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pubmed_112_6472
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Open fenestrations are a conspicuous feature of sinusoidal endothelial cells and allow free movement of plasma into the space of Disse. In hepatic fibrosis, the number of fenestrations decreases as interstitial collagen increases in the liver, a change that correlates with deposition of extracellular matrix in the space of Disse. In this study, the possibility of a causal relationship between altered fenestral morphology and perisinusoidal matrix has been examined by culturing rat sinusoidal endothelial cells on individual matrix proteins or on a native matrix consisting of human amniotic membrane with interstitial collagen (types I and III) on one side and basement membrane proteins (collagen types IV and V and laminin) on the other. Under culture conditions, individual components of the extracellular matrix failed to maintain fenestrations. A basement-membranelike gel matrix derived from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm tumor war similarly ineffective. Fenestral density and porosity (percentage of cell surface occupied by fenestrations) were significantly enhanced, however, when endothelial cells were cultured on the basement-membrane side of human amnion. These data suggest that support of endothelial fenestrations requires a complex matrix. In particular, physiologically derived basement membrane maintains fenestrations, whereas interstitial collagen matrix does not. The loss of fenestrations associated with hepatic fibrosis may be related in part to an accumulation of interstitial collagens in the space of Disse.
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10.1002/hep.1840150603
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pubmed_1013_5668
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Bis-propargylcalix[4]arene-stabilized silver nanoparticles (BPCA-Ag NPs), as a chemosensor for detecting an isocarbophos (ICP) pesticide in an aqueous medium, are reported in this work. The nanoparticles were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. It was observed that the BPCA-Ag NPs had a high selectivity for isocarbophos with a detection limit of 1.0 × 10-6 M. According to the result of this research, the BPCA-Ag NPs were found to be useful for the colorimetric detection of isocarbophos in an aqueous medium. It provides a new method for in situ detection of isocarbophos using host-guest interaction.
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10.1007/s44211-022-00102-w
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pubmed_1109_11722
|
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Relapsing and recurrent peritonitis episodes are important causes of treatment failure in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study explored whether the level of bacteria-derived DNA fragment in PD effluent predicts the development of relapsing or recurrent peritonitis.
DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
The study included 143 patients with PD peritonitis in a dialysis unit between September 2010 and December 2011. Every 5 days until antibiotic treatment ended, PD effluent was collected to determine bacteria-derived DNA fragment level, which is represented by the number of PCR cycles at which bacterial DNA could be detected. Patients were followed for the development of relapsing or recurrent peritonitis.
RESULTS
Thirty-nine patients were excluded because of immediate treatment failure or incorrect diagnosis. Of the other 104 patients, 15 (14.4%) developed relapsing peritonitis, 3 (2.9%) had recurrent peritonitis, and 5 (4.8%) had repeat episodes. Patients with relapsing or recurrent peritonitis episodes had significantly higher levels of bacterial DNA fragment in PD effluent than those without relapsing or recurrence, both 5 days before (31.9 ± 3.4 versus 34.3 ± 3.0 cycles; P=0.002) and on the day of (32.3 ± 2.6 versus 34.1 ± 1.7 cycles; P<0.001) completion of antibiotics. When bacterial DNA fragment detectable by 34 PCR cycles 5 days before the completion of antibiotics is used as the cutoff, it has a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 60.5% for the prediction of relapsing or recurrent peritonitis.
CONCLUSIONS
Bacterial DNA fragment levels in PD effluent are significantly higher, both 5 days before and on the date of completion of antibiotics, among patients who subsequently develop relapsing or recurrent peritonitis than among those cured by antibiotics. Further studies are needed to validate these results and confirm the clinical utility of dialysate bacterial DNA fragment level.
|
10.2215/CJN.02360213
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pubmed_279_9734
|
OBJECTIVES
This study addresses the question of whether inequalities in premature mortality related to educational level differ among countries.
METHODS
Data on mortality by educational level were obtained from longitudinal studies from nine industrialized countries. The data referred to men between 35 and 64 years of age. The follow-up periods occurred between 1970 and 1982. The size of mortality differences associated with educational level was measured by means of two inequality indices, both based on Poisson regression analysis.
RESULTS
Inequalities in mortality are relatively small in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway and about two times as large in the United States, France, and Italy. Finland and England and Wales occupy intermediate positions. The large inequalities in mortality in the United States and France can be attributed in part to large inequalities in education in these countries.
CONCLUSIONS
The international pattern found in this study was also observed in a comparison that used occupation as the socioeconomic indicator. Differences between countries in levels of inequality in mortality may be partially explained by the countries' different levels of egalitarian social and economic policies.
|
10.2105/ajph.84.6.932
|
pubmed_629_11756
|
PURPOSE
To determine an index that distinguishes keratoconus and keratoconus-suspect eyes from normal eyes with Orbscan (Bausch & Lomb) corneal elevation maps.
SETTING
Department of Ophthalmology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, and iLaser Centre, Island Hospital, Penang, Malaysia.
METHODS
In this initial phase of this multicenter nonrandomized retrospective study, 1 eye of 166 normal subjects, 15 keratoconus patients, and 11 keratoconus suspects was examined at 1 clinic. The anterior best-fit sphere (BFS), posterior BFS, anterior elevation, posterior elevation, and maximum and minimum keratometries were analyzed. Two indices with the highest sensitivity and specificity classifying these conditions were identified using receiver operating characteristic curves. These 2 indices were evaluated in a subsequent validation study using 1 eye of 221 normal subjects, 43 keratoconus patients, and 23 keratoconus suspects from another clinic.
RESULTS
The anterior elevation and anterior elevation ratio (anterior elevation ratio = anterior elevation/anterior BFS) best classified the different groups. An anterior elevation ratio of 0.5122 mm or less had 99% sensitivity and 95.2% specificity while a ratio 16.5 mum or less had 80.1% sensitivity and 80.8% specificity in discriminating normal eyes from keratoconus and keratoconus suspects. The results were similar in the validation study. In addition, these anterior elevation and anterior elevation ratio cutoff values had high sensitivity and specificity in identifying keratoconus suspects from normal eyes in the validation study.
CONCLUSION
Anterior corneal elevation parameters are clinically relevant measures for detecting keratoconus and suspected keratoconus eyes.
|
10.1016/j.jcrs.2006.02.060
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pubmed_649_22572
|
Double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) is a technique devised in an attempt to selectively remove pathogenetic macromolecules such as antibodies, immune complexes or viscosity-increasing substances directly from blood. In order to realize the differential filtration principle, two filters, one for separation of plasma and another for fractionation of plasma components, are installed in an extracorporeal circulation line. Selective separation of the plasma components is dependent on the filtration property of the two filters. Clinical experiences evidence the usefulness of this technique in regard to conservation of human blood products for supplementation.
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pubmed_649_22572
|
pubmed_1098_2647
|
Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China's pharmaceutical industry from 2000 to 2019, this paper proposes to combine the super efficiency SBM model and GML productivity index to calculate the static and dynamic green total factor productivity (GTFP). Then, the Tobit model is adopted for regression analysis on how environmental regulations, government R&D subsidies, and their cross-terms affect the GTFP. Findings suggest that: (1) Static analysis reveals that the GTFP in China's pharmaceutical industry is markedly different among provinces and regions, and the dynamic analysis shows an upward trend from 2000 to 2019. (2) The GTFP of the pharmaceutical industry and environmental rules are connected in a U-shape. The government R&D subsidies to GTFP are positive and significant, and with the expansion of government R&D subsidies, the promotion effect of environmental regulations on GTFP is enhanced. Therefore, it is necessary to set up differentiated environmental regulations systems in different provinces and increase R&D subsidies to promote the pharmaceutical industry's green development.
|
10.3389/fpubh.2022.1018968
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pubmed_827_11271
|
Histidinol phosphate phosphatase (HisPPase) catalyzes the eighth step of histidine biosynthesis, in which L-histidinol phosphate undergoes dephosphorylation to give histidinol. A recombinant form of the histidinol phosphate phosphatase from Thermus thermophilus HB8 has been expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized in two crystal forms by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique. Crystal form I belongs to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 84.8, b = 97.2, c = 74.9 A, and crystal form II belongs to the orthorhombic space group C222(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 76.9, b = 157.6, c = 116.7 A. The crystals probably contain two monomers in the asymmetric unit, with V(M) values of 2.57 A(3) Da(-1) for form I and 2.96 A(3) Da(-1) for form II. X-ray data have been collected to 1.70 and 1.75 A resolution for crystal forms I and II, respectively.
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10.1107/S0907444904000277
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pubmed_396_1541
|
Using an in vitro translation assay to screen a human brain cDNA library, we isolated the microtubule-associated protein Tau and determined it to be a caspase-3 substrate whose C-terminal cleavage occurred during neuronal apoptosis. DeltaTau, the 50-kDa cleavage product, was detected by Western blot in apoptotic cortical cells probed with anti-PHF-1 and anti-Tau-5 antibodies, but not anti-T-46 antibody which recognizes the C-terminus. Overexpression of DeltaTau in SK-N-BE2(C) cells significantly increased the incidence of cell death. Staurosporine-induced Tau cleavage was blocked by 20 microM z-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-chloromethylketone, a caspase-3 inhibitor, and in vitro, Tau was selectively cleaved by caspase-3 or calpain, a calcium-activated protease, but not by caspases-1, -8, or -9. (D421E)-Tau, a mutant in which Asp421 was replaced with a Glu, was resistant to cleavage by caspase-3 and tended to suppress staurosporine-induced cell death more efficiently than did wild-type Tau in both transient and stable expression systems. Finally, the incidence of DeltaTau-induced cell death was augmented by expression of Abeta precursor protein (APP) or Swedish APP mutant. Taken together, these results suggest that the caspase-3 cleavage product of Tau may contribute to the progression of neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease.
|
10.1006/nbdi.2000.0335
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pubmed_421_11071
|
OBJECTIVE
No previous study examined impact of dementia in the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We aimed to investigate overall survival (OS) of patients with dementia after receiving HSCT.
METHODS
Among 8,230 patients who underwent HSCT between 2002 and 2018, 5,533 patients younger than 50 years were first excluded. Remaining patients were divided into those who were and were not diagnosed with dementia before HSCT (dementia group: n = 31; no dementia: n = 2,666). Thereafter, among 2,666 participants without dementia, 93 patients were selected via propensity-matched score as non-dementia group. Patients were followed from the day they received HSCT to the occurrence of death or the last follow-up day (December 31, 2018), whichever came first.
RESULTS
With median follow-up of 621 days for dementia group and 654 days for non-dementia group, 2 year-OS of dementia group was lower than that of non-dementia group (53.3% [95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 59.0-80.2%] vs. 68.8% [95% CI, 38.0-68.2%], p = 0.076). In multivariate analysis, dementia had significant impacts on OS (hazard risk = 2.539, 95% CI, 1.166-4.771, p = 0.017).
CONCLUSION
Our results indicated that patients diagnosed with dementia before HSCT have 2.539 times higher risk of mortality after transplantation than those not having dementia. With number of elderly needing HSCT is increasing, further work to establish treatment guidelines for the management of HSCT in people with dementia is needed.
|
10.9758/cpn.2021.19.2.294
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pubmed_363_22290
|
In this report we describe the development of a highly stringent and dually regulated promoter system for Shigella flexneri. Dual regulation was provided by utilizing a promoter susceptible to control by the bacteriophage P1 temperature-sensitive C1 repressor that in turn was under the transcriptional control of LacI. The level of induction/repression ratios observed was up to 3700-fold in S. flexneri. The general utility of this promoter system was evaluated by demonstrating that the bacteriophage P1 post-segregational killer protein Doc mediates a bactericidal effect in S. flexneri. This represents the first report of Doc (death on curing)-mediated killing in this Gram-negative species.
|
10.1111/j.1574-6968.2002.tb11396.x
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pubmed_139_14517
|
Thirty-nine mentally normal unrelated children diagnosed as having febrile convulsions were included in this study. The following have been carried out: (a) detailed anamnesis and clinical examination; (b) cerebrospinal fluid investigation; (c) EEG examination between attacks; (d) HLA-antigen determination; (e) estimation of serum IgA, IgG, IgM; and (f) counting of percent spontaneous E-rosette formation. The results were statistically compared to normal Egyptian controls. The results could be summarised as follows. (1) Only HLA-B5 antigen frequency is high among patients (chi 2c = 19.1, P less than 0.0001). Relative risk is 4.4 which shows significant association (WY2 = 29.145, P less than 0.0001) and etiologic fraction equals 0.377. (2) The means of IgA and E-rosette in the patients were significantly low (t = 3.46, P less than 0.01 and t = 3.92, P less than 0.001, respectively), (3) HLA-B5 is the only antigen with high frequency among the two groups of patients with low IgA and E-rosette (chi 2c = 11.9 and 18.2, respectively). (4) There is a significant association between B5 and low IgA (P less than 0.05) but not with low E-rosette (P greater than 0.05). The suggestion is that the genetic control of febrile convulsions is in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B5, low IgA and low total T-cells. This altered immune function in otherwise normal children with febrile convulsions may predispose them to acute infections and high fever which precipitate convulsions.
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pubmed_139_14517
|
pubmed_662_11934
|
In a comparison of the performance of active (n=15) and passive (n=15) mechanically yoked subjects who learned their way through a tactile maze, it was shown that active subjects mad more errors and took a greater number of trials to reach criterion than did passive subjects. In addition, the difference between active and passive performance was largely accounted for by the greater number of repeated errors made by active subjects. In a second experiment it was found that the poorer performance of active subjects could be attributed to the interfering effects of decisions about which way to move. However, the responsibility for the production of movement had no effect on performance. it was argued that the results reflected limits to the cognitive system, not the haptic system.
|
10.1111/j.2044-8295.1981.tb02194.x
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pubmed_1081_2423
|
BACKGROUND
Despite well-established criteria for identifying the critical view of safety (CVS) during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, its impact on intraoperative decision-making among trainees is unclear.
METHODS
General surgery interns (n = 10) viewed a training module on the CVS criteria and then independently reviewed 20 cholecystectomy videos lasting 1 min each edited at various points of CVS dissection to include examples of both adequate and inadequate dissections. Participants were asked to identify the following CVS criteria for each video-(1) clearance of fat from the hepatocystic triangle; (2) exposure of the cystic plate; and (3) two and only two structures entering the gallbladder-and then decide if the structures were safe to divide.
RESULTS
Inter-rater agreement for each CVS criteria varied: (1) (k = 0.2510), (2) (k = 0.2771), and (3) (k = 0.4298) as did the decision to divide critical structures (k = 0.371). Individual mean rate of dividing structures ranged 5-50% and did not correlate with the total number of CVS criteria identified by each participant (Spearman's rho = 0.247, p = 0.492). Division of structures with incomplete CVS identification occurred in 15% of cases and was isolated to one participant in the majority of cases (88%). Among these cases, omission of the cystic plate dissection occurred in every instance.
CONCLUSIONS
Identification of CVS criteria was not uniform with the least amount of agreement on adequate hepatocystic and cystic plate dissection. Individual variation also exists between identification of CVS criteria and likelihood to divide structures. Video-based assessments that include intraoperative decision-making can help assess individual perceptions of safe practices without the risk of harm to the patient.
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10.1007/s00464-018-6385-8
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pubmed_726_13428
|
Platelets, as well as regulating blood hemostasis, are an important component of the body's defense against invading microbial pathogens. We previously reported that platelets protect during malaria infection by binding Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes (IE) and killing the parasite within. More recent studies have now revealed the platelet plasmocidal factor, platelet factor 4 (PF4) and the red cell-expressed Duffy-antigen molecule as the central players in the parasite killing activity of platelets.
|
10.4161/cib.23653
|
pubmed_699_14744
|
Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to massive cardiomyocyte death and deposition of collagen fibers. This fibrous tissue disrupts electrical signaling in the myocardium, leading to cardiac systolic and diastolic dysfunction, as well as arrhythmias. Conductive hydrogels are a promising therapeutic strategy for MI. Here, we prepared a highly water-soluble conductive material (GP) by grafting polypyrrole (PPy) onto non-conductive gelatin. This component was added to the gel system formed by the Schiff base reaction between oxidized xanthan gum (OXG) and gelatin to construct an injectable conductive hydrogel. The prepared self-healing OGGP3 (3 wt% GP) hydrogel had good biocompatibility, elastic modulus, and electrical conductivity that matched the natural heart. The prepared biomaterials were injected into the rat myocardial scar tissue 2 days after MI. We found that the cardiac function of the rats treated with OGGP3 was improved, making it more difficult to induce arrhythmias. The electrical resistivity of myocardial fibrous tissue was reduced, and the conduction velocity of myocardial tissue was increased. Histological analysis showed reduced infarct size, increased left ventricular wall thickness, increased vessel density, and decreased inflammatory response in the infarcted area. Our findings clearly demonstrate that the OGGP3 hydrogel attenuates ventricular remodeling and inhibits infarct dilation, thus showing its potential for the treatment of MI.
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10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.06.001
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pubmed_617_16622
|
CONTEXT
New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) has been associated with cardiovascular and thrombotic complications, acute rejection, and infection in transplant recipients. NODAT in kidney transplantation is well described; however, data are lacking in liver transplant recipients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the incidence of new-onset diabetes within 6 months postoperatively in adult liver transplant recipients. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, SETTING, AND INTERVENTIONS: Patients who underwent a liver transplantation at our institution between January 2004 and December 2005 were retrospectively evaluated. NODAT was defined according to the diagnostic criteria of the American Diabetes Association/World Health Organization, persistent hyperglycemia (serum glucose > or = 200 mg/dL occurring 2 weeks after initial steroid induction and persisting for more than 2 weeks), or the need for hypoglycemic agents upon discharge.
MAIN OUTCOMES
Incidence of NODAT within 6 months after transplantation in patients with poor glycemic control within the first 2 weeks after transplantation, acute rejection episodes, infections, hospital readmissions, and cardiovascular and thrombotic events.
RESULTS
Forty-five patients were evaluated. Within the first 6 months after transplantation, NODAT developed in 11 (24%). Acute rejection, infection, hospital readmissions, cardiovascular events, and thrombotic events did not differ between the groups.
CONCLUSION
Elevated fasting levels of blood glucose during the first 2 weeks after liver transplantation may be associated with an increased incidence of NODAT and may have predictive value. More studies are needed to determine the effects of recognition and treatment of hyperglycemia in recent transplant recipients.
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10.1177/152692480901900403
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pubmed_624_17651
|
We have analyzed the intracellular transport of endocytosed ricin in the human breast carcinoma cell line T47D. Cells were incubated with ricin (10 micrograms/ml) for 1 h at 37 degrees C. Marked reduction in the protein synthesis did not take place until the end of this period. To detect ricin immunocytochemically, a rabbit anti-ricin serum was used. Gel electrophoresis followed by immunoblotting revealed that the antiserum reacted specifically with ricin and detected both the ricin A-chain and the ricin B-chain. Immunofluorescence experiments showed endocytosed ricin in endosomal and lysosomal vacuoles throughout the cytoplasm, as well as in a typical perinuclear position corresponding to the Golgi region. Using the monoclonal mouse antibody 115D8 directed toward the high-molecular-weight membrane glycoprotein MAM-6 of human breast epithelial cells, we similarly obtained a swarms of small vesicles throughout the cytoplasm. To further analyze the apparent colocalization of ricin and MAM-6 in the perinuclear Golgi region, immunogold cytochemistry on ultracryosections was performed. MAM-6 was detected mainly in Golgi stacks and associated trans-Golgi network (TGN) profiles, in 0.1 to 0.2-micron secretory vesicles, and on the cell surface. Ricin was detected on the cell surface, in endosomes and lysosomes, and also in the TGN. Furthermore, by using immunogold double labeling, internalized ricin was found to colocalize with MAM-6 in the TGN.
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10.1016/0014-4827(89)90307-8
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pubmed_484_17964
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In the circulation, most of the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), and IGFBP proteases are bound in high molecular mass complexes of > or =150 kDa. To investigate molecular interactions between proteins involved in IGF.IGFBP complexes, Cohn fraction IV of human plasma was subjected to IGF-II affinity chromatography followed by reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatography and analysis of bound proteins. Mass spectrometry and Western blotting revealed the presence of IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5, transferrin, plasminogen, prekallikrein, antithrombin III, and the soluble IGF-II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor in the eluate. Furthermore, an IGFBP-3 protease cleaving also IGFBP-2 but not IGFBP-4 was co-purified from the IGF-II column. Inhibitor studies and IGFBP-3 zymography have demonstrated that the 92-kDa IGFBP-3 protease belongs to the class of serine-dependent proteases. IGF-II ligand blotting and surface plasmon resonance spectrometry have been used to identify plasminogen as a novel high affinity IGF-II-binding protein capable of binding to IGFBP-3 with 50-fold higher affinity than transferrin. In combination with transferrin, the overall binding constant of plasminogen/transferrin for IGF-II was reduced 7-fold. Size exclusion chromatography of the IGF-II matrix eluate revealed that transferrin, plasminogen, and the IGFBP-3 protease are present in different high molecular mass complexes of > or =440 kDa. The present data indicate that IGFs, low and high affinity IGFBPs, several IGFBP-associated proteins, and IGFBP proteases can interact, which may result in the formation of binary, ternary, and higher molecular weight complexes capable of modulating IGF binding properties and the stability of IGFBPs.
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10.1074/jbc.M411754200
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pubmed_371_9661
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The aim of the present study was to investigate the spatial distribution of Ca and P in dentin and enamel of developing first (M1) and second (M2) maxillary hamster molars (age: 3-5 days) in comparison with cultured molars. For culturing the germs were dissected from 3-day-old hamsters and incubated for 1 and 2 days, respectively, in a modified BGJb medium. Electron probe X-ray measurements were carried out on 3 regions extending in a vertical axis from cusp tip over cusp middle to cusp base next to the cervical loop region. Neither the in vivo nor the in vitro group was statistically different in the Ca and P concentration in the regions of dentin. In both groups the measurements in enamel showed a gradient with an increase in Ca and P from enamel surface towards dentin-enamel junction and a gradient with an increase from cusp base towards cusp tip. Direct comparison of the in vivo group with the in vitro group did not demonstrate a statistical difference between the mineral content of the 4-day-old germs and the 1-day culture germs, respectively the 5-day-old germs and the 2-day culture germs. The results indicate a high correspondence between the mineralization process of in vitro and in vivo tooth germ development.
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10.1159/000147080
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pubmed_68_2503
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Given the increased use of economic evaluation to inform decision making in the health service, it is particularly important that the research methods used are critically assessed and, where possible, improved. The systematic handling of uncertainty in economic evaluation is an important area that remains methodologically underdeveloped. With the increased use of the clinical trial as a vehicle for economic evaluation, there has been recent interest in how the statistical methods routinely employed to handle uncertainty in clinical research might be applied to economic evaluation. This paper reviews the types of uncertainty that exist in economic evaluation and argues that some forms of uncertainty are not amenable to statistical methods. Sensitivity analysis is not a single approach but can take a number of different forms. The different types of sensitivity analysis are reviewed, with an indication of their strengths and weaknesses in relation to the different types of uncertainty in economic evaluation.
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10.1002/hec.4730030206
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pubmed_146_15882
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Structural and spectroscopic elucidation of merocyanine dye, 2,5-[1-metyl-4-[2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethenyl)]piridinium]-hexane tetraphenylborate, is performed in gas and condense phase by means of solution and solid-state conventional and linear-polarized IR-spectroscopy of oriented colloids in nematic liquid crystal suspension, UV-vis and fluorescence methods, HPLC MS/MS tandem and ESI mass spectrometry, (1)H, (13)C and (1)H-(1)H COSY NMR, TGV and DSC methods. Quantum chemical DFT calculations are performed for structural optimization and spectroscopic properties prediction.
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10.1016/j.saa.2008.02.036
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pubmed_938_12378
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It is known that the virulent strain of Rickettsia prowazekii grows in macrophagelike cell lines, but if the rickettsiae are treated with antirickettsial serum before infection, the intracellular rickettsiae fail to grow and are destroyed. The uptake of rickettsiae by macrophagelike cell lines was increased by treatment of the rickettsiae with immune serum and with purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) from this serum but not by treatment with the F(ab')2 fragment derived from this IgG. This suggested that the normal rickettsial pathway of entry could be augmented by the Fc receptor-mediated pathway. However, rickettsiae treated with these F(ab')2 fragments which contained no Fc region were destroyed as effectively as those treated with immune serum or IgG. Internalization of R. prowazekii (whether virulent, avirulent, treated, or untreated) did not lead to an increased release of CO2 from [1-14C]glucose, an increase that would have been indicative of a respiratory burst. Furthermore, a mutant macrophagelike cell line, incapable of a respiratory burst, was able to destroy rickettsiae treated with immune serum as effectively as did the parental cell line. Electron micrographs of macrophagelike cells which had been incubated with either antirickettsial IgG or with F(ab')2 fragments derived from this IgG both demonstrated marked deterioration of the rickettsiae, which were primarily within vacuoles but occasionally free in the cytoplasm. In contrast, untreated rickettsiae displayed morphologically normal rickettsiae which were mostly in the cytoplasm but occasionally in the intact and damaged vacuoles. These results indicated that (i) a respiratory burst was not a significant part of the mechanism used by macrophagelike cells to destroy R. prowazekii treated with immune serum, (ii) the destruction of the rickettsiae by the macrophage was not dependent on a diversion to the Fc receptor-mediated pathway of entry, and (iii) the locus of damage to the rickettsiae was most likely the phagolysosome of the macrophagelike cell line.
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10.1128/iai.57.8.2390-2396.1989
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pubmed_920_3185
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Microplastic Particles (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants widely found in aquatic ecosystems. Although MPs are mostly retained in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), a high number of MPs reaches the open waters potentially contributing to the spread of pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in the environment. Nowadays, a limited number of studies have focused on the role of MPs as carriers of potentially pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in WWTPs. Thus, an investigation on the community composition (by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) and the abundance of antibiotic and metal resistance genes (by qPCR) of the biofilm on MPs (the plastisphere) and of planktonic bacteria in treated (pre- and post-disinfection) wastewaters was performed. MPs resulted to be very similar in terms of type, color, size, and chemical composition, before and after the disinfection. The bacterial community on MPs differed from the planktonic community in terms of richness, composition, and structure of the community network. Potentially pathogenic bacteria generally showed higher abundances in treated wastewater than in the biofilm on MPs. Furthermore, among the tested resistance genes, only sul2 (a common resistance gene against sulfonamides) resulted to be more abundant in the plastisphere than in the planktonic bacterial community. Our results suggest that the wastewater plastisphere could promote the spread of pathogenic bacteria and resistance genes in aquatic environment although with a relatively lower contribution than the wastewater planktonic bacterial community.
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10.1016/j.watres.2021.117368
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pubmed_730_13146
|
OBJECTIVE
To test interventions to decrease the utilization of hospital emergency departments (EDs) for routine, nonemergent health care among Medicaid recipients.
METHODS
Families of a Medicaid-recipient child presenting to a children's hospital ED for nonurgent problems received information from either a health professional or a clerical employee about the importance of a primary care provider and assistance with making an appointment to the provider of their choice. The health professional continued to work with her assigned families in eliminating barriers to appropriate utilization of a primary care provider for up to 3 months after the index ED visit. A third (comparison) group received no intervention. Subsequent health care utilization for each enrollee was tracked via Ohio Medicaid claims data throughout the four subsequent 6-month periods after the index ED visit.
RESULTS
Children in the intervention groups had 11.1% and 14.5% fewer nonurgent ED visits in the 6 months after the index ED visit with a concomitant decrease in cost for this type of care when compared with the comparison group during the same time period. No difference in the number of preventive or ill-child primary care visits was seen. There was no difference in health care cost or utilization in the time period 6 to 24 months after the intervention.
CONCLUSIONS
Interventions in pediatric EDs aimed at decreasing subsequent ED utilization for nonurgent care can be effective, resulting in modest decreases in the cost of health care for a Medicaid population.
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10.1542/peds.102.1.20
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pubmed_428_3868
|
Multi-electrode bioelectrochemical treatment system (ME-BET; membrane less) consisting of six electrode assemblies (E1-E6) was designed and fabricated for the treatment of complex chemical based wastewater with high salt concentration. The performance was compared with single electrode assembly BET reactor (SE-BET). Enhanced TDS and COD removal was observed in ME-BET (32%; 56%) compared to SE-BET (15%; 23%) as a result of in situ bio-potential from multi-electrodes through the oxidation of organic substrate in the wastewater. Inorganic pollutants viz., nitrates (28%; 8%), sulphates (25%; 9%) and phosphates (20%; 7%) removal was higher in ME-BET in comparison with SE-BET and this was also supported with bioelectrogenic activity (584; 160mW/m3). The study infers that designing of compact reactors with multiple electrodes in a single system enhances the anodic reactions and enable effective treatment of complex wastewaters with simultaneous power production.
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10.1016/j.biortech.2017.05.048
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pubmed_102_948
|
This month we feature two articles which discuss the performance of medical record review activities on the inpatient nursing unit by medical record professionals so that readers may profit by comparing and contrasting the viewpoints of the authors. This article highlights the appropriateness of having medical record professionals perform these activities.
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pubmed_102_948
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pubmed_674_19530
|
BACKGROUND
Malnutrition and weight loss are common features of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
AIM
To explore the impact of inadequate gestational weight gain (GWG) on adverse outcomes among IBD mothers in the prospective US pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Neonatal Outcomes (PIANO) cohort.
METHODS
The PIANO cohort comprises 559 and 363 pregnant mothers with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), respectively, enrolled between 2006 and 2014. The mothers were followed during and after pregnancy to ascertain medication, measurement of disease activity and complications during pregnancy and at delivery. Inadequate GWG was based on US Institute of Medicine recommendations. The associations between inadequate GWG and adverse pregnancy outcomes in maternal IBD were analyzed, adjusted for diabetes, hypertension, smoking, maternal age, education, and disease activity.
RESULTS
Maternal CD and UC with inadequate GWG had a 2.5-fold increased risk of preterm birth (OR 2.5, CI 1.3, 4.9 and OR 2.5, CI 1.2, 5.6). Furthermore, an increased risk of intrauterine growth restriction and a trend for small for gestational age were demonstrated in CD but not in UC (OR 3.3, CI 1.1, 10.0, OR 4.5, CI 0.8, 24.3, p = 0.08). Flares increased risk of inadequate GWG (OR 1.6, CI 1.2, 2.3, p = 0.002) but did not change the associations between inadequate GWG and adverse pregnancy outcomes in our models.
CONCLUSION
The US PIANO cohort demonstrated that inadequate GWG was a strong independent predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes in IBD mothers.
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10.1007/s10620-017-4547-5
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pubmed_1090_17551
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We report a 9-year-old girl who developed recurrent urticaria, arthritis and serious renal involvement. She was treated by prednisolone with considerable improvement. Biopsy examinations revealed cutaneous vasculitis and moderate mesangial proliferation with crescents and tubulo-interstitial nephritis on light microscopy. Immunofluorescence study showed IgG, IgM and complement deposits in the mesangium and along the capillary wall. On electron microscopy, electron-dense deposits were identified in the mesangium and paramesangium. Her disease resembled the hypocomplementemic vasculitis syndrome, but her serum complement values were normal throughout the course of the illness. The pathogenesis of her disease is unknown, but it seems to be a sort of systemic immune-complex disease.
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pubmed_1090_17551
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pubmed_734_21450
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OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to review the experimental staining procedures performed in in-vitro studies for evaluating color stability of resin-based composites used for direct restorations.
OVERVIEW
A review was performed with the purpose to identify in vitro procedures carried out to establish staining and color stability of resin-based composites used for direct restorations. A literature search was performed on four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science) for articles published from January 1st 2001 till March 20th 2021, using a combination of free words and Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms: "Composite Resins" AND "Color Stability" OR "Staining." Two reviewers screened titles and/or abstracts of 1728 unique studies. In total, 208 studies were selected for full-text reading, from which 178 were included in the review. The assessed variables were specimen dimensions, shape, and surface finishing; time before immersion; staining media type, dwell time, temperature and renewal interval; type of composite; color and translucency assessment parameters and measuring system. One hundred and seventy-eight articles analyzed color stability with staining liquids. Coffee was the most used staining medium (n = 102), followed by tea (n = 61), and red wine (n = 55). A disc-shaped specimen was used in most studies (n = 170) with a 2 mm thickness (n = 116). Spectrophotometers were the most used color assessment devices (n = 154), followed by colorimeters (n = 17). Color differences were quantified with ΔE (n = 154), ΔE00 (n = 23). Acceptability and or perceptibility thresholds were also taken into consideration (n = 126).
CONCLUSIONS
The large variety of staining procedure suggests the need for standardization.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Aesthetic failure due to discoloration is a relevant clinical problem. Evaluating benefits and drawbacks of resin based composites artificial staining procedures will improve to predict materials clinical performances.
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10.1111/jerd.12912
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pubmed_1029_328
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In this paper we represent results concerning pharmacokinetics and bioavailability of iron after the oral application of Vitaferro to women in the second half of pregnancy suffering or not from anaemia in comparison to nonpregnant women. The significance of different parameters used to proof an iron deficiency is discussed. In all pregnant probands the bioavailability of Vitaferro is about twice as high as in nonpregnant women. Also the parameters of elimination refer to an enhanced retention of iron during pregnancy. We conclude from our investigations that an iron deficiency may be diagnosed well by the determination of haemoglobin values, iron concentration in serum, binding capacity and resorption of iron. During pregnancy the preparation Vitaferro is well resorbed and does not cause incompatibilities. Thus it is suitable for the treatment of anaemia during pregnancy.
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pubmed_1029_328
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pubmed_1042_11617
|
BACKGROUND
Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been implicated in initiation and progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Gremlin-1 promotes vascular remodeling of PAH and mediates epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which is similar to EndMT. In the present study we investigated the potential role of gremlin-1 plays in EndMT of pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs).
METHODS
Immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and von Willebrand factor (VWF). Migration and angiogenic responses of PAECs were determined by transwell assay and tube formation assay, respectively. Protein expression levels were determined by western blotting.
RESULTS
Gremlin-1 induced EndMT of PAECs in a phospho-smad2/3-dependent manner. This was characterized by the loss of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 and an increase in protein levels of a-SMA, nerve-cadherin, and matrix metalloproteinase 2. It was also determined that gremlin-1 facilitated the migration and angiogenic responses of PAECs in a dose-dependent manner. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) was found to attenuate gremlin-1-mediated EndMT, migration and angiogenesis of PAECs by inducing phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 and suppressing phosphorylation of Smad2/3.
CONCLUSION
Gremlin-1 mediates EndMT in PAECs, and BMP-7 reverses gremlin-1-induced EndMT by an induction of p-Smad1/5/8 and suppression of p-Smad2/3.
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10.1016/j.yexcr.2020.111941
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pubmed_125_19543
|
BACKGROUND AND AIM
To compare cardiometabolic risk profile and preclinical signs of target organ damage in youth with normal and elevated blood pressure (BP), according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines.
METHODS AND RESULTS
This cross-sectional multicenter study included 2739 youth (5-17 year-old; 170 normal-weight, 610 overweight and 1959 with obesity) defined non hypertensive by the AAP guidelines. Anthropometric, biochemical and liver ultrasound data were available in the whole population; carotid artery ultrasound and echocardiographic assessments were available respectively in 427 and 264 youth. Elevated BP was defined as BP ≥ 90th to <95th percentile for age, gender and height in children or BP ≥ 120/80 to <130/80 in adolescents. The overall prevalence of elevated BP was 18.3%, and significantly increased from normal-weight to obese youth. Young people with elevated BP showed higher levels of body mass index (BMI), insulin resistance and a higher prevalence of liver steatosis (45% vs 36%, p < 0.0001) than normotensive youth, whilst they did not differ for the other cardiometabolic risk factors, neither for carotid intima media thickness or left ventricular mass. Compared with normotensive youth, individuals with elevated BP had an odds ratio (95%Cl) of 3.60 (2.00-6.46) for overweight/obesity, 1.46 (1.19-1.78) for insulin-resistance and 1.45 (1.19-1.77) for liver steatosis, controlling for centers, age and prepubertal stage. The odds for insulin resistance and liver steatosis persisted elevated after correction for BMI-SDS.
CONCLUSION
Compared to normotensive youth, elevated BP is associated with increased BMI, insulin resistance and liver steatosis, without significant target organ damage.
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10.1016/j.numecd.2020.05.024
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pubmed_118_10763
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Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an accurate, safe method for determining the axillary lymph node status. However, insufficient evidence exists to support the recommendation of SLNB in patients who have had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) to downsize tumours and allow for breast conservation surgery. The present study aimed to use molecular approaches to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of SLNB in patients treated with NAC prior to SLN mapping and surgery. A total of 50 consecutive patients with operable invasive breast carcinomas who had received prior NAC were assessed using the one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) method. The rate of SLN identification was 100%. The OSNA assay showed that 29 patients (58%) were negative for SLN and 21 patients (42%) were positive. In 19 of these 21 patients (90.48%), the SLN was the only positive lymph node. No axillary lymph nodes metastases were observed in patients with isolated tumour cells or with micrometastases. The OSNA assay is a highly sensitive, specific and reproducible diagnostic technique that can be used to analyse SLNs following NAC. The total tumoral load may assist with predicting additional non-SLN metastases.
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10.3892/mco.2016.1025
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pubmed_827_19456
|
BACKGROUND
Muscle dysfunction, which contributes to morbidity in patients on haemodialysis, has several manifestations and a number of possible causes. We applied the non-invasive techniques of (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P-MRS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to calf muscle of dialysed patients to define the abnormalities in muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), contractile efficiency, mitochondrial function and vascular O(2) supply.
METHODS
We performed (31)P-MRS/NIRS/MRI studies on the lateral gastrocnemius during isometric plantarflexion and recovery in 23 male patients on haemodialysis (age 24-71 years; haemoglobin 9.9-14.2 g/dl; bicarbonate 17-30 mmol/l; urea reduction ratio 53-77%; parathyroid hormone 1-95 U/l) and 15 male controls (age 29-71 years). To understand the relationships between calf CSA and body mass we also performed MRI only in a further six male patients and 18 male controls.
RESULTS
In patients, exercise duration was 30+/-11% lower than in controls. Muscle CSA was lower by 26+/-5%, but contractile efficiency (force/CSA/ATP turnover) was normal. Slowing of post-exercise phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery implied a 22+/-5% defect in effective 'mitochondrial capacity'. That PCr recovery was slow relative to NIRS recovery suggests that this is largely an intrinsic mitochondrial problem (not the result of impaired O(2) supply), one which, furthermore, correlated with CSA. Urea reduction ratio showed a negative correlation with body mass and CSA, but none with PCr rate constant.
CONCLUSIONS
The relationships to urea reduction ratio reflect the effect of muscle mass on dialysis efficiency, rather than direct effects on muscle CSA or metabolism. The relationship between PCr recovery and calf CSA suggests a role for the mitochondrial defect, whatever its cause, in the development of muscle wasting, although a common cause (e.g. physical inactivity) for both abnormalities cannot be ruled out.
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10.1093/ndt/gfh189
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pubmed_81_19379
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The two propagative phases of bacteriophage lambda, lysogeny and lysis, can be used in concert to enhance productivity of recombinant expression systems. Lambda vectors carrying mutations to prevent both cell lysis and lambda DNA packaging in the lytic state have been shown to yield 100% stability of the product gene in lysogeny and to produce up to 15% of total cell protein as product beta-galactosidase in a mutant lytic state.(14) Despite these mutations, partial lysis of the culture was observed following induction of the cells from a lysogenic phase into the lytic state. To understand better the phage-host cell interactions and to investigate the possible cause(s) of lysis in these highly productive expression systems, we have made a detailed study of the suppressor-free system JM105(NM1070). We have found high levels of product (15% of total cell protein as beta-glactosidase) to be due chiefly to a high-copy number of lambda DNA in the mutant lytic state. There is partial lysis of the culture even in this suppressor-free system caused by a low-level natural suppression of the amber mutation in gene S of NM1070, resulting in accumulation of lambda endolysin. We have also monitored changes in cell growth and morphology upon induction of the lysogen. There is a slight increase in cell number that follows a linear relationship with time and a 25-fold increase in cell volume during recombinat protein production in the mutant lytic state.
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10.1002/bit.260390402
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pubmed_235_22035
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Inversion symmetry in the 1T-phase of pristine dichalcogenide monolayer MX2 (M = Ge, Sn; X = S, Se) is broken in their Janus structures, MXY (M = Ge, Sn; X ≠ Y = S, Se), which induces an in-plane piezoelectric coefficient, d22 = 4.09 (2.15) pm V-1 and a shear piezoelectric coefficient, d15 = 7.90 (13.68) pm V-1 in the GeSSe (SnSSe) monolayer. High flexibility arising from the small Young's modulus (60-70 N m-1) found in these Group-IV(A) Janus monolayers makes them suitable for large-scale strain engineering. Application of 7% uniaxial tensile strain increases d22 and d15 colossally to 267.07 pm V-1 and 702.34 pm V-1, respectively, thereby reaching the level of bulk piezoelectric perovskite materials. When the Janus GeSSe monolayers are stacked to form a van der Waals (vdW) homo-bilayer, d22 lies between 19.87 and 73.26 pm V-1, while d15 falls into the range between 83.01 and 604.34 pm V-1, depending on the stacking order. The chalcogen exchange energies and overall stabilities of the monolayers and bilayers confirm the feasibility of their experimental synthesis. Moreover, hole mobility in the GeSSe monolayer is greater than the electron mobility along its zigzag directions (μe = 883 cm2 V-1 s-1 and μh = 1134 cm2 V-1 s-1). Therefore, the semiconducting, flexible, and piezoelectric Janus GeSSe monolayer and bilayers are immensely promising for futuristic applications in energy harvesting, nanopiezotronic field-effect transistors, atomically thin sensors, shear/torsion actuators, transducers, self-powered circuits in nanorobotics, and electromechanical memory devices, and biomedical and other nanoelectronic applications.
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10.1039/d0nr07027k
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pubmed_304_6611
|
In previous studies we observed that influenza A and B viruses induce apoptosis in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and that this apoptosis is blocked by expression of bcl-2. Using a well-characterized, highly virulent, avian influenza virus, A/Turkey/Ontario/7732/66 (H5N9) (Ty/Ont), we sought to better understand this system. We investigated the influence of two cellular factors that are known to function in other models of apoptosis inhibited by bcl-2, calcium (Ca(2+)) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although Ca(2+) chelators generally inhibit apoptosis, treatment of MDCK cells with either an extracellular chelator, EGTA, or an intracellular chelator, BAPTAAM, induced apoptosis instead and enhanced Ty/Ont-induced apoptosis. Conversely, treatment with an ionophore, ionomycin, blocked the viral-induced apoptosis. In terms of ROS, neither treatment with antioxidants, N(2) flushing to induce hypoxia, nor nigericin (a compound which, like bcl-2, stabilizes the mitochondrial membrane potential against the effects of ROS and subsequent Ca(2+) dysregulation) were able to block Ty/Ont-induced apoptosis. Therefore, it is likely that ROS play little, if any, role in influenza-induced apoptosis in MDCK cells and the influence of Ca(2+) appears to be opposite to that in the majority of other more classical models of apoptosis.
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pubmed_304_6611
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pubmed_285_22637
|
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the clinical efficacy of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plus arsenic trioxide (ATO) in induction and maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
METHODS
A retrospective analysis of 298 newly diagnosed APL patients from the department of hematology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University since September 2004 to December 2013, including 177 cases with ATRA plus ATO and 116 ATRA plus chemotherapy (CT), was performed to investigate the clinical efficacy between the low-intermediate (WBC≤10×10⁹/L) and high (WBC>10×10⁹/L) risk APL patients, respectively.
RESULTS
For the low-intermediate risk patients, the relapse rate in ATRA plus CT and ATRA plus ATO are 22.0% and 6.1% (P=0.004), respectively; the 3 years estimated relapse-free survival (RFS) are 78.0% and 92.9% (P=0.021), respectively. For the high risk patients, the relapse rate in ATRA plus CT and ATRA plus ATO are 25.0% and 5.2% (P=0.035), respectively; the 3 years estimated RFS rate were 80.8% and 93.0% (P=0.021), respectively. But the rate of early death (ED), complete remission (CR) and overall survival (OS) between the two therapy protocols had no statistical difference (P>0.05).
CONCLUSION
ATRA plus ATO in induction and maintenance therapy might prolong the RFS time of the low-intermediate risk APL patients and decrease the relapse rate of the low, intermediate and high risk APL patients.
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10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-2727.2015.05.004
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pubmed_121_820
|
PURPOSE
To scale up early detection of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, research is needed to inform the role of diagnostic breast ultrasound performed by nonradiologists in resource-constrained settings. The authors examined 2-year clinical follow-up and outcomes among women who underwent diagnostic breast ultrasound performed by nonradiologist clinicians participating in a breast ultrasound training and mentorship program at a rural Rwandan hospital.
METHODS
Imaging findings, management plans, and pathologic results were prospectively collected during the training using a standardized form. Data on follow-up and outcomes for patients receiving breast ultrasound between January 2016 and March 2017 were retrospectively collected through medical record review.
RESULTS
Two hundred twenty-nine breast palpable findings (199 patients) met the study's eligibility criteria. Of 104 lesions initially biopsied, 38 were malignant on initial biopsy; 3 lesions were identified as malignant on repeat biopsy. All 34 patients ultimately diagnosed with cancer received initial recommendations for either biopsy or aspiration by trainees. The positive predictive value of trainee biopsy recommendation was 34.8% (95% confidence interval, 24.8%-45.0%). The sensitivity of trainees' biopsy recommendation for identifying malignant lesions was 92.7% (95% confidence interval, 84.2%-100%). Of 46 patients who did not receive biopsy and were told to return for clinical or imaging follow-up, 37.0% did not return.
CONCLUSIONS
Trained nonradiologist clinicians in Rwanda successfully identified suspicious breast lesions on diagnostic breast ultrasound. Loss to follow-up was common among patients instructed to return for surveillance, so lower biopsy thresholds, decentralized surveillance, or patient navigation should be considered for patients with low- or intermediate-suspicion lesions.
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10.1016/j.jacr.2022.04.009
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pubmed_866_19595
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Prospective, community-based studies allow evaluation of associations between cognitive functioning and synaptic measures, controlled for age-related pathologies. Findings from >400 community-based participants are reviewed. Levels of two presynaptic proteins, complexin-I (inhibitory terminals), and complexin-II (excitatory terminals) contributed to cognitive variation from normal to dementia. Adding the amount of protein-protein interaction between two others, synaptosome-associated protein-25 and syntaxin, explained 6% of overall variance. The presynaptic protein Munc18-1 long variant was localized to inhibitory terminals, and like complexin-I, was positively associated with cognition. Associations depended on Braak stage, with the level of complexin-I contributing nearly 15% to cognitive variation in stages 0-II, while complexin-II contributed 7% in stages V-VI. Non-denaturing gels identified multiple soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor protein-protein (SNARE) complexes in frontal and in temporal lobes, making specific contributions to cognitive functions. Multiple mechanisms of presynaptic plasticity contribute to cognitive function during aging.
.
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10.31887/DCNS.2019.21.3/whoner
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pubmed_761_9161
|
The disease known as late-onset Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative condition recognized as the single most commonform of senile dementia. The condition is sporadic and has been attributed to neuronal damage and loss, both of which have been linked to the accumulation of protein deposits in the brain. Significant progress has been made over the past two decades regarding our overall understanding of the apparently pathogenic entities that arise in the affected brain, both for early-onset disease, which constitutes approximately 5% of all cases, as well as late-onset disease, which constitutes the remainder of cases. Observable neuropathology includes: neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, neuritic senile plaques and often deposits of amyloid around the cerebrovasculature. Although many studies have provided a relatively detailed knowledge of these putatively pathogenic entities, understanding of the events that initiate and support the biological processes generating them and the subsequent observable neuropathology and neurodegeneration remain limited. This is especially true in the case of late-onset disease. Although early-onset Alzheimer's disease has been shown conclusively to have genetic roots, the detailed etiologic initiation of late-onset disease without such genetic origins has remained elusive. Over the last 15 years, current and ongoing work has implicated infection in the etiology and pathogenesis of late-onset dementia. Infectious agents reported to be associated with disease initiation are various, including several viruses and pathogenic bacterial species. We have reported extensively regarding an association between late-onset disease and infection with the intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae. In this article, we review previously published data and recent results that support involvement of this unusual respiratory pathogen in disease induction and development. We further suggest several areas for future research that should elucidate details relating to those processes, and we argue for a change in the designation of the disease based on increased understanding of its clinical attributes.
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10.3389/fnagi.2018.00302
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pubmed_561_3423
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Case-control tests for association are an important tool for mapping complex-trait genes. But population structure can invalidate this approach, leading to apparent associations at markers that are unlinked to disease loci. Family-based tests of association can avoid this problem, but such studies are often more expensive and in some cases--particularly for late-onset diseases--are impractical. In this review article we describe a series of approaches published over the past 2 years which use multilocus genotype data to enable valid case-control tests of association, even in the presence of population structure. These tests can be classified into two categories. "Genomic control" methods use the independent marker loci to adjust the distribution of a standard test statistic, while "structured association" methods infer the details of population structure en route to testing for association. We discuss the statistical issues involved in the different approaches and present results from simulations comparing the relative performance of the methods under a range of models.
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10.1006/tpbi.2001.1543
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pubmed_438_10592
|
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
The neurological control of bladder function and the ability to be dry at night involves not only the acquisition of normal daytime control, but also the establishment of a circadian rhythm in vasopressin release and the ability to arouse to a full bladder during sleep. We postulated that in some children there might be a delay in maturation of the normal neurological pathways involved in establishment of nocturnal continence and examined this by using a specific neuropsychological test.
METHODS
Children attending an established nocturnal enuresis clinic were examined using the Rey-Osterrieth test to assess the presence or absence of boundary errors in both copy and memory reproductions. The results of the test were scored independently and blind to the response to treatment with the vasopressin analogue DDAVP.
RESULTS
A significant association was found between boundary type errors and response to DDAVP, with non-responders making significantly more errors. No child with three or more errors responded to DDAVP. Using this test, the ability to predict response to treatment was 70%.
CONCLUSIONS
It is postulated that the Rey-Osterrieth test, through the presence or absence of boundary errors, reflects a delay in maturation and/or a disorganisation of the retinal-hypothalamic-cortical pathways in the brain. The association previously described with growth hormone neurosecretory dysfunction syndrome would be compatible with this.
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10.1136/adc.87.3.188
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pubmed_35_10412
|
BACKGROUND
Cephalic vein (CV) cutdown approach for chronic indwelling central venous access device (CICVAD) placement has previously been shown to be technically feasible in 82% of cancer patients. No data are available as to the potential utilization of external jugular vein (EJV) cutdown approach in cancer patients when CV cutdown approach is not technically feasible.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred and twenty consecutive cancer patients were taken to the operating room with the intention of placing a CICVAD. All patients were first subjected to attempted CV cutdown approach. If CV cutdown approach was unsuccessful and there were no contraindications to establishing central venous access in the ipsilateral neck region, an ipsilateral EJV cutdown approach was attempted.
RESULTS
Ninety-five cancer patients (79%) underwent CICVAD placement via CV cutdown. Of those 25 patients in which CV cutdown was not technically feasible, 7 had a contraindication to establishing central venous access in the ipsilateral neck region and a CICVAD was placed via the ipsilateral subclavian vein percutaneous approach. Of those remaining 18 patients in which CV cutdown approach was not technically feasible, 17 (94%) underwent CICVAD placement via ipsilateral EJV cutdown approach. Combined success of the CV and EJV cutdown approaches, excluding those 7 patients with a contraindication to central venous access in the ipsilateral neck region, was greater than 99%.
CONCLUSIONS
Venous cutdown approaches for CICVAD placement are viable alternatives to subclavian vein percutaneous approach in cancer patients. EJV cutdown approach appears to be a highly successful and safe alternative route when CV cutdown approach is not technically feasible and may be considered a potentially useful primary route for CICVAD placement in cancer patients.
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10.1186/1477-7819-2-7
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pubmed_1013_11906
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The development of high-throughput genomic technologies associated with recent genetic perturbation techniques such as short hairpin RNA (shRNA), gene trapping, or gene editing (CRISPR/Cas9) has made it possible to obtain large perturbation data sets. These data sets are invaluable sources of information regarding the function of genes, and they offer unique opportunities to reverse engineer gene regulatory networks in specific cell types. Modular response analysis (MRA) is a well-accepted mathematical modeling method that is precisely aimed at such network inference tasks, but its use has been limited to rather small biological systems so far. In this study, we show that MRA can be employed on large systems with almost 1,000 network components. In particular, we show that MRA performance surpasses general-purpose mutual information-based algorithms. Part of these competitive results was obtained by the application of a novel heuristic that pruned MRA-inferred interactions a posteriori. We also exploited a block structure in MRA linear algebra to parallelize large system resolutions.
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10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009312
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pubmed_1079_240
|
The sheep erythrocyte T-dependent antibody Response (TDAR) evaluates the ability of animals sensitized in vivo to produce primary IgM antibodies to sheep erythrocytes (sRBC). The assay enumerates the number of antigen specific IgM antibody producing cells in the spleen. When exposure to the test material takes place in vivo, as does sensitization, the actual quantification of the number of antibody producing cells occurs ex vivo. Following the animal being euthanized, a single cell suspension of spleen cells is prepared. These spleen cells containing the IgM secreting plasma cells are incubated in a semisolid matrix of agar, sheep erythrocytes, and guinea pig serum as a single cell layer between a Petri dish and glass cover slip. After a 3 h incubation period, lysis of sRBCs around each of the IgM secreting antigen specific plasma cells results in the formation of a clear plaque, which can easily be counted. The TDAR has been found to be the most sensitive functional assay for evaluating effects on the immune system, particularly the humoral immune component. The TDAR to sheep erythrocytes still remains the gold standard for evaluating the potential adverse effects of xenobiotics on the immune system.
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10.1007/978-1-60761-401-2_12
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pubmed_143_18442
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Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) negatively affects broilers all over the world, in which the accretion of the growth plate (GP) develops into tibial proximal metaphysis. Plastrum testudinis extract (PTE) is renowned as a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and bone healing agent. The current study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PTE for the treatment of thiram-induced TD chickens. Broilers (day old; n = 300) were raised for 3 days with normal feed. On the 4th day, three groups (n = 100 each) were sorted, namely, the control (normal diet), TD, and PTE groups (normal diet+ thiram 50 mg/kg). On the 7th day, thiram was stopped in the TD and PTE group, and the PTE group received a normal diet and PTE (30 mg/kg/day). Plastrum testudinis extract significantly restored (p < 0.05) the liver antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, serum biochemicals, GP width, and tibia weight as compared to the TD group. The PTE administration significantly increased (p < 0.05) growth performance, vascularization, AKT (serine/threonine-protein kinase), and PI3K expressions and the number of hepatocytes and chondrocytes with intact nuclei were enhanced. In conclusion, PTE has the potential to heal TD lesions and act as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drug in chickens exposed to thiram via the upregulation of AKT and PI3K expressions.
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10.3390/biom9120784
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pubmed_1123_12337
|
Chlamydophila pneumoniae, an obligate intracellular human pathogen, causes respiratory tract infections. The most common techniques used for the serological diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infections are microimmunofluorescence tests and commercial serological ELISA tests; these are based on the detection of antibodies against whole chlamydial elementary bodies and lipopolysaccharide/outer membrane protein, respectively. Identification of more specific and highly immunodominant antigens is essential for the development of new serodiagnostic assays. To identify novel specific antigens from C. pneumoniae, we screened 455 genes with unknown function in the genome of C. pneumoniae J138. Extracts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing GFP-tagged C. pneumoniae proteins were subjected to Western blot analysis using serum samples from C. pneumoniae-infected patients as the primary antibodies. From this comprehensive analysis, 58 clones expressing C. pneumoniae open reading frames, including hypothetical proteins, were identified as antigens. These results have provided useful information for the development of new serological tools for the diagnosis for C. pneumoniae infections and for the development of vaccines in future.
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10.1111/j.1574-6968.2012.02520.x
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pubmed_665_15409
|
Neoplastic transformation is frequently associated with a loss of gap junctional intercellular communication and reduced expression of connexins. The introduction of connexin genes into tumor cells reverses the proliferative characteristics of such cells. However, there is very little comparative information on the effects of different connexins on cancer cell growth. We hypothesized that Cx26, Cx32, or Cx43 would display differential growth suppression of C6 glioma cells and uniquely modulate the bystander effect following transduction of C6 cells with HSVtk followed by suicide gene therapy. The bystander phenomenon is the death of a greater number of tumor cells than are expressing the HSVtk gene, presumably due to the passage of toxic molecules through gap junction channels. To test this hypothesis, we used retroviral vectors to infect C6 glioma cells producing connexin-expressing and HSVtk-expressing cell lines. All three connexin-expressing cell lines grew significantly slower than GFP-infected or native C6 cells. Cx32 and Cx26 were significantly more effective at mediating the bystander effect in cocultures of C6-connexin cells with C6-HSVtk cells. These studies indicate that connexins have unique properties that contribute to their tumor suppressive function.
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10.1080/15419060600631771
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pubmed_530_20306
|
The Silver Impregnated Porous Pot (SIPP) filter is a product of the Tshwane University of Technology manufactured for the production of safe drinking water at a household (home) level. Two SIPP devices were assessed for the reduction efficiency of chemical contaminants such as calcium, magnesium, iron, arsenic, fluorides and total organic carbon (TOC) as well as microbial contaminants from environmental samples. Turbidity change after filtration, together with correlation between chlorophyll a in the feed water and SIPP's flow rates were also evaluated in order to give comprehensive guidelines on the quality of intake water that could be filtered through the filter without causing a significant decrease in flow rate. The SIPP filters removed contaminants from environmental water samples as follows: 70% to 92% iron, 36% to 68% calcium, 42% to 82% arsenic, 39% to 98% magnesium, 39% to 95% fluorides, 12% to 35% TOC and 45% to 82% turbidity. The SIPP filters had initial flow rates of 1 L/h to 4 L/h but the flow rates dropped to 0.5 L/h with an increase in cumulative volume of intake water as the filter was used. Turbidity and chemical contaminant reduction rates decreased with accumulating volume of intake water but the filter removed Ca, Fe and Mg to levels that comply with the South African National Standards (SANS 241) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline values. However, the SIPP filters cannot produce enough water to satisfy the daily drinking water requirement of a typical household (25 L/p·d). Chlorophyll a was associated with a decrease in the flow rate through the SIPP filters.
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10.3390/ijerph9093014
|
pubmed_714_4876
|
PURPOSE
To understand the pathophysiology of the corneal basement membrane in diabetes, we compared the localization of laminin and type IV collagen in the epithelial basement membrane during corneal epithelial wound healing in diabetic and nondiabetic rats.
METHODS
Streptozotocin was used to induce diabetes in half the rats. Two weeks later, the whole corneal epithelium was debrided. Diabetic and healthy rats (3-5 per group) were sacrificed before debridement and 1, 3, and 7 days and 1 month afterwards. The localization of laminin and type IV collagen was observed in cryosections by epifluorescence microscopy.
RESULTS
In unwounded corneas of both diabetic and normal rats, laminin and type IV collagen were localized in the corneal epithelial basement. The intensity of fluorescence, however, was clearly stronger in the diabetic rats. In normal rats, wounding initially removed laminin and type IV collagen, but during healing these two proteins reappeared beneath the resurfacing corneal epithelium. Although similar results were observed in diabetic rats, the expression of laminin and type IV collagen was delayed, and their deposition was fragmented and irregular.
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that delayed corneal epithelial wound healing in diabetes might involve delayed reappearance and abnormal reformation of epithelial basement membrane proteins.
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10.1016/s0021-5155(99)00095-7
|
pubmed_203_14657
|
Bis-sulfonamides are demonstrated to be promising candidates for the efficient activation of carbonyl compounds through hydrogen bonding. Exemplified by three carbonyl addition reactions: Mukaiyama-aldol, hetero Diels-Alder and Friedel-Crafts reactions we show that bis-triflamides or bis-nonaflamides of commercially available chiral diamines act as chiral Brønsted-acid catalysts, leading to the optically active products in moderate to excellent yields and with enantioselectivities up to 73% ee.
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10.1039/b507778h
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pubmed_1032_736
|
INTRODUCTION
Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors significantly improve progression-free survival in platinum-sensitive high-grade serous and endometrioid ovarian carcinoma, with greatest benefits observed in women with a pathogenic BRCA1/2 variant. Consequently, the demand for germline BRCA1/2 testing in ovarian cancer has increased substantially, leading to the screening of unselected populations of patients. We aimed to determine the prevalence of pathogenic germline BRCA1/2 variants in women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, categorised according to the established risk factors for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome and the Manchester BRCA Score, to inform risk stratification.
METHODS
A cohort of sequential epithelial ovarian cancer cases recruited between June 2013 and September 2018 underwent germline BRCA1/2 testing by next-generation sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.
RESULTS
Five hundred and fifty-seven patients were screened. Of these, 18% had inherited a pathogenic BRCA1/2 variant. The prevalence of pathogenic BRCA1/2 variants was >10% in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier than 60 years of age (21%) and those diagnosed later than 60 years of age with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer (17%) or a medical history of breast cancer (34%). The prevalence of pathogenic BRCA1/2 variants was also >10% in women with a Manchester BRCA Score of ≥15 points (14%).
DISCUSSION
Our study suggests that age at diagnosis, family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, medical history of breast cancer or a Manchester BRCA Score of ≥15 points are associated with a >10% prevalence of germline pathogenic BRCA1/2 variants in epithelial ovarian cancer.
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10.1136/jmedgenet-2018-105792
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pubmed_392_10359
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Reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is currently the most sensitive method to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We analysed 1927 samples collected in a local public hospital during the autumn 2020 peak of the pandemic in the Czech Republic. The tests were performed using the Seegene Allplex 2019-nCov assay, which simultaneously detects three SARS-CoV-2 genes. In all samples analysed, 44.5 % were negative for all three genes, and 37.6 % were undoubtedly positive, with all three viral genes being amplified. A high degree of correlation between C t values among the genes confirmed the internal consistency of testing. Most of the positive samples were detected between the 15th and 35th cycles. We also registered a small number of samples with only one (13.2 %) or two (4.7 %) amplified genes, which may have originated from either freshly infected or already recovering patients. In addition, we did not detect any potentially false-positive samples from low-prevalence settings. Our results document that PCR testing represents a reliable and robust method for routine diagnostic detection of SARS-CoV-2.
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10.1099/acmi.0.000263
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pubmed_403_9429
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The present case report highlights the usefulness of telemedicine during quarantine and isolation. The patient developed a supraventricular arrhythmia, and the diagnosis and management of the arrhythmia was done online.
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10.1002/joa3.12431
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pubmed_326_3760
|
From January to December 1993, 11 cases of cerebral malaria out of a total of 106 cases of malaria were admitted in the paediatric unit of the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital. These 11 patients were comprised of 6 boys and 5 girls aged 6 months to 10 years with a mean of 4.24 years. Convulsions and coma were the main clinical manifestation in 9 and 11 patients respectively. 10 patients had fever with 1 case of hyperpyrexia, whereas splenomegaly was noted in 6 patients and hepatomegaly in 2. Parasitemia was between 0.02 and 4 %. Chemoprophylaxis was irregular in 2 patients and absent in 9. The average hospital stay was 5.5 days and no death was noted in our series.
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pubmed_326_3760
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pubmed_432_11762
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This study was performed in order to determine whether exercise-induced myocardial ischemia demonstrated by thallium-201 imaging could be detected by ST segment shifts in patients with abnormal Q waves at rest. Fifty-four patients with coronary artery disease and exercise-induced thallium-201 defects were compared to 22 patients with similar Q wave patterns but without thallium-201 exercise defects and to 14 normal subjects. Exercise data were analyzed visually in the 12-lead ECG and for spatial ST vector shifts. Both ST segment depression observed on the 12-lead ECG and spatial criteria were reasonably sensitive and specific for ischemia when the resting ECG showed no Q waves or inferior Q waves (range 69% to 93%). However, when anterior Q waves were present, ST segment shifts could not distinguish patients with ischemia from those with normal perfusion as determined by thallium imaging.
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10.1016/0002-8703(86)90641-1
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pubmed_894_14667
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Human leukocytes have been useful in studying desensitization phenomena to beta-adrenergic agonists in a number of clinical conditions. For example, we have previously shown that oral terbutaline causes a time-dependent decrease in neutrophil (PMN) beta receptor number, using the beta antagonist ligand [3H]dihydroalprenolol (DHA), in conjunction with a significant loss of isoproterenol-induced adenylate cyclase activity. In the present in vitro study we have explored the mechanism for beta-adrenergic desensitization and have compared conditions for homologous and heterologous desensitization, using the intact PMN model. PMN preincubated with isoproterenol (10(-4)M), washed thoroughly, then restimulated, desensitize rapidly so that within 10 min 80% of control isoproterenol-induced cyclic AMP stimulation is lost. Cells washed free of isoproterenol recover full responsiveness in 1 to 2 hr. The estimated isoproterenol desensitization EC50 in cells washed and then restimulated is 1 X 10(-5)M, and the EC50 in unwashed cells that are restimulated is 9 X 10(-8)M. Rank-order potency studies of catecholamine desensitization show isoproterenol greater than epinephrine greater than norepinephrine, a beta-2 pattern. Isoproterenol-induced desensitization results in a small reduction in [3H]DHA binding sites, which becomes statistically significant (p less than 0.05) from control values at 1 hr (67% of control) and 3 hr (64%). Since the change in number of beta receptors did not explain the profound, rapid loss of beta agonist-induced cyclic AMP responsiveness, we explored the possibility of an uncoupling phenomenon. In the absence of GTP, isoproterenol binding is characterized by an EC50 of 6.6 +/- 2.6 X 10(-7)M, which is significantly different (p less than 0.05) from the EC50 of 38.1 +/- 9.1 X 10(-7)M found when cells are previously desensitized with isoproterenol for 10 min. GTP does not affect the EC50 of desensitized cells. These findings are consistent with the uncoupled receptor state fitting the model described by Su et al. Finally, prolonged (3 hr) isoproterenol preincubation results in a small but significant (p less than 0.05) loss of cyclic AMP responsiveness to histamine (67.7% +/- 11.7 of control) and PGE1 (59.3% +/- 7.4), suggesting heterologous desensitization. These studies suggest that the human PMN is a suitable model to study both homologous and heterologous desensitization in vitro.
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pubmed_894_14667
|
pubmed_155_8187
|
A subhuman primate model was developed for study of the pathogenesis of infection with Coxiella burnetii. Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) that were exposed to 10(5) mouse median infectious intraperitoneal doses of C. burnetii in a small-particle aerosol developed clinical signs of illness and pathologic changes characteristic of Q fever infection in humans. All monkeys had radiologic evidence of pneumonia by day 9. Antibodies to C. burnetii were detectable by the indirect fluorescent antibody test by day 7. These data indicate that the cynomolgus monkey is a suitable model for study of the pathogenesis of Q fever infection and may prove valuable in the evaluation of C. burnetii vaccines.
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10.1093/infdis/139.2.191
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pubmed_898_15379
|
AIMS
To assess the state of technologies for urodynamics that are less invasive than standard cystometry and pressure-flow studies and to suggest areas needing research to improve this.
METHODS
A summary of a Think Tank debate held at the 2019 meeting of the International Consultation on Incontinence Research Society is provided, with subsequent analysis by the authors. Less-invasive techniques were summarized, classified by method, and possible developments considered. Discussions and recommendations were summarized by the co-chairs and edited into the form of this paper by all authors.
RESULTS
There is a full spectrum of technologies available for less-invasive assessment, ranging from simple uroflowmetry through imaging techniques to emerging complex technologies. Less-invasive diagnostics will not necessarily need to replace diagnosis by, or even provide the same level of diagnostic accuracy as, invasive urodynamics. Rather than aiming for a technique that is merely less invasive, the priority is to develop methods that are either as accurate as current invasive methods, or spare patients from the necessity of invasive methods by improving early triaging.
CONCLUSIONS
Technologies offering less-invasive urodynamic measurement of specific elements of function can be potentially beneficial. Less-invasive techniques may sometimes be useful as an adjunct to invasive urodynamics. The potential for current less-invasive tests to completely replace invasive urodynamic testing is considered, however, to be low. Less-invasive techniques must, therefore, be tested as screening/triaging tools, with the aim to spare some patients from invasive urodynamics early in the treatment pathway.
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10.1002/nau.24300
|
pubmed_37_2363
|
The chronobiological aspects of addiction constitute a recently developed field of study that has obtained interesting data from both basic and clinical research. Drug consumption has a negative effect on the expression of circadian rhythmicity, since it produces a flattening of the functions and a delay of maximal values, and can even cause a state of desynchronization of endogenous control. Moreover, it has been shown that the clock-genes Clock and Per2 are associated with vulnerability to addiction, the first gene directly regulating dopaminergic activity in the reward system and the second participating in the sensitivity to and abstinence from drugs. The evening circadian typology has also been proposed as an individual difference to be taken into account as a risk factor in the development of drug addiction. Finally, the reorganization of circadian rhythmicity with regular daily schedules adjusted to the cycle of light-darkness, exposure to natural or artificial light, and the administration of melatonin may be useful strategies in the treatment of drug addictions.
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pubmed_37_2363
|
pubmed_921_22191
|
Although basic science and clinical research typically dominate at this biennial event, by far the most riveting sessions at the XIII International AIDS Conference here revolved around the thicket of issues that prevent poor people in sub-Saharan Africa--where a staggering 24.5 million people are estimated to be infected with HIV--from receiving the 14 anti-HIV treatments now used in wealthy countries. Pharmaceutical companies and donors last week loosed a flood of promises about removing barriers. Conference attendees welcomed the offers of help, but many stressed that much more will be needed.
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10.1126/science.289.5478.368
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pubmed_1100_7179
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This case report describes a patient who had a painful and fungating angiosarcoma of the right buttock. A palliative hindquarter amputation was performed. A large, free flap taken from the amputated leg was used to cover the defect. This technique offers a solution for covering large defects in an unsalvageable traumatic amputation or tumor conditions.
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pubmed_1100_7179
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pubmed_819_17085
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Mean values of the dose-area product for barium meal, micturating cystourethrography and intravenous urography examinations from three health centres and for four age groups are presented in this study. Values measured are between 13% and 86% higher than results previously reported, which justifies the importance of applying procedures which reduce risks to patients.
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10.1259/0007-1285-69-818-160
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pubmed_93_17144
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Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a highly potent neurotoxin that blocks the action potential by selectively binding to voltage-gated sodium channels (Na(v)). The skeletal muscle Na(v) (Na(v)1.4) channels in most pufferfish species and certain North American garter snakes are resistant to TTX, whereas in most mammals they are TTX-sensitive. It still remains unclear as to whether the difference in this sensitivity among the various vertebrate species can be associated with adaptive evolution. In this study, we investigated the adaptive evolution of the vertebrate Na(v)1.4 channels. By means of the CODEML program of the PAML 4.3 package, the lineages of both garter snakes and pufferfishes were denoted to be under positive selection. The positively selected sites identified in the p-loop regions indicated their involvement in Na(v)1.4 channel sensitivity to TTX. Most of these sites were located in the intracellular regions of the Na(v)1.4 channel, thereby implying the possible association of these regions with the regulation of voltage-sensor movement.
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10.1590/s1415-47572011000200026
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pubmed_351_17980
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Levy, Heller, Banich, and Burton (1983) have shown that hemispheric activational, or arousal, style, as measured by direction and consistency of choice of the "happer face" on a free-viewing Chimeric Faces Test, is highly reliable and varies across individuals who otherwise presumably have similar cortical organization (e.g., right-handed college students). The current experiment asks whether such individual differences in hemispheric arousal style are moderated by long-term, in the sense of enduring, individual differences in mood, as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire. Like Levy et al.'s subjects, most of our subjects (126 right-handed college students) made most of their choices on the Chimeric Faces Test based on the emotional cue (the smile) positioned in the half of the face to the viewer's left, or left visual hemifield (LVH), whereas a small minority were equally consistent in making their choice based on the emotional cue positioned in the half of the face to the viewer's right, or right visual hemifield (RVH). Performance on the Chimeric Faces Test, however, proved to be unrelated to scores on the POMS questionnaire. This suggests that hemispheric arousal style, as indexed by the Chimeric Faces Test, is robust enough, for a population of normal right-handers, to transcend any differences in mood as measured by the POMS questionnaire.
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10.1016/s0010-9452(13)80155-4
|
pubmed_82_21540
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Visuomanual co-ordination requires the merging of ocular and arm information in a common frame of reference. Here we consider behavioural evidence in humans for the use of a viewer-centred frame in the specification of end point positions of reaching. We then review anatomical and neurophysiological data in the non-human primate that indicate a prominent role of the parietal cortex in the process of multisensory fusion that leads to egocentric representations of space. Finally, we discuss the functional anatomy of the human parietal cortex in visuomanual co-ordination as revealed by neuroimaging.
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10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00040.x
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pubmed_703_22187
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The purpose of this study was to use the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database to evaluate the incidence of postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) between laparoscopic (LAP) and open colorectal surgery. The 2008 ACS-NSQIP Participant Use File was queried by Current Procedural Terminology codes for colorectal surgery cases. SSI rates were compared between groups using Pearson chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the LAP approach and/or SSIs. A total of 7,755 LAP and 16,184 open cases were identified. The laparoscopic group had an SSI rate of 9.4 versus 15.7 per cent for the open group (P < 0.0001). There was no statistical difference in the type of SSI (superficial, deep, and/or organ space) between the two groups. Although multivariate analysis identified several factors associated with SSIs of different types, LAP was the only factor found to decrease risk, whereas wound class and operative time were found to increase risk among all categories of SSIs. Despite a significantly lower incidence of postoperative SSI, only 32 per cent of colorectal surgery was performed laparoscopically in NSQIP hospitals in 2008. Wider adoption of LAP approaches for colorectal surgery should continue to reduce SSIs.
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10.1177/000313481107701003
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pubmed_748_18242
|
Cardiac resynchronization therapy has been established as important adjuvant therapy in the treatment of severe heart failure. As lead delivery systems have improved and the number of experienced implanters has increased, more patients have access to transvenous left ventricular lead implantation, outside of clinical trials at large medical centers. Ongoing research continues to perfect implantation techniques to optimize patient outcomes, as well as develop hardware and software technology used in implanted devices. Resynchronization therapy typically results in a decreased burden of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for decompensated heart failure. In addition, diagnostic tools available in resynchronization devices allow clinicians to not only predict heart failure decompensation and adjust medical therapies accordingly, but they also allow for the diagnosis of asymptomatic arrhythmias that may predict adverse outcomes, as well as allow for the diagnosis of symptomatic arrhythmias without the need for additional costly workup. This suggests that in the long term, biventricular device implantation may actually provide cost savings to the health care system. On a macroeconomic scale, there are significant concerns about the cost burden to society of increased implantation of resynchronization therapy devices, along the same lines as concerns raised regarding the expanding indications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. As future research broadens indications for implanting implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, as well as resynchronization systems, we may see cardiac resynchronization therapy become a secondary prevention tool yielding long-term patient benefits by postponing or preventing a decline in heart failure status.
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10.1007/s11936-004-0020-9
|
pubmed_207_3622
|
We describe a 14-year-old boy with physical and behavioral manifestations of the Smith-Magenis syndrome. Low level mosaicism (11%) for deletion 17p11.2 was found in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The deletion was also observed in 100% of metaphases examined from skin fibroblast cultures. We confirm that the Smith-Magenis syndrome is associated with a highly recognizable phenotype. Because evidence of the abnormal cell line may be minimal or absent in peripheral blood, fibroblast studies are indicated for patients in whom mosaicism for deletion 17p11.2 is suspected clinically.
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10.1002/ajmg.1320450410
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pubmed_970_4926
|
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
Accurate retinal vessel segmentation is often considered to be a reliable biomarker of diagnosis and screening of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetic, and ophthalmologic diseases. Recently, deep learning (DL) algorithms have demonstrated high performance in segmenting retinal images that may enable fast and lifesaving diagnoses. To our knowledge, there is no systematic review of the current work in this research area. Therefore, we performed a systematic review with a meta-analysis of relevant studies to quantify the performance of the DL algorithms in retinal vessel segmentation.
METHODS
A systematic search on EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for studies that were published between 1 January 2000 and 15 January 2020. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) procedure. The DL-based study design was mandatory for a study's inclusion. Two authors independently screened all titles and abstracts against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool for assessing the risk of bias and applicability.
RESULTS
Thirty-one studies were included in the systematic review; however, only 23 studies met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. DL showed high performance for four publicly available databases, achieving an average area under the ROC of 0.96, 0.97, 0.96, and 0.94 on the DRIVE, STARE, CHASE_DB1, and HRF databases, respectively. The pooled sensitivity for the DRIVE, STARE, CHASE_DB1, and HRF databases was 0.77, 0.79, 0.78, and 0.81, respectively. Moreover, the pooled specificity of the DRIVE, STARE, CHASE_DB1, and HRF databases was 0.97, 0.97, 0.97, and 0.92, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The findings of our study showed the DL algorithms had high sensitivity and specificity for segmenting the retinal vessels from digital fundus images. The future role of DL algorithms in retinal vessel segmentation is promising, especially for those countries with limited access to healthcare. More compressive studies and global efforts are mandatory for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of DL-based tools for retinal disease screening worldwide.
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10.3390/jcm9041018
|
pubmed_714_16039
|
OBJECTIVE
To compare primary repair and grafting with one of two materials (one biological human dura mater, and one synthetic polypropylene mesh) or autologous skin, with primary repair alone in abdominal wall hernias in rats.
DESIGN
Randomised experiment.
SETTING
Teaching hospital, Turkey.
ANIMALS
72 male Wistar albino rats randomised into 4 groups of 18 rats each. These were further randomly divided into subgroups of 6 each that were killed on days 15, 30,and 45 postoperatively.
INTERVENTIONS
Each test material was sutured to the abdominal wall by an onlay technique.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Macroscopic and microscopic appearance, and strength of the abdominal wall.
RESULTS
Macroscopically, dura mater grafts lost their original shape, but polypropylene and skin did not. When completely incorporated the skin grafts had developed a new fascia. Dura mater and polypropylene induced a pronounced inflammatory reaction at all three times postoperatively, and there were significantly more fibroblasts in the dura mater group on days 15 and 30, and in the skin graft group on day 45, than in the other groups (p < 0.05). Mechanical resistance and mean breaking strength were significantly greater in the skin graft group than in the other groups at all times tested (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Full thickness autologous skin grafts were stronger than both human dura mater and polypropylene mesh when used to reinforce primary repairs of abdominal wall hernias in rats.
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10.1080/110241599750007937
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pubmed_722_13799
|
BACKGROUND
We examined the influence of overweight and obesity on pulmonary function, exercise tolerance, quality of life and response to pulmonary rehabilitation in COPD.
METHODS
261 patients with COPD were divided into three groups: normal body mass index (BMI), overweight and obese. Baseline and post rehabilitation pulmonary function, 6-min walking test (6MWT), endurance time during a constant workrate exercise test (CET) and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores were compared between all three classes of BMI.
RESULTS
At baseline, obese and overweight patients had less severe airflow obstruction compared to normal BMI patients. There was no baseline difference in CET performance or SGRQ scores across BMI classes and 6MWT was reduced in the presence of obesity (p < 0.01). Compared to baseline, post-rehabilitation 6MWT, CET performance and SGRQ scores improved significantly in each group (p < 0.01), but 6MWT was still significantly lower in the presence of obesity.
CONCLUSIONS
Walking, but not cycling performance was worse in obese patients. This difference was maintained post rehabilitation despite significant improvements. Weight excess may counterbalance the effect of a better preserved respiratory function in the performance of daily activities such as walking. However, obesity and overweight did not influence the magnitude of improvement after pulmonary rehabilitation.
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10.1186/1471-2466-10-55
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pubmed_1004_19133
|
Cold air hyperventilation is an indirect challenge (cold air challenge, CACh) with high specificity and low sensitivity in defining asthmatic subjects. A small proportion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients present with positive CACh. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the presence of factors related to cold air challenge (CACh) in COPD patients. Factors examined were FEV(1), FEV(1)/FVC, reversibility after bronchodilation, eosinophils in induced sputum, bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine and the spirometric response to tiotropium compared to placebo. We studied 92 consecutive COPD patients in order to retrieve 15 CACh positive + patients. Fifteen COPD patients with negative CACh [CACh(-)], randomly selected from the initial group, were added in order to retrieve a group of 30 patients. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used in order to evaluate possible significant correlations between CACh values and study parameters. Sixteen percent of our subjects presented CACh+. CACh values were repeatable with an intraclass correlation coefficient between the two measurements 0.980 (95% CI 0.940-0.993). The only significant correlation observed was between Delta FEV(1) after CACh [Delta(C)FEV(1)] and trough FEV(1) values post tiotropium inhalation (r(2) = 0.62, p < 0.0001). When we analyzed the response to tiotropium in the 2 separate groups we found that patients with CACh+ presented significantly lower values of trough FEV(1) compared to those with CACh(-). In conclusion, a small proportion of COPD patients present with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to CACh. The only parameter related to CACh + in our study was a smaller bronchodilating effect of tiotropium.
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10.1080/15412550802093009
|
pubmed_779_2241
|
BACKGROUND
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has struck globally and is exerting a devastating toll on humans. The pandemic has led to calls for widespread vitamin D supplementation in public. However, evidence supporting the role of vitamin D in the COVID-19 pandemic remains controversial.
METHODS
We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to analyze the causal effect of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration on COVID-19 susceptibility, severity and hospitalization traits by using summary-level GWAS data. The causal associations were estimated with inverse variance weighted (IVW) with fixed effects (IVW-fixed) and random effects (IVW-random), MR-Egger, weighted edian and MR Robust Adjusted Profile Score (MR.RAPS) methods. We further applied the MR Steiger filtering method, MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) global test and PhenoScanner tool to check and remove single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were horizontally pleiotropic.
RESULTS
We found no evidence to support the causal associations between the serum 25(OH)D concentration and the risk of COVID-19 susceptibility [IVW-fixed: odds ratio (OR) = 0.9049, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8197-0.9988, p = 0.0473], severity (IVW-fixed: OR = 1.0298, 95% CI 0.7699-1.3775, p = 0.8432) and hospitalized traits (IVW-fixed: OR = 1.0713, 95% CI 0.8819-1.3013, p = 0.4878) using outlier removed sets at a Bonferroni-corrected p threshold of 0.0167. Sensitivity analyses did not reveal any sign of horizontal pleiotropy.
CONCLUSIONS
Our MR analysis provided precise evidence that genetically lowered serum 25(OH)D concentrations were not causally associated with COVID-19 susceptibility, severity or hospitalized traits. Our study did not provide evidence assessing the role of vitamin D supplementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. High-quality randomized controlled trials are necessary to explore and define the role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
|
10.1186/s12967-021-02973-5
|
pubmed_140_11521
|
The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between condemnations in slaughterhouses situated in Minas Gerais State and notifications to the Brazilian Official Veterinary Service of cattle that were positive for intradermal tuberculin tests. Data were obtained from three slaughterhouses under different surveillance conditions and from the Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Health Agency for 2011 to 2017. During this period, there was an increase in the number of condemnations of females aged over 36 months, despite the number of females testing with intradermal tests and being reported as positive decreasing. Therefore, there is a discrepancy between the analyzed variables. Since there is a belief that slaughter condemnations can be used as tools for epidemiological surveys in beef and dairy farms, it is advisable for there to be a greater integration of the Brazilian Health Inspection Services in slaughterhouses and Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock defense department. This will ensure safe animal products.
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10.1007/s11250-019-02073-z
|
pubmed_1141_14481
|
Palliative endoscopic treatment of esophagogastric cancer is now possible using expandable metal stents. The properties, advantages, and drawbacks of these stents have been extensively analyzed, and there is no doubt that they are now easy and safe to introduce, without serious morbidity. However, the frequency of persistent thoracic pain and delayed complications, as well as the high rate of repeat interventions required, justify limited use of the procedure. The major indication for the procedure is dysphagia due to cancer in the esophagus or at the cardia. Enteral stents have been used in the treatment of malignant duodenal or jejunal stenoses, but the results are poor. A promising new area is the treatment of benign stenoses using expandable and biodegradable stents. It may be possible to use this technique for surgical anastomoses after tumor resection. Careful endoscopic analysis of the mucosal surface is necessary to establish the strict indications for endoscopic mucosal resection for mucosal malignancy. Biopsy evidence of the relation between lesion diameter, a depressed surface pattern and the depth of invasion into the submucosa, as well as the extent of regional or distant lymphatic invasion, provides the best guidelines for safe curative mucosectomy in gastric cancer. Endoscopic therapy is always safe in lesions less than 1cm in diameter; for other lesions, resection is safe when the depth of submucosal invasions is less than 300 microm. In other situations, surgery is preferable in patients who are otherwise in good health. In Japan, the results of the National Survey of Gastric Cancer, with cases detected by screening, confirmed the benefits of adherence to these guidelines; most patients were treated surgically, and only 7% with endoscopic therapy.
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10.1055/s-2000-8995
|
pubmed_1109_25200
|
Predicting the localization of a protein has become a useful practice for inferring its function. Most of the reported methods to predict subcellular localizations in Gram-negative bacterial proteins have shown a low false positive rate. However, some subcellular compartmens like "periplasm" and "extracellular medium" are difficult to predict and remain high false negative rates. In this paper, a method based on representation from statistical contact potentials and wavelet transform is presented. The wavelet-based method achieves an overall high performance holding low false and negative rates particularly on periplasm and extracellular medium. Results suggest the contact potentials as an useful alternative to characterize protein sequences.
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10.1109/EMBC.2013.6609582
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pubmed_815_10218
|
To clarify the psychiatric liaison issues in Japan, this paper briefly introduces a survey of physician attitudes and practices regarding cancer care in Japan and preliminarily reports on an "active" liaison program developed at one Japanese general hospital. The survey of physicians from 31 teaching hospitals, including all cancer centers, revealed that 56% of physicians do not inform patients of a diagnosis of cancer. Thus, actual psychiatric consultation referrals were very few due to the physician's fear of harming his relationship with the cancer patient. One medical unit, in which about one-quarter of the cancer patients were told their diagnoses by the unit chief physician, showed significantly higher rates of psychiatric consultation after the introduction of an "active" liaison program in that hospital. These results suggest that the liaison program can positively influence the rate of psychiatric consultation referrals for cancer patients when the physician discloses the diagnosis to the patient. Consultation-liaison psychiatry in cancer care is expected to develop in Japan, because most physicians report a trend toward informing patients of their cancer diagnosis.
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10.1016/0885-3924(94)90191-0
|
pubmed_13_16425
|
Introduction: Stimulation of cranial nerves modulates central nervous system (CNS) activity via the extensive connections of their brainstem nuclei to higher-order structures. Clinical experience with vagus-nerve stimulation (VNS) demonstrates that it produces robust therapeutic effects, however, posing concerns related to its invasiveness and side-effects. Discussion: Trigeminal nerve stimulation (TNS) has been recently proposed as a valid alternative to VNS. The ear presents afferent vagus and trigeminal-nerve distribution; its innervation is the theoretical basis of different reflex therapies, including auriculotherapy. An increasing number of studies have shown that several therapeutic effects induced by invasive VNS and TNS, can be reproduced by noninvasive auricular-nerve stimulation. However, the sites and neurobiologic mechanisms by which VNS and TNS produce their therapeutic effects are not clear yet. Conclusions: Accumulating evidence suggests that VNS and TNS share multiple levels and mechanisms of action in the CNS.
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10.1089/acu.2017.1254
|
pubmed_508_11319
|
OBJECTIVES
This observational study aimed at evaluating the satisfaction of patients with chronic hepatitis C using the peginterferon (peg-IFN) alfa-2b pen device.
METHODS
Consecutive patients were included when prescribed the pen device. Self-administered questionnaires relating to the progress brought by the pen, convenience/comfort, and the mode and security of injection were completed after the first injection and at 12 weeks.
RESULTS
Six hundred and forty eight patients aged 45.7 +/- 12.1 years completed the 1st questionnaire; 70% were naive for any hepatitis C treatment. Five hundred and twenty five (81%) patients completed the 2nd questionnaire. Adherence to the pen device was >or=80% in more than 80% of the patients. Most (85%) patients declared that the pen brought important progress compared to traditional syringes. Satisfaction was high after the 1st injection and further increased 12 weeks later, with ease of use scoring 7.7 then 8.0 (P=0.007, 10-point scale), and rapidity of use scoring 8.0 then 8.2 (P=0.008); less painful injection scoring 7.9 at both time points. The proportion of self-injectors (no intervention of a health professional) increased from 32% to 58% (P<0.0001). Reasons for self-injecting were: easier injection (58%), no product/syringe handling (50%/41%), and assurance of exact dosing (45%).
CONCLUSION
Patients were satisfied with the peg-IFN alfa-2b pen device. The proportion of self-injectors doubled over 12 weeks. Good treatment adherence, which is mandatory for therapeutic success, is expected from use if this device.
|
10.1016/s0399-8320(07)89352-3
|
pubmed_987_18660
|
A novel reconstruction method for compressive spectral imaging is designed by assuming that the spectral image of interest is sufficiently smooth on a collection of graphs. Since the graphs are not known in advance, we propose to infer them from a panchromatic image using a state-of-the-art graph learning method. Our approach leads to solutions with closed-form that can be found efficiently by solving multiple sparse systems of linear equations in parallel. Extensive simulations and an experimental demonstration show the merits of our method in comparison with traditional methods based on sparsity and total variation and more recent methods based on low-rank minimization and deep-based plug-and-play priors. Our approach may be instrumental in designing efficient methods based on deep neural networks and covariance estimation.
|
10.1364/OE.445938
|
pubmed_508_11902
|
The paper presents the crucial role of video EEG, modern diagnostic method, which allowed synchronized recording of clinical status and EEG pattern of the patient. This method gives the possibility to compare these two parameters in term of paroxysmal events. Video EEG allows to diagnosed clinical events associated with bioelectrical discharges (epilepsy), recording of bioelectrical events without clinical seizures, diagnosing clinical attacks without bioelectrical discharges (pseudoseizures) and nonepileptic events (without epileptic character in video and EEG). This method is very useful especially in children and adolescents because of huge polymorphism of clinical signs, more common ambiguous diagnosis in this age and due to heterogeneity of bioelectrical brain function in children. Video EEG monitoring gives the possibility for clinical and electro-physiological interpretation of paroxysmal events and plays a crucial rule in localizing of epileptogenic focus, classification of the seizure, epilepsy type or syndrome. The role of suggestion and placebo is important in diagnosing psychogenic pseudoseizures. The duration of video EEG recording is differentiated and much more shorter in diagnosing the type of the event. Prolonged monitoring is needed in children with drag resistant epilepsy and in pre-operation evaluation.
|
pubmed_508_11902
|
pubmed_822_8074
|
Post-transcriptional control of gene expression is critical for normal cellular function and viability and many of the proteins that mediate post-transcriptional control are themselves subject to regulation by post-translational modification (PTM), e.g. phosphorylation. However, proteome-wide studies are revealing new complexities in the PTM status of mammalian proteins, in particular large numbers of novel methylated and acetylated residues are being identified. Here we review studied examples of methylation/acetylation-dependent regulation of post-transcriptional regulatory protein (PTRP) function and present collated PTM data that points to the huge potential for regulation of mRNA fate by these PTMs.
|
10.1042/BST20150172
|
pubmed_211_6552
|
Pharmacists at the 1995 American College of Clinical Pharmacy Pediatric Practice and Research Network meeting volunteered to act as coordinators at their sites and survey pediatric and neonatal nurses, pharmacists, and physicians regarding dependency in neonatal and pediatric patients after therapeutic administration of narcotics. Thirteen (60%) of 21 coordinators returned 244 surveys. Primary symptoms of withdrawal reported by clinicians were agitation (100%), irritability (100%), inconsolability (100%), crying (99%), tremors (98%), high heart rate (98%), fidgets (98%), high blood pressure (97%), less sleep (96%), and sweating (94%). Most clinicians considered narcotic withdrawal to be a problem (74%) that should be treated (87%). A dependency scale is being developed and will include symptoms reported by more than 75% of respondents.
|
pubmed_211_6552
|
pubmed_628_9971
|
Serious hyperkalemia is common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and accounts for considerable morbidity and death. Mechanisms of extrarenal disposal of potassium (gastrointestinal excretion and cellular uptake) play a crucial role in the defense against hyperkalemia in this population. In this article we review extrarenal potassium homeostasis and its alteration in patients with ESRD. We pay particular attention to the factors that influence the movement of potassium across cell membranes. With that background we discuss the emergency treatment of hyperkalemia in patients with ESRD. We conclude with a review of strategies to reduce the risk of hyperkalemia in this population of patients.
|
10.1046/j.1525-139x.2001.00087.x
|
pubmed_406_12000
|
A 24-year-old woman had congenital hypoplastic anemia (Blackfan-Diamond syndrome). Anemia was discovered at the age of 12 months and persisted thereafter. The patient had associated congenital abnormalities of urethral stricture, hypoplastic thumb, and absent radial pulse. Her erythroid hypoplasia responded favorably to treatment with prednisone.
|
pubmed_406_12000
|
pubmed_1057_17180
|
The phosphatidylserine (PS) receptor Tim-4 mediates phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by binding to PS exposed on the surface of these cells, and thus functions as a PS receptor for apoptotic cells. Some of PS receptors are capable of recognizing other molecules, such as LPS on bacteria, besides PS on apoptotic cells. However, it is unclear whether Tim-4 perceives other molecules like the PS receptors. Here, we report that Tim-4 facilitates the phagocytosis of exogenous particles as well as apoptotic cells. Similar to the process that occurs during Tim-4-mediated efferocytosis, the uptake of exogenous E. coli and S. aureus bioparticles was promoted by overexpression of Tim-4 on phagocytes, whereas phagocytosis of the bioparticles was reduced in Tim-4-deficient cells. A truncation mutant of Tim-4 lacking the cytoplasmic tail promoted phagocytosis of the particles, but a mutant lacking the IgV or the mucin domain failed to enhance phagocytosis. However, expression of Tim-4AAA (a mutant form of Tim-4 that does not bind phosphatidylserine and does not promote efferocytosis) still promoted phagocytosis. Tim-4-mediated phagocytosis was not blocked by expression of the phosphatidylserine-binding protein Anxa5. Furthermore, binding of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, was higher in Tim-4-overexpressing cells than in Tim-4-deficient cells. In summary, our study suggests that Tim-4 acts as a scavenger receptor and mediates phagocytosis of exogenous particles in a phosphatidylserine-independent manner.
|
10.1038/s41419-020-02773-7
|
pubmed_92_20230
|
BACKGROUND
A technological platform (MediGuide) has been recently introduced for nonfluoroscopic catheter tracking. No data on the safety of this technology are yet available in a large cohort of patients.
METHODS AND RESULTS
Data from a prospective ablation registry were analyzed. All patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation procedures supported by nonfluoroscopic catheter visualization technology were included. Patient characteristics and procedural data and complications within the first 3 months were recorded. Between May 2012 and February 2014, a total of 375 patients underwent atrial fibrillation ablation using nonfluoroscopic catheter visualization technology. The patients were predominantly men (68%); the majority were ablated for the first time (71%); left atrium was 43±6 mm; and left ventricular function was normal (59±9%). The median ablation procedure time was 135 (113-170) minutes, median fluoroscopy time 2.8 (1.5-4.4) minutes, and median radiation dose 789 (470-1466) cGy*cm(2). Regression analysis demonstrated a significant decrease of fluoroscopy time, dose, and procedure time. To confirm the result and show overall changes, the initial 50 cases (group 1) to the last 50 cases (group 2) of the series were compared: fluoroscopy time decreased from 6.0 (4.1-10.3) minutes in group 1 to 1.1 (0.7-1.5) minutes in group 2 and radiation dose from 2363 (1413-3475) to 490 (230-654) cGy*cm(2), respectively. Ten patients (2.7%) experienced complications: 5 cardiac tamponades (1.4%), 4 pseudoaneurysms (1.1%), and 1 stroke (0.3%).
CONCLUSIONS
Atrial fibrillation ablation using the nonfluoroscopic catheter visualization technology is safe with a rate of complications of 2.7%. Procedure time (135 minutes) is not prolonged. A dramatic reduction in fluoroscopy time and dose was achieved.
|
10.1161/CIRCEP.114.001542
|
pubmed_807_11174
|
Phyllodes tumor of the breast is a rare fibroepithelial lesion and particularly uncommon in adolescent girls. It is thought to arise from the periductal rather than intralobular stroma. Usually, it is seen as a well-defined mass. Phyllodes tumor showing intraductal growth is extremely rare. Here we report a girl who has a phyllodes tumor with intraductal growth.
|
10.1007/s12282-010-0208-7
|
pubmed_339_405
|
We analyzed the relationship between viral drug resistance and causes of death in 29 HIV-1-infected patients who had been followed in an HIV-outpatient clinic and died in 1999. Six patients (21%) died with plasma HIV-RNA levels <1000 copies/ml. Seven (24%) died with wild-type (WT) virus in plasma, 6 (21%) had reverse transcriptase (RT) mutations only, 10 (34%) had multidrug-resistant (MDR) virus. The causes of death were not differently distributed among these groups; however, 8 of 16 patients (50%) with resistant viruses died of end-organ failure versus 2 of 7 patients (29%) with WT virus. Seventeen of 32 patients (53%) were thought by their physicians to be noncompliant with prescribed therapy. Major resistance mutations to antiretroviral drugs were present in viruses from at least 55% of our HIV-1-infected patients who died in 1999. Nonetheless, deaths also occurred among patients with well-controlled HIV infection and among patients with WT virus in plasma. Infections related to incomplete immune restoration, inability to maintain suppressive antiretroviral drug levels, and end-organ failures all contribute to mortalities in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.
|
10.1097/00042560-200111010-00007
|
pubmed_978_7045
|
We present the case of a 46-year-old man who was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which his forehead struck the dashboard of his semi-tractor trailer. A toggle switch penetrated the anterior and posterior tables of his frontal sinus and lodged in the frontal lobe. The foreign body was not found on physical examination at an emergency care facility. The wound was closed, and the patient was sent home. Severe headaches prompted his return the next day. Skull roentgenograms showed the toggle switch, and the patient was referred to our institution for definitive care. This unusual case serves to emphasize the potential for a foreign body to penetrate the frontal sinus with few physical findings.
|
10.1016/s0196-0644(89)80466-4
|
pubmed_443_6085
|
Cold biopsy of the gastric mucosa is useful in many gastroduodenal disorders. Antral biopsies are done with increasing frequency to confirm Helicobacter pylori infection and to determine the type and content of gastritis. Gastrointestinal bleeding after gastric cold biopsy is rare. We report two patients who developed melena after cold biopsy of the gastric antrum. Repeat gastroscopies excluded lesions other than the biopsied sites as the source of bleeding. Colonoscopies in both cases did not reveal any evidence of lower GI bleed. Relevant medications include amlodipine, in case 1, and brufen, which was used in case 2 but discontinued before biopsy. Literature review has shown the rarity of clinically significant hemorrhage resulting from gastric cold biopsy. Nevertheless, all patients undergoing gastroscopy should be informed of this potential complication.
|
10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.346_e.x
|
pubmed_869_1100
|
Fortification of enriched cereal-grain products with folic acid to help prevent pregnancies affected by a neural tube defect (NTD) (e.g., spina bifida or anencephaly) became mandatory in the United States in January 1998. Data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) indicated that median serum folate concentrations in nonpregnant women of childbearing age had increased substantially, compared with concentrations during a period (1988-1994) before fortification was mandated. This report uses NHANES data to update those findings and assess trends in serum folate and red blood cell (RBC) folate levels by race/ethnicity from the 1999--2000 survey through the 2003-2004 survey. The results of these comparisons indicated that median serum folate concentrations among nonpregnant women of childbearing age decreased 16% from 1999-2000 through 2003-2004, and RBC folate concentrations decreased 8%. All women of childbearing age who are capable of becoming pregnant should consume 400 microg of folic acid daily to reduce the occurrence of NTD-affected pregnancies.
|
pubmed_869_1100
|
pubmed_734_6536
|
Most of the chemical diversity present in the natural world derives from the incredible ability of enzymes to act on and control metabolism. Yet, thousands of enzymes have no defined function. The capacity to probe, investigate and assign previously unknown enzyme function with speed and confidence is therefore highly sought-after. Metabolomics is becoming a dominant player in the field of functional genomics and, when coupled with genetic tools and protein biochemistry techniques, has enabled unbiased, de novo annotation of orphan enzymes both in vitro and ex vivo. In this chapter, we describe two distinct experimental and analytical metabolomic methodologies used to reveal enzyme function. Activity-based metabolomic profiling (ABMP) is an in vitro technique that enables tracking of enzyme-induced changes in a complex metabolite extract. Global metabolomic profiling permits the comparison of extracted cellular metabolome of groups of samples (e.g., wild-type versus mutant bacteria). The methods we describe present the advantage of generating cell extracts containing a broad range of metabolites in their native states, which can then be used to identify substrates for orphan enzymes. This chapter aims to provide a guide for the use of these metabolomic techniques by scientists interested in identifying bona fide physiological substrates of orphan enzymes and the metabolic pathways they belong to.
|
10.1016/bs.mie.2021.12.001
|
pubmed_540_13640
|
OBJECTIVES
Medically, anticancer drugs contamination leading to human exposure has become an issue. The urine of patients receiving chemotherapy contains anticancer drugs. If urine containing anticancer drugs is excreted, the anticancer drugs are scattered around the toilet bowl, then adhere to slipper soles and spread. Therefore, we developed an absorbent sheet containing activated carbon that absorbs anticancer drugs and prevents anticancer drug contamination spread. In this article, we report the data on the sheet performance evaluation.
METHODS
In artificial urine solutions, 100 μL (20 drops) of cyclophosphamide (CPA; 2,000 μg/mL), methotrexate (MTX; 6,000 μg/mL), and paclitaxel (PTX; 200 μg/mL) were dropped onto the stainless plate of two commercially available medical sheets (Pitapa SheetⓇ; control product 1 and Absocare sheetⓇ; control product 2) and a newly developed sheet (HD Safe Sheet-Neo, test product). Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) slippers were placed on the sheets for 30 s, and anticancer drugs that adhered to the slippers were quantified. We compared the drug quantities that were transferred to the slippers from different sheets.
RESULTS
An average of 31.5%, 38.7%, and 50.5% of each of the dropped anticancer agents (CPA, MTX, and PTX, respectively) adhered to the slipper sole. Compared to that of the control product 2, the average adhesion of CPA and MTX was significantly reduced in the test product containing activated charcoal (224 vs 2 μg, p < .050 and 2,235 vs 19 μg, p < .050). Contrastingly, there was no significant difference in the PTX mean adherence (35 vs 13 μg).
CONCLUSION
Activated carbon adsorbs anticancer drugs in urine. The test product containing activated charcoal reduced the amount of scattered anticancer drugs that adhered to the slippers. The results suggest that the activated carbon sheet may prevent anticancer drugs contamination spread in urine.
|
10.1539/sangyoeisei.2022-006-B
|
pubmed_692_17034
|
Following a large outbreak of community-acquired psittacosis in 2002 in residents of the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, we reviewed new cases in this area over a 7-year period from 2003 to 2009. Using the 2010 criteria from the Centers for Disease Control National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 85 patients with possible psittacosis were identified, of which 48 were identified as definite or probable infection. Clinical features of these cases are summarized. In addition to Chlamydia-specific serology, specimens, where available, underwent nucleic acid testing for chlamydial DNA using real-time PCR. Chlamydophila psittaci DNA was detected in samples from 23 patients. Four of 18 specimens were culture positive. This is the first description of endemic psittacosis, and is characterized in this location by community-acquired psittacosis resulting from inadvertent exposure to birds. The disease is likely to be under-diagnosed, and may often be mistaken for gastroenteritis or meningitis given the frequency of non-respiratory symptoms, particularly without a history of contact with birds. Clinical characteristics of endemic and outbreak-associated cases were similar. The nature of exposure, risk factors and reasons for the occurrence of outbreaks of psittacosis require further investigation.
|
10.1002/2052-2975.29
|
pubmed_317_14260
|
Conducting manipulative climate change experiments in complex vegetation is challenging, given considerable temporal and spatial heterogeneity. One specific challenge involves warming of both plants and soils to depth. We describe the design and performance of an open-air warming experiment called Boreal Forest Warming at an Ecotone in Danger (B4WarmED) that addresses the potential for projected climate warming to alter tree function, species composition, and ecosystem processes at the boreal-temperate ecotone. The experiment includes two forested sites in northern Minnesota, USA, with plots in both open (recently clear-cut) and closed canopy habitats, where seedlings of 11 tree species were planted into native ground vegetation. Treatments include three target levels of plant canopy and soil warming (ambient, +1.7°C, +3.4°C). Warming was achieved by independent feedback control of voltage input to aboveground infrared heaters and belowground buried resistance heating cables in each of 72-7.0 m(2) plots. The treatments emulated patterns of observed diurnal, seasonal, and annual temperatures but with superimposed warming. For the 2009 to 2011 field seasons, we achieved temperature elevations near our targets with growing season overall mean differences (∆Tbelow ) of +1.84°C and +3.66°C at 10 cm soil depth and (∆T(above) ) of +1.82°C and +3.45°C for the plant canopies. We also achieved measured soil warming to at least 1 m depth. Aboveground treatment stability and control were better during nighttime than daytime and in closed vs. open canopy sites in part due to calmer conditions. Heating efficacy in open canopy areas was reduced with increasing canopy complexity and size. Results of this study suggest the warming approach is scalable: it should work well in small-statured vegetation such as grasslands, desert, agricultural crops, and tree saplings (<5 m tall).
|
10.1111/gcb.12855
|
pubmed_572_24954
|
TiO₂-coated boron particles were prepared by a wet ball milling method, with the particle size distribution and average particle size being easily controlled by varying the milling operation time. Based on the results from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, it was confirmed that the initial oxide layer on the boron particles surface was removed by the wet milling process, and that a new B-O-Ti bond was formed on the boron surface. The uniform TiO₂ layer on the 150 nm boron particles was estimated to be 10 nm thick. Based on linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, current-time amperometry, and electrochemical impedance analyses, the potential for the application of TiO₂-coated boron particles as a photoelectrochemical catalyst was demonstrated. A current of 250 μA was obtained at a potential of 0.5 V for hydrogen evolution, with an onset potential near to 0.0 V. Finally, a current of 220 μA was obtained at a potential of 1.0 V for oxygen evolution.
|
10.3390/ma9121012
|
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