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pubmed_764_16641
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The dynamics of annual morbidity in salmonellosis caused by S. enteritidis among the population of Perm during the period of 1987-1992 was analyzed. Blood sera taken from 4,689 practically healthy donors and from 6,997 hens at poultry breeding complexes were studied in the passive hemagglutination test with the use of complex Salmonella diagnosticum. The study revealed that seasonal rises in morbidity caused by S. enteritidis in winter and spring months, as well as in autumn months, were linked with the activation of the epizootic process of Salmonella infection among hens at poultry-breeding complexes during these periods of the year. A rise in the level of anti-Salmonella antibodies in poultry and human blood sera was found to be the precursor of the aggravation of the epidemic situation.
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pubmed_764_16641
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pubmed_575_16179
|
BACKGROUND
Newly qualified nurses are known to experience a range of feelings and fears in the first transitional 12 months post-qualifying, with absence and turnover among potential outcomes.
AIM
To evaluate the personal professional mentor role and scheme, a new pastoral support initiative, from the perspective of participating newly qualified nurses.
METHODS
Newly qualified paediatric nurses (n=10), who had been assigned a personal professional mentor (an experienced nurse who worked elsewhere in their employing NHS Trust), completed a semi-structured interview. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.
FINDINGS
The personal professional mentor counteracted some aspects of transition isolation for the newly qualified nurses. They were an independent, accessible, experienced confidant and a welcome new supportive role.
CONCLUSION
Pairing experienced nurses with newly qualified nurses provided a new type of workplace support during transition. Inexpensive to set up and run, it is an easy addition to any portfolio of support strategies.
|
10.12968/bjon.2021.30.11.672
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pubmed_700_13836
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Monoclonal antibodies against an estrogen-regulated Mr 24,000 cytosol protein (p24) were used for immunocytochemical localization of p24 in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from the primary tumor in 103 patients who received endocrine therapy for advanced breast cancer. Sixty-one per cent of the tumors showed p24-positive staining, and this correlated well with the presence of estrogen receptor (ER) (P = 0.00017, chi-square test). Response to endocrine therapy was obtained in 43% of the patients. A statistically significant association between p24 status and response could not be established, while response and ER status were highly correlated (P = 0.0000029, chi-square = 21.6). Discrimination between ER-positive responders and ER-positive non-responders was not possible using p24 staining.
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10.1016/0277-5379(89)90198-3
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pubmed_701_12966
|
The base-catalyzed (bc) thiol-independent cleavage reaction of neocarzinostatin chromophore (NCS chrom) has been characterized with long single-stranded (ss) DNA in order to use this reaction as a selective probe for the tertiary structure of naturally occurring ss nucleic acids. The ss circular phi chi 174 phage and M13mp18 phage DNAs (approximately 5000 and 7500 bases, respectively) were shown to be bc NCS chrom reaction substrates, exhibiting the expected pH dependence. The ss DNA fragments (150-450 bases) were cleaved at six major sites; the lesions occurred at T-rich non-double-stranded sequences, as predicted from comparison with the minimal energy secondary structures. These sites exhibited the expected pH and drug: DNA ratio dependence shown to be required for this reaction. Optimization of the shortest sequence, which gave the highest cleavage yield, identified the minimal sequence requirements for the site (19-mer of the sequence 3'TACTGAGTCTCCTTTTGTA5', attacked residue in bold). Folding pattern analysis predicted that the oligonucleotide contained a two-base bulge at the cleavage site; this result was consistent with the observation that removing features which destabilize the bulged structure increased the cleavage yield. Furthermore, the derived 19-mer was shown to generate maximal amounts of the final drug product of the bc DNA cleavage reaction. Reaction of an RNA 339-mer containing the same sequence as one of the long ss DNA fragments showed it not to be a substrate for the bc reaction, while similar results were obtained for the RNA analog of shorter oligodeoxyribonucleotides identified in this and earlier studies. Through a combination of thermodynamic and kinetic assays, the observed difference in reactivity was shown to be the result of the low binding of the cleaving species to RNA.
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10.1021/bi00046a045
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pubmed_1061_21222
|
Immunofluorescence microscopy is a powerful method for analysis of the subcellular localization of the protein of interest. The use of fluorescence is very effective for multiple labeling and for higher magnification observation with a laser confocal microscope. A basic protocol of the immunofluorescent staining in cultured cells with some useful suggestions are introduced in the present paper. The author describes the following contents. 1) Coverslips: coverslips are necessary to be coated with coating reagent such as collagen to improve the attachment and growing of the cells. Commercially available glass slides for cell culture are also useful. Permeable support filters are convenient for establishing the apical and basolateral compartments when epithelial cells are cultured. 2) Fixation: basic fixative is 4% paraformaldehyde in phosphate buffer. Ethanol including 1% acetic acid or pure ethanol or methanol are also effective for some antigens. 3) Permeabilization: treatment with Triton X-100 or saponin before and sometimes during the antibody incubation is required to improve the antibody accessibility. 4) Blocking: nonspecific binding of antibodies is blocked with 5% serum from the animal species as same as that of the secondary antibody you use. 5) Antibody incubations: antibodies are diluted in the blocking solution and incubated with samples. For multi-labeling with primary antibodies derived from different animal species, the specimen can be sequentially incubated with a mixture of primary antibodies and a mixture of secondary antibodies. 6) Choice of secondary antibodies: secondary antibodies which do react specifically to the target without cross-reaction and appropriate fluorescent dyes for multiple labeling are required. 7) Sample storage: the fluorescence can be kept for long period like several months to years in specimens which are mounted with anti-fading mounting medium and stored at -20°C. 8) Trouble shootings: some trouble shootings are also shown. The author hopes that this paper would help the readers to obtain better results in immunofluorescence.
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10.1254/fpj.154.165
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pubmed_328_13818
|
Asymmetric fluorination of cyclic tetrasubstituted alkenes with a pendant amide group was investigated under dianionic phase-transfer catalysis. Fluorination proceeded with high face selectivity, affording the corresponding allylic fluorides with a chiral tetrasubstituted carbon center with up to 97% enantiomeric excess (ee). It should be noted that deprotonative fluorination occurred mainly in preference to intramolecular nucleophilic attack of the amide group.
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10.1248/cpb.c18-00551
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pubmed_69_13308
|
AIM
The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the macular sensitivity of patients with lamellar macular hole (LMH) by means of microperimetry, and to explore the relationships between macular function, LMH anatomical characteristics and vitreous status.
METHODS
A total of 39 eyes from 37 patients with a diagnosis of LMH and 20 age-matched control subjects were enrolled. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including visual acuity testing (logMAR) and MP1 microperimetry. LMHs were quantitatively and qualitative characterised by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in terms of base and apex diameter, depth, central foveal and perifoveal thickness, splitting location and integrity of outer retina layers. B scan ultrasonography was performed in order to characterise the vitreoretinal relationships.
RESULTS
Mean total (17.2 ± 2.2 vs 19.6 ± 0.5 dB, respectively, p<0.0001) and mean central (16.1 ± 3.2 vs 19.2 ± 0.7 dB, p < 0.0001) retinal sensitivity were significantly reduced in LMH eyes in comparison with controls. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (0.15 ± 0.15 vs 0.03 ± 0.06 logMar, p = 0.001) and central retinal thickness (329.05 ± 59.3 vs 265 ± 28.5 μm, p < 0.0001) were significantly worse in LMH eyes in comparison with controls. In our population, mean total and central retinal sensitivity showed a moderately significant relationship with LMH depth (R(2) 0.18, p = 0.006, R(2) 0.14, p = 0.02, respectively). In all, 38% of LMH eyes (15/39) showed focal interruptions of the inner-outer segment junction with lower values of BCVA and macular sensitivity. An incomplete posterior vitreous detachment with vitreopapillary adhesion was found in 48.7% (19/39) of patients with LMH.
CONCLUSIONS
Eyes with LMH show an impaired macular function, which is partially related to LMH depth and is more pronounced in eyes with outer retinal layers abnormalities.
|
10.1136/bjophthalmol-2011-301219
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pubmed_604_3715
|
Mass casualty events due to terror attacks have escalated throughout Israel since September 2000, with a high proportion of these events occurring in the Jerusalem area. Immediately after news of a large-scale terror attack is received, family/public information centers are set up in all local hospitals to meet the needs of members of the public who call or arrive at hospitals anxious to obtain information about relatives who may have been at the site of the attack. The most urgent task facing these centers is the quick and accurate identification of victims whose identity is in question. To date, some 3000 casualties have been treated at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center (Hadassah), a level I trauma center. This number accounts for nearly half of Israel's total number of casualties from terror attacks during this period. Extensive experience has led the hospital to develop a unique organizational model for its family/public information center; in this model, members of the nursing staff identify casualties. The experience and knowledge gained in dealing with terror events also can be applied to other types of mass casualty events, such as major road or work accidents.
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pubmed_604_3715
|
pubmed_43_26103
|
STUDY QUESTION
What is the association between childhood and adolescent BMI and reproductive capacity in women?
SUMMARY ANSWER
Adolescent girls with obesity had an increased risk of infertility and childlessness in adulthood independently of their marital status or the presence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Girls with obesity (BMI (kg/m2)>95th percentile) more often exhibit menstrual irregularities and infertility problems as compared to those with normal weight, and premenarcheal girls with obesity have an increased risk of childlessness and infertility in adulthood. Follow-up studies on the relation between childhood and adolescence growth patterns and fertility or parity throughout the reproductive life span are limited.
STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
A prospective, population-based cohort study (the Northern Finland birth cohort 1966) was performed with 5889 women born in 1966 and followed from birth to age 50 years. Postal questionnaires at ages 31 and 46 years addressed questions on reproductive capacity evaluated by decreased fecundability, need for infertility assessment and treatment by 46 years of age. Childlessness and number of children by age 50 years were recovered from registers. Women who did not report ever having attempted to achieve pregnancy (n = 1507) were excluded. The final study population included 4382 women who attempted to achieve pregnancy before age 46 years.
PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
Data on BMI were collected by trained personnel at all stages. We assessed association with both prospectively measured BMI at various time points and with early adiposity phenotypes derived from linear mixed models including the timing and the BMI at adiposity peak (AP) and adiposity rebound (AR). Self-reported infertility assessments and treatments were assessed at ages 31 and 46 years. Data on deliveries were collected from the national birth register. Decreased fecundability was defined at age 31 years as time to achieve pregnancy over 12 months. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with adjustments for marital status, education level and smoking at age 31 years. Women with PCOS were excluded from stratification-based sensitivity analyses. Obesity at a specific age group was defined by having at least one BMI value above the 95th percentile during the related period.
MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
BMI at the age of AR (5-7 years) was not associated with fertility outcomes after adjustments, but girls with AR <5.1 years had a higher risk of remaining childless compared to girls with AR over 5.1 years (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.45 (1.10-1.92)). At ages 7-10 and 11-15 years, obesity was associated with decreased fecundability (adjusted OR 2.05 (1.26-3.35) and 2.04 (1.21-3.44), respectively) and a lower number of children. At age 11-15 years, both overweight and obesity were associated with a higher risk of childlessness (adjusted OR 1.56 (1.06-2.27), 1.77 (1.02-3.07), respectively), even after excluding women with PCOS. Underweight at age 11-15 years was associated with an increased risk for infertility treatment (adjusted OR 1.55 (1.02-2.36)) and a tendency for an increased risk for infertility assessment (adjusted OR 1.43 (0.97-2.10)) after excluding women with PCOS.
LIMITATIONS, REASON FOR CAUTION
Despite a high participation rate throughout the follow-up, some growth data for children over the different age groups were missing. Infertility outcomes were self-reported. A potential over-diagnosis of obesity may have reduced the significance of the association between childhood obesity and fertility outcomes, and the diagnosis of PCOS was self-reported.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
This study supports previous results showing that girls with obesity in late childhood and in adolescence displayed reduced fertility and an increased risk of remaining childless in adulthood, independently of marital history and PCOS in adulthood. These findings corroborate the body of evidence for a causal relation between early adiposity and the reproductive functions in women. We recommend reinforcing the prevention of obesity in school-age girls to reduce the risk of impaired reproductive functions.
STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)
NFBC1966 received financial support from University of Oulu Grant no. 65354, Oulu University Hospital Grant no. 2/97, 8/97, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs Grant no. 23/251/97, 160/97, 190/97, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki Grant no. 54121, Regional Institute of Occupational Health, Oulu, Finland Grant no. 50621, 54231. The Finnish Medical Foundation, the North Ostrobothnia Regional Fund, the Academy of Finland (project grants 315921, 104781, 120315, 129269, 1114194, 24300796), Center of Excellence in Complex Disease Genetics and SALVE, the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Biocenter Oulu, University Hospital Oulu and University of Oulu (75617), Jalmari ja Rauha Ahokkaan säätiö, The Finnish Medical Foundation, Medical Research Center Oulu, National Institute for Health Research (UK). M. R. J., S. S. and R. N. received funding by the Academy of Finland (#268336) and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (under Grant agreement no. 633595 for the DynaHEALTH action and GA 733206 for LifeCycle). The funders had no role in study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, in the writing of the article and in the decision to submit it for publication. The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
N/A.
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10.1093/humrep/deab164
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pubmed_1061_21245
|
Gossypium hirsutum, a cotton species widely cultivated around the world, is a typical cold-sensitive crop. Low-temperature (LT) stress is one of the main environmental stressors that can affect growth and the quality of cotton fibers. LT is also a major challenge for cotton survival, growth maturity and geographical distribution. However, few genome-wide transcriptional response and profiling datasets are available to explore the LT-tolerant mechanism of cotton. This study treated G. hirsutum with four LT gradients (control at 25 °C and cold temperatures at 4 °C, 10 °C and 15 °C) for 24 hour to generate 12 RNA-Seq datasets (three biological replicates per treatment) with approximately 280 million clean reads per dataset. The quality of the datasets obtained in the current study was validated through a series of quality checks including verification of RNA sample quality and RNA-Seq read quality. Data analyses included novel gene discovery, global gene expression profiling and quantitative real-time PCR. This is the first study to report genome-wide transcriptomic datasets for cotton in response to LT exposure.
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10.1038/s41597-019-0210-7
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pubmed_939_14366
|
The key aroma compounds of six commercially available dry-cured Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius, DCSM) were identified using electronic nose (E-nose), gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O), and two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOFMS). A total of 38-55 aroma compounds were identified, and 21-26 of them, which presented high flavor dilution factors based on aroma extract dilution analysis, were quantified. Lastly, 9-14 key aroma compounds with high odor-active value, including 3-methyl-1-butanal, octanal, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal, cis-4-decenal, ethyl caproate, (E)-2-octenal, (Z)-2-nonenal decanal, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-heptanol, 3-octanone, 2-octanol, and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, were identified as the key aroma contributors in DCSM. Results also indicated that a longer dry-curing time would promote the generation of aroma compounds. The metabolism analysis implied that the auto-oxidation/oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic and linoleic acid, and the enzymatic degradation of l-leucine might be potential metabolic mechanisms.
|
10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128381
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pubmed_727_3348
|
Experimental rats (weighing 50-100 gm) received semisynthetic diets containing 8%, 10%, or 12% of crude protein (Soya protein). These were supplemented with graded amounts of L- or DL methionine. After a 5-day feeding period the rats were injected 35S methionine. Subsequently, the levels of urinary 35S excretion were determined over a period of 4 days after methionine injection. The level of urinary 35S excretion was found to be clearly increased if methionine supplementation exceeded the methionine requirements of the animals. Supplementation with 0.15% methionine was just enough for diets containing 8-10% crude protein. 0.2% methionine had to be supplemented to meet the methionine requirements of the animals if the diet contained 12% crude protein. Requirements for the content of sulfur-containing amino acids in the protein were shown to be independent of the protein content of the diet, and were found to vary between 4.4% and 4.7% of the crude protein. The needs for methionine supplementation were independent of the fact whether L methionine or DL methionine was added. It is definite advantage of the present method that methionine demands are determined in close correlation with metabolic processes, including the maintenance metabolism.
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10.1080/17450397509423205
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pubmed_220_8580
|
AIMS
The purpose of this study was to establish the factors associated with Ecstasy use in secondary school students in Turkey.
DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
This is a survey of a representative sample drawn from cities in different geographical regions in Turkey in 1998 and 2001. The questionnaire was administered to a total of 18,556 and 11,911 10th-grade students in 1998 and 2001, respectively.
MEASUREMENTS
The questionnaire administered in the study was adapted from the questionnaires used in 'Monitoring the Future' study in the United States and ESPAD (the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs). It included questions about demographic characteristics, family characteristics, school life, social contacts and use of substances.
FINDINGS
While the percentage of those who used Ecstasy at least once in their life-times was 2.65% in 1998, the figure reached 3.31% in 2001. Male gender, older age, use of alcohol, cannabis, heroin and cocaine, non-medical use of psychotherapeutic drugs and participation in a meeting concerning the adverse effects of substance use were found to be significant variables predicting 'ever use' of Ecstasy in both years by logistic regression analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
Ecstasy use, while low in Turkey, appears to be on the increase and follows a pattern in terms of correlates that is similar to other illicit drugs. Whatever the causes behind the rise in Ecstasy use, creative, personalized and informative educational programmes should be conducted in all educational institutions to curb Ecstasy use.
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10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00572.x
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pubmed_1047_24412
|
Two hundred sixteen patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft procedures were randomized to receive either high-dose aprotinin or placebo. Clinically important postoperative renal insufficiency was infrequent, with a single patient (0.9%) from each group requiring dialysis. Although increases in the serum creatinine level occurred postoperatively in more patients who received aprotinin (20/108) than in those given placebo (13/108), the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.186), and the increases were generally small and transient. Likewise, there was no difference between the groups in terms of the incidence of abnormal serum electrolyte levels, blood urea nitrogen levels, or urinalysis findings, or in the frequency of abnormal creatinine clearance rates. Under the conditions described, aprotinin use does not appear to be associated with a significant risk of serious renal toxicity.
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10.1016/0003-4975(94)00813-M
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pubmed_19_23910
|
Terblanche and colleagues add to the ongoing controversy over the role, if any, for statins in patients with sepsis. The authors note that statins fail to prevent progression to organ dysfunction in critically ill patients. However, like most publications, the study is retrospective and stimulates the controversy but fails to resolve it. The time has come for robust randomized controlled clinical trials.
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10.1186/cc10086
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pubmed_618_5727
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Transient receptor potential canonical type 3 (TRPC3) channels are non-selective cation channels and regulate intracellular Ca2+ concentration. We examined the role of TRPC3 channels in agonist-, membrane depolarization (high K+)-, and mechanical (pressure)-induced vasoconstriction and vasorelaxation in mouse mesenteric arteries. Vasoconstriction and vasorelaxation of endothelial cells intact mesenteric arteries were measured in TRPC3 wild-type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice. Calcium concentration ([Ca2+]) was measured in isolated arteries from TRPC3 WT and KO mice as well as in the mouse endothelial cell line bEnd.3. Nitric oxide (NO) production and nitrate/nitrite concentrations were also measured in TRPC3 WT and KO mice. Phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction was reduced in TRPC3 KO mice when compared to that of WT mice, but neither high K+- nor pressure-induced vasoconstriction was altered in TRPC3 KO mice. Acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation was inhibited in TRPC3 KO mice and by the selective TRPC3 blocker pyrazole-3. Acetylcholine blocked the phenylephrine-induced increase in Ca2+ ratio and then relaxation in TRPC3 WT mice but had little effect on those outcomes in KO mice. Acetylcholine evoked a Ca2+ increase in endothelial cells, which was inhibited by pyrazole-3. Acetylcholine induced increased NO release in TRPC3 WT mice, but not in KO mice. Acetylcholine also increased the nitrate/nitrite concentration in TRPC3 WT mice, but not in KO mice. The present study directly demonstrated that the TRPC3 channel is involved in agonist-induced vasoconstriction and plays important role in NO-mediated vasorelaxation of intact mesenteric arteries.
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10.1371/journal.pone.0110413
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pubmed_588_21193
|
One of the recent phenomena in contemporary discussion of eating is 'functional foods', i.e. foods marketed as promoting health or reducing the risk of disease. This article analyses lay understandings of health-promoting foods in Finland by examining the ways in which middle-aged health-oriented consumers make sense of functional foods in the context of healthy eating. The article is based on an analysis of eight focus group discussions held with 45 users and non-users of cholesterol-lowering products as specific type of functional foods. The findings indicate that consumers interpret functional foods and healthy eating from a variety of perspectives. These perspectives include (1) focus on the whole diet, (2) distinguishing between healthy foods and functional foods, (3) the dilemma of eating for health or for pleasure, (4) healthfulness as an 'individual' issue and finally, (5) the duality of risk in the context of functional foods. The diversity of perspectives illustrates the ways that interpretations of functional foods and healthy eating are entangled with notions of uncertainties relating to scientific knowledge, moral undertones governing what is defined as acceptable eating and the symbolic significance of food as an inextricably social matter.
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10.1016/j.appet.2006.10.006
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pubmed_686_345
|
The existence of a genetic gradient across continents has often been highlighted. Comparisons among several genetic markers have suggested that most genes of current Europeans are descended from the Near East. During the Paleolithic period, populations were confined in refuges by the last glaciation. At the end of the Paleolithic period, European migrations began from these refuges. Our objective was to highlight these various flows, starting from well-defined isolated populations, originating mainly from western Mediterranean islands. We investigated polymorphisms in the hypervariable 1 (HVR1) zone of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in many Mediterranean isolates: Andalusia, Balearic Islands, southern Corsica, Morocco, Sant' Antioco Island, San Pietro Island, Gallura, Nuoro and Trexenta (Sardinia) and Tuscany. We have compared our findings with those from other Mediterranean populations. Occupation of the Mediterranean area from the Middle East began in the Upper Paleolithic period around 40,000 years ago, with a population diversity determined by geographical and historical factors. Of the isolates studied, the population of the Balearic Islands show genetic characteristics correlated with various European flows initiated about 5,000 years ago. The island of San Pietro, in southwest Sardinia, still preserves the genetic traces of settlement by Ligurian migrants in 1736.
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10.1007/s10038-005-0324-y
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pubmed_580_18258
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Previous studies have demonstrated positive-inotropic effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), but the mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, two experiments were performed to determine the physiological correlates of the positive-inotropic effects of CGRP. Treatments designed to antagonize the effects of physiologically active CGRP₁₋₃₇ included posttreatment with CGRP₈₋₃₇ and pretreatment with LY-294002 (LY, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), 17β-estradiol (E), and progesterone (P) were also used to modulate the effects of CGRP₁₋₃₇. Experiment 1 was in vitro studies on sarcomeres and cells of isolated adult rat cardiac myocytes. CGRP₁₋₃₇, alone and in combination with E and P, decreased sarcomere shortening velocities and increased shortening percentages, effects that were antagonized by CGRP₈₋₃₇, but not by LY. CGRP₁₋₃₇ increased resting intracellular calcium ion concentrations and Ca(2+) influxes, effects that were also antagonized by both CGRP₈₋₃₇ and LY. Experiment 2 was in vivo studies on left ventricular pressure-volume (PV) loops. CGRP₁₋₃₇ increased end-systolic pressure, ejection fraction, and velocities of contraction and relaxation while decreasing stroke volume, cardiac output, stroke work, PV area, and compliance. After partial occlusion of the vena cava, CGRP₁₋₃₇ increased the slope of the end-systolic PV relationship. CGRP₈₋₃₇ and LY attenuated most of the CGRP-induced changes. These findings suggest that CGRP-induced positive-inotropic effects may be increased by treatments with estradiol and progesterone and inhibited by LY. The physiological correlates of CGRP-induced positive inotropy observed in rat sarcomeres, cells, and intact hearts are likely to reveal novel mechanisms of heart failure in humans.
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10.1152/ajpheart.00874.2012
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pubmed_531_8437
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To determine predictors of outcome we reviewed 226 medical records of patients admitted to Children's National Medical Center with the diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease from 1978 to 1988. Ninety-five cases of stroke were identified by either neuroimaging techniques (87), autopsy (7), or clinical examination (1). Causal factors implicated in 89% of the patients included infectious (21%), vascular (18%), hematologic (15%), cardiac (13%) problems, minor trauma (8%) or miscellaneous (14%) causes. Patient outcome (n = 88) included residual impairment in 54%, complete resolution of their initial deficit in 23%, and death in 23%. Among patients with abnormal CT findings (n = 60), a logistic regression model revealed that patients with hemorrhage were at a significant risk (p = 0.0469) for death (odds ratio (OR) = 5.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-24.5); those with an altered level of consciousness (stupor or coma) on presentation were also at risk (p = 0.0166; OR = 6.94, CI 1.7-28.5). The sensitivity and specificity of this model were 57% and 93%, respectively. No other clinical, laboratory, or demographic variable analyzed was predictive of outcome.
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10.1055/s-2008-1071439
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pubmed_836_13651
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Larvae of Syrphus ribesii collected from overwintering sites in the U.K. are strongly freeze tolerant with 70% survival at -35 degrees C. The cold tolerance of laboratory reared insects increased with increasing periods of acclimation at 0 degrees C, with a concurrent rise in the supercooling point (SCP) from -6.8+/-0.1 to -5.1+/-0.3 degrees C. There was 50% survival in the most cold-hardy group 72h after brief exposures to -30 degrees C. The retention of gut contents caused a decrease in cold hardiness, with only 13% of larvae surviving 72h after exposure to -15 degrees C, with no subsequent pupation or emergence. Wet larvae had a significantly higher SCP (-5.0+/-0.2 degrees C) compared to dry larvae (-7.8+/-0.4 degrees C), although survival of larvae was similar in both groups. There was no nucleator activity in the haemolymph of field collected larvae. The importance of these findings are discussed in relation to the freeze tolerance strategy of S. ribesii.
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10.1016/s0022-1910(97)00106-6
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pubmed_334_23795
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Capture-recapture is a statistical method for determining, by means of a probabilistic calculation, the number of individuals with a certain characteristic in a population. Underestimation of the incidence of different diseases is currently an important epidemiological issue. In these circumstances, any disease monitoring system should be formally evaluated under the aspect of accuracy. Capture-recapture can match such a request. It is important to estimate the degree of incidence underestimation and the proportion of non-registered cases. This method can be applied virtually in any situation where there are two incomplete data sources. In epidemiology, the sources can vary: hospital charts, laboratory results, medical prescriptions, etc. Even with incomplete lists, the number of non-registered cases can be estimated by combining the data.
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pubmed_334_23795
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pubmed_819_18130
|
Recent advances in lateral medullary syndrome have focused on otoneuro-ophthalmology and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To reevaluate lateral medullary infarcts, 40 non fatal cases (30 men and 10 women, mean age 57.5 years) accounting for 4.5 p. 100 of overall cerebral infarcts were consecutively included in a prospective study using MRI in all cases. Thirty three patients were investigated using transfemoral or magnetic resonance angiography. Besides classical symptomatology, visual disorders were usually noted: diplopia (n = 18), transient visual tilt of the surrounding (n = 4), skew deviation (= 4), esotropia (n = 2) or conjugate gaze deviation (n = 2). The middle part of the medulla was affected in 35 cases. When associated, ipsilateral peripheral facial palsy and/or deafness were linked to the involvement of the pontomedullary junction (n = 3) while ipsilateral hemiparesis (Opalski's syndrome, n = 4) was linked to the involvement of the lower medulla and the cervicomedullary junction. MRI showed an associated cerebellar infarct in 35 p. 100 of cases. Of 33 patients angiographically investigated, 27 (82 p. 100) had stenosis or occlusion of the ipsilateral vertebral artery, usually affecting the intracranial portion, when 3 had isolated posterior inferior cerebellar artery occlusion. Atherosclerosis was recognized as the main cause of lateral medullary infarcts (n = 25). Other miscellaneous etiologies were diagnosed: coagulopathy (n = 2), spontaneous arterial dissection (n = 2), dolichoectatic artery (n = 1), arteriolopathy (n = 1) or cardiogenic embolism (n = 1). At the term of follow-up (mean: 35 +/- 24 months), 33 patients were free of residual handicap, 8 had experienced recurrent vertebrobasilar infarcts, including 3 medullary infarcts (median ipsilateral, n = 1 or lateral contralateral, n = 2), and 3 were died of basilar artery thrombosis complicating extensive atherosclerosis of the intracranial vertebrobasilar system.
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pubmed_819_18130
|
pubmed_835_17822
|
PURPOSE
We investigated how a short-term luminance reduction in one eye can influence temporal processing of that eye after luminance is restored by measuring the relative delay between the eyes.
METHODS
A paradigm based on the Pulfrich effect, which is a visual illusion of depth when no depth cue is present, was used to measure relative delay in visual processing between the eyes. We deprived the monocular luminance in adults with normal vision across different intensities. In the first experiment, the ratio of the light level between the eyes stayed constant, whereas the absolute value was allowed to vary. In the second experiment, both the ratio and the absolute light level stayed constant, by controlling the environmental light level. In both experiments, we measured the changes in relative delay before and after 60 min of light deprivation.
RESULTS
Our results indicated that short-term monocular deprivation of luminance slows the processing in the previously dimmed eye and that the magnitude of the delay is correlated with the degree of luminance reduction. In addition, we observed that the absolute luminance difference, rather than the absolute luminance levels seen by the dimmed eye, is important in determining the magnitude of delay in the previously dimmed eye. These findings differ from what has been reported previously for the monocular deprivation of contrast.
CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, these findings support the view that short-term deprivation of visual information could affect two distinct mechanisms (contrast gain and temporal dynamics) of neural plasticity.
|
10.1111/opo.13033
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pubmed_55_11376
|
Sequences with the potential to form intramolecular G-quadruplexes (G4-structures) are found in highly nonrandom distributions in the genomes of diverse organisms. These sequences are associated with nucleic acid metabolic processes ranging from transcription and translation to recombination and telomere function. Here we review different computational methods for identifying potential G4-forming sequences and provide protocols for their implementation. We also discuss methods for assessing the significance and specificity of associations between the sequences and different biological functions.
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10.1007/978-1-59745-363-9_3
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pubmed_355_18046
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Although tyrosylprotein sulfation has been implicated in the processing of several secretory proteins, nothing is known about the regulation of the enzyme responsible for this event. When poly(Glu6, Ala3, Tyr1) (EAY; M(r) 47,000) was employed as sulfate acceptor, the tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) from Golgi membranes of submandibular salivary gland was used to study the effect of various lipids on the expression of its activity. The TPST activity in the Golgi membrane was 38 pmol (mg of protein)-1 (30 min)-1. Approximately 90% of the total activity present in Golgi membranes was extracted by NaCl and Triton X-100 treatment. The Km values of solubilized TPST for EAY and 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) were 0.04 and 0.25 microM, respectively. Among the various lipids tested, sphingosine showed maximum inhibition of TPST activity followed by sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Of the two sphingosine analogs tested, threosphinganine was as effective as sphingosine in TPST inhibition, while erythrosphinganine had little effect. In contrast, the acidic phospholipids phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) and oleic acid showed slight stimulation. Half-maximal inhibition of TPST was obtained at 150 microM sphingosine (6 mol % when expressed as mole percent of sphingosine to total phospholipids plus Triton X-100). The inhibition was competitive with respect to EAY and uncompetitive with respect to PAPS. The inhibition caused by sphingosine could be reversed by PI, PS, and oleic acid but not by PC and sphingomyelin. Sphingosine inhibition of TPST activity was also observed in the enzyme isolated from several other tissues such as liver, lung, heart, and cerebellum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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10.1021/bi00055a026
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pubmed_508_17348
|
The treatment of multiple myeloma has seen significant changes from the time of the initial use of cytotoxic agents such as melphalan, to the introduction of high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, and most recently the era of novel targeted agents. These new drugs have rapidly become the mainstay of therapy of this disease and transformed the treatment paradigm, leading to improvements in survival and quality of life. Existing therapeutic options include agents such as thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide, either used alone or in combination with standard agents, including glucocorticoids, and in conjunction with high-dose chemotherapy supported with stem cell transplantation. Several other targeted agents have demonstrated exciting preclinical activity, and are presently being tested in early Phase I and II clinical trials. This review summarizes the role of novel therapeutic agents in multiple myeloma, and the promising effect of multiple new agents in development.
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10.1517/14728214.12.1.155
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pubmed_1055_19769
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Characterized by dream-enactment motor manifestations arising from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is frequently encountered in Parkinson's disease (PD). Yet the specific neurostructural changes associated with RBD in PD patients remain to be revealed by neuroimaging. Here we identified such neurostructural alterations by comparing large samples of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in 69 PD patients with probable RBD, 240 patients without RBD and 138 healthy controls, using deformation-based morphometry (p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons). All data were extracted from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative. PD patients with probable RBD showed smaller volumes than patients without RBD and than healthy controls in the pontomesencephalic tegmentum, medullary reticular formation, hypothalamus, thalamus, putamen, amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. These results demonstrate that RBD is associated with a prominent loss of volume in the pontomesencephalic tegmentum, where cholinergic, GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons are located and implicated in the promotion of REM sleep and muscle atonia. It is additionally associated with more widespread atrophy in other subcortical and cortical regions whose loss also likely contributes to the altered regulation of sleep-wake states and motor activity underlying RBD in PD patients.
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10.1038/srep26782
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pubmed_116_285
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The course of rheumatic fever in 11 years old boy is described. The significance of cellular immunity in rheumatic fever pathogenesis and the importance of virus infection coexistence is emphasized in discussion.
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pubmed_116_285
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pubmed_1004_8279
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It has been shown that interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) facilitates nociception during neuropathic and inflammatory pain, but its involvement in bone cancer pain and its mechanisms have not previously been established. This study is an investigation of IL-1beta spinal expression and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) NR1 subunit phosphorylation during cancer pain, co-localization of IL-1 receptor type I (IL-1RI) and NMDAR in the spinal cord, and the effects of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) on NMDAR1 (NR1) phosphorylation and hyperalgesia in a rat model of bone cancer pain. Cancer was induced by injecting AT-3.1 prostate cancer cells into the tibia of the male Copenhagen rat. Phosphorylation of NR1, an essential subunit of the NMDAR, is known to modulate NMDAR activity and facilitate pain. Mechanical hyperalgesia, established by a decrease in paw withdrawal pressure threshold (PWPT), was measured at baseline and 2 h after IL-1ra treatment. IL-1ra was given (i.t.) daily for 7 days between days 13 and 19 after the cancer cell inoculation. Spinal cords were removed for Western blot to measure IL-1beta and NR1 phosphorylation and for double immunostaining of IL-1RI and NR1. The data showed that 1) spinal IL-1beta was up-regulated and NR1 phosphorylation was increased, 2) IL-1ra at 0.1 mg/rat significantly (P<0.05) inhibited mechanical hyperalgesia, increasing PWPT on day 14 from 71.1+/-3.1-85.3+/-4.6 g and on day 19 from 73.5.0+/-3.5-87.1+/-3.7 g, and inhibited NR1 phosphorylation compared with saline control, and 3) IL-1RI is localized in NR1-immunoreactive neurons within the spinal cord. The results suggest that spinal IL-1beta enhances NR1 phosphorylation to facilitate bone cancer pain.
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10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.04.072
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pubmed_234_1005
|
PURPOSE
Proteins of the arrestin family contribute to the regulation of G-protein-mediated transduction. In this study, the presence of beta-arrestins in ocular tissues was investigated.
METHODS
Mouse monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal antibodies were raised against the peptide Val-Asp-Thr-Asn-Ile-Leu-Glu-Leu-Asp-Thr-Asn-Asp-Asp-Asp-Ile, a sequence present in beta-arrestins 1 and 2 but absent from visual arrestin. These antibodies were used for the immunohistologic detection of beta-arrestins in parafin sections of rodent eyes fixed in Bouin's solution. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of RNA from bovine retina, retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, lens epithelial cells, and human corneal fibroblasts was performed using beta-1 arrestin primers.
RESULTS
In the eye, bet-arrestin staining predominated in RPE, inner segments of photoreceptors, synaptic spherules of rods, inner plexiform layer and ganglion cell fibers, epithelial cells from ciliary body, and vessels. RT-PCR amplified a 480 bp product, corresponding to the predicted length. The sequence of PCR products from bovine retina and RPE cells was identical with the bovine beta-arrestin mRNA.
CONCLUSIONS
beta-arrestins were detected in several ocular tissues. In photoreceptor cells, their specific localization in the synaptic terminals and plexiform layer suggests a role of beta-arrestin in synaptic transmission. In other ocular tissues, the presence of beta-arrestin may be related either to adrenergic signal transduction or to signal transduction mediated by other G-protein-coupled receptors.
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pubmed_234_1005
|
pubmed_341_2790
|
Transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) are syndromes of acute respiratory distress that occur within 6 hours of blood transfusion. TACO and TRALI are the leading causes of transfusion-related fatalities, and specific therapies are unavailable. Diagnostically, it remains very challenging to distinguish TACO and TRALI from underlying causes of lung injury and/or fluid overload as well as from each other. TACO is characterized by pulmonary hydrostatic (cardiogenic) edema, whereas TRALI presents as pulmonary permeability edema (noncardiogenic). The pathophysiology of both syndromes is complex and incompletely understood. A 2-hit model is generally assumed to underlie TACO and TRALI disease pathology, where the first hit represents the clinical condition of the patient and the second hit is conveyed by the transfusion product. In TACO, cardiac or renal impairment and positive fluid balance appear first hits, whereas suboptimal fluid management or other components in the transfused product may enable the second hit. Remarkably, other factors beyond volume play a role in TACO. In TRALI, the first hit can, for example, be represented by inflammation, whereas the second hit is assumed to be caused by antileukocyte antibodies or biological response modifiers (eg, lipids). In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of TACO and TRALI regarding clinical definitions, diagnostic strategies, pathophysiological mechanisms, and potential therapies. More research is required to better understand TACO and TRALI pathophysiology, and more biomarker studies are warranted. Collectively, this may result in improved diagnostics and development of therapeutic approaches for these life-threatening transfusion reactions.
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10.1182/blood-2018-10-860809
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pubmed_713_12712
|
The γ-proteobacteria are a group of diverse bacteria including pathogenic Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibrio, and Pseudomonas species. The majority swim in liquids with polar, sodium-driven flagella and swarm on surfaces with lateral, non-chemotactic flagella. Notable exceptions are the enteric Enterobacteriaceae such as Salmonella and E. coli. Many of the well-studied Enterobacteriaceae are gut bacteria that both swim and swarm with the same proton-driven peritrichous flagella. How different flagella evolved in closely related lineages, however, has remained unclear. Here, we describe our phylogenetic finding that Enterobacteriaceae flagella are not native polar or lateral γ-proteobacterial flagella but were horizontally acquired from an ancestral β-proteobacterium. Using electron cryo-tomography and subtomogram averaging, we confirmed that Enterobacteriaceae flagellar motors resemble contemporary β-proteobacterial motors and are distinct to the polar and lateral motors of other γ-proteobacteria. Structural comparisons support a model in which γ-proteobacterial motors have specialized, suggesting that acquisition of a β-proteobacterial flagellum may have been beneficial as a general-purpose motor suitable for adjusting to diverse conditions. This acquisition may have played a role in the development of the enteric lifestyle.
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10.3389/fmicb.2021.643180
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pubmed_488_11278
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In a group of 3,644 healthy controls aged 0 to 19 years and 273 obese children the reference values for triceps and subscapular skin fold thckness were established. The technique of measurement of skinfold thickness is described. This is simple and may be used in routine practice as a measurement of the adipose cell mass. However, measurement of only the subscapular skin fold thickness of which the values are less scattered than triceps, was sufficient to measure the development of adipose tissue in children up to and including puberty. Those subjects whose skinfold thickness is above the upper limit of normal are considered to be obese.
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pubmed_488_11278
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pubmed_346_7880
|
Childhood poverty is common in Canada: 1,114,000 children under 16 years of age live below the poverty line. The incidence is highest among children of single mothers, unemployed parents, Canadian native peoples and recent immigrants, particularly refugees. Compared with the national average, the infant mortality rate is twice as high, deaths from infectious diseases are 2.5 times more common and accidental deaths are twice as common among children of low-income families. Other problems associated with poverty are iron deficiency anemia, dental caries, chronic ear infections, mental retardation, learning disabilities, poor school performance and increased suicide rates. Health care professionals can help address the poor physical and mental health associated with poverty in children by promoting a broad range of public policies.
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pubmed_346_7880
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pubmed_755_11570
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In the rat, neurons in the diagonal band of Broca (DBB) participate in baroreceptor-induced depression of spontaneous activity of vasopressin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON). The present study examined the role of the catecholaminergic innervation of the DBB in this response. Male rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital (50 mg/kg ip) and stereotaxically injected in the DBB with either vehicle (2 microliters), 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 4 micrograms/2 microliters), or 6-OHDA preceded 20 min earlier by desimipramine (25 mg/kg ip), a norepinephrine uptake inhibitor. Two weeks later, the rats were reanesthetized and a transpharyngeal approach was used for extracellular recording from SON neurons. In vehicle-injected controls, baroreceptor stimulation produced by brief increases in blood pressure from metaraminol injections (10 micrograms/10 microliters iv) transiently arrested the spontaneous activity of 24 of 24 phasically active neurons tested. Sixty-three percent of the vasopressin neurons were not affected by comparable increases in blood pressure in 6-OHDA-treated rats, and the norepinephrine content of the DBB was significantly reduced. In experiments with desimipramine-pretreated rats, 92% of the vasopressin neurons were silenced by increases in blood pressure while the norepinephrine content of the DBB was not affected. Thus the noradrenergic innervation of DBB appears to participate in the baroreceptor sensitivity of SON vasopressinergic neurons.
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10.1152/ajpregu.1992.263.2.R363
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pubmed_389_9060
|
Homogeneous polyoxypropylene (PO)-polyoxyethylene (EO) alkyl ether type nonionic surfactants comprising alkyl, EO, and PO chains with identical chain length distributions (CnEOxPOy; alkyl chain length n = 10, 12, 14, or 16; EO chain length x = 4, 6, or 8; and PO chain length y = 1, 2, or 3) were synthesized from homogeneous polyoxyethylene alkyl ether bromide and monosodium polyoxypropylene by Williamson ether synthesis. The adsorption and aggregation properties of these surfactants were characterized (cloud point, surface tension, dynamic light scattering, small-angle X-ray scattering, polarization microscopy, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy) and compared to those of conventional homogeneous EO alkyl ether type nonionic surfactants (CnEOx). The introduction of a PO chain to the EO terminal group of the CnEOx species lowered the cloud points, especially for x = 6. Contrary to our expectations, the CnEOxPOy surfactants adsorbed efficiently at the air/water interface, despite their complex structure (hydrophobic alkyl chain/hydrophilic EO chain/hydrophobic PO chain). They also displayed excellent micelle-forming ability in solution. Furthermore, the CnEOx species formed small micelles in solution at low concentrations and the structures transformed to hexagonal liquid crystals as the surfactant concentration increased. Conversely, CnEOxPOy maintained a micellar structure even at high concentrations. Notably, the introduction of a PO chain into the CnEOx surfactant controlled the formation of aggregates with a higher-order structure (hexagonal liquid crystals).
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10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b00104
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pubmed_1091_323
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Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are most commonly isolated from subclinical mastitis. Different NAS species may, however, have diverse effects on the inflammatory response in the udder. We determined the genome sequences of 20 staphylococcal isolates from clinical or subclinical bovine mastitis, belonging to the NAS species Staphylococcus agnetis, S. chromogenes, and S. simulans, and focused on the putative virulence factor genes present in the genomes. For comparison we used our previously published genome sequences of four S. aureus isolates from bovine mastitis. The pan-genome and core genomes of the non-aureus isolates were characterized. After that, putative virulence factor orthologues were searched in silico. We compared the presence of putative virulence factors in the NAS species and S. aureus and evaluated the potential association between bacterial genotype and type of mastitis (clinical vs. subclinical). The NAS isolates had much less virulence gene orthologues than the S. aureus isolates. One third of the virulence genes were detected only in S. aureus. About 100 virulence genes were present in all S. aureus isolates, compared to about 40 to 50 in each NAS isolate. S. simulans differed the most. Several of the virulence genes detected among NAS were harbored only by S. simulans, but it also lacked a number of genes present both in S. agnetis and S. chromogenes. The type of mastitis was not associated with any specific virulence gene profile. It seems that the virulence gene profiles or cumulative number of different virulence genes are not directly associated with the type of mastitis (clinical or subclinical), indicating that host derived factors such as the immune status play a pivotal role in the manifestation of mastitis.
|
10.7717/peerj.4560
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pubmed_877_6789
|
Paradiscocyrtus neglectus Mello-Leitão, 1927 is here redescribed and for the first time illustrated. A neotype is proposed to clarify the taxonomic status of this species and to differentiate it from the other two species of Paradiscocyrtus and related genera (e.g., Discocyrtus). Two junior synonyms of this species, currently allocated in Discocyrtus Holmberg, 1876 are here detected. This harvestman is endemic from areas above 2000 meters of altitude, occurring in the Campos Rupestres montane savannas terrestrial eco-region in the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species is characterized by the powerful retrodorsal apophysis of the coxa IV, the unique armature of dorsal scutum, trochanter IV, and femur IV.
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10.1016/j.crvi.2018.01.005
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pubmed_922_11141
|
Background: Aggrecan plays a crucial role in the ability of tissues to withstand compressive loads during the pathological progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Progressive loss of aggrecan from cartilage may result in exposure of the collagen matrix and can lead to its disintegration by metalloproteases. Although aggrecanases are expressed constitutively in human chondrocytes, the degradation of aggrecan is induced by proinflammatory cytokines; however, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Human primary chondrocytes from OA patients or healthy donors and human chondrogenic SW1353 cells were cultured and stimulated with IL-1β in vitro, the mRNA expressions and protein levels of MMP-13, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, SENP1, and SENP2 were determined using real time PCR and Western blot, respectively. The localizations of aggrecan and Col-II, as well as the SUMOylation modification of these proteins were analyzed using immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. Results: Our results showed that a proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β induced the OA model and desumoylation of aggrecan and collagen type II because the small ubiquitin-like modifier 2/3 (SUMO2/3) was co-localized with aggrecan and collagen type II proteins and interacted physically with them. Mechanistic studies have shown that knockdown of SUMO2/3 expression can significantly enhance the rate of degradation of aggrecan and collagen type II at both the mRNA and protein levels in the OA model. In addition, SUMO-specific protease 2 (SENP2) plays important roles in the desumoylation of aggrecan, while knockdown of SENP2 can protect aggrecan and collagen type II. Clinical assays have shown that OA patients have higher SENP2 levels than healthy controls, and the SENP2 level correlates negatively with both aggrecan and collagen type II levels. Conclusion: SENP2 desumoylates aggrecan and collagen type II proteins in the inflammation induced OA, and SENP2 expression correlates with OA progression.
|
10.2147/JPR.S194306
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pubmed_347_23118
|
A simple, selective, and reproducible molecularly imprinted SPE coupled with HPLC method was developed for monitoring quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides in feeds. Molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized in methanol using mequindox (MEQ) as template molecule and acrylamide as functional monomer by bulk polymerization. Under the optimum SPE conditions, the novel polymer sorbents can selectively extract and enrich carbadox, MEQ, quinocetone, and cyadox from a variety of feeds. The molecularly imprinted SPE cartridge was better than nonimprinted, C(18) , and HLB cartridges in terms of both recovery and precision. Mean recoveries of four quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides from six kinds of feeds spiked at 1.0, 10, and 100 mg/kg ranged between 75.2 and 94.7% with RSDs of less than 10%. The decision limits (CCαs) and the detection capabilities (CCβs) of four analytes were 0.15-0.20 mg/kg and 0.44-0.56 mg/kg, respectively. The class selectivity of the polymers was evaluated by checking three drugs with different molecular structures to that of MEQ.
|
10.1002/jssc.201200701
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pubmed_1000_2587
|
The anti-drug resistance effect of three derivatives (AR-1, AR-2 and AR-3) of [1,2,5-trimethyl-4-phenyl-4-beta-(N,N-disubstituted-ethylamino)] piperidines, that were evaluated as calcium and calmodulin antagonists, was studied on doxorubicin (ADM) and vincristine (VCR) resistant Sarcoma-45 inoculated rats. Treatment with ADM (5 mg/kg) or VCR (3 mg/kg) alone, as well as with AR-1, AR-2 or AR-3 (50 mg/kg) alone, had no effect on tumor growth. However, AR-2 in dose 50 mg/kg (calmodulin antagonist), but not AR-1 and AR-3 (calcium channel blocker), administered with ADM (5 mg/kg) or VCR (3 mg/kg), significantly suppressed tumor growth 80% and 70%, respectively. Two rats treated with ADM/AR-2 and one treated with VCR/AR-2 were cured. 170 kDa protein was purified from sarcoma-45 tumor cells to apparent homogeneity by successive steps of phosphocellulose, DEAE-cellulose, and AR-2-coupled sepharose chromatography. The protein proved to be immunopositive with the P-glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibody. It is concluded that the effect of AR-2 can be explained by both hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction with a protein target (170 kDa P-glycoprotein) in resistant sarcoma-45 tumor cell's membrane.
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10.1023/a:1006397014409
|
pubmed_317_25061
|
PURPOSE
To simulate modified versions of the 24-2 (6° grid) visual field (VF) test pattern by adding points from the 10-2 (2° grid) test pattern, and to assess their ability to detect early glaucomatous defects in the central 10°.
METHODS
One hundred forty-four eyes of 144 glaucoma patients and suspects with 24-2 mean deviations better than -6 dB were tested with 10-2 and 24-2 VFs. Based upon both 10-2 VF and optical coherence tomography probability plots, 63 hemifields were defined as abnormal, while 121 hemifields were defined as normal. Three modified 24-2 VF test patterns, called 24-2 +4, 24-2 +16 (Even), and 24-2 +16 (Empirical), were simulated by adding 4 or 16 test points from the 10-2 VF.
RESULTS
Based upon the number of abnormal points (P ≤ 5%), the area under the ROC curves (AROC scores) of the three modified 24-2 VFs were significantly greater than that of the 24-2 VF for both the upper and lower VF. For a specificity of 85%, the number of true positives was 25 (24-2), 30 (24-2 +4), 31 (24-2 +16, even), and 32 (24-2 +16, empirical) of 34 total true positives for the upper VF and 23, 26, 27, and 28 of 29 for the lower VF.
CONCLUSIONS
Adding points from the 10-2 test pattern to the 24-2 test pattern significantly improved its ability to detect macular defects without employing more test points than a single 10-2 test.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
Additional central points should be added to the 24-2 pattern to improve the detection of macular damage.
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10.1167/tvst.3.6.6
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pubmed_768_2584
|
Angiogenesis is a crucial process in growth and progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Mast cells (MCs) play an important role in MM angiogenesis. Various angiogenic mediators secreted by MCs regulate endothelial cell proliferation and function. Among them, ELR(+) CXC chemokines, such as growth-related oncogen-alpha (GRO-α) and epithelial neutrophil activating protein-78 (ENA-78), have been described as potential mediators in regulation of angiogenesis. The purpose of the study was to quantify MCs in bone marrow (BM) biopsies of MM patients, expressed as MC density (MCD), and correlate it with serum concentrations of vascular endothelial factor (VEGF), GRO-α, ENA-78. Fifty-four newly diagnosed MM patients and 22 healthy controls were studied. Tryptase was used for the immunohistochemical stain of MCs. VEGF, GRO-α, and ENA-78 were measured in sera by ELISA. MCD and serum levels of GRO-α, ENA-78, and VEGF were significantly higher in MM patients compared to controls (p<0.001 in all cases). MCD was significantly increasing with increased stage of the disease (p<0.001). Furthermore, significant correlations were found between MCD with VEGF, GRO-α, and ENA-78. These findings support that MCs participate in the pathophysiology of MM and is implicated in the angiogenic process and disease progression.
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10.1007/s13277-014-1747-x
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pubmed_103_457
|
The primary purpose of this study was to assess the serum levels of homocysteine (HCY) at admission to the presence of post-stroke depression (PSD). From September 2014 to December 2015, first-ever acute ischemic stroke patients within the first 24 h after stroke onset were consecutively recruited and followed-up for 3 months. Based on the symptoms, diagnoses of depression were made in accordance with DSM-IV criteria for depression. By the time of 3 month after stroke, 238 had finished the follow-up and included in our study. Totally, 65 out of the 238 patients were diagnosed as depression (27.3%; 95% CI 19.6-35.4%). The results showed significantly higher HCY levels in patients with depression [21.4 (IQR 16.5-23.4) mmol/L vs. 14.1 (IQR 11.2-18.5) mmol/L, P < 0.0001) at admission than patients without depression. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, HCY was an independent predictor of PSD with an adjusted OR of 1.07 (95% CI 1.01-1.22; P = 0.013). Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cut-off value of serum HCY levels as an indicator for prediction of PSD was projected to be 16.5 mmol/L, which yielded a sensitivity of 82.5% and a specificity of 63.6%, with the area under the curve at 0.745 (95% CI 0.672-0.818; P < 0.0001). An increased risk of PSD was associated with serum HCY levels ≥16.5 mmol/L (adjusted OR 6.13, 95% CI 3.32-14.16; P < 0.001) after adjusting for above-recorded confounders. Elevated serum levels of HCY at admission were associated with depression 3-month after stroke, suggesting that these alterations might participate in the pathophysiology of depression symptoms in stroke patients.
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10.1007/s10072-017-2848-2
|
pubmed_204_24379
|
In this work, we explored how the structure of monolayer water confined between two graphene sheets is coupled to its dynamic behavior. Our molecular dynamics simulations show that there is a remarkable interrelation between the friction of confined water with two walls and its structure under extreme confinement. When the water molecules formed a regular quadrilateral structure, the friction coefficient is dramatically reduced. Such a low-friction coefficient can be attributed to the formation of long-range ordered hydrogen bond network, which not only decreases the structure corrugation in the direction perpendicular to the walls but also promotes the collective motion of the confined water. The regular quadrilateral structure can be formed only if the number density of confined water falls within a certain range. Higher number density results in larger structure corrugations, which increases the friction, while smaller number density leads to an irregular hydrogen bond network in which the collective motion cannot play the role. We demonstrated that there are four distinct stages in the diagram of the friction coefficient vs the number density of confined water. This research clearly established the connection between the dynamic characteristics of confined monolayer water and its structure, which is beneficial to further understand the mechanism of the high-speed water flow through graphene nanocapillaries observed in recent experiments.
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10.1063/5.0053361
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pubmed_601_16822
|
Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) inhibits basal and stimulated aldosterone synthesis in adrenal glomerulosa cells. ANF probably acts through specific membrane receptors. Alterations in cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP levels do not account for ANF's inhibitory effect. ANF does not block angiotensin II (AngII) receptors nor does it interfere with phosphoinositide metabolism or calcium movements stimulated by adrenal agonists. ANF does not inhibit protein synthesis nor does it work by inhibiting NA+,K+-ATPase or depleting cell potassium. ANF decreases conversion of endogenous cholesterol to pregnenolone, the step stimulated by adrenocorticotropin and AngII. ANF does not affect the conversion of 20-alpha-hydroxycholesterol, which easily penetrates mitochondrial membranes to the site of the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme. These results suggest that ANF inhibits the ability of endogenous cholesterol to reach or interact with the side-chain cleavage enzyme. ANF does not act like a calcium channel-blocking agent. However, ANF is less effective at high-calcium concentrations, which suggests that it may inhibit a step that calcium stimulates. Understanding ANF action will probably require identification of the specific biochemical changes (mediators) that it induces. Parallel efforts to understand how other agents stimulate steroidogenesis (particularly in the areas of protein synthesis, protein phosphorylation, and cholesterol movements) will further this understanding.
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pubmed_601_16822
|
pubmed_117_8559
|
The Sichuan-Yunnan region is one of the most seismically vulnerable areas in China. Accordingly, an earthquake early warning (EEW) system for the region is essential to reduce future earthquake hazards. This research analyses the utility of two early warning parameters (τc and Pd) for magnitude estimation using 273 events that occurred in the Sichuan-Yunnan region during 2007-2015. We find that τc can more reliably predict high-magnitude events during a short P-wave time window (PTW) but produces greater uncertainty in the low-magnitude range, whereas Pd is highly correlated with the event magnitude depending on the selection of an appropriate PTW. Here, we propose a threshold-based evolutionary magnitude estimation method based on a specific combination of τc and Pd that both offers more robust advance magnitude estimates for large earthquakes and ensures the estimation accuracy for low-magnitude events. The advantages of the proposed approach are validated using data from 2016-2017 and the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake in an offline simulation. The proposed concept provides a useful basis for the future implementation of an EEW system in the Sichuan-Yunnan region.
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10.1038/s41598-020-78046-2
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pubmed_1092_11985
|
Efforts to control medical care costs depend critically on how individuals respond to prices. I estimate the price elasticity of expenditure on medical care using a censored quantile instrumental variable (CQIV) estimator. CQIV allows estimates to vary across the conditional expenditure distribution, relaxes traditional censored model assumptions, and addresses endogeneity with an instrumental variable. My instrumental variable strategy uses a family member's injury to induce variation in an individual's own price. Across the conditional deciles of the expenditure distribution, I find elasticities that vary from -0.76 to -1.49, which are an order of magnitude larger than previous estimates.
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10.1080/07350015.2015.1004072
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pubmed_988_1680
|
Right heart thrombosis (RHT) was found by 2D-echocardiography in 8 cases. Clinical suspicion of RHT could be documented in only 3 patients, while in the other 5 cases syncope, low output syndrome, essential pulmonary hypertension, cerebral embolism or congestive heart failure was the clinical diagnosis on first presentation. Out of the 4 cases of mobile RHT of extracardiac origin 1 patient had an emergency operation, 2 patients died shortly after the 2D-echo diagnosis before treatment could have been started and 1 patient improved on anticoagulant treatment. RHT of intracardiac origin was due to a central line or a ventriculoatrial shunt in 3 cases and no source could be found in 1 patient. Complete recovery was achieved in 2 cases by medical, in one case by surgical management and in 1 patient medical and surgical treatment resulted in clinical improvement. In conclusion authors 1. consider 2D echocardiography necessary in the clinical setting of acute or chronic pulmonary embolism or "primary" pulmonary hypertension and 2. they recommend emergency operation in case of mobile large RHT detected by 2D-echocardiography.
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pubmed_988_1680
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pubmed_733_9062
|
"Projecting populations that have sparse or unreliable data, such as those of many developing countries, presents a challenge to demographers. The assumptions that they make to project data-poor populations frequently fall into the realm of ¿educated guesses', and the resulting projections, often regarded as forecasts, are valid only to the extent that the assumptions on which they are based reasonably represent the past or future, as the case may be. These traditional projection techniques do not incorporate a demographer's assessment of uncertainty in the assumptions. Addressing the challenges of forecasting a data-poor population, we project the Iraqi Kurdish population using a Bayesian approach. This approach incorporates a demographer's uncertainty about past and future characteristics of the population in the form of elicited prior distributions."
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pubmed_733_9062
|
pubmed_807_18235
|
Sclerostin is the product of the SOST gene. Loss-of-function mutations in the SOST gene result in a high-bone-mass phenotype, demonstrating that sclerostin is a negative regulator of bone mass. Primarily expressed by osteocytes in bone, sclerostin is reported to bind the LRP5/6 receptor, thereby antagonizing canonical Wnt signaling and negatively regulating bone formation. We therefore investigated whether systemic administration of a sclerostin-neutralizing antibody would increase the regeneration of traumatized metaphyseal bone in rats. Young male rats had a screw inserted in the proximal tibia and were divided into six groups given 25 mg/kg of sclerostin antibody or control twice a week subcutaneously for 2 or 4 weeks. In four groups, the screws were tested for pull-out strength. At the time of euthanasia, a similar screw also was inserted in the contralateral tibia and pull-out tested immediately. Sclerostin antibody significantly increased the pull-out force by almost 50% compared with controls after 2 and 4 weeks. Also, the screws inserted at the time of euthanasia showed increased pull-out force. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) of the remaining two groups showed that the antibody led to a 30% increase in bone volume fraction in a region surrounding the screw. There also was a general increase in trabecular thickness in cancellous bone. Thus, as measured by the amount of bone and its mechanical resistance, the sclerostin antibody increased bone formation during metaphyseal repair but also in untraumatized bone.
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10.1002/jbmr.135
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pubmed_976_6841
|
The effect of ambient air pollutants, pollens, and mold spores on respiratory health was studied in an area with low concentrations of chemical pollutants and abundant aeroallergens. A panel of 40 asthmatic subjects living near East Moline, Illinois, recorded peak expiratory flow rates (PEFRs), respiratory symptoms, frequency of asthma attacks, and asthma medication use between April and October 1994. Daily outdoor concentrations of pollutants and aeroallergens were measured, and indoor levels of bioaerosols were measured on several occasions in each participant's home. Ozone was associated with increased morning and evening symptom scores and decreased evening PEFR, and these associations remained significant with adjustment for weather and aeroallergens. The association between ozone and asthma medication use was increased in magnitude and significance with adjustment for weather and aeroallergens; however, the association between ozone and morning PEFR became nonsignificant with weather and aeroallergen adjustment. Significant associations were also found between pollen concentration and decreased evening PEFR, as well as between increased morning and evening symptom scores and asthma medication use. In addition, associations were noted between total spore concentration and increased morning PEFR and decreased morning and evening symptom scores. The inverse associations found with mold spore concentrations were not consistent with the results of other studies; however, the associations between ozone and pollen concentration were consistent with previous studies. When results were stratified by a number of independent risk factors, no differences were noted relative to allergic status or presence of dampness or flooding in the home; however, the associations with outdoor ozone and pollens were seen mainly among participants with low levels of exposure to indoor bioaerosols (< 1,800 spores/m3) or with no environmental tobacco smoke exposure.
|
10.1080/00039890209602090
|
pubmed_164_8606
|
PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and potential clinical utility of assessment of Crohn's disease (CD) activity by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT employing a new quantitative approach.
METHODS
A total of 22 subjects (mean age 37) with CD who had undergone FDG PET/CT followed by ileocolonoscopy within 1 week were included in this analysis. The CD endoscopy index of severity (CDEIS) for various bowel segments was calculated. The CD activity index (CDAI) was evaluated, and fecal calprotectin was measured. On PET, regions with increased FDG uptake in large bowel were segmented with an adaptive contrast-oriented thresholding algorithm, and metabolically active volume (MAV), uncorrected mean standardized uptake value (SUV(mean)), partial volume-corrected SUV(mean) (PVC-SUV(mean)), SUV(max), uncorrected total lesion glycolysis (TLG = MAV × SUV(mean)), and PVC total lesion glycolysis (PVC-TLG = MAV × PVC-SUV(mean)) were measured. Global CD activity score (GCDAS) was calculated as the sum of PVC-TLG over all clinically significant FDG-avid regions in each subject. Correlations between regional PET quantification measures (SUVs, TLGs) and CDEIS were calculated. Correlations between the global PET quantification measure (GCDAS, global SUVs) with CDAI, fecal calprotectin, CDEIS, and CRP level were also calculated.
RESULTS
SUV(max), PVC-SUV(mean), and PVC-TLG significantly correlated with segment CDEIS subscores (r = 0.50, r = 0.69, and r = 0.31, respectively; p < 0.05). GCDAS significantly correlated with CDAI and fecal calprotectin (r = 0.64 and r = 0.51, respectively; p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
By employing this new quantitative approach, we were able to calculate indices of regional and global CD activity, which correlated well with both clinical and pathological disease activity surrogate markers. This approach may be of clinical importance in measuring both global disease activity and treatment response in patients with CD.
|
10.1007/s00259-013-2625-2
|
pubmed_61_24972
|
The capsid of hepatitis C virus (HCV) particles is considered to be composed of the mature form (p21) of core protein. Maturation to p21 involves cleavage of the transmembrane domain of the precursor form (p23) of core protein by signal peptide peptidase (SPP), a cellular protease embedded in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Here we have addressed whether SPP-catalyzed maturation to p21 is a prerequisite for HCV particle morphogenesis in the endoplasmic reticulum. HCV structural proteins were expressed by using recombinant Semliki Forest virus replicon in mammalian cells or recombinant baculovirus in insect cells, because these systems have been shown to allow the visualization of HCV budding events and the isolation of HCV-like particles, respectively. Inhibition of SPP-catalyzed cleavage of core protein by either an SPP inhibitor or HCV core mutations not only did not prevent but instead tended to facilitate the observation of viral buds and the recovery of virus-like particles. Remarkably, although maturation to p21 was only partially inhibited by mutations in insect cells, p23 was the only form of core protein found in HCV-like particles. Finally, newly developed assays demonstrated that p23 capsids are more stable than p21 capsids. These results show that SPP-catalyzed cleavage of core protein is dispensable for HCV budding but decreases the stability of the viral capsid. We propose a model in which p23 is the form of HCV core protein committed to virus assembly, and cleavage by SPP occurs during and/or after virus budding to predispose the capsid to subsequent disassembly in a new cell.
|
10.1074/jbc.M602587200
|
pubmed_611_21250
|
Incidence of malaria in urban settings is a growing concern in many regions of the world and individual risk factors need to be identified to appropriately adjust control strategies. We carried out a cross-sectional study in 1993/94 in an urban area of the largest port of the Pacific Coast of Colombia, where transmission has had an upward trend over the past 5 years. Prevalence of malaria infection was estimated in areas of the city with the highest incidence of disease, and the association between some characteristics of the population and the risk of malaria infection was assessed. Prevalence of malaria infection was 4.4% among the 1380 studied people and we found that it decreased with older age, and with knowledge of disease and preventive measures directed to elimination of breeding sites. In addition, the infection was positively associated with exposure to the forest (P < 0.05), although most of the cases (57/61, 93%) were likely to have been acquired in the urban area. We also found that individuals receiving antimalarial treatment in the previous month had around twice the risk of being infected as compared with those without treatment. In addition, our results suggest that use of bednets could not be a very effective protective measure in settings such as that of our study, and that environmental interventions may be needed to decrease the risk of infection.
|
10.1016/s0035-9203(00)90106-8
|
pubmed_155_12120
|
1. Single units in striate cortex were studied in alert macaques while they viewed a ganzfeld. Of the 385 well-isolated units studied for 10 min to 2 h, 24% gave "luxotonic" responses, i.e., their rate of discharge for 1 min or more in diffuse, featureless, wideangle illumination (20-450 cd/m2) was at least double that during a comparable period in darkness, or vice versa, and not attributable to eye movements of blinking. Those discharging faster in the light, "photergic" units, outnumber those responding to darkness, "scotergic" units 1 by 4:1. 2. In the lateral geniculate nucleus, on the other hand, among 46 units studied, 28% were luxotonic, but scotergic units were the more common. Both types were present in both magno- and parvocellular laminae. 3. For striate cortex two-thirds of the luxotonic units were binocular. Some showed highly similar response for either eye alone, and essentially no summation binocularly; others had grossly differing responses from each eye, and complex binocular interaction. 4. Many units of all types at striate cortex showed significant modulation of their activity consequent to saccadic eye movements made in darkness, whereas comparable modulation was not observed at the lateral geniculate nucleus. 5. On the basis of these and other findings it is concluded that luxotonic cortical activity is prominent probably only in alert primates, and that this is a consequence of the fact that all retinal ganglion cells in primates synapse in the lateral geniculate nucleus (Ref. 9). Possible functions range from mere trophic input to providing a veridical image or a scaling factor for maintenance of perceptual constancy in the face of varying levels of general illumination.
|
10.1152/jn.1979.42.6.1495
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pubmed_512_18060
|
A hypothetical explanation for pregnancy loss in postpartum dairy cows is that the metabolic environment of the cow inhibits the growth of the conceptus and places the pregnancy at risk for loss. The objective of the current study, therefore, was to model the association between cow-level metabolic indicators and conceptus growth during early pregnancy (day 33-45 after AI) and to determine if an association (if present) is large enough to cause pregnancy loss. Metabolic indicators included milk production, changes in body weight and body condition score, parity, and concentrations of circulating hormones and metabolites (glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, growth hormone, IGF1, progesterone, and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins). One-hundred cows were enrolled. Cows that became pregnant with single conceptus pregnancies (n=53) weighed more (P<0.007) and had fewer uterine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (uterine health indicator; P<0.051) compared with cows that failed to become pregnant. The embryo and amniotic vesicle were measured by using ultrasound on day 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, and 45 of pregnancy. Most of the cow-level indicators that were included in the model of conceptus growth failed to achieve statistical significance. Day of pregnancy had the largest effect on conceptus growth (size and cross-sectional area of the embryo and amniotic vesicle; P<0.001). There were effects of sex of fetus (male fetuses larger than female), insulin (negative association), and body weigh change (positive association) on embryo length and cross-sectional area but these effects were small when compared with the range in conceptus length or area that we observed. The conclusion was that the capacity of the cow to become pregnant was associated with body weight and uterine health but we failed to find a large association with metabolic status on conceptus growth from day 33 to 45 of pregnancy in lactating dairy cows.
|
10.1016/j.anireprosci.2016.02.020
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pubmed_103_5559
|
We obtained ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA sequences from residents of Amazonas state, Brazil, with Mansonella parasitemias. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences confirm that M. ozzardi and M. perstans parasites occur in sympatry and reveal the close relationship between M. perstans in Africa and Brazil, providing insights into the parasite's New World origins.
|
10.3201/eid2303.161159
|
pubmed_500_2349
|
In the world stomatological literature many more or less extensive clinical classification of posttraumatic damage to teeth are available. In the Polish stomatological school Ellis classification is used most frequently. However, this classification comprising nine classes of traumatic teeth damage is not sufficiently precise in the descriptions qualifying various classes. Moreover, the successive classes are not always logically arranged depending on the degree of damage. In view of this, the author has evolved another clinical classification of traumatic dental damage based on own clinical material and other classifications. The new classification is used in the Department of Developmental Age Stomatology in Zabrze. The base of the classification is the degree of damage to the dental tissues and the used therapeutic methods. Two-year experience with the classification showed that it is simple, sufficiently precise and easy for application by students and stomatologists.
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pubmed_500_2349
|
pubmed_1098_14199
|
Background
Recognizing the needs of women with heart disease in the field of reproductive health and meeting them can reduce the related complications. The aim of this study was to identify the sexual and reproductive health needs of these women.
Materials and Methods
The present study was conducted with qualitative approach (Content analysis). Ten married women of reproductive age with heart disease and 20 providers and managers in, Isfahan, Iran, were selected by using purposive and snowball methods (in 2020). The research setting included heart disease clinics, offices of health team, comprehensive health centers, and the Isfahan Maternal Health Department. Data were collected by semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews in the clinic or other appropriate locations. Some interviews were conducted virtually. Analysis was performed by Qualitative contentment analysis / Conventional content analysis.
Results
Sexual and reproductive health needs of women with heart disease were emerged in five main categories, "planned childbearing," "ssociocultural support," "Early reproductive health care of girls," "health team attention to sexual health," and "health system revision."
Conclusions
Providing comprehensive reproductive health services before and during pregnancy, family planning, and sexual health for women with heart disease is necessary. It seems that using a multidisciplinary team approach could improve their reproductive health.
|
10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_230_21
|
pubmed_434_1869
|
OBJECTIVES
to explore the effect of low incubation temperatures and the consequent slowing of bacterial metabolism on the bactericidal action of anti-tuberculosis drugs against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
METHODS
counting of surviving bacteria during exposure of static cultures to 1 mg/L isoniazid, 2 mg/L rifampicin, 0.5 or 2 mg/L TMC207 and 40 or 160 mg/L pyrazinamide, usually for periods of 21 days at temperatures of 37, 25, 22, 19, 16 or 8°C.
RESULTS
the bactericidal activities of isoniazid and rifampicin were progressively reduced at 25 and 22°C, and were minimal at lower temperatures. TMC207 was immediately bactericidal at 37°C, in contrast to the early static phase reported with log phase cultures, and showed less change in activity as incubation temperatures were reduced than did rifampicin or isoniazid. Pyrazinamide was more bactericidal when incubation temperatures were reduced below 37°C and when the static seed cultures were most dormant.
CONCLUSIONS
these results can be explained by the surmise that at low temperatures bacterial energy is at a low level with only just sufficient ATP to maintain homeostasis, making the bacteria more susceptible to the blocking of ATP synthesis by TMC207. Insufficient ATP at low temperature would also hinder the export of pyrazinoic acid, the toxic product of the pro-drug pyrazinamide, from the mycobacterial cell by an inefficient efflux pump that requires energy.
|
10.1093/jac/dkq414
|
pubmed_401_3581
|
BACKGROUND
Resin composites have various applications. At the same time, they have some drawbacks, such as polymerization shrinkage. Conventional composites are polymerized in 2-mm thick layers. However, in posterior restoration, the 2-mm depth of cure is not satisfactory. To find a solution, resin composites have been vastly improved in terms of fillers, matrix and initiators.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate polymerization properties and physical characteristics of fiber-reinforced composites and compare them with bulk-fill composites that are designed for large posterior restorations.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Samples were prepared from each resin composite. The 3-point bending test was performed to evaluate the flexural strength of all composites. The depth of cure of the composite from 1 mm to 4 mm of depth was analyzed using Vickers hardness test (VHN). To analyze the degree of conversion, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of the top and bottom surfaces of the samples with 4-mm thickness was calculated. The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test followed by post hoc test (95% confidence interval (95% CI)).
RESULTS
The Filtek showed the highest flexural strength followed by everX and X-tra fil. At 1-mm depth, X-tra fil had the highest and Gradia had the lowest microhardness. At the 4-mm depth, the microhardness trend was as follows: everX > Filtek > X-tra fil > Gradia > Beautifil. The everX composite had the lowest reduction of the degree of conversion at 4-mm thickness, which showed a significant difference in comparison with Filtek, Gradia and X-tra fil composites.
CONCLUSIONS
Based on the results of our study, it can be concluded that the fiber-reinforced composite everX showed more favorable results regarding polymerization properties, such as the degree of conversion and the depth of cure. However, the flexural strength results in Filtek were better than those in everX.
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10.17219/pim/151857
|
pubmed_1013_3822
|
With the onset of the coronavirus crisis, disruption of the domestic food supply chain, loss of revenue, and payments that affect food production have led to severe tensions and food security risks in many developing countries. The rural communities are more at risk of food insecurity due to less access to healthcare and social inequality. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and food diversity of rural households. The sample included 375 household heads living in the rural areas of Khorramabad county, which was determined using a three-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using standard Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) questionnaires. The results showed that the food security situation of rural households has deteriorated, and consumption of some food groups changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the multinomial regression model showed that gender, level of education, monthly income, number of employed members, nutrition knowledge, employment status, livestock ownership, and access to credit were significantly associated with the food security of households during the COVID-19 pandemic. The household head's gender, level of education, monthly income, nutrition knowledge, employment status, livestock ownership, and access to credit were significantly associated with dietary diversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, providing emergency food assistance and cash payments to food-insecure households can reduce the risk of food insecurity in rural households. It is suggested that government policies focus on identifying vulnerable households in rural areas, especially female-headed households, low-income households, and households without a wage income.
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10.3389/fpubh.2022.862043
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pubmed_212_7367
|
The permeability coefficient of BLM to nystatin was measured as function of cholesterol content of membrane and KCL concentration of aqueous medium. The data obtained were used to demonstrate that leakage of metabolites from microorganisms cytoplasm induced by nystatin may be a result of "two-sided" effect of polyene. This eliminates the known contradication between "two-sided" formation of pores in BLM by nystatin and its "one-sided" biological effect.
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pubmed_212_7367
|
pubmed_678_3895
|
Hazards from gravity-driven instabilities on hillslope (termed 'landquake' in this study) are an important problem facing us today. Rapid detection of landquake events is crucial for hazard mitigation and emergency response. Based on the real-time broadband data in Taiwan, we have developed a near real-time landquake monitoring system, which is a fully automatic process based on waveform inversion that yields source information (e.g., location and mechanism) and identifies the landquake source by examining waveform fitness for different types of source mechanisms. This system has been successfully tested offline using seismic records during the passage of the 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan and has been in online operation during the typhoon season in 2015. In practice, certain levels of station coverage (station gap < 180°), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR ≥ 5.0), and a threshold of event size (volume >106 m3 and area > 0.20 km2) are required to ensure good performance (fitness > 0.6 for successful source identification) of the system, which can be readily implemented in other places in the world with real-time seismic networks and high landquake activities.
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10.1038/srep43510
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pubmed_1094_25434
|
The mechanism of celecoxib cardiovascular adverse events was earlier investigated; yet in-depth investigations are needed to assess the involvement of its pro-apoptotic effect throughout this process. An in-vivo chronic rat model of pressure overload employing Nʷ-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was tested at different time intervals to ensure the occurrence of persistent myocardial apoptosis along with pressure overload. Seven groups of male Wistar rats were assigned as (i) distilled water; (ii-iv) L-NAME (60 mg/kg) for 6, 12 or 16 weeks; (v-vii) L-NAME [16 weeks] + celecoxib (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg), from week 13 to week 16. Treatment with L-NAME for 6, 12 or 16 weeks increased systolic blood pressure, serum level of creatine kinase-MB and lactate dehydrogenase. Further, it induced cardiac hypertrophy, detected in terms of greater heart weight index and cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area and produced interstitial and perivascular fibrosis. Moreover, administration of L-NAME increased cardiac immunostaining for activated caspase-3 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio whereas; immunostaining for Mcl-1 was decreased. Administration of celecoxib (25, 50 or 100 mg/kg) aggravated the L-NAME-induced toxicity. The work results shed the light on the putative pro-apoptotic effect of celecoxib at a risk state of pressure overload comparable to the clinical condition of essential hypertension.
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10.1016/j.cbi.2017.05.012
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pubmed_521_2349
|
The medical records of 68 horses treated with IV fluids for 24 hours or more were reviewed to determine the risk of vein thrombosis and to determine which factors were associated with the occurrence of vein thrombosis in these horses. Three factors were positively associated with vein thrombosis including use of locally produced fluids and presence of fever and diarrhea. Two factors, having general anesthesia or having surgery, were negatively associated with vein thrombosis. One continuous variable, duration of treatment, was positively associated with vein thrombosis. Factors not associated with vein thrombosis included breed, age, sex, type of catheter, outcome (lived or died), laminitis, colic, other drugs via the catheter, and type of surgery. One type of catheter was used in the majority of horses (57) making it difficult to detect effect of catheter type. Preparation of the catheter site, the person placing the catheter, and technique of catheter maintenance were not evaluated. Like all retrospective studies, this study has limitations to the conclusions that can be made; however, the strong association between source of fluids, fever, diarrhea, anesthesia/surgery, and the occurrence of vein thrombosis merits consideration in the clinician's therapeutic plan.
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10.1111/j.1939-1676.1994.tb03230.x
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pubmed_4_22567
|
CONTEXT
Because of persistent effects of early childhood caries and impacts of dental health professional shortages areas, the integration of oral health in primary care settings is a public health priority. In this study, we explored oral health interprofessional practice (OHIP) as an integrative pathway to reduce oral health disparities. OHIP can include performing oral health risk assessments, describing the importance of fluoride in the drinking water, implementing fluoride varnish application, and referring patients to a dental home.
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a formative evaluation of how 15 pediatric primary care practices implemented the adoption of OHIP in their clinical settings.
DESIGN
Using an ecological framework, we conducted a qualitative process evaluation to measure the factors that inhibited and facilitated OHIP adoption into pediatric settings. Document review analysis and qualitative interviews were conducted with pediatric practices to contextualize challenges and facilitators to OHIP adoption.
SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
A total of 15 Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act pediatric practices located in 13 South Carolina counties participated in this study.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Outcomes of interest were the facilitators and challenges of OHIP adoption into pediatric primary care practices.
RESULTS
Thematic analysis revealed challenges for OHIP adoption including limited resources and capacity, role delineation for clinical and administrative staff, communication, and family receptiveness. OHIP training for clinical practitioners and staff and responsiveness from clinical staff and local dentists were facilitators of OHIP adoption. Twelve key recommendations emerged on the basis of participant experiences within OHIP, with developing an active dental referral network and encouraging buy-in from clinical staff for OHIP adoption as primary recommendations.
CONCLUSION
We demonstrated the effectiveness of a learning collaborative meeting among pediatric primary care providers to adopt OHIPs. This work reveals an actionable pathway to support oral health equity advancement for children through an additional access point of preventive oral care, reinforcement of positive oral health behaviors, and interaction between parent and child for overall health and wellness of the family.
|
10.1097/PHH.0000000000000622
|
pubmed_172_13854
|
Surgical management of patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency has been developed within the past decade. Cerebral angiography plays a crucial role in identifying potential surgical candidates and in directing the surgical approach. Fifty-two patients underwent brainstem revascularization procedures at Henry Ford Hospital between November 1979 and August 1985. Twelve occipital artery to anterior inferior cerebellar artery bypasses, five occipital artery to posterior inferior cerebellar artery bypasses, four intracranial vertebral endarterectomies, 29 superficial temporal to superior cerebellar artery bypasses, and two superficial temporal to posterior cerebral artery bypasses were performed. The preoperative angiograms in these patients were analyzed to illustrate how angiographic localization of vascular disease directs the surgical approach. We report the results of postoperative angiograms. Technical features of the various surgical procedures, the role of the neuroradiologist, and several features of the angiographic technique used with these patients are described.
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pubmed_172_13854
|
pubmed_1081_13795
|
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype characterized by extensive intratumoral heterogeneity. To investigate the underlying biology, we conducted single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of >1500 cells from six primary TNBC. Here, we show that intercellular heterogeneity of gene expression programs within each tumor is variable and largely correlates with clonality of inferred genomic copy number changes, suggesting that genotype drives the gene expression phenotype of individual subpopulations. Clustering of gene expression profiles identified distinct subgroups of malignant cells shared by multiple tumors, including a single subpopulation associated with multiple signatures of treatment resistance and metastasis, and characterized functionally by activation of glycosphingolipid metabolism and associated innate immunity pathways. A novel signature defining this subpopulation predicts long-term outcomes for TNBC patients in a large cohort. Collectively, this analysis reveals the functional heterogeneity and its association with genomic evolution in TNBC, and uncovers unanticipated biological principles dictating poor outcomes in this disease.
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10.1038/s41467-018-06052-0
|
pubmed_411_10627
|
Adjuvant system 04 (AS04) is in injectable human vaccines. AS04 contains two known adjuvants, 3-O-desacyl-4'-monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and insoluble aluminum salts. Data from previous studies showed that both MPL and insoluble aluminum salts have nasal mucosal vaccine adjuvant activity. The present study was designed to test the feasibility of using AS04 as an adjuvant to help nasally administered antigens to induce specific mucosal and systemic immunity as well as to evaluate the deposition of antigens in the upper respiratory tract when adjuvanted with AS04. Alhydrogel, an aluminum (oxy)hydroxide suspension, was mixed with MPL to form AS04, which was then mixed with ovalbumin (OVA) or 3× M2e-HA2, a synthetic influenza virus hemagglutinin fusion protein, as an antigen to prepare OVA/AS04 and 3× M2e-HA2/AS04 vaccines, respectively. In mice, AS04 enabled antigens, when given intranasally, to induce specific IgA response in nasal and lung mucosal secretions as well as specific IgG response in the serum samples of the immunized mice, whereas subcutaneous injection of the same vaccine induced specific antibody responses only in the serum samples but not in the mucosal secretions. Splenocytes isolated from mice intranasally immunized with the OVA/AS04 also proliferated and released cytokines (i.e., IL-4 and IFN-γ) after in vitro stimulation with the antigen. In the immunogenicity test, intranasal OVA/AS04 was not more effective than intranasal OVA/MPL at the dosing regimens tested. However, when compared to OVA/MPL, OVA/AS04 showed a different atomized droplet size distribution and more importantly a more favorable OVA deposition profile when atomized into a nasal cast that was 3-D printed based on the computer tomography scan of the nose of a child. It is concluded that AS04 has mucosal adjuvant activity when given intranasally. In addition, there is a reason to be optimistic about using AS04 as an adjuvant to target an antigen of interest to the right region of the nasal cavity in humans for immune response induction.
|
10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00372
|
pubmed_43_6404
|
In both humans and rodent models, circulating glycine levels are significantly reduced in obesity, glucose intolerance, type II diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The glycine cleavage system and its rate-limiting enzyme, glycine decarboxylase (GLDC), is a major determinant of plasma glycine levels. The goals of this study were to determine if the increased expression of GLDC contributes to the reduced plasma glycine levels seen in disease states, to characterize the hormonal regulation of GLDC gene expression, and to determine if altered GLDC expression has physiological effects that might affect the development of diabetes. The findings presented here show that hepatic GLDC gene expression is elevated in mouse models of obesity and diabetes, as well as by fasting. We demonstrated that GLDC gene expression is strongly regulated by the metabolic hormones glucagon and insulin, and we identified the signaling pathways involved in this regulation. Finally, we found that GLDC expression is linked to glutathione levels, with increased expression associated with elevated levels of glutathione and reduced expression associated with a suppression of glutathione and increased cellular ROS levels. These findings suggest that the hormonal regulation of GLDC contributes not only to the changes in circulating glycine levels seen in metabolic disease, but also affects glutathione production, possibly as a defense against metabolic disease-associated oxidative stress.
|
10.14814/phy2.14991
|
pubmed_214_24408
|
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the study was to analyze the role of temporal muscle and particularly tendon pathology in patients suffering from craniomandibular dysfunction (CMD) using magnetic resonance imaging.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Retrospective analysis of MRI examinations was carried out with regard to temporal muscle fibrosis and fatty degeneration and particularly temporal tendon rupture, thickening, and degenerative signal alterations. Descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U-test were used for statistical evaluation.
RESULTS
Structural lesions of temporal muscle parenchyma were the absolute exception. PD hyperintensity, pronounced contrast enhancement, or peritendinous fluid collections along the temporal tendon were found only to a small extent, and a (partial) rupture occurred in only one case. The tendon diameter showed only slight variability. The Mann-Whitney U-test provided no results indicating a causal connection between degenerative joint or disc disease and temporal tendon pathology.
CONCLUSION
A large sample of 128 magnetic resonance imaging examinations provided no evidence of a major role of temporal tendinitis in clinical CMD syndrome.
KEY POINTS
· Retrospective analysis of temporal tendon in CMD patients.. · Abnormal structural findings along the tendon seen only rarely.. · Obviously no crucial role of temporal tendon lesions in CMD syndrome..
CITATION FORMAT
· Stimmer H, Grill F, Waschulzik B et al. Temporal Tendinitis in Craniomandibular Dysfunction (CMD) - Does it Really Exist? A Temporomandibular MRI Investigation. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2022; 194: 1242 - 1249.
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10.1055/a-1829-6134
|
pubmed_984_19480
|
The interactions between surfactants and vesicles formed by double-tail amphiphiles are investigated by the dissipative particle dynamics. As the surfactant concentration is increased, vesicle solubilization can be generally described by the three-stage hypothesis including vesicular region, vesicle-micelle coexistence, and mixed micellar region. We study the partition of surfactants between the bilayer phase and the aqueous phase where a higher value of K indicates that more surfactant molecules are incorporated in the bilayer. It is found that ln(K(-1)) is proportional to the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB), which depicts the degree of hydrophilicity associated with a surfactant. As the overall hydrophilicity of surfactants increases, i.e., higher HLB, K declines and vice versa. When the amounts of surfactants reach a critical point, the solubilization begins and the coexistence of vesicles and mixed micelles is observed. Further increase in the surfactant concentration results in total collapse of the vesicle. Consistent with experimental observations, the three stages are identified through the vesicle size-surfactant concentration relation. Our simulations clearly demonstrate the process of the vesicle solubilization and confirm the validity of the three-stage hypothesis.
|
10.1063/1.3155209
|
pubmed_855_20923
|
An in vivo experimental study was performed on the flexor profundus tendons of adult canines to determine tensile strength differences between locking and grasping technique repairs and to document the tensile strength using a passive mobilization protocol through the first 21 days following surgery. Forty experimental third and fourth flexor tendons of the right forepaws were lacerated and repaired with either of the 2 techniques. The experimental tendons were harvested at days 3, 7, 14, and 21 and were biomechanically tested. The third and fourth profundus tendons of the left forepaws were used as control (day 0) tendons; they were lacerated and repaired with the locking or grasping techniques at the time of harvest and also were biomechanically tested. The locking technique statistically improved tensile strength values at days 0, 3, and 21. The tensile strength decrease was minimal when using a passive mobilization protocol after surgery.
|
10.1053/jhsu.2000.jhsu25a0260
|
pubmed_894_19627
|
The ability of the imidazole derivative, ketoconazole, to inhibit thromboxane (Tx)A2 synthesis in response to ischemia was tested in ten volunteers. Two hours after taking placebo or ketoconazole 400 mg by mouth, plasma levels of the stable degradation product of TxA2, TxB2, were 300 +/- 129 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM) and 297 +/- 80 pg/ml, respectively. Arm ischemia for 10 min induced by inflation of a cuff to 220 mm Hg led to a rise in TxB2 levels to 657 +/- 157 pg/ml after placebo (p less than 0.05) and 337 +/- 81 pg/ml after ketoconazole. One hour after cuff deflation, TxB2 returned to pre-ischemia levels in both groups. Platelet TxB2 concentrations were 27 +/- 6 ng in the placebo and 35 +/- 6 ng/10(9) platelets in the ketoconazole group, and were unchanged by cuff inflation. The fact that plasma and platelet TxB2 values were not lower 2 hr after ketoconazole treatment was explored in another group of four nonstressed volunteers who received 400 mg of drug. After 2 hr, TxB2 values had fallen from 170 +/- 30 pg to 120 +/- 10 pg; at 4 hr, 6 hr, and 8 hr they were 30 +/- 20 pg, 5 +/- 5 pg, and 5 +/- 5 pg/ml, respectively. These results indicate that tourniquet ischemia provokes TxA2 synthesis, and that the source of this prostanoid is likely to be ischemic tissue and not platelets. Finally, ketoconazole can profoundly inhibit both background and stimulated TxA2 synthesis.
|
10.1097/00005373-198405000-00004
|
pubmed_874_14385
|
Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are among the most common human malignancies. Current methods for their prevention include avoidance of natural and artificial sources of UV radiation and using photoprotective clothing and sunscreens. However, these methods have proven to be inadequate in stemming the rise in skin cancer incidence over the past several years. There is accumulating evidence that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in prostaglandin synthesis, may be involved in the pathogenesis of NMSC. In preclinical studies, animals genetically deficient in the COX-2 enzyme or that have been treated with pharmacological inhibitors of COX-2 develop significantly fewer tumors when subjected to a UV-induced skin carcinogenesis protocol compared with control mice. Several epidemiological studies in humans support the concept that this enzyme is intimately involved in UV-induced skin cancer development, and UV radiation is known to augment COX-2 expression in human skin. Recent studies suggest that drugs that block COX-2 expression may prevent the development of NMSCs. Thus, pharmacologic agents that inhibit the enzyme COX-2 may be effective chemopreventive agents for NMSCs.
|
10.1038/jid.2014.192
|
pubmed_414_16666
|
Medical students are expected to learn not only academic knowledge but also other kinds of behavior, such as ethics, cooperativeness, and communication skills. Clinical clerkship has recently become increasingly important, but there are several problems in the standardized educational system, human resources of medical education, and recognition of the general public. A questionnaire survey was performed concerning clinical clerkship and medical education. A total of 100 responses were received from patients and their families. The results clearly showed that the general public had a lower-than-expected awareness of clinical clerkship (n = 24). Some patients and their families expressed anxiety over the students' medical care (n = 43). There are some problems of patient safety and the quality of medical care, and personal medical information. However, the remarks of the general public indicated that they desired to participate actively in medical education because they had high expectations of medical students (n = 63). It is necessary to promote the understanding of the clinical clerkship among the general public and to share medical education with society, as well as improvement of patient safety education for medical students.
|
10.7888/juoeh.31.195
|
pubmed_674_17742
|
School bullying and campus violence is a widespread social problem in the world. School bullying is characterized by its repeatability and suddenness, which could make the victims suffering from both psychological and health damage, and even affect their personality growth. Government should pay close attention to the reduction and control of school bullying and campus violence by establishing school bullying emergency response system and preparedness plan. The school and teacher's role and legal responsibility in the service and management in schools should be cleared and defined. It is necessary to help teachers conduct early detection and intervention for school bullying, conduct morality, mental health and legal educations in students to teach them to act according to the law and protect themselves according to the law and help them identify and avoid risks, encourage the establishment of rescue facility and web of anti-school bullying by non-government organizations, and set hotline for school bullying incident to reduce the incidence of school bullying.
|
10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-6450.2017.03.001
|
pubmed_83_16872
|
PURPOSES/OBJECTIVES
In 2013, our multihospital system began the process to integrate and standardize clinical nurse specialist (CNS) practice. The goal was to standardize work and to increase collaboration as part of one system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT/PROGRAM
An overall job description was established to provide a framework inclusive of the broad areas of practice. Clinical nurse specialists were positioned to support medical-surgical, critical care, or women and children's services offered at community-based hospitals. Main campus and community-based CNSs led significant system integration efforts such as the standardization of nursing policies and procedures across the health system. System CNSs were created to address the needs of specialties common to all hospitals. As an example, a system CNS collaborated with the main campus and community-based CNSs to improve the delirium screening process.
OUTCOME
Clinical nurse specialists across the system have been integrated into a single team and report to 1 central director. Efforts to leverage expertise included the creation of a CNS-led practice council, increased communication via regular departmental meetings, and the sharing of resources using electronic platforms. There is now a CNS at hospitals that previously did not have one. The group values the structure and opportunities it provides as evidenced by favorable engagement surveys.
CONCLUSION
Our integration efforts improved collaboration and could be modified to benefit other care settings.
|
10.1097/NUR.0000000000000556
|
pubmed_289_7783
|
AIM
The aim of this study was to compare (18)F-fluoride PET/CT and (99m)Tc-MDP bone scintigraphy in the detection of skeletal metastases in urinary bladder carcinoma.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
In this prospective study, 48 patients with urinary bladder carcinoma (44 male and 4 female patients, aged 35-80 years) underwent (99m)Tc-MDP planar and SPECT/CT bone scan (BS) followed by (18)F-fluoride PET/CT within 48 hours. Skeletal metastasis diagnosed on each of these techniques was compared against a final diagnosis based on contrast-enhanced CT, MRI, skeletal survey, clinical follow-up, and histological correlation.
RESULTS
(18)F-fluoride PET/CT identified bony metastases and changed the management in 17 of 48 patients (35%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of (99m)Tc-MDP planar BS were 82.35%, 64.51%, 56%, 86.95%, and 70.83%; of (99m)Tc-MDP SPECT/CT were 88.23%, 74.19%, 65.21%, 92%, and 79.16%; and of (18)F-fluoride PET/CT were 100%, 87.09%, 80.95%, 100%, and 91.66%, respectively. Fair agreement between (99m)Tc-MDP planar BS and F-fluoride PET/CT (κ = 0.42) and excellent agreement between SPECT/CT and (18)F-fluoride PET/CT (κ = 0.74) were found.
CONCLUSIONS
( 18)F-fluoride PET/CT has higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy in detecting bone metastases in urinary bladder carcinoma than conventional (99m)Tc-MDP planar BS. SPECT/CT improves all these parameters compared with planar BS and may serve as a cost-effective screening procedure for the detection of skeletal metastases in high-risk patients.
|
10.1097/RLU.0b013e31828da5cc
|
pubmed_676_2409
|
To inspire design professionals to create innovative, life-enhancing health care environments, the First Annual National Symposium on Health Care Interior Design provided tours of exemplary health care facilities in the San Diego area. Innovative design approaches ran the gamut from thoughtful interior space planning to a fresh use of materials, furnishings, color, lighting, sound and art that satisfied the senses and created an ambience in which users feel confident, comfortable and in control of their health care environment.
|
pubmed_676_2409
|
pubmed_595_17628
|
The orientations of the transition dipole moments in chlorophyll (Chl) are among the most useful spectroscopic properties for determining macromolecular architecture in photosynthetic complexes; however, the relationships between these orientations and the Chl molecular geometry are unknown. In order to solve this problem, we have prepared single crystals of the synthetic 1:1 complex between pyrochlorophyllide a and apomyoglobin. The protein crystallizes readily in the orthorhombic (B) form, space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), and the unit cell dimensions are determined to be within 0.5% of those for native MetMb crystals of the same type. These green crystals are highly dichroic, and the strong absorption along the crystallographic a axis in the Q(y) band is red-shifted by about 9 nm, relative to the corresponding feature in a solution of the protein. Although the crystal structure for native Mb in this space group has not been determined, the direction cosines of the heme normal relative to the crystal axes have been measured. By using these values, an appropriate trigonometric analysis, and the measured polarized single-crystal spectra, the orientation of the Chl transition dipole moment for the Q(y) transition can be specified relative to the crystal axes. With the completion of the protein crystal structure, this result will lead directly to the orientations of the optical transition dipole moments relative to the molecular geometry. The effects of vibronic coupling and the protein environment on the absorption properties of Chl are discussed in detail.
|
10.1073/pnas.79.4.1121
|
pubmed_414_4314
|
We constructed the microsatellite-based linkage maps using 318 markers typed in two F(1) outbred families of Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri). The results showed an extremely high proportion (56.2%) of non-amplifying null alleles and a high ratio (30%) of segregation distortion. By aligning different individual-based linkage maps, 19 linkage groups were identified, which are consistent with the haploid chromosome number of Zhikong scallop. The integrated linkage map contains 154 markers covering 1561.8 cM with an average intermarker spacing of 12.3 cM and 77.0% of genome coverage. We found that the heterogeneity in recombination rate was not determined by sexes but by different individuals on 18 linkage regions. The phenotypic marker of general shell colour was placed on LG4, which was flanked by microsatellite markers CFLD064 and CFBD055. Four size-related traits including shell length (SL), shell width (SW), shell height (SH) and gross weight (GW) were analysed to identify the putative quantitative trait loci (QTL). Under the half-sib model, using dam as common parent, three, two, two and one QTL affecting SL, SW, SH and GW exceeded the genome-wide thresholds respectively. While using sir as common parent, a larger number of QTL were detected for these four traits: four, five, three and two for SL, SW, SH and GW respectively. The single QTL explained 3.7-19.2% of the phenotypic variation. The linkage map and the QTL associated with economic traits will provide useful information for marker-assisted selection of Zhikong scallop.
|
10.1111/j.1365-2052.2009.01920.x
|
pubmed_827_11919
|
In our study the ability of the isolated microorganisms to produce beta-lactamase was determined. These microorganisms were isolated from sinus punctures of 115 patients before (evaluation I) and after the treatment finished (evaluation III). During first evaluation 93 microorganisms with potential ability to beta-lactamase production were isolated. 24 of them (25.81%) produced beta-lactamase, 69 (74.19%) didn't do it. 57 patients were qualified for amixycillin with potassium clavulanate treatment (subgroup A) and 58 patients for cefuroxime axetil treatment (subgroup B). After the treatment (evaluation III) in the group of 21 isolated microorganisms 6 produced beta-lactamase. The microorganisms producing beta-lactamase were isolated only from the patients where the amoxycillin with potassium clavulanate was administered.
|
pubmed_827_11919
|
pubmed_498_1411
|
OBJECTIVE
Passive body heating can have an antidepressant effect by activating warm-sensitive neural pathways associated with affective functions. Interventional studies showed that patients with depression had reduced depressive symptoms after passive body heating. However, the effect of hot water bathing at home on depressive symptoms in the general population remains unclear. Thus, we evaluated the association between objectively measured hot water bathing and depressive symptoms among older adults.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional analysis.
SETTING
A baseline survey of community-based cohort study in Japan.
PARTICIPANTS
Community-dwelling older volunteers (n = 1,103; mean age: 72.0 years).
MEASUREMENTS
The authors evaluated bathing conditions and distal skin temperature for 2 consecutive days. Depressive symptoms were defined as the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale score of ≥6.
RESULTS
Logistic regression showed that the no bathing group (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36-4.95, χ² = 8.40, degrees of freedom [df] = 1) and the either-day bathing group (adjusted OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.11-2.56, χ² = 5.89, df = 1) had higher odds of depressive symptoms than the both-day bathing group independent of potential confounders including age, sex, body mass index, alcohol intake, income, living alone, hypnotic use, diabetes, and physical activity. Shorter interval from bathing to bedtime was significantly associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms and higher nighttime distal skin temperature after adjusting for water temperature and duration.
CONCLUSION
A higher frequency of hot water bathing and shorter interval from bathing to bedtime were associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms.
|
10.1016/j.jagp.2021.06.010
|
pubmed_362_10006
|
Rapid and accurate identification of pathogens causing infections is one of the biggest challenges in medicine. Timely identification of causative agents and their antimicrobial resistance profile can significantly improve the management of infection, lower costs for healthcare, mitigate ever-growing antimicrobial resistance and in many cases, save lives. Raman spectroscopy was shown to be a useful-quick, non-invasive, and non-destructive -tool for identifying microbes from solid and liquid media. Modifications of Raman spectroscopy and/or pretreatment of samples allow single-cell analyses and identification of microbes from various samples. It was shown that those non-culture-based approaches could also detect antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, recent studies suggest that a combination of Raman spectroscopy with optical tweezers has the potential to identify microbes directly from human body fluids. This review aims to summarize recent advances in non-culture-based approaches of identification of microbes and their virulence factors, including antimicrobial resistance, using methods based on Raman spectroscopy in the context of possible use in the future point-of-care diagnostic process.
|
10.3389/fcimb.2022.866463
|
pubmed_699_17289
|
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Dysregulated apoptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of many hematologic malignancies. BH3-mimetics, antagonists of antiapoptotic BCL-2 proteins, represent novel, and promising cancer drugs. While the acute myelosuppressive effects of Venetoclax, the first Food and Drug Administration approved BCL-2 inhibitor, are fairly well described, little is known about side effects of novel BH3-mimetics and effects of chronic Venetoclax treatment.
RECENT FINDINGS
Highly relevant publications focused on the effects of acute and chronic Venetoclax therapy, with focus on cell-type specific adaptive mechanisms, the emergence of clonal hematopoiesis, and the selection of BAX-mutated hematopoietic cells in patients treated with Venetoclax for a long period. Important advances were made in understanding primary and secondary Venetoclax resistance and prediction of Venetoclax response. Combination therapies of BH3-mimetics targeting different BCL-2 proteins are highly anticipated. However, human stem and progenitors require both MCL-1 and BCL-XL for survival, and serious myelosuppressive effects of combined MCL-1/BCL-XL inhibition can be expected.
SUMMARY
Long-term studies are indispensable to profile the chronic side effects of Venetoclax and novel BH3-mimetics and better balance their risk vs. benefit in cancer therapy. Combination therapies will be powerful, but potentially limited by severe myelosuppression. For precision medicine, a better knowledge of BCL-2 proteins in the healthy and diseased hematopoietic system is required.
|
10.1097/MOH.0000000000000717
|
pubmed_538_24740
|
BACKGROUND
Although airbags are a significant development in automobile safety, they have brought with them new medical problems.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a case of new-onset asthma occurring after exposure to a deployed airbag's contents.
METHODS
A 47-year-old man had a 2.5-year history of chest tightness, decreased exercise tolerance, and nocturnal and activity-associated cough beginning after a head-on motor vehicle collision when he was driving an automobile equipped with dual driver-passenger airbags. The collision activated both airbags, with the driver's side airbag breaking open, filling the automobile with particulates. The driver remained in the car for 3 minutes and developed acute shortness of breath and chest tightness for the first time in his life. He had a smoking history of 1 pack-year 20 years earlier. Before that time he could exercise frequently, running for 30 minutes almost daily without difficulty. After the collision, he had respiratory symptoms at rest and after exercise, requiring daily control and rescue medication. Subsequently, he developed bronchospasm following exposure to nonspecific agents, which he had never previously experienced.
RESULTS
Skin test reactivity was detectable only to dust mite. Methacholine challenge results were markedly positive at 8 weeks and 2.5 years after the incident. Video laryngoscopy revealed normal vocal cord appearance and function.
CONCLUSIONS
Our patient represents the first case, to our knowledge, of new-onset, persistent, irritant-induced asthma following airbag deployment. Physicians should be aware of its possibility after airbag exposure, since prompt institution of aggressive therapy may improve patient outcome and dampen or prevent persistent disease.
|
10.1016/S1081-1206(10)61250-1
|
pubmed_299_23053
|
AIM
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by hyperglycemia. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy in a rural area of South India, among the known diabetics after comparing them with the age-matched healthy controls, utilizing noninvasive cardiac autonomic neuropathy reflex tests.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A case-control study was conducted for 4 months (October 2014 to January 2015) at an Urban Health and Training Center (UHTC) of a Medical College located in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted among 126 diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients and in 152 age- and sex-matched healthy controls to ensure comparability between the cases and controls and, thus, reduce variability due to demographic variables. All the study subjects (cases and controls) were selected from the patients attending UHTC during the study duration, provided they satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Study participants were subjected to undergo noninvasive cardiac autonomic neuropathy reflex tests. The associations were tested using paired t-test for the continuous (mean ± standard deviation) variables.
RESULTS
The overall prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy among diabetic patients was found to be as 53.2% (67/126). On further classification, positive (abnormal) results were obtained in 56 (sympathetic - 44.4%) and 51 (parasympathetic - 40.5%) diabetic cases. Overall, heart rate variation during deep breathing was found to be the most sensitive test to detect parasympathetic autonomic neuropathy while the diastolic blood pressure response to sustained handgrip exercise was the most sensitive method to detect sympathetic neuropathy dysfunction.
CONCLUSION
The overall prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy among diabetic patients was found to be as 53.2%. Even though cardiac autonomic neuropathy can be detected by various invasive tests, noninvasive tests remain a key tool to detect it in the remote settings in a cost-effective and user-friendly manner without making people visit higher centers.
|
10.4103/2231-0770.184067
|
pubmed_205_21152
|
Osteomas are common in otolaryngology, as they often involve the skull and facial bones. On rare occasions, these tumors have also been found in the temporal bone and the tongue. Until now, osteomas have not been encountered in the larynx. We describe the case of a patient who came to our institution with hoarseness and dysphagia and who was found to have an osteoma of the larynx. Radiographic imaging, endoscopy, and pathologic classification confirmed the diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an osteoma of the larynx.
|
pubmed_205_21152
|
pubmed_11_18854
|
Small-molecule, ligand-activated G protein-coupled receptors are generally thought to be rapidly desensitized within a period of minutes through receptor phosphorylation and internalization after repeated or prolonged stimulation. This transient G protein-coupled receptor activation remains at odds with many observed long-lasting cellular and physiological responses. Here, using live cell imaging of cAMP with a FRET-based biosensor and myocyte contraction assay, we show that the catecholamine-activated β1 adrenergic receptor (β1AR) continuously stimulates second messenger cAMP synthesis in primary cardiac myocytes and neurons, which lasts for more than 8 h (a decay t½ of 3.9 h) in cardiac myocytes. However, the β1AR-induced cAMP signal is counterbalanced and masked by the receptor-bound phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4D8-dependent cAMP hydrolysis. Inhibition of PDE4 activity recovers the receptor-induced cAMP signal and promotes contractile response in mouse hearts during extended periods of agonist stimulation. β1AR associates with PDE4D8 through the receptor C-terminal PDZ motif-dependent binding to synaptic-associated protein 97 (SAP97). Knockdown of SAP97 or mutation of the β1AR PDZ motif disrupts the complex and promotes sustained agonist-induced cAMP activity, PKA phosphorylation, and cardiac myocyte contraction response. Together, these findings unveil a long lasting adrenergic signal in neurons and myocytes under prolonged stimulation and an underappreciated role of PDE that is essential in classic receptor signaling desensitization and in maintaining a long lasting cAMP equilibrium for ligand-induced physiological response.
|
10.1074/jbc.M113.542589
|
pubmed_1074_623
|
Signaling molecules released by adipose tissue have been implicated in inflammation, adipocyte dysfunction and systemic insulin resistance. In this study, we used 2-D LC-MS/MS and quantitative proteomics approaches to characterize the obese adipose secretory proteins that are responsive to the thiazolidinediones class of PPAR-γ agonizts. We first showed the differential secretion profiling between obese and lean adipose tissue; 87 proteins were detected from the conditioned medium of adipose tissue of Zucker obese rats compared with 31 from lean rats. A total of 57 proteins comprising immune factors, inflammatory molecules, collagens, proteases, and extracellular matrix proteins were detected from obese, but not lean adipose tissue. More importantly, a quantitative proteomics approach using (18) O proteolytic labeling allowed quantification of the difference in the secretion levels of 77 proteins, and thiazolidinediones treatment suppressed the secretion of most of the obese adipose tissue secretome, thus resembling a lean tissue. We have demonstrated an application of identifying the obese adipose secretome and characterizing the regulation of adipose secretion in obesity and insulin resistance. Our data provide the first evidence of changes in adipose secretion in obesity at a global level and show that such changes are correlated with systemic insulin resistance.
|
10.1002/prca.200900026
|
pubmed_794_13105
|
Eugenia uniflora linnaeus, known as Brazilian cherry, is widely distributed in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. E. uniflora L. extracts contain phenolic compounds, such as flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, and sesquiterpenes. The antimicrobial action of essential oils has been attributed to their compositions of bioactive compounds, such as sesquiterpenes. In this paper, the fruit extract of E. uniflora was used to synthesize silver and gold nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis, transmission electron microscopy, elemental analysis, FTIR, and Zeta potential measurement. The silver and gold nanoparticles prepared with fruit extracts presented sizes of ~32 nm and 11 nm (diameter), respectively, and Zeta potentials of -22 mV and -14 mV. The antimicrobial tests were performed with Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and Candida albicans. The growth inhibition of EuAgNPs prepared with and without photoreduction showed the important functional groups in the antimicrobial activity.
|
10.3390/microorganisms10050999
|
pubmed_898_21092
|
Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is the most prevalent type of chronic liver disease with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. ALD begins with simple hepatic steatosis and progresses to alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. The severity of hepatic steatosis is highly associated with the development of later stages of ALD. This review explores the disturbances of alcohol-induced hepatic lipid metabolism through altered hepatic lipid uptake, de novo lipid synthesis, fatty acid oxidation, hepatic lipid export, and lipid droplet formation and catabolism. In addition, we review emerging data on the contributions of genetics and bioactive lipid metabolism in alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation.
|
10.1194/jlr.R119000547
|
pubmed_470_11947
|
A technique for controlled deposition of biomaterials and cells in specific and complex architectures is described. It employs a highly accurate three-dimensional micropositioning system with a pressure-controlled syringe to deposit biopolymer structures with a lateral resolution of 5 microm. The pressure-activated microsyringe is equipped with a fine-bore exit needle and a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional patterns on which cells to be deposited can adhere. The system has been characterized in terms of deposition parameters such as applied pressure, motor speed, line width and height, and polymer viscosity, and a fluid dynamic model simulating the deposition process has been developed, allowing an accurate prediction of the topological characteristics of the polymer structures.
|
10.1089/107632702320934182
|
pubmed_623_16378
|
Molecular dynamics simulations have been analyzed with the Grid Cell Theory (GCT) method to spatially resolve the binding enthalpies and entropies of water molecules at the interface of 17 structurally diverse proteins. Correlations between computed energetics and structural descriptors have been sought to facilitate the development of simple models of protein hydration. Little correlation was found between GCT-computed binding enthalpies and continuum electrostatics calculations. A simple count of contacts with functional groups in charged amino acids correlates well with enhanced water stabilization, but the stability of water near hydrophobic and polar residues depends markedly on its coordination environment. The positions of X-ray-resolved water molecules correlate with computed high-density hydration sites, but many unresolved waters are significantly stabilized at the protein surfaces. A defining characteristic of ligand-binding pockets compared to nonbinding pockets was a greater solvent-accessible volume, but average water thermodynamic properties were not distinctive from other interfacial regions. Interfacial water molecules are frequently stabilized by enthalpy and destabilized entropy with respect to bulk, but counter-examples occasionally occur. Overall detailed inspection of the local coordinating environment appears necessary to gauge the thermodynamic stability of water in protein structures.
|
10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b07993
|
pubmed_388_875
|
Variation existed in the recognition of histologic features commonly used in the evaluation of cerebellar gliomas of childhood. Some histologic features (e.g., perivascular pseudorosettes, leptomeningeal deposits, and calcification) were more reliably observed than were others (e.g., Rosenthal fibers, cell density, and hypervascularity). Knowledge of which features tend to have greater observational variation may lead to improved definitions, less reliance of these features in clinical decisions, further studies of the potential sources of the variation, and guidelines for minimizing observational variation.
|
10.1093/jnci/58.2.175
|
pubmed_214_18282
|
Nucleosome assembly proteins (NAPs) are histone chaperones that play a central role in facilitating chromatin assembly/disassembly which is of fundamental importance for DNA replication, gene expression regulation, and progression through the cell cycle. In vitro, NAPs bind to the core histones H2A, H2B, H3, H4 and possibly to H1. The NAP family contains well-characterized and dedicated histone chaperone domain called the NAP domain, and the NAP-histone interactions are key to deciphering chromatin assembly. Our comparative structural analysis of the three three-dimensional structures of NAPs from S. cerevisiae, C. elegans, and A. thaliana in complex with the histone H2A-H2B dimer reveals distinct and diverse binding of NAPs with histones. The three NAPs employ distinct surfaces for recognizing the H2A-H2B dimer and vice versa. Though histones are highly conserved across species they display diverse footprints on NAPs. Our analysis indicates that understanding of NAPs and their interaction with histone H2A-H2B remains sparse. Due to divergent knowledge from the current structures analyzed here, investigations into the dynamic nature of NAP-histone interactions are warranted.
|
10.1186/s13072-022-00452-9
|
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