaviour has been demonstrated by x-ray measurements. The observed thermotropic liquid crystalline phases reveal lamellar character. We have proposed a model based on self-assembly of intercalated liquid crystalline ligands. | 10.3390/nano9081066 |
pubmed_898_24187 | The transport properties of chloride ions in cement-based materials are one of the major deterioration mechanisms for reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This paper investigates the influence of pore size and fatigue loading on the transport properties of NaCl in C-S-H nanopores using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Molecular models of C-S-H, NaCl solution, and C-S-H nanopores with different pore diameters are established on a microscopic scale. The distribution of the chloride ion diffusion rate and the diffusion coefficient of each particle are obtained by statistically calculating the variation of atomic displacement with time. The results indicate that the chloride ion diffusion rate perpendicular to C-S-H nanopores under fatigue loading is 4 times faster than that without fatigue loading. Moreover, the diffusion coefficient of water molecules and chloride ions in C-S-H nanopores increases under fatigue loading compared with those without fatigue loading. The diffusion coefficient of water molecules in C-S-H nanopores with a pore size of 3 nm obtained from the MD simulation is 1.794 × 10-9 m2/s, which is slightly lower than that obtained from the experiment. | 10.3390/ma13030700 |
pubmed_653_3627 | Epidemiological studies suggest that the onset and progression of ovarian cancer are associated with the presence of estrogens. CYP1A1 gene has two polymorphisms, which may affect the estrogens' metabolites and contribute to increased susceptibility to neoplastic transformation of ovarian cells. P53 is a tumor suppressor gene, which acts to preserve stability of human genome. Codon 72 polymorphism of p53 gene was correlated with susceptibility for ovarian cancer. The aim of our study was to validate the use of PCR-RFLP techniques for the evaluation of p53 codon 72 and CYP1A1 gene polymorphisms in relation with ovarian cancer in a Romanian population and to evaluate gene-environment interaction in this context. The case-control study included 42 subjects. The assessment of risk and protective factors was performed using a questionnaire. Polymorphisms of CYP1A1 and p53 genes were assessed using the validated PCR-RFLP techniques. The statistical analysis was performed using Epi Info 3.5.1 software. Frequency of Arg/Arg genotype of p53 gene was higher among cases (43%) compared with controls (33.3%), but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.75). The presence of Ile/Val polymorphism of CYP1A1 gene was identified in 9.5% of the cases and the MspI polymorphism of CYP1A1 gene was not identified in our subjects. Validation of techniques consisted in the optimization of RFLP methods for p53 and CYP1A1 genes polymorphism analyzing that allowed highlighting the existence of codon 72 polymorphism of p53 gene and Ile/Val polymorphism of CYP1A1 gene in the population from this region. | pubmed_653_3627 |
pubmed_448_16746 | African swine fever (ASF) has emerged as a major threat to domestic and wild suid populations, and its continued spread threatens commercial swine production worldwide. The causative agent of ASF, African swine fever virus (ASFV), possesses a linear, double stranded DNA genome. Traditional detection of ASFV relies on laboratory-based virus isolation or real-time PCR of samples, typically blood or spleen, obtained from suspect cases. While effective, these methodologies are not easily field deployable, a major limitation during disease outbreak and response management scenarios. In this report, we evaluated the MatMaCorp Solas 8® ASFV detection system, a field deployable DNA extraction and fluorescent detection device, for its ability to extract and detect ASFV from multiple sample types obtained from domestic swine experimentally infected with ASFV strain Georgia. We found that the MatMaCorp Solas 8® ASFV detection device, and affiliated MagicTip™ DNA extraction and C-SAND™ assay kits, readily detected ASFV in blood and spleen, as well as other sample types, including pinna, liver, skin, muscle and bone marrow. | 10.1111/tbed.14411 |
pubmed_571_17404 | Selenium (Se) at supranutritional levels can enhance the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), whose gene is a target of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2). Recent studies indicated that the thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) gene could also be targeted by Nrf2. Thus, high-dose Se may stimulate TrxR1 provided it enhances GST activity. Indeed, one study found that Se at supranutritional levels transiently increased hepatic TrxR1 activity. However, another study reported that supranutritional Se had no such effect on hepatic TrxR1 activity. In view of this discrepancy, the present research investigated whether high-dose Se has any impact on hepatic TrxR1. Moreover, we investigated whether Se preferentially activates GST over TrxR1. We observed that when sodium selenite (SS) caused liver injury, both hepatic TrxR1 activity and hepatic GST activity increased. Further experiments indicated that SS increased hepatic GST activity at either toxic or high but non-toxic dose levels; however, increase in hepatic TrxR1 activity occurred only at toxic levels, suggesting that enhanced TrxR1 activity correlates with liver injury. To corroborate this, we showed that hepatotoxic agents, thioacetamide or carbon tetrachloride, caused marked increases in hepatic TrxR1 activity. In conclusion, high-dose SS indeed can enhance hepatic TrxR1 activity, but only on the condition that it causes liver injury. High-dose SS affects hepatic GST more readily than hepatic TrxR1. Thus, the cancer-preventive mechanism of Se at non-toxic supranutritional levels relies more on its modulation of GST rather than TrxR1, at least in liver tissue. | 10.1016/j.toxlet.2007.12.002 |
pubmed_175_4599 | Theoretical guarantees of capture become complicated in the case of a swimming fish or fish robot because of the oscillatory nature of the fish heading. Building on the connection between a swimming fish and the canonical Chaplygin sleigh, a novel state feedback control law is shown to result in closed-loop dynamics that exhibit a limit cycle resulting in steady forward-swimming motion in a desired heading. Analysis of this limit cycle reveals boundaries on the size of the oscillations around the desired heading, which are then used to specify under what conditions (e.g. prey speed, predator speed, control gains) capture is guaranteed. By changing the desired swimming direction in response to prey movements, the control law is shown to be capable of pure pursuit, deviated pure pursuit, intercept, and parallel navigation in simulation. An experimental demonstration of pure pursuit by a flexible fish-inspired robot actuated with an internal reaction wheel is described. | 10.1088/1748-3190/ab745e |
pubmed_587_12891 | OBJECTIVE
To test the feasibility, safety and accuracy of the adenosine protocol in the study of myocardial perfusion with microbubbles contrast echocardiography.
METHODS
81 pts (64 male, 60+11 years) were submitted to contrast echocardiography with PESDA (sonicated solution of albumin 20%-1ml, dextrose 5%-12ml and deca-fluorobutane gas-8ml) to study the myocardial perfusion at rest and after bolus injection of adenosine (6 to 18mg) and to coronary angiography within 1 month each other. For each patient 3 left ventricle perfusion beds were considered (total of 243 territories). 208 territories were analyzed and 35 territories were excluded. PESDA was continuously infused (1-2ml/min), titrated for best myocardial contrast. Triggered (1:1) second harmonic imaging was used.
RESULTS
Coronary angiography showed 70 flow limiting (> 75%) lesions and 138 no flow limiting lesions. At rest an obvious myocardium contrast enhancement was seen in at least 1 segment of a territory in all patients. After adenosine injection an unquestionable further increase in myocardial contrast was observed in 136 territories (99%) related to no flow limiting lesions, lasting < 10 s, and a myocardial perfusion defect was detected in 68 territories (97%) related to flow limiting lesions. It was observed only 4 false results. There were no serious complications.
CONCLUSION
Myocardial perfusion study with PESDA and adenosine protocol is a practical, safe and accurate method to analyze the coronary flow reserve. | 10.1590/s0066-782x2002000300004 |
pubmed_357_17502 | Antibody-based immunotherapies show clinical effectiveness in various cancer types. However, the target repertoire is limited to surface or soluble antigens, which are a relatively small percentage of the cancer proteome. Most proteins of the human proteome are intracellular. Short peptides from intracellular targets can be presented by MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules on cell surface, making them potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. Antibodies can be developed to target these peptide/MHC complexes, similar to the recognition of such complexes by the T-cell receptor (TCR). These antibodies are referred to as T-cell receptor mimic (TCRm) or TCR-like antibodies. Ongoing preclinical and clinical studies will help us understand their mechanisms of action and selection of target epitopes for immunotherapy. The present review will summarize and discuss the selection of intracellular antigens, production of the peptide/MHC complexes, isolation of TCRm antibodies for therapeutic applications, limitations of TCRm antibodies, and possible ways to advance TCRm antibody-based approaches into the clinic. | 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0115 |
pubmed_305_24952 | The effect of antifungal activity of culture filtrate (CF) of Bacillus pumilus strain CCIBP-C5, an isolate from a phyllosphere of banana (Musa) leaves, was determined on Pseudocercospora fijiensis challenged banana plants. The CF was shown to decrease the fungal biomass and induce changes in banana plant. In this sense, at 70 days post inoculation (dpi), a lower infection index as well as a decrease in fungal biomass after 6 dpi was obtained in treated plants with respect to control ones. At the same time, changes in the activities of several enzymes related to plant defense responses, such as phenylalanine ammonia lyase, chitinases, β-1,3-glucanases and peroxidases were observed. These results indicate that B. pumilus CCIBP-C5 has a potential role for biological control of P. fijiensis possibly due to the production of antifungal metabolites. | 10.1007/s13205-018-1152-z |
pubmed_770_2590 | Obese (ob/ob) mice exhibit impaired hepatic thyroid hormone action that is mediated, at least in part, by a reduced nuclear 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) receptor occupancy. The possibility that lowered occupancy in obese mice may be caused by decreased transport of T3 across the hepatic plasma membrane was examined by measuring the unidirectional influx of [125I]T3 into livers of 8- to 10-wk-old obese and lean mice using a tissue-sampling portal vein-injection technique. Influx of [125I]thyroxine (T4), a substrate for T4 5'-deiodinase, was also measured. Unidirectional clearance of T3 and T4 was 64 and 80% lower, respectively, in obese mice than in lean mice. Hepatic T3 and T4 uptake was nonsaturable in both lean and obese mice, suggesting that transport occurs by lipid-mediated free diffusion. Clearance of another lipid-soluble hormone, hydrocortisone, was also lower in obese mice than in lean mice. Decreased membrane permeability to the above hormones in obese mice may result from reported changes in membrane lipid composition. In conclusion, decreased hepatic thyroid hormone uptake may contribute to impaired thyroid hormone action and T3 production in livers of obese mice. | 10.1152/ajpendo.1988.255.1.E54 |
pubmed_1069_23193 | Chitin is the most important structural component of the cell walls of fungi. Its synthesis involves the transfer of N-acetylglucosaminyl residues from the universal donor UDPGlcNAC to the growing chain. This reaction is catalyzed by an ill-defined enzyme called chitin synthetase. By use of diverse techniques, including reverse genetics, it has been possible to isolate mutants affected in chitin biosynthesis in vitro and in vivo. These studies have permitted the identification of several genes that code for the catalytic components of the enzyme, and probably for ancillary reactions. In general, two types of genes have been identified in fungi. The so-called CHS genes, from which two families, and possibly three classes exist, code for chitin synthetases activated by proteases. All fungi thus far studied contain more than one CHS gene, which are normally dispensable. The second class are larger, essential genes coding for the catalytic polypeptide of chitin synthetases non-activated by proteolysis, and probably made of more than one polypeptide. These are labeled CSD2 or CAL1. It may be hoped that our knowledge of chitin synthetase will make them the most suitable targets for new strategies to control fungal infections. | pubmed_1069_23193 |
pubmed_546_12003 | Glucocorticoid administration to fetal sheep induces a sustained systemic blood pressure rise and an associated increase in femoral vascular resistance. We utilized a small vessel myograph to compare isometric vascular responses of small femoral arterial branches from fetal sheep infused intravenously with either betamethasone or vehicle in vivo from 128 days gestation. Changes in hematological parameters were also determined. Betamethasone was infused for 48 h to produce fetal plasma betamethasone concentrations similar to those observed in human fetuses after maternal treatment with betamethasone to accelerate fetal lung maturation. When compared with vessels removed from vehicle-infused fetuses, vessels obtained from betamethasone-treated fetuses exhibited 1) enhanced sensitivity to depolarizing potassium solutions; 2) no differences in response to the thromboxane mimetic U-46619 or norepinephrine; and 3) differential responses to vasodilators, enhanced sensitivity to ACh, but decreased response to bradykinin and forskolin. In addition, erythrocyte and leukocyte counts were increased in betamethasone-infused fetuses. These observations indicate that multiple mechanisms operate to increase fetal vascular resistance during antenatal betamethasone exposure. | 10.1152/ajpheart.1999.276.4.H1137 |
pubmed_1015_9922 | A young woman presented with an asymptomatic unilateral adnexal mass at six weeks postpartum. Her abdomen and pelvis had been considered unremarkable upon examination at parturition, at which time no adnexal masses were palpated. At laparotomy a 20 cm. right ovarian cyst was found, which was shown microscopically to be of corpus luteum origin. Each of the features--size, rapid development, and presentation in the postpartum state--is most unusual. | 10.1016/s0046-8177(81)80028-7 |
pubmed_799_18362 | BACKGROUND
Physical exercise provides health benefits for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, partly by enhancing skeletal muscle insulin action. We tested the hypothesis that changes in expression of key genes in skeletal muscles relate to exercise-induced improvements in type 2 diabetic patients.
METHODS
We determined mRNA expression of 20 selected genes following a self-supervised program of walking (> 150 min per week) over a 4-month period.
RESULTS
This level of physical activity improved clinical parameters in approximately half the participants, as determined by reduced hypertension and enhanced insulin sensitivity (defined by reduced plasma-insulin levels and improved homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)). Skeletal muscle mRNA expression of Cbl-associated protein (CAP), diacylglycerol kinase (DGK)delta, uncoupling protein (UCP) 3, nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-1, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)delta tended to increase in type 2 diabetic patients with an improved clinical profile. Skeletal muscle protein expression of PPARdelta and UCP3 was increased significantly after physical exercise in patients with an improved clinical profile, but were unchanged in patients who did not show exercise-mediated improvements in clinical parameters.
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides clinical evidence that improvements in insulin sensitivity can be achieved in type 2 diabetic patients after individually executed low-intensity exercise training. Moreover, the positive clinical response to exercise is correlated with changes in skeletal muscle proteins involved in the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism. These changes in skeletal muscle gene expression offer a possible molecular explanation for the improvements in clinical outcomes. | 10.1002/dmrr.656 |
pubmed_203_782 | Takotsubo Cardiomiopathy is a rare cause of acute left ventricular aneurysm, in the absence of coronariopathy, only recently described in world literature. Symptoms may be similar to those from acute myocardial infarction with typical thoracic pain. The image of dumbbell or Takotsubo (a device used in Japan to capture octopus) suggestive ventricular ballooning is characteristic of that new syndrome and there is usually the disappearing of dyskinetic movement up to the 18th day from the beginning of the symptoms, in average. | 10.1590/s0066-782x2005001500010 |
pubmed_33_17674 | The pesticide rotenone, a neurotoxin that inhibits the mitochondrial complex I, and destabilizes microtubules (MT) has been linked to Parkinson disease (PD) etiology and is often used to model this neurodegenerative disease (ND). Many of the mechanisms of action of rotenone are posited mechanisms of neurodegeneration; however, they are not fully understood. Therefore, the study of rotenone-affected functional pathways is pertinent to the understanding of NDs pathogenesis. This report describes the transcriptome analysis of a neuroblastoma (NB) cell line chronically exposed to marginally toxic and moderately toxic doses of rotenone. The results revealed a complex pleiotropic response to rotenone that impacts a variety of cellular events, including cell cycle, DNA damage response, proliferation, differentiation, senescence and cell death, which could lead to survival or neurodegeneration depending on the dose and time of exposure and cell phenotype. The response encompasses an array of physiological pathways, modulated by transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory networks, likely activated by homeostatic alterations. Pathways that incorporate the contribution of MT destabilization to rotenone toxicity are suggested to explain complex I-independent rotenone-induced alterations of metabolism and redox homeostasis. The postulated mechanisms involve the blockage of mitochondrial voltage-dependent anions channels (VDACs) by tubulin, which coupled with other rotenone-induced organelle dysfunctions may underlie many presumed neurodegeneration mechanisms associated with pathophysiological aspects of various NDs including PD, AD and their variant forms. Thus, further investigation of such pathways may help identify novel therapeutic paths for these NDs. | 10.1371/journal.pone.0044700 |
pubmed_552_7293 | The present study was designed to determine the central effects of cocaine on heart rate and blood pressure in Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and to evaluate mechanisms involved in the response. Cocaine (0.025-4 mg/kg) was administered to unanesthetized, unrestrained rats via a cannula placed into the lateral ventricle. Procaine (0.1 and 4 mg/kg) was also administered centrally. Cocaine did not significantly alter blood pressure at doses of 0.025, 0.1, or 0.5 mg/kg, icv. Only the highest dose, 4 mg/kg, icv produced a significant pressor response. Cocaine produced significant dose-dependent tachycardia, with the maximum increase in heart rate occurring within 5 min. Procaine (4 mg/kg, icv) produced tachycardia, but the effect was significantly less than that produced by cocaine (4 mg/kg, icv). Cocaine also produced tachycardia at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, but procaine did not significantly alter heart rate at the same dose. Central phentolamine pretreatment (0.1 mg/kg, icv) significantly attenuated the increase in heart rate produced by cocaine. These results indicate that the centrally mediated tachycardia produced by cocaine is partly due to its local anesthetic activity and to indirect stimulation of alpha receptors. | 10.1016/0024-3205(90)90078-6 |
pubmed_1091_21411 | Detailed knowledge of the in vivo loading and kinematics in the knee joint is essential to understand its normal functions and the aetiology of osteoarthritis. Computer models provide a viable non-invasive solution for estimating joint loading and kinematics during different physiological activities. However, the joint loading and kinematics of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints during a gait cycle were not typically investigated concurrently in previous computational simulations. In this study, a natural knee architecture was incorporated into a lower extremity musculoskeletal multibody dynamics model based on a force-dependent kinematics approach to investigate the contact mechanics and kinematics of a natural knee joint during a walking cycle. Specifically, the contact forces between the femoral/tibial articular cartilages and menisci and between the femoral and tibial/patellar articular cartilages were quantified. The contact forces and kinematics of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints and the muscle activations and ligament forces were predicted simultaneously with a reasonable level of accuracy. The developed musculoskeletal multibody dynamics model with a natural knee architecture can serve as a potential platform for assisting clinical decision-making and postoperative rehabilitation planning. | 10.1177/0954411918767695 |
pubmed_1004_1581 | In the cellulase-cellulose reaction system, the adsorption of cellulase on the solid cellulose substrate was found to be one of the important parameters that govern the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of cellulose. The adsorption of cellulase usually parallels the rate of hydrolysis of cellulose. The affinity for cellulase varies depending on the structural properties of cellulose. Adsorption parameters such as the half-saturation constant, the maximum adsorption constant, and the distribution coefficient for both the cellulase and cellulsoe have been experimentally determined for several substrates. These adsorption parameters vary with the source of cellulose and the pretreatment methods and are correlated with the crystallinity and the specific surface area of cellulose substrates. The changing pattern of adsorption profile of cellulase during the hydrolysis reaction has also been elucidated. For practical utilization of cellulosic materials, the cellulose structural properties and their effects on cellulase adsorption, and the rate of hydrolysis must be taken into consideration. | 10.1002/bit.260241003 |
pubmed_786_14656 | We describe the locked-in syndrome in a 31-yr-old patient after right upper lobectomy for suspected metastasis. After surgery, vertical eye movement was her only means of communication. She remained in a 'locked-in' state for 7 months before dying. Post-mortem examination showed extensive metastatic tumour deposition in the ventral pons. We discuss the clinical features of this syndrome and factors that may affect onset, diagnosis and management. | 10.1093/bja/aeh034 |
pubmed_1010_14684 | Aquatic animal disease outbreaks affect both the public (represented by the government) and the private sector (represented by the aquaculture and fisheries industry). However, all too often, the responsibilities and costs of responding to an outbreak may not be shared. Without a mechanism for public and private sectors to work together, the outcomes of an emergency response may not be ideal, or of common benefit to all potentially affected parties. In Australia, a mechanism is being developed for public and private sectors to share the responsibilities and costs of responding to aquatic animal disease outbreaks, through an industry- government aquatic emergency animal disease response agreement. The agreement provides an approach for both public and private sectors to share the responsibilities and costs of responding to a disease outbreak and to coordinate disease prevention activities to reduce their shared risk. The key elements of the agreement include provisions to incentivise faster notification of disease outbreaks, facilitate a faster response, share decision-making and costs (including compensation for affected businesses), clarify the responsibilities of all parties and, most importantly, strengthen risk mitigation activities. This paper describes how the draft agreement has been developed among 18 industry and government parties, how key elements of the agreement may contribute to improved aquatic animal health outcomes, and the principles which could be applied by other OIE Member Countries. | 10.20506/rst.38.2.3004 |
pubmed_292_13369 | Previous studies suggest that Pin2/TRF1 interacting protein X1 (PinX1) is an intrinsic telomerase inhibitor and a putative tumor suppressor gene in human cancers. The aims of this study were to investigate PinX1 expression status in colorectal cancer (CRC) specimens and to clarify its clinical significance. A total of 83 CRC patients treated with radical resection and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) based adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect PinX1 and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) protein expression in paired tumor and adjacent normal tissues. Results showed that PinX1 expression was significantly reduced in tumor tissues as compared to normal tissues, the rate of PinX1 protein low/negative expression in CRC and normal tissues was 43.4% (36/83) and 9.6% (8/83), respectively (P<0.001), while hTERT protein expression was upregulated in CRC and negative correlated with PinX1 expression. Although no correlations with clinicopathological features, PinX1 downregulation was significantly associated with adverse 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Cox proportional hazards model further revealed that PinX1 expression was an independent factor in predicting OS and DFS for CRC patients, apart from lymph metastasis. In conclusion, PinX1 protein expression is decreased in CRC, which may be a new promising tumor marker for CRC prognosis and 5-FU chemosensitivity. | pubmed_292_13369 |
pubmed_329_7107 | Bakground/Aims: Cardiovascular diseases represent the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cronich kidney disease (CKD). The pathogenesis includes a complex, bidirectional interaction between heart and kidney termed cardiorenal syndrome type 4. The aim of study was to evaluate the association between renal and cardiovascular ultrasonographic parameters and identify early markers of cardiovascular risk.
METHODS
A total of 35 patients with CKD and 25 healthy controls, were enrolled and we have evaluated inflammatory indexes, mineral metabolism, renal function, renal and cardiovascular ultrasonographic parameters.
RESULTS
Tricuspid anular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (ePAPs) showed a statistically significant difference between CKD patients and healthy controls (p<0.001, p=0.05). Also 25 hydroxyvitaminD (25-OH-VitD), parathyroid hormone (iPTH), posphorus, serum uric acid, renal resistive index (RRI) and C-reactive protein (CRP) showed a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.002, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001). Moreover the TAPSE correlated positively with estimated glomerula filtration rate (eGFR) and negatively with RRI (p=0.05, p=0.008), while ePAPs correlated negatively with eGFR and positively with RRI (p=0.029, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION
CKD can contribute to the development and progression of right ventricle dysfunction with endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and mineral metabolism disorders. Accurate assessment of right ventricular function is recommended in patients with CKD. RRI and echocardiographic parameters can be an important instrument for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic assessment of cardio-renal syndrome in these patients. | 10.1159/000447934 |
pubmed_1046_17140 | INTRODUCTION
The number of patients who seek orthodontic treatment that may have a history of tooth bleaching is increasing over the time. Bleaching may influence the decrease of the bond strength of orthodontic brackets.
OBJECTIVE
To determine and prove the effect of mangosteen peel (MP) extract to reverse the reduced shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets after bleaching.
METHODS
A total of 150 maxillary first premolar teeth were randomly divided into 6 experimental groups as follow (n=25): negative-control (N: no bleaching), positive-control (P: bleaching + no treatment), and the treatment groups (bleaching + 10% sodium ascorbate (SA), 10% (MP-10), 20% (MP-20) and 40% (MP-40) MP extract gel). After treatment, the brackets were bonded with the resin-modified glass ionomer cement, SBS testing was performed using universal testing machine, and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) was examined using stereoscopic microscope after debonding. The SBS data were analyzed by analysis of variance (Anova) and the Tukey test. For the ARI, the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed.
RESULT
There was significant SBS difference (p< 0.001) between various groups. The group without bleaching showed significantly higher SBS (8.19 ± 2.26 MPa) compared to others, while SBS in the group treated with 40% MP gel was significantly higher (7.93 ± 1.92 MPa) than other groups treated with antioxidants. The failure of orthodontic brackets bonded after bleaching and treatment using MP extract occurred at the enamel-adhesive interface.
CONCLUSION
The application of MP extract as an antioxidant after bleaching was effective in reversing the reduced shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets after bleaching. | 10.1590/2177-6709.23.5.058-064.oar |
pubmed_525_21586 | BACKGROUND
Underlying thrombophilic disorders increase the risk of early allograft loss after renal transplantation. We report three cases of early graft thrombosis in two carriers of a recently discovered prothrombotic variation of the prothrombin gene.
CASE REPORTS
The first patient, an adolescent girl, developed multiple thrombotic shunt occlusions after the initiation of hemodialysis until continuous cumarin anticoagulation was instituted. During living-related kidney transplantation, peracute thrombosis of the renal arteries and veins occurred during surgery despite excellent intraoperative conditions and continuous low-dose heparinization. A few hours after reperfusion of the organ by immediate thrombectomy and intrarenal fibrinolysis, an irreversible rethrombosis occurred. A detailed evaluation of the coagulation system showed highly elevated prothrombin protein activity and concentrations. A heterozygous G-->A transition at position 20210 of the prothrombin gene was identified. Hemodialysis was resumed using recombinant hirudin, a direct and selective thrombin inhibitor, as an anticoagulant. The second patient, a girl with end-stage renal failure due to atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, lost two cadaver kidney allografts, each time by massive thrombosis a few days after transplantation. In this patient also, elevated prothrombin activity and concentrations were present and a heterozygous G-->A transition at position 2210 of the prothrombin gene was detected.
CONCLUSIONS
The prothrombin gene mutation is a new risk factor for thrombotic complications both on hemodialysis and after renal transplantation. It may be useful to screen for this disorder in the pretransplant thrombophilia work-up. | 10.1097/00007890-199908270-00022 |
pubmed_49_15825 | Large field fractionated irradiation was provided to 32 patients aged 24 to 75 with tumor dissemination in the absence of the effect of other types of therapy including local gamma-beam therapy. The upper part of the body (as a result of the lung involvement) was irradiated in most of the patients. A single dose of irradiation was 100-500 cGy, the total dose--10-24 Gy. Irradiation was delivered from 2 opposite fields using a ROKUS-M unit. The effect was noted in 5 patients, improvement of the general status--in 22, remission--in 5 patients, 16 patients died. Their mean survival time starting from large field irradiation was 6.5 mos (1-10 mos). | pubmed_49_15825 |
pubmed_506_12925 | Unilateral lower-limb amputees exhibit asymmetry in many gait features, such as ground force, step time, step length, and joint mechanics. Although these asymmetries result from weak prosthetic-side push-off, there is no proven mechanistic explanation of how that impairment propagates to the rest of the body. We used a simple dynamic walking model to explore possible consequences of a unilateral impairment similar to that of a transtibial amputee. The model compensates for reduced push-off work from one leg by performing more work elsewhere, for example during the middle of stance by either or both legs. The model predicts several gait abnormalities, including slower forward velocity of the body center-of-mass during intact-side stance, greater energy dissipation in the intact side, and more positive work overall. We tested these predictions with data from unilateral transtibial amputees (N = 11) and nonamputee control subjects (N = 10) walking on an instrumented treadmill. We observed several predicted asymmetries, including forward velocity during stance phases and energy dissipation from the two limbs, as well as greater work overall. Secondary adaptations, such as to reduce discomfort, may exacerbate asymmetry, but these simple principles suggest that some asymmetry may be unavoidable in cases of unilateral limb loss. | 10.1109/TNSRE.2014.2356722 |
pubmed_72_17805 | Neutrophilic dermatosis of the dorsal hands (NDDH) is a rare condition often misdiagnosed as a localized cutaneous infection. A type of neutrophilic dermatosis, NDDH is considered to be a subset of Sweet's syndrome and is similar to pyoderma gangrenosum. The authors report 2 cases of male patients who presented with persistent ulcerative skin lesions. In both cases, biopsy revealed neutrophilic infiltration consistent with NDDH. Patient 1 had been unsuccessfully treated with antibiotics. Lesion biopsy showed epidermal hyperplasia with spongiosis and overlying scale crust, as well as dense neutrophilic infiltration of the underlying dermis. Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) stain was negative for fungal and yeast organisms. A biopsy of a lesion from patient 2 indicated focal parakeratosis, perivascular inflammatory cell infiltrate, and scarring. Both patients were prescribed oral and/or topical corticosteroids and the condition resolved in 1-2 months. The clinical presentation, histological features, and excellent response to corticosteroid treatment are consistent with diagnosis of NDDH. Delayed recognition of neutrophilic dermatosis and treatment of secondary infection resulted in delayed treatment. Improved recognition of neutrophilic dermatoses is important for optimal management of NDDH. . | pubmed_72_17805 |
pubmed_528_19927 | We investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) in pacemaker activity and signal mechanisms in cultured interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) of the mouse small intestine using whole cell patch-clamp techniques at 30 degrees C. ICC generated pacemaker potential in the current clamp mode and pacemaker currents at a holding potential of -70 mV. (+/-)-S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP; a NO donor) produced membrane hyperpolarization and inhibited the amplitude and frequency of the pacemaker currents, and increased resting currents in the outward direction. These effects were blocked by the use of glibenclamide (an ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker), but not by the use of 5-hydroxydecanoic acid (a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker). Pretreatment with ODQ (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor) almost blocked the NO-induced effects. The use of cell-permeable 8-bromo-cyclic GMP also mimicked the action of SNAP. However, the use of KT-5823 (a protein kinase G inhibitor) did not block the NO-induced effects. Spontaneous [Ca2+]i oscillations in ICC were inhibited by the treatment of SNAP, as seen in recordings of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). These results suggest that NO inhibits pacemaker activity by the activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels via a cyclic GMP dependent mechanism in ICC, and the activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels mediates the inhibition of spontaneous [Ca2+]i oscillations. | 10.1007/s00210-007-0187-1 |
pubmed_1031_18200 | OBJECTIVE
To describe the transvenous catheterization technique for the treatment of cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas (CSdAVFs), including its indications, complications and efficacy.
METHODS
Eight patients with symptomatic CSdAVFs were treated by endovascular embolization with platinum coils, via the inferior petrosal sinus (IPS) in 6 patients, and via the Sylvian vein after surgical exposure in other 2 patients.
RESULTS
Complete angiographic resolution of the fistula was obtained in six patients immediately after the procedures, and a complete resolution of symptoms and signs was achieved in all patients. The residual fistulas in two patients disappeared completely in the follow-up angiography.
CONCLUSION
Transvenous embolization is a useful and safe approach in the management of CSdAVFs. | pubmed_1031_18200 |
pubmed_457_19399 | This study was conducted to examine infectivity (penetration and gall and egg-mass formations) of the root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne incognita and M. hapla, on carrots grown in soil conditions of 5 different soil textures consisting of bed-soil (b) and sand (s) mixtures (b-s mixtures) at the ratios of 10:0, 7:3, 5:5, 3:7, and 0:10. For M. incognita, the nematode penetration rates in b-s of 0:10 (100% sand) were significantly higher than in the other b-s mixtures, more greatly at 2 and 5 days after inoculation than at 10 DAI, while no significant differences in the penetration rates were mostly shown for M. hapla at the above DAI. However, for both nematodes, gall and egg-mass formations were remarkably increased in the b-s mixture of 0:10, compared to the other b-s mixtures, which is coincided with the general aspects of severe nematode infestations in sandy soils. This suggests the increased gall and egg-mass formations of M. incognita should be derived from the increased penetration rates in the sandy soil conditions, which provide a sufficient aeration due to coarse soil nature for the nematodes, leading to their mobility increased for the enhanced root penetration. For M. hapla, it is suggested that the sandy soil conditions affect positively on the healthy plant growth with little accumulation of the inhibitory materials and sufficient aeration, enhancing the nematode growth and feeding activities. All of these aspects provide information reliable for the development screening techniques efficient for the evaluation of the nematode resistance in the breeding programs. | 10.5423/PPJ.OA.07.2016.0155 |
pubmed_313_22307 | BACKGROUND
Psychosocial stress and depression are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease and a relationship to periodontitis has been suggested. We studied symptoms of depression and their relation to myocardial infarction and periodontitis.
METHODS
In a Swedish case-control study, 805 patients, <75 years with a first myocardial infarction and 805 controls without myocardial infarction were matched for age, gender and geographic area. Mean age was 62±8 years and 81% were male. Standardised physical examination and dental panoramic X-ray for grading of periodontal status was performed. Medical history including risk factors related to cardiovascular disease and periodontitis was collected as was detailed information on perceived stress at home and work, and symptoms of depression (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale). A Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale score ⩾13 was considered clinically relevant.
RESULTS
A family history of cardiovascular disease, smoking and divorce was more frequent among patients than controls. Patients had more symptoms of depression than controls (14 vs 7%; p<0.001) but received less anti-depressive treatment (16 vs 42%; p<0.001). Symptoms of depression doubled the risk for myocardial infarction (Montgomery Åsberg Depression Scale: odds ratio 2.17 (95% confidence interval 1.41-3.34)). There was no difference in symptoms of depression between study participants with and without periodontitis.
CONCLUSION
Patients with a first myocardial infarction were more frequently depressed than matched controls without myocardial infarction, but received less anti-depressive treatment. A relationship between depression and periodontitis could not be confirmed. | 10.1177/1474515116686462 |
pubmed_830_1498 | BACKGROUND
Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor family. KGF protects the oral and intestinal mucosa against damage induced by irradiation or chemotherapy. Previous studies have found the expression of KGF in chondrocytes and suggested that KGF promotes the wound healing process in injured cartilage. KGF also has important effects on the immune system such as the regeneration of thymus tissue and the formation of regulatory T cells (T(reg)) in the periphery.
AIM
Here we investigated the effect of KGF on collagen type II induced arthritis (CIA) and anti-collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) in order to discriminate between immunoregulatory effect and direct protective effect on chondrocytes.
METHODS
CIA was induced by immunization with CII and CAIA by treatment of mice with a cocktail of four different anti-CII antibodies. The effect of KGF on the thymus and spleen was analyzed by FACS and by immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
We have found that KGF treatment delayed the onset of CIA but had no effect on CAIA. Our results show that KGF treatment leads both to an outflow of naïve T cells from the thymus and to a statistically significant increase in the percentage of CD4(+)Foxp3(+) T(regs) in the periphery.
CONCLUSIONS
We suggest that the effect of KGF on CIA depends on immunoregulatory mechanisms. KGF may delay the aging of the cellular immune system and thus improve the resilience of the immune system against autoimmune reactions. | 10.3109/08916934.2012.712169 |
pubmed_160_16729 | We predict in this paper B-cell epitopes of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) and analyze the results matched with the related autoantigens sequence of human. We selected EBV-1 standard strain NA-1 amino acid sequence as the basis. We predicted B-cell dominant epitopes of EBNA-1 with the methods of SOPMA, GOR and HNN, combined with the multi-parameter analysis of transmembrane domain, hydrophilicity profile, surface probability, antigenicity index, polarity and average flexibility. The blastp method was adopted to analyze the matched results between the predicted B-cell epitopes of EBNA-1 and the related autoantigens sequence of human. The results have shown that the possible B-cell dominant epitopes of EBNA-1 were located in the N terminal regions of 16-23, 35-78, 332-337, 340-357, 398-404, 419-432 and 620-637, in which different regions gained higher scores when matched with small nuclear ribonucleoprotein SmB, SmD, ribonucleoprotein SSA, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein hnRNP A1, hnRNP G, respectively. It was available to predict B-cell dominant epitopes of EBNA-1 with multiparameter methods and to analyze the same or similar autoantigens sequences of human, which laid a theory foundation for the study of pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases. | pubmed_160_16729 |
pubmed_917_2818 | The most practical method of assessing patient compliance is to ask the patient for a self-report; but, how valid is such a report? This study compared one particular interview question to a pill-count measure by studying 98 patients who visited their family physician, received medication instructions, and were interviewed in their homes ten days later. The interview question identified 80 percent of the true noncompliers, as assessed by the pill count (sensitivity). However, the interview question was not equally sensitive for all subgroups of patients. Results for younger patients, patients receiving renewals rather than new prescriptions, and patients taking more than one drug were not as accurate, showing sensitivities of 75 percent, 40 percent, and 60 percent, respectively. | pubmed_917_2818 |
pubmed_113_1051 | BACKGROUND
The majority of women who are pregnant with opioid use disorder (OUD) also smoke tobacco but are rarely offered tobacco cessation counseling. While the effects of exposure to opioids and nicotine in utero are well-understood separately, understanding the impact of the combined exposure to these substances on neonatal outcomes is lacking.
METHODS
A scoping review was conducted using PubMed and Scopus databases for studies addressing the combined exposure to opioids and nicotine during pregnancy published between 1 January 1980 and 9 July 2019. A total of 29 papers met the eligibility criteria for inclusion, with nine being identified as clinical trials (three from the MOTHER study) and two as secondary data analysis of clinical trial data.
RESULTS
Neonatal outcomes for infants who had a combined exposure to opioids and nicotine in utero indicated a reduction in birth weight and birth length. Findings in infants exposed to both nicotine and opioids were mixed with regard to the duration of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), the likelihood of treatment for NAS, doses of medicine used to treat NAS, and NAS scores when compared with infants who had opioid exposure without nicotine.
CONCLUSIONS
The combined exposure to nicotine and opioids during pregnancy may lead to a reduction in neonatal birth weight and birth length and more severe NAS signs, compared with opioid use alone, but more research is necessary to identify the minimum dosage and length of nicotine exposure to accurately predict these outcomes. | 10.3390/ijerph181910215 |
pubmed_520_10785 | Background
The emergence of Enterococcus as an important nosocomial pathogen is mainly attributed to its inherent resistance to commonly used antibiotics and now in recent times, it has acquired resistance to other available therapeutic options as well.
Materials and Methods
Enterococcus isolates from clinical samples received in the department of microbiology over a period of 1 year were included in the study. Isolates were identified and species determined by standard methods. Antibiotic susceptibility test was done by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion test. Epsilometer test was done to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration for vancomycin.
Results
A total of 145 Enterococcus isolates were obtained; 73 (50.3%) isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis, 69 (47.5%) Enterococcus faecium, 2 (1.3%) Enterococcus durans and 1 (0.68%) as Enterococcus gallinarum. Most of the isolates were from urine samples (125, 86.2%); followed by pus (16, 11.03%). Vancomycin resistance was seen in 14 (9.6%) isolates while linezolid resistance was seen in 8 (5.5%) isolates.
Conclusion
E. faecalis is the most common clinical species isolated from clinical samples and the emergence of linezolid-resistant enterococci from the hospital is a matter of concern as till now it is considered to be the last resort for treatment in patients infected with vancomycin-resistant enterococci. | 10.4103/aam.aam_110_20 |
pubmed_1057_5941 | BACKGROUND
Choledochal cysts are congenital anomalies that can occur at any level of the biliary tree. They carry long-term risk of biliary complications and cancer development. Complete excision of all involved bile ducts is recommended.
METHODS
Patients treated between 1995 and 2019 were reviewed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Sixty patients; 46 female and 14 male with a median age of 41 years (range 13-83) were included in the study. Mild abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom (60%). Majority of the patients had Todani type I cysts (67%). Concomitant biliary malignancy was diagnosed in five patients (9%). Eight patients were followed-up conservatively (13%). Twenty-five patients were treated by excision of the extrahepatic bile ducts and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, liver resection was added in seven, pancreatoduodenectomy was done in three and liver transplantation in one. There was no perioperative mortality. Postoperative complications developed in 17 patients (34%), two requiring surgical treatment. Four of the five patients with malignancies died at a median 42 months (range 6-95) following surgery. Median 62 months (range 8-280) follow-up was available in 45 surgically treated patients, 19 followed-up for more than 10 years. None of the patients developed malignancy during follow-up. Four patients (17%) were readmitted for anastomotic strictures requiring treatment.
CONCLUSION
The majority of choledochal cysts are Todani type-I and early cyst excision is the mainstay of management, which may decrease the risk of malignant transformation. | 10.1016/j.surge.2020.06.013 |
pubmed_75_18173 | Recently, the brainstem pathways of bilateral late reflexes (R2) of electrically elicited blink reflex have been well established. An afferent delay or block of the late reflexes is closely related to a lesion of the lateral medullary portion. The chronological alteration of blink reflex (BR) was studied to compare with radiological abnormalities on MRI in a patient with lateral medullary infarction on the right side. A diagnosis of Wallenberg syndrome was made clinically and location of the lesion was identified in detail by MRI. The infarcted region which was well demonstrated as an increased intensity area on SE images obtained 52 days after the onset of symptoms was much smaller than that on SE as well as on IR image 21 days after the onset of symptoms. Therefore, it was concluded that more than half of the increased intensity area on the SE images obtained 21 days after the onset of symptoms recovered from the condition of being extremely damaged by ischemia on the right lateral medullary portion in this patient. On the other hand, in the initial BR 26 days after the onset of symptoms, the late reflexes (R2) were consistently absent bilaterally when the affected side (right) was stimulated and normal when the normal side (left) was stimulated. This type of BR abnormality is compatible with an afferent block of late reflexes (R2). The early reflex (R1) was normal on either side. Whereas in the second BR at 55 days after the onset of symptoms, the late reflexes turned to be normal in latency when the right side was stimulated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) | pubmed_75_18173 |
pubmed_367_8689 | The Sibutramine Cardiovascular Outcomes (SCOUT) trial protocol defines a patient population predominantly outside current European Union label criteria. This article explores responses to sibutramine during the 6-week, single-blind, lead-in period between patients who conformed to the label requirements ("conformers") and those who did not ("nonconformers"). SCOUT is an ongoing, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled outcome trial in overweight/obese patients at high risk of a cardiovascular event. In total, 10,742 patients received sibutramine and weight management during the lead-in period. Initial responses were assessed post hoc in label conformers and nonconformers. Of that 8.1% patients met label criteria; 91.9%, the majority with cardiovascular disease and/or blood pressure >145/90 mm Hg, were nonconformers. Conformers and nonconformers had similar reductions in body weight (median change -2.2 kg) and waist circumference (women: -2.0 cm for both groups; men: -1.5 cm vs. -2.0 cm for conformers and nonconformers, respectively) over the 6-week period. Greater blood pressure falls were evident in nonconformers (median change -3.5/-1.0 vs. -1.0/0.0 mm Hg). Both groups had small pulse rate increases; median 1.5 bpm (nonconformers) vs. 3.0 bpm (conformers). There was a low incidence of serious adverse events (conformers: 1.0%; nonconformers: 2.8%) and ~93% of patients in both groups completed the 6-week period. The SCOUT lead-in period evaluating weight management with sibutramine confirms its good tolerability and efficacy in patients who meet current label criteria. Preliminary data from high-risk patients for whom sibutramine is currently contraindicated suggest a low discontinuation rate and few serious adverse events but confirmation from the SCOUT outcome data is needed. | 10.1038/oby.2009.327 |
pubmed_94_19182 | BACKGROUND
We suspected that moving a small neodymium magnet would promote migration of the magnetic tracer to the sentinel lymph node (SLN). Higher monitoring counts on the skin surface before making an incision help us detect SLNs easily and successfully. The present study evaluated the enhancement of the monitoring count on the skin surface in SLN detection based on the magnet movement in a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) using superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles.
METHODS
After induction of general anesthesia, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were injected sub-dermally into the subareolar area or peritumorally. The neodymium magnet was moved over the skin from the injection site to the axilla to promote migration of the magnetic tracer without massage. A total of 62 patients were enrolled from February 2018 to November 2018: 13 cases were subjected to magnet movement 20 times (Group A), 8 were subjected to 1-min magnet movement (Group B), 26 were given a short (about 5 min) interval from injection to 1-min magnet movement (Group C), and 15 were given a long (about 25 min) interval before 1-min magnet movement using the magnetometer's head (Group D). In all cases, an SNB was conducted using both the radioisotope (RI) and SPIO methods. The monitoring counts on the skin surface were measured by a handheld magnetometer and compared among the four groups. Changes in the monitoring count by the interval and magnet movement were evaluated.
RESULTS
The identification rates of the SPIO and RI methods were 100 and 95.2%, respectively. The mean monitoring counts of Group A, B, C, and D were 2.39 μT, 2.73 μT, 3.15 μT, and 3.92 μT, respectively (p < 0.0001; Kruskal-Wallis test). The monitoring counts were higher with longer magnet movement and with the insertion of an interval. Although there were no relationships between the monitoring count on the skin surface and clinicopathologic factors, magnet movement strongly influenced the monitoring count on the skin surface.
CONCLUSION
Moving a small neodymium magnet is effective for promoting migration of a magnetic tracer and increasing monitoring counts on the skin surface.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
UMIN, UMIN000029475. Registered 9 October 2017. | 10.1186/s12880-020-00459-2 |
pubmed_1134_1056 | Associations between number of children, pregnancy, and overall relationship satisfaction were explored in a population-based sample of 2081 women, aged 33-43 years. Multiparous women had less orgasm problems compared to nulliparous women. Nulliparous women had more pain problems and were sexually less satisfied compared to women with children, regardless of the number. Women pregnant with the first child had fewer pain problems compared to a matched nonpregnant control and were sexually more satisfied. Being more satisfied with the overall relationship was related to higher sexual satisfaction and less sexual function problems. | 10.1080/00926230701636163 |
pubmed_901_7837 | Daily administration of 100 I.U. vitamin A/gram body weight to rats, for a period of 15 days, had the following effects: Body weight of rats treated with excess vitamin A was lower (84.0 g) than that of the controls (147.0 g). The weight of the Harderian gland was lower of rats injected with vitamin A (54.0 mg) than for the controls (87.0 mg). Histological examination of the Harderian gland in the hypervitaminotic animal showed smaller acini, lower cells, wide lumina and small nuclei when compared with the controls. These data were confirmed with morphometric techniques. | pubmed_901_7837 |
pubmed_1010_8094 | Glycans analysis is challenging due to their immense structural diversity. Isotachophoresis was investigated as separation method for the purification of isobaric sulfated disaccharides prior to their characterization by Mass Spectrometry (MS) and tunable IR multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD). This proof of feasibility study was applied to the separation and characterization of chondroitin sulfate (CS) disaccharides. ITP separation conditions were optimized. Separation starts using a 2.5 mM chloride ions and 10 mM glycine at pH 3.2 solution as leading electrolyte and a terminating electrolyte composed of formic acid 2.5 mM and glycine 10 mM at pH 3.5. The CS disaccharides sample were prepared in the terminating electrolyte. The length of injection was also investigated in order to create longer plateau-like bands of pure solutes. This strategy was helpful for collecting fraction at such microseparation scale. Indeed, capillary ITP affords the injection of few tens of nanoliter of sample. Fractionation of the CS disaccharides mixture in isolated ITP bands and collection of solutes were successfully done using a HPC coated fused silica capillary of 1m-length and 75 µm of internal diameter. Collected fractions in a final of volume 10 µL were analyzed by CZE, tandem MS and IRMPD spectroscopy. The purity of each fraction is higher than 90% and is well-adapted to IRMPD characterization. | 10.1016/j.chroma.2019.460782 |
pubmed_380_5321 | In the present study, a dialytic method that uses a DNA aqueous solution to remove and enrich dioxins from polluted water was proposed. Circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescent spectra indicated that dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD), dibenzofuran (DF) and biphenyl (BP), which are dioxin derivatives, form complexes with DNA. Their experimental dialytic sorption coefficients were measured by quantifying the concentrations of DD, DF, and BP in aqueous solutions before and after dialysis of the DNA solution, and the values were 2.1x10(5), 1.3x10(5), and 1.5x10(7), respectively. As a simulated water treatment model, DNA solution was dialyzed in an aqueous mixture of DD, DF, and BP for 96h, the HPLC studies showed that the dioxin derivatives have been concentrated in the DNA solution about 200 times. The dialyzed DNA solution was reusable by an extraction with hexane. | 10.1016/s0141-8130(03)00045-x |
pubmed_1005_6957 | Background: Although women with fear of birth often report negative birth experiences, few studies have focused on their experiences in the long term. The aim of this study was to compare birth experiences a year after childbirth in two groups of women receiving treatment for experiencing fear of birth during pregnancy.Methods: As part of the U-CARE: Pregnancy Trial, a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) and standard care among pregnant women with fear of birth. Women were recruited at three Swedish hospitals following a screening procedure that assessed their fear of birth. Data were collected online with the Childbirth Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), one question about the overall birth experience, and questions about personal background, collected before randomization.Results: A total of 181 women responded to the follow-up questionnaire a year after childbirth. Approximately half of participants reported a less positive birth experience. Preferred mode of birth, actual mode of birth, marital status and psychiatric history were associated with the domains of the CEQ. However, no statistically significant differences emerged between the treatment groups.Conclusions: Being randomized to receive iCBT or counseling with midwives for fear of birth was not associated with perceptions of the birth experience assessed a year after birth. Most participants reported less-than-positive birth experiences and scored low on the domain of the CEQ reflecting Own capacity. In response, additional research remains necessary to identify the best model of care that might facilitate positive experiences with giving birth among women with fear of birth. | 10.1080/0167482X.2019.1634047 |
pubmed_1043_13417 | Total synthesis of cannabispiran (1) was accomplished by a biomimetic-type cyclization of the bibenzyl 2, using K3Fe(CN)6 or MoCl4. | 10.1007/BF01963239 |
pubmed_107_4782 | Invasion of brain by tumor cells is an inherent feature of the malignant phenotype. Assays to quantitate invasiveness should provide a powerful tool to investigate this phenomenon. We have developed a modified in vitro assay to measure tumor cell invasion, attachment, and chemotaxis using a barrier of the complex basement membrane Matrigel on gelatin-coated filters. Within 5 hours, 7.8% of U251MGp and 2.6% of SF126 human malignant glioma cells invaded the Matrigel and filter, compared with 0.8% of normal human leptomeningeal cells. The extent of invasion was directly proportional to incubation time and filter pore size and inversely proportional to the Matrigel concentration. Cells from exponentially growing U251MGp cultures invaded more readily (10.9%) than cells from plateau-phase cultures (2.3%); however, labeling studies with bromodeoxyuridine showed that quiescent cells and rapidly dividing cells were equally capable of invading. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying invasion by malignant glioma cells are distinct from those underlying proliferation and indicates the need for therapy aimed specifically at invasive behavior. In a practical application of this assay to test a potential anti-invasive strategy, monoclonal antibodies to the beta subunit of an integrin receptor mediating attachment to the extracellular matrix inhibited invasion by U251MGp cells in a dose-dependent manner. This assay should allow evaluation of the cellular and molecular basis of brain tumor progression and perhaps aid the development of rationally designed drugs that limit tumor invasion. It may also allow prediction of the clinical behavior of neoplasms in individual patients. | 10.1007/BF01057956 |
pubmed_28_5512 | Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a highly metastatic breast carcinoma with high frequency of estrogen receptor α (ERα) negativity. Here we explored the role of the second ER subtype, ERβ, and report expression in IBC tumors and its correlation with reduced metastasis. Ablation of ERβ in IBC cells promoted cell migration and activated gene networks that control actin reorganization, including G-protein-coupled receptors and downstream effectors that activate Rho GTPases. Analysis of preclinical mouse models of IBC revealed decreased metastasis of IBC tumors when ERβ was expressed or activated by chemical agonists. Our findings support a tumor-suppressive role of ERβ by demonstrating the ability of the receptor to inhibit dissemination of IBC cells and prevent metastasis. On the basis of these findings, we propose ERβ as a potentially novel biomarker and therapeutic target that can inhibit IBC metastasis and reduce its associated mortality. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings demonstrate the capacity of ERβ to elicit antimetastatic effects in highly aggressive inflammatory breast cancer and propose ERβ and the identified associated genes as potential therapeutic targets in this disease. | 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-2743 |
pubmed_910_12561 | OBJECTIVES
To characterize the association between major histocompatibility complex (MHC) types and spontaneous antibody development to the cancer testis (CT) antigen NY-ESO-1.
METHODS
Tumor expression of NY-ESO-1 and serum antibodies to NY-ESO-1 were characterized in addition to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type for patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. HLA types were assigned to structure-based superfamilies and statistical associations were examined. HLA types were compared to existing reference libraries of HLA frequencies in a European-Caucasian American population.
RESULTS
Out of 126 patients identified, 81% were expression positive and 48% had spontaneous antibody responses to NY-ESO-1. There was an association between HLA-B superfamily and seropositivity among patients with tumors expressing NY-ESO-1 (p<0.001). The differences in HLA-B superfamily assignment were driven by HLA-B44. Among all patients, the B27 superfamily was over-represented compared with the general population (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
HLA type appears to be associated with spontaneous anti-CT antigen antibodies, as well as with the overall risk of ovarian cancer. | 10.1016/j.ygyno.2016.04.017 |
pubmed_37_1647 | A number of recent publications have reported an increased frequency prevalence of glucose intolerance with hyperinsulinemia in liver cirrhosis. The aim of this work was to detect, in CCl(4)-induced liver cirrhosis rat, the presence and starting point of muscle and liver insulin resistance. Eighteen rats received intraperitoneal injection of 2 ml of soybean oil containing of CCl(4) twice a week for 20 weeks. We executed standard oral glucose tolerance and clamp study to evaluate systemic insulin resistance. Hepatic glucose uptake was much lower in CCl(4) group than that in control group, but peripheral glucose uptake was not decreased in this study. In contrast, early-phase insulin secretion was enhanced in CCl(4) rat using oral glucose load during clamp methods. These data suggested that increased early insulin secretion compensate adequately for hepatic insulin resistance in rats. However there was a report that peripheral glucose uptake was decreased in the case of human liver cirrhosis, which was formed in the course of time. In a chronic condition, this may be associated with reduced insulin content and developed systemic insulin resistance in liver cirrhosis. Then a long term observation study will be required to examine the presence of muscle insulin resistance in liver cirrhosis. | 10.2152/jmi.57.54 |
pubmed_250_6724 | Many models of baryogenesis rely on anomalous particle physics processes to give baryon number violation. By numerically evolving the electroweak equations on a lattice, we show that baryogenesis in these models creates helical cosmic magnetic fields, though the helicity created is smaller than earlier analytical estimates. After a transitory period, electroweak dynamics is found to conserve the Chern-Simons number and the total electromagnetic helicity. We argue that baryogenesis could lead to magnetic fields of nano-Gauss strength today on astrophysical length scales. In addition to being astrophysically relevant, such helical magnetic fields can provide an independent probe of baryogenesis and CP violation in particle physics. | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.171302 |
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