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pubmed_545_11562 | AIM
To present findings from a longitudinal study on infection risk, mortality, and patient perspective of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) treatment for patients with hypogammaglobulinemia secondary to hematological malignancy or its treatment (abbreviated as SID).
METHODS
Observational study period included final year of IVIg (13 patients) and of the first 3 years of SCIg (17 patients) with SID. Data were collected on clinical outcomes from medical records and patient perception via study specific questionnaire.
RESULTS
The median age was 63 years (53-76 years), and for 82.4% of patients their hematological malignancy was in complete remission. The annual mean serum IgG trough levels remained stable over the 4 years and were 7.0 g/L (±2.77 g/L) with IVIg, and 8.0 g/L (±1.75 g/L), 8.7 g/L (±2.75 g/L), and 7.6 g/L (±2.89 g/L) (year 1, 2, and 3, respectively) with SCIg. While the annual infection rate was similar, the rate of hospitalization due to infection fluctuated, with 37%, 9%, 15%, and 32% in year 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. There were no systemic adverse events with IVIg or SCIg. Patients reported a strong preference for SCIg. One patient died due to progression of underlying disease and infection within the study period.
CONCLUSION
SCIg was the preferred treatment mode over IVIg in our cohort, but both were well tolerated without any systemic adverse events in 4-year follow up. The dosage and serum IgG levels were stable throughout. However, the number of infections requiring hospitalization fluctuated. It is anticipated that these findings encourage more hospitals to offer SCIg for SID patients. | 10.1111/ajco.13515 |
pubmed_483_24532 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Bangladesh. But no systematic review has been carried out in Bangladesh, which portraits the burden of COPD and its risk factors. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to find out the prevalence and risk factors of COPD in Bangladesh. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Popline, and Banglajol from January 1, 1972 to April 30, 2017. We included studies that reported the prevalence and/or risk factors of COPD among Bangladeshi people. Two researchers independently searched and screened all the articles and extracted data from nine eligible studies. The whole process was verified by another researcher. Quality assessment was performed using a checklist adopted from published articles on quality assessment guidelines of observational studies. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Data analysis was done thematically. The pooled COPD prevalence among Bangladeshi adult was 12.5% (95% CI, 10.9-14.1) using the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria and 11.9% (95% CI, 11.4-13.6) using the lower limit of the normality (LLN) criteria. The prevalence was higher among males, low socio-economic group, rural residents, and biomass fuel users. Tobacco consumption, exposure to biomass fuel, old age, and history of asthma were identified as major risk factors of COPD. COPD prevalence is high in Bangladesh. It is a timely need for the policy-makers and public health professionals to take pertinent steps for prevention and control of COPD in Bangladesh. | 10.7759/cureus.3970 |
pubmed_1092_11441 | Dating violence is a serious and prevalent public health problem that is associated with numerous negative physical and psychological health outcomes, and yet there has been limited evaluation of prevention programs on college campuses. A recent innovation in campus prevention focuses on mobilizing bystanders to take action. To date, bystander programs have mainly been compared with no treatment control groups raising questions about what value is added to dating violence prevention by focusing on bystanders. This study compared a single 90-min bystander education program for dating violence prevention with a traditional awareness education program, as well as with a no education control group. Using a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with follow-up at 2 months, a sample of predominately freshmen college students was randomized to either the bystander ( n = 369) or traditional awareness ( n = 376) dating violence education program. A non-randomized control group of freshmen students who did not receive any education were also surveyed ( n = 224). Students completed measures of attitudes, including rape myth acceptance, bystander efficacy, and intent to help as well as behavioral measures related to bystander action and victimization. Results showed that the bystander education program was more effective at changing attitudes, beliefs, efficacy, intentions, and self-reported behaviors compared with the traditional awareness education program. Both programs were significantly more effective than no education. The findings of this study have important implications for future dating violence prevention educational programming, emphasizing the value of bystander education programs for primary dating violence prevention among college students. | 10.1177/0886260516636069 |
pubmed_257_20358 | Fistula between aortic pseudo-aneurysm and atrium occurred in two patients ten or thirteen years after initial Bentall's operation. Their chief complaints were edema of lower extremity, oliguria and dyspnea. Because the pseudo-aneurysm and fistula was suspected by continuous murmur and echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization and aortography were performed to make accurate diagnosis. In these cases, both the fistula and the leakage at the site of initial anastomosis were repaired as soon as the diagnosis was made. To our knowledge, there have been no such reports of aortic pseudo-aneurysm penetrating into the atrium after Bentall's operation. | pubmed_257_20358 |
pubmed_509_24235 | Amorphastilbol (APH-1), isolated from a Robinia pseudoacacia var. umbraculifer [corrected] seed extract, is a biologically interesting natural trans-stilbene compound with dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α/γ agonist activity. After total synthesis of APH-1 and its derivatives by Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of a common (E)-styryl bromide intermediate and various aromatic trifluoroborate compounds, we biologically evaluated APH-2-APH-12 for PPAR agonist activity. APH-4 and APH-11 were effective PPARα/γ transcriptional activators, compared with APH-1. Therefore, we suggest that APH-4 and APH-11 are novel dual PPARα/γ agonists and are potentially useful for treating type 2 diabetes by enhancing glucose and lipid metabolism. | 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.04.062 |
pubmed_950_12500 | Metformin is a glucose-lowering agent that is used as a first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Based on its various pharmacologic actions, the renoprotective effects of metformin have been extensively studied. A series of experimental studies demonstrated that metformin attenuates diabetic kidney disease (DKD) by suppressing renal inflammation, oxidative stress and fibrosis. In clinical studies, metformin use has been shown to be associated with reduced rates of mortality, cardiovascular disease and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in T2D patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, metformin should be administered with caution to patients with CKD because it may increase the risk of lactic acidosis. In this review article, we summarize our current understanding of the safety and efficacy of metformin for DKD. | 10.3390/ijms21124239 |
pubmed_266_9297 | A 41-yr-old, otherwise healthy, premenopausal woman presented at our uro-oncology clinic with a diagnosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer following a transurethral resection of the bladder performed at another center. After a thorough discussion with the patient, she was enrolled in the phase II PURE-01 trial (NCT02736266), testing three cycles of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab (200mg) every 3 wk before radical cystectomy. Before treatment, imaging studies were obtained as per the protocol using computed tomography (CT), [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT, and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging of the bladder, defining a clinically localized T2N0M0 stage. As per the protocol, potential biomarkers were assessed, including PD-L1 expression (84% combined positive score), tumor mutational burden (16.67 mut/Mb), and genomic profiling (FoundationONE assay; somatic mutation in TP53, EZH2, APC, TERT, CDKN1A, CDKN1B, and ARID1A genes, and truncation in BRCA2 gene). After immunotherapy, the patient underwent a robot-assisted radical cystectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection. The final pathology report revealed absence of residual disease (ie, pathological complete response, ypT0ypN0). During follow-up, the only relevant and permanent immune-mediated adverse event was hypothyroidism secondary to an autoimmune thyroiditis. It appeared 2 mo after radical cystectomy and it was managed successfully with hormonal replacement therapy. Two years after treatment, the patient is asymptomatic and free from disease recurrence. PATIENT SUMMARY: Increasing evidence suggests that frontline neoadjuvant immunotherapy may be beneficial for patients diagnosed with non-locally advanced, muscle-invasive bladder cancer (cT2N0), with fewer drawbacks than traditional chemotherapy. Although further studies are needed in support, this vision opens the opportunity for future clinical trials testing the potential incremental benefits of immunotherapy and the utility of novel biomarker- and imaging-based strategies to assess response to therapy. | 10.1016/j.euo.2020.07.006 |
pubmed_291_2335 | PURPOSE
Appendicitis is the most common abdominal inflammatory process in children which were sometimes followed by complications including intra-abdominal abscess. This later needs classically a surgical drainage. We evaluated the efficacy of antibiotic treatment and surgical drainage.
METHODS
Hospital records of children treated in our unit for intra-abdominal post appendectomy abscesses over a 6 years period were reviewed retrospectively.
RESULTS
This study investigates a series of 14 children from 2 to 13 years of age with one or many abscesses after appendectomy, treated between 2002 and 2007. Seven underwent surgery and the others were treated with triple antibiotherapy. The two groups were comparable. For the 7 patients who receive medical treatment alone, it was considered efficient in 6 cases (85%) with clinical, biological and radiological recovery of the abscess. There was one failure (14%). The duration of hospitalization from the day of diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess was approximately 10.28 days (range 7 to 14 days). In the other group, the efficacy of treatment was considered satisfactory in all cases. The duration of hospitalization was about 13 days (range: 9 to 20).
CONCLUSION
Compared to surgical drainage, antibiotic management of intra-abdominal abscesses was a no invasive treatment with shorter hospitalization. | 10.1186/1824-7288-36-68 |
pubmed_49_7139 | Drugs are the most cost-effective modality of chronic care, and older adults with multiple illnesses often need multiple drugs. Because this may lead to drug interactions, adverse drug effects, and problems with compliance, drug regimens should be individualized and as few drugs as possible used. When a new drug is indicated, it is important for the physician reassess the appropriateness and continued need for the existing regimen. Patients and providers must agree on a particular regimen, its goals, promises, and limitations. | pubmed_49_7139 |
pubmed_293_7947 | : Physical therapy (PT) is perceived as a cost driver in the US workers' compensation system. We conducted a 5-year (2013 to 2017) retrospective analysis utilizing 192,197 claims from a large Texas based workers' compensation insurance company to describe the relationship between the amount of physical therapy delivered and workers' compensation costs and lost-time. Closed, indemnity claims with 15 or more PT visits were six times more likely (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.50, 86.58) to result in high medical costs (>$7000, excluding PT costs) and were four times more likely (95% CI: 3.77, 4.42) to result in more than or equal to 6 months of lost-time, when controlling for confounders. When the number of PT visits more than or equal to 15 visits for a lost time claim, this level of PT exceeds all other predictors (opioid use, comorbidities, legal involvement, surgery, etc) of medical cost and extended time out from work. | 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001630 |
pubmed_57_11473 | Aeromonas sp. ACY 95 produces constitutively and intracellularly a penicillin V acylase at an early stage of fermentation (12 h) and a cephalosporin C acylase at a later stage (36 h). Some penicillins, cephalosporin C and their side chain moieties/analogues, phenoxyacetic acid, penicillin V and penicillin G, enhanced penicillin V acylase production while none of the test compounds affected cephalosporin C acylase production. Supplementation of the medium with some sugars and sugar derivatives repressed enzyme production to varying degrees. The studies on enzyme formation, induction and repression, and substrate profile suggest that the cephalosporin C acylase and penicillin V acylase are two distinct enzymes. Substrate specificity studies indicate that the Aeromonas sp. ACY 95 produces a true cephalosporin C acylase which unlike the enzymes reported hitherto hydrolyses cephalosporin C specifically. | 10.1007/BF00340214 |
pubmed_134_11314 | Pinched discharge plasmas in tin vapor are candidates for application in future semiconductor lithography tools. This paper presents time-resolved measurements of Stark broadened linewidths in a pulsed tin discharge. Stark broadening parameters have been determined for four lines of the Sn III spectrum in the range from 522 to 538 nm, based on a cross-calibration to a Sn II line with a previously known Stark width. The influence of the electron temperature on the Stark widths is discussed. Results for the electron densities in the discharge are presented and compared to Thomson scattering results. | 10.1103/PhysRevE.70.066402 |
pubmed_441_9772 | A brief account of the special features of operations for the termination of pregnancy and their associated anaesthesiological problems is followed by presentation of the results of a study of the application of different types of intravenous narcosis (500 cases in the preoperative stage; 1000 cases in the conclusive stage). Reference is made to the features of a method that was found to be very suitable. This provided for the employment of althesin as the basic drug for brief, complication-free, intravenous anaesthesia. | pubmed_441_9772 |
pubmed_628_8447 | Five peroxiredoxin genes have been identified in Drosophila melanogaster on the basis of a genome-wide search. Three of the genes (DPx-4156, DPx-4783, and DPx-5037) fall into the 2-Cys subgroup, while the other two (DPx-2540 and DPx-6005) belong to the 1-Cys subgroup. Using cDNAs, all five were expressed in E. coli and the purified recombinant proteins were shown to reduce H(2)O(2) in the presence of dithiothreitol. The three 2-Cys Prx were also shown to be active in the thioredoxin system and were, consequently, classified as thioredoxin peroxidases. Antisera raised against the DPx-4783 recombinant protein crossreacted with all family members and recognized protein species of the predicted sizes (22-27 kD). All five family members, when individually overexpressed in Drosophila S2 cells, conferred some resistance to H(2)O(2) treatment, as measured by cell viability. Functional diversification of the Drosophila peroxiredoxin family members was suggested by two lines of evidence: (i) the patterns of mRNA accumulation varied for the different genes during development and (ii) recombinant proteins fused to an epitope tag and overexpressed in Drosophila cells, differed in subcellular localizations--three proteins occurred in the cytosol, one was localized to the mitochondria, and one was found to be secreted. | 10.1016/s0891-5849(01)00692-x |
pubmed_560_24802 | Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play an important role in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and accelerate atherosclerosis in diabetic patients. Autophagy, a life-sustaining process, is stimulated in atherosclerotic plaques by oxidized lipids, inflammation and metabolic stress conditions. In our studies, we utilized MTT assays to show that autophagy is involved in AGE-induced proliferation of VSMCs. Furthermore, treatment with AGEs (100 µg/ml) could induce autophagy in a time- and dose-dependent manner in rat aortic VSMCs. These results were further substantiated by electron microscopy and immunofluorescence imaging. Treatment with AGEs activated ERK, JNK and p38/MAPK, but inhibited Akt. Pretreatment with an ERK inhibitor and an Akt activator inhibited AGE-induced autophagy, demonstrating that AGEs induce autophagy in VSMCs through the ERK and Akt signaling pathways. In addition, RNA interference of RAGE decreased autophagy, indicating that RAGE is pivotal in the process of AGE-induced autophagy. Therefore, AGE-induced autophagy contributes to the process of AGE-induced proliferation of VSMCs, which is related to atherosclerosis in diabetes. | 10.3892/ijmm.2012.891 |
pubmed_229_16463 | PURPOSE
To describe the results, complications, and follow-up data after stent placement for occlusive internal carotid arterial disease and to compare the results with those in the literature.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Carotid arterial stent placement was attempted in 57 arteries in 53 patients. Thirty-six (68%) of 53 patients were symptomatic. Forty-two (79%) of 53 patients had one to three clinically important comorbidities and were considered at high risk. All patients underwent pre- and postprocedural independent neurologic examinations. Follow-up consisted of serial duplex ultrasonography and clinical assessment.
RESULTS
The immediate technical success rate of stent deployment was 97%. Periprocedurally, three (three [5%] of 57 interventions) transient ischemic attacks and three (three [5%] of 57 interventions) minor strokes occurred. Two deaths occurred in the first 30 days (one myocardial infarction, one renal failure). One ipsilateral major stroke occurred 3 weeks after the procedure. The 30-day ipsilateral major stroke and death rate was 5% (three of 57 interventions). At 30 days, one of three patients with minor stroke had mild residual dysphasia. Treatment remained clinically successful in 48 (96%) of 50 patients. The restenosis rate was 4% (two patients).
CONCLUSION
Carotid arterial stent placement in a high-risk population has morbidity and mortality rates comparable to those of carotid endarterectomy in a lower risk population. Carotid arterial stent placement can be performed with a low restenosis rate. | 10.1148/radiol.2203001313 |
pubmed_1105_17896 | beta-Aryl eliminations from a series of rhodium(I) alkoxides to form rhodium aryl complexes and free ketones are reported. Tertiary phenylmethoxide complexes [Rh(PEt3)n(OCPhRR')] (n = 2, 3) were prepared via alcoholysis of {Rh(PEt3)2[N(SiMe3)2} by the corresponding alcohols HOCPhRR' in the presence and absence of added PEt3. Heating of these complexes in the presence of added PEt3 generated the rhodium phenyl complex, (PEt3)3RhPh, and the corresponding ketones in good to high yields. Kinetic results are most consistent with irreversible beta-phenyl elimination from a bisphosphine-ligated rhodium alkoxide complex. Such bisphosphine complexes result from ligand dissociation from the trisphosphine complexes and have been isolated in some cases. The bisphosphine complexes are stabilized by Rh-Cphenyl interactions, as evidenced by an X-ray structure, and this structure with a metal-aryl interaction likely illustrates the pathway for C-C bond cleavage. | 10.1021/ja058550q |
pubmed_841_7344 | In A7r5 vascular smooth muscle cells, Arg(8)-vasopressin (AVP) stimulates phospholipase C leading to activation of two distinct Ca(2+) entry pathways. The capacitative Ca(2+) entry (CCE) pathway is activated by depletion of Ca(2+) stores, is permeable to Mn(2+), Ba(2+) and Ca(2+), and is selectively blocked by Gd(3+)(1 microM). A7r5 cells also express a non-capacitative Ca(2+) entry (NCCE) pathway, which is activated by arachidonic acid that is released by the sequential activities of phospholipase C and diacylglycerol lipase. This pathway is permeable to Sr(2+), Ba(2+) and Ca(2+) and selectively blocked by (R,S)-(3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-isochinolin-1-yl)-2-phenyl-N,N-di[2-(2,3,4-trimethoxyphenyl)ethyl]acetamid mesylate ("LOE-908"). We use these selective tools to show that AVP, via the same signalling pathway that leads to activation of NCCE, also inhibits CCE and that the inhibition is not due to depolarization of the plasma membrane. Using the selective inhibitors to resolve the contributions of each Ca(2+) entry pathway during stimulation with AVP, we establish that reciprocal regulation of CCE and NCCE by arachidonic acid ensures that only NCCE is active in the presence of AVP, whereas CCE is active only after its removal. NCCE and CCE are therefore activated in a strict temporal sequence: NCCE first and then CCE. Because Ca(2+) passing through different Ca(2+) entry pathways can selectively regulate different responses, reciprocal regulation of CCE and NCCE may allow a stimulus to first evoke a response and then recruit actively a different response when the stimulus is removed. | 10.1042/0264-6021:3620013 |
pubmed_875_24329 | An extensive body of literature provides evidence supporting the effectiveness of assertive community treatment (ACT) with regard to non-forensic outcome measures, such as number of hospital admissions and length of stay. However, research findings on the effectiveness of ACT for forensic outcome measures, such as rearrests or detentions, is much less clear. The present review, therefore, focuses on the application of ACT in forensic populations, combining key elements of ACT with elements of forensic rehabilitation models. Specifically, a review of the literature was conducted using a systematic methodology in an attempt to combine evidence-based elements of 40 years of research on regular ACT with elements of forensic rehabilitation models. Results reveal limited yet promising evidence in support of the effectiveness of forensic ACT for forensic outcome measures. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed. | 10.1007/s10597-016-0044-0 |
pubmed_444_4872 | Analyzing the restructured political economy in 21st-century urban China, this project develops a "symbiotic interaction" model and reconceptualizes the state-market relationship to appreciate the changing inequality patterns. As the state and market have formed a long-term, intimate relationship, dynamic state policies interact with the fragmented labor market to redefine a set of socioeconomic capitals and statuses in affecting income inequality. Drawing empirical evidence from the Chinese General Social Survey 2003 and 2013 data, this paper employs linear and unconditional quantile regressions to compare income disparity patterns along both temporal and socio-spatial dimensions. The findings show that multiple key factors, including human capital (e.g., college education), political capital (e.g., party membership), occupational status (e.g., self-employment), and organizational type (e.g., state-owned enterprise), have all changed their economic returns over time and also played different roles for various earning groups. These findings suggest that we should conduct substantive institutional analyses of the evolving state-market relationship and their interplay to achieve a deeper understanding of the reshuffled stratification order in contemporary China. The proposed analytical framework also has broad implications in the research of other transitional economies. | 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102450 |
pubmed_681_5301 | Acute pancreatitis (AP) in humans can lead to increased vascular permeability in the lungs and respiratory failure. Fibronectin plays an important role in maintaining the structural integrity of the pulmonary epithelium and endothelium. However, its importance in pancreatitis-associated lung injury has not been defined. AP was produced by infusing caerulein (5 ug/kg/hr) in rats for 8 or 24 hr. Lung injury was assessed histologically and by determining lung microvascular permeability by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis. Organ distribution of a target particle given intravenously was determined by the vascular clearance of magnetic iron oxide particles. Plasma fibronectin was measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. After 8 hr of cerulein infusion, serum amylase increased 8-fold. Pancreatitis correlated with lung injury. BAL at 8 hr showed a 90% increase (P < 0.05) in albumin levels. Histological analysis at 8 hr revealed an increased number of leukocytes within the lungs. By 8 hr, plasma fibronectin significantly decreased 25% (P < 0.05) and the pulmonary uptake of iron oxide increased 111% (P < 0.05). By 24 hr, these effects had nearly resolved. These results indicate that decreases in serum fibronectin and increases in pulmonary leukocyte margination during acute pancreatitis may compromise the integrity of the air-blood barrier and also increase the pulmonary uptake of circulating pathogenic materials, thus making lung injury more likely. | 10.1023/a:1024739017789 |
pubmed_265_5130 | To obtain a comprehensive overview of chromosomal alterations that may underlie human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated immortalization, 4 foreskin keratinocyte cell lines generated by transfection with either HPV 16 (cell lines FK16A and FK16B) or HPV 18 (FK18A and FK18B) were subjected to chromosomal analysis using comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Three cell lines were analyzed both in the mortal state during their extended lifespan and in the subsequent immortal state. From cell line FK18A, only immortal cells were tested. Chromosomal imbalances increased in number through the process of immortalization. Subsequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis, using a panel of 21 microsatellite markers selected on the basis of CGH losses, revealed no clonal LOHs in cells at the mortal stage. However, in the immortal descendants 67% of underrepresentations detected by CGH were expressed as clonal LOH at the respective loci. Clonal LOHs at 3p, 11p and 13q were detected in 2 cell lines each and were thus considered non-random. Immortal cells of 1 cell line (FK18B) revealed LOH at all 3 loci. Moreover, all immortal cell lines displaying allelic losses at one or more of these loci shared a severely dysplastic phenotype after organotypic culturing, as shown previously. Therefore, loss-of-function mutations of genes at these loci, eventually in combination, are potentially involved in the process of HPV-mediated immortalization that is attended by a loss of terminal differentiation. Since chromosomal changes at these loci are also found in HPV-associated carcinomas in vivo, the HPV-transfected cell lines seem to provide a valuable model system for studying HPV-mediated carcinogenesis. | 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19980504)76:3<412::aid-ijc20>3.0.co;2-b |
pubmed_520_17779 | In the present study, the effect of PLA on a periodontic pathogen, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), the biofilm, and virulence-related genes was investigated. We confirmed that two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from plant sources, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MSC-C2 and Pediococcus pentosaceus K40, secrete PLA into the de Man, Rogosa & Sharpe (MRS) broth when supplemented with phenyl pyruvic acid (PPA) as a precursor to PLA. Moreover, PLA was generated in the fermentation broths of two medicinal plant extracts, Paeonia lactiflora Pall (PR) and Carthamus tinctorius (CT), when used by each LAB strain and each extract supplemented with PPA. We determined that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PLA against A. actinomycetemcomitans was 20 mM. PLA significantly decreased biofilm formation and suppressed the transcription of pgA, ltxA, and cdtB genes, which encode the poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PGA) polysaccharide of biofilm matrix and exotoxins leukotoxin and cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), respectively. The PLA produced by the MSC-C2 and K40 strains was increased several times by the addition of PPA to the MRS broth. The anti-biofilm effect of the extracts from the fermentation broth was proportional to the increasing PLA concentration, while a cumulatively higher effect than that of PLA alone suggested a combinational effect of PLA and the other metabolites, such as lactic acid (LA). Among the two medicinal plants, PLA, produced after the addition of PPA, was higher in PR extract in case of both the LAB strains. PLA production by the MSC-C2 strain in the PR extract reached 4.8 ± 0.23 mM, which was obviously higher than that in the MRS broth (3.88 ± 0.12 mM) supplemented with 1 mg/ml PPA. The activity to inhibit biofilm formation in the fermented PR extract was clearly high. PLA formed in the fermented PR extract downregulated the dispersin B encoding the dspB gene together with pgA, ltxA, and cdtB. In conclusion, this study shows a promising activity of PLA against the A. actinomycetemcomitans biofilm and virulence genes. In addition, the combinational effect of PLA and the medicinal plant extract can be achieved by fermentation with a specific plant-derived LAB strain. | 10.3389/fmicb.2022.991144 |
pubmed_312_7871 | The fast reacting thiol groups of yeast phosphofructokinase were studied by means of stopped-flow measurements. The enzyme was found to contain four very fast reacting cysteinyl residues determined by their reactivity towards 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid). A second class of eight thiol groups reveals an apparent first order rate constant which is three orders of magnitude lower than the rate constant of the first one. Due to the extreme high reactivity of the first class of cysteinyl residues partial oxidation was already observed under aerobic conditions. Fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1.6-bisphosphate, and fructose 2.6-bisphosphate, respectively, decrease the reactivity of the first class of thiol groups but not the total number of the accessible cysteins. This result is discussed with regard to conformational changes of the enzyme after binding of the sugar phosphates. | pubmed_312_7871 |
pubmed_987_14454 | PURPOSE
For an in-depth analysis of the learning benefits that a stereoscopic view presents during endoscopic training, surgeons required a custom surgical evaluation system enabling simulator independent evaluation of endoscopic skills. Automated surgical skill assessment is in dire need since supervised training sessions and video analysis of recorded endoscope data are very time-consuming. This paper presents a first step towards a multimodal training evaluation system, which is not restricted to certain training setups and fixed evaluation metrics.
METHODS
With our system we performed data fusion of motion and muscle-action measurements during multiple endoscopic exercises. The exercises were performed by medical experts with different surgical skill levels, using either two or three-dimensional endoscopic imaging. Based on the multi-modal measurements, training features were calculated and their significance assessed by distance and variance analysis. Finally, the features were used automatic classification of the used endoscope modes.
RESULTS
During the study, 324 datasets from 12 participating volunteers were recorded, consisting of spatial information from the participants' joint and right forearm electromyographic information. Feature significance analysis showed distinctive significance differences, with amplitude-related muscle information and velocity information from hand and wrist being among the most significant ones. The analyzed and generated classification models exceeded a correct prediction rate of used endoscope type accuracy rate of 90%.
CONCLUSION
The results support the validity of our setup and feature calculation, while their analysis shows significant distinctions and can be used to identify the used endoscopic view mode, something not apparent when analyzing time tables of each exercise attempt. The presented work is therefore a first step toward future developments, with which multivariate feature vectors can be classified automatically in real-time to evaluate endoscopic training and track learning progress. | 10.1007/s11548-022-02588-1 |
pubmed_38_20618 | The review emphasizes the role of NGF, the most representative member of the neurotrophins family, in cardiac physiopathology with a particular focus on healing and sprouting processes occurring after tissue damage. Cardiac and circulating NGF levels dramatically increase following myocardial injury (MI). A very early rise of this neurotrophin is indeed observed soon after MI (hours). Such a rise may lead to sympathetic nerve sprouting which may underlie the later genesis of arrhythmias but may also favor the healing process. At later times (months after), when heart failure develops, the opposite is detected and NGF tissue levels are below the normal range, an event that may in turn participate to defective innervation and cardiac failure. Through a careful analysis of preclinical and clinical studies, this review proposes that time is the key variable when studying these opposite changes in NGF expression observed following MI and attempting to interpret and correlate them with cardiac physiopathology. The examination of the results leads to the speculation that NGF modulation may be a pharmacological target for interventions in specific stages of heart dysfunction following MI. | 10.1016/j.phrs.2010.12.017 |
pubmed_397_16465 | To determine the presence of memory in human atria, we recorded monophasic action potential (MAP) at the high right atrium (HRA) in 21 patients. After reaching a steady state at 600 ms, HRA pacing was switched to the coronary sinus (CS) pacing to alter the activation sequence. After 20 minutes of CS pacing, pacing was continued at HRA to record the memory effect of CS pacing. Atrial memory was defined as the change in HRA MAP duration (MAPd) after 20 minutes of altered activation sequence. Baseline MAPd was 229 +/- 31 ms, which was shortened to 226 +/- 24 ms immediately after CS pacing. After 20 minutes of CS pacing, HRA MAPd during HRA pacing was 220 +/- 28 ms, which was significantly shorter than the baseline MAPd (P = 0.003). The degree of atrial memory was associated with the degree of initial electrotonic MAPd changes caused by the altered activation sequence. These results suggest that memory phenomenon exists in human atria, and it can be expressed as a change in MAPd. | 10.1111/j.1540-8159.2005.50152.x |
pubmed_626_5469 | The Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) has been recently used to assess postpartum depression (PPD) in ethnic minority women, including Spanish-speaking Latinas from predominantly Mexico and Puerto Rico. Given the heterogeneity in the countries of origin for Spanish-speaking immigrants to the U.S., this study examined the psychometric properties and prevalence of PPD risk of the Spanish version of the PDSS in a sample of Latina immigrant mothers from predominantly El Salvador and other Central American countries. One hundred and 55 Latina immigrants (El Salvador: n = 91, Other Central America: n = 40, Mexico: n = 24) at high risk for PPD, who were part of a preventive intervention trial, participated in this study at 6-8 weeks postpartum. Results indicate that the PDSS had excellent internal consistency. The seven dimensions of the PDSS had good to excellent internal consistencies, with lower alphas for the Anxiety/Insecurity subscale. Approximately two-thirds (63.9%) of the women scored above the clinical cut-off score (> or =60) for combined major/minor PPD on the PDSS-Spanish version. Additional research is needed to further validate the PDSS-Spanish version in clinical research and community settings. | 10.1007/s10903-009-9260-9 |
pubmed_408_9666 | The use of a flexible, fused-silica capillary column for gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of short-chain acids from bacteria is illustrated with a standard acid mixture and with a derivatized extract of culture medium from Clostridium difficile. | 10.1128/jcm.15.2.308-311.1982 |
pubmed_952_7872 | An office technique uses preserved dry temporalis fascia homograft to close eardrum perforations smaller than subtotal. A follow-up on 36 patients who under-went this technique revealed a 64% success rate and 11% partial success rate. If the patients whose eardrum remnants were atrophic or scarred with or without calcareous deposits (11 cases) were excluded, the success rate becomes 76% and the partial success rate 8%. This technique is therefore recommended for patients whose eardrum remnants are healthy because it is simple and it saves time and money. In case of failure, the situation does not become worse and a regular myringoplasty may then be performed. | 10.1001/archotol.1977.00780250053004 |
pubmed_737_226 | UNLABELLED
PREMISE OF THE STUDY
Gene flow from crops to wild relatives has received considerable attention since the advent of genetically modified crops. Numerous researchers have found wild-crop hybrids to be nearly as fit as their wild parents, which suggests that crop genes may persist in wild populations. Components of the ecological fitness of cultivated sorghum, its wild relative, shattercane, and their hybrids have not been studied. •
METHODS
To assess the potential for gene introgression into shattercane, we crossed cultivated sorghum to a single inbred shattercane line to produce F(1) hybrids and measured growth and several components of ecological fitness in relation to both parents in Nebraska, USA. •
KEY RESULTS
Germination of F(1) seeds was similar to that of its shattercane parent except at high temperatures, where it was as sensitive as the sorghum parent. The F(1) grew taller and produced more biomass than either parent, but the F(1) leaf area index was intermediate. Fecundity of the F(1) plant was similar to that of shattercane and much greater than that of cultivated sorghum. •
CONCLUSIONS
Considering all data, the ecological fitness of shattercane × cultivated sorghum F(1) hybrids may be equivalent to the wild shattercane parent, which suggests that crop genes that are either neutral or beneficial to shattercane would persist in populations within agroecosystems. | 10.3732/ajb.0900170 |
pubmed_452_24114 | Agricultural production in China is facing great challenges to ensure food security and cleaner environment; further improvements are therefore required in crop nutrient management to increase grain yield and nutrient use efficiency while synchronously reducing environmental pollution. In this study, a total of 87 site-years of on-farm experiments were conducted from 2013 to 2018 in the main agro-ecological areas in Northeast China, to evaluate the agronomic and environmental benefits of nutrient expert (NE) system in maize and rice production. Results showed that NE had general and significant advantages in agronomic and environmental benefits relative to FP, by dramatically reducing N and P fertilizer inputs and optimizing nutrient management. As compared to FP, on average, NE increased grain yield by 8.4% and 6.6% significantly higher grain yield and N uptake for maize, respectively, while it obtained equal yield performance and 3.0% higher N uptake for rice, and consequently resulted in significantly higher N use efficiency. Environmental effects assessment showed that NE reduced substantially reactive N losses and greenhouse gas emissions by 46.9% and 37.2% for maize, respectively, and 10.1% and 6.6% for rice, respectively. Regression analysis indicated that NE effectively improved N use efficiency and mitigated environmental pollution was mainly associated with increasing plant N uptake and reduced N surplus. As compared to fertilization recommendation based on soil testing, NE system showed higher N use efficiency and better environmental benefits for both maize and rice. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that NE system is a feasible and promising approach to optimize crop nutrient management and promote cleaner agricultural production in Northeast China. | 10.1007/s11356-020-09153-w |
pubmed_1047_3668 | Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain PP5 has a phosphodiesterase (PDE) deficiency that results in heat-shock sensitivity due to the intracellular accumulation of cAMP. This strain also carries the cam mutation, which confers permeability to cAMP and, as shown here, to other compounds. Expression of rat type IV PDE in these cells caused them to revert to heat-shock resistance. Treatment of the transformed PP5 cells with rolipram, an antidepressant in humans and a potent inhibitor of type IV PDEs, reinstated sensitivity to heat shock. The biochemical properties of deletion mutants of this PDE were determined, and an active enzyme of minimum length was created. Reversion to heat-shock resistance was then used to select for PDE mutants refractory to the inhibitory effects of rolipram. Four mutants (A1, A2, A3, and A5) were isolated. Each carries a single point mutation; two have mutations in the same codon. Each mutant showed distinct properties, based on analysis of their substrate kinetics and IC50 values for a variety of inhibitors. Mutant A5 had a reduced activity for substrate, mutants A1 and A3 showed no change in substrate kinetics, and mutant A2 displayed an increase in activity. For most mutants, the drug resistance was confined to the class of drug used in the selection. This study shows that it is possible to recreate in yeast cells the susceptibility of mammalian enzymes to pharmacological agents. Our study also demonstrates that such systems can be used to select rare mutants useful in the analysis of drug-protein interactions. | 10.1073/pnas.90.24.11970 |
pubmed_904_10851 | BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease that affects the small bile ducts. The only treatments currently approved in our country are ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and obeticholic acid. Different indices evaluate the response after one year of treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the different predictive scores and prognostic factors of response to UDCA.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Retrospective single-centre study in which clinical and analytical data of patients diagnosed with PBC were collected from January 1987 to December 2015. The response after one year of treatment was evaluated using the different response scores and their concordance degree using the Kappa index. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated to determine the predictive capacity of the scores. Likewise, the prognostic factors of response to treatment were analysed.
RESULTS
We included 153 patients. The bivariate analysis showed a statistically significant relationship between the initial high levels of alkaline phosphatase and cholesterol and the poor response to treatment. The best AUROC was in Paris-I score (0.81). The concordance between the different scores was low. The GLOBE score was valid to evaluate the prognosis.
CONCLUSION
Basal alkaline phosphatase and cholesterol were predictors of poor outcome. The best predictive qualitative score in our cohort patients was Paris-I. There was a poor concordance between the different predictive scores. GLOBE score is valid to evaluate prognosis. | 10.1016/j.medcli.2018.08.002 |
pubmed_422_9701 | Under reducing conditions of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the CB(1) receptor exists in its monomeric form as well as in an SDS-resistant high molecular weight form that appears to be devoid of G proteins. The CB(1) cannabinoid receptor was immunoprecipitated from 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]propanesulfonate-solubilized rat brain membranes using an antibody against the CB(1) receptor N terminus. The CB(1) receptor was coimmunoprecipitated with its associated G proteins, specifically those of the Galpha(i/o) family, but not Galpha(s), Galpha(q), or Galpha(z). The CB(1) receptor-Galpha(i/o) complex existed in the absence of exogenous agonists, and the cannabinoid receptor agonist desacetyllevonantradol failed to alter the stoichiometry of the receptor-Galpha(i/o) interaction. Guanosine-5'-O-(3-thio)triphosphate could disrupt the interaction. A peptide derived from the CB(1) receptor juxtamembrane C-terminal domain, peptide CB(1)401-417, autonomously activates G(i/o) proteins. Peptide CB(1)401-417 competitively disrupted the CB(1) receptor association with Galpha(o) and Galpha(i3) but not Galpha(i1) or Galpha(i2). This G protein specificity was also observed in detergent extracts from membranes of the frontal cortex, striatum, and cerebellum. Alternative peptides, including peptides from the CB(1) receptor third intracellular loop and the G protein activating peptide mastoparan-7, failed to promote uncoupling from Galpha(o). A CB(2) receptor juxtamembrane C-terminal peptide failed to disrupt the CB(1) receptor-Galpha(o) complex. These studies illustrate that the CB(1) receptor can exist as an SDS-resistant multimer. In 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]propanesulfonate detergent, the CB(1) receptor exists in a complex with G proteins of the G(i/o) family in the absence of exogenous agonists. Furthermore, this study provides the first description of domain specificity for interaction with a selective set of G proteins. | pubmed_422_9701 |
pubmed_430_13673 | The oxime HI-6 is effective as an antidote in the soman poisoned (6-8LD50) rat, however, successfully treated animals subsequently show a gradual relapse of signs of poisoning and eventually die after several hours. The relapse is caused by the reappearance of soman at specific sites, after having been elsewhere in the body. Diaphragms isolated from poisoned rats successfully treated with HI-6 also showed a 'secondary' relapse of poisoning. Eight compounds chemically related to soman-soman-simulators--have been tested as prophylactic agents, for their potency in preventing the reappearance of poisoning. The idea was that such compounds may block the non-synaptic binding sites for soman. Three of the 8 compounds proved very effective, which gave some insight into the chemical structure needed for this type of prophylactic action. | 10.1111/j.2042-7158.1984.tb04379.x |
pubmed_781_14054 | There currently is no cure or established preventative treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Considering the increasing aging population and the subsequent high prevalence of AD worldwide, identifying a cost-effective way to prevent AD is an essential unmet medical need. Relative to healthy human brain samples, postmortem AD brain samples have been shown to exhibit lower docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid required for normal neuronal function. However, findings from different studies are controversial and it is not clear whether this alteration in DHA brain levels is a cause or consequence of AD. Animal studies have also demonstrated that administration of DHA can alleviate the underlying pathophysiology of AD, including but not limited to amyloid pathology, tau pathology, and neuroinflammation. Moreover, DHA has been suggested to exert cognitive-enhancing effects and epidemiological studies have suggested that regular consumption of fish or omega-3 fatty acid enriched diets can attenuate the cognitive decline in AD and/or lower the risk of developing AD. However, the beneficial effects of DHA in AD have not been clearly demonstrated by current human randomised-control trials. In addition, the underlying reasons for the lower brain levels of DHA in AD remain to be fully characterised. However, given that the brain has limited capacity to produce DHA de novo and obtains DHA from the plasma, one plausible explanation for the lower brain levels of DHA in AD is reduced bloodbrain barrier (BBB) transport of this fatty acid in AD, as has been reported in one mouse model of AD. Unfortunately, the actual mechanisms governing the BBB transport of DHA in healthy conditions are not clearly understood, complicating the relationship between reduced BBB transport of DHA, attenuated DHA brain levels and AD pathology. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to summarise the findings of the biochemical, functional and epidemiological studies assessing the impact of DHA on the progression of AD, with a focus on how brain DHA levels alter in AD, the mechanisms thought to be held responsible for the apparent protective effects of DHA in AD, and the factors governing BBB transport of DHA in AD. | 10.2174/157488471003150820151532 |
pubmed_871_16997 | The enantiomerically pure diastereoisomers (1R,4S,4aR,7S,7aR)- (1) and (1R,4R,4aR,7S,7aR)-dihydronepetalactol (2) were synthesized diastereoselectively from a renewable resource, (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone (3), isolated as the main constituent of the essential oil of the catmint plant Nepeta cataria. The stereochemistry of the compounds was determined by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, and the compounds were identified, respectively, as neomatatabiol and isoneomatatabiol, natural products from Actinidia polygama, for which the lactol stereochemistry was previously incompletely defined. Compound 1 was found to catch significant numbers of three species of lacewing in the field: in Korea. Chrysopa cognata, and in the United Kingdom, Nineta vittata and most notably Peverimhoffina gracilis. All species caught in significant numbers were found more frequently in traps releasing 1 than 2, while more C. cognata, C. formosa, and C. phyllochroma were found in traps releasing (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol (4). The catch of P. gracilis with 1 is of particular interest as this lacewing has only recently been recorded in the United Kingdom. Where sexed, the lacewings of all species trapped were found to be male, implying a possible pheromonal role for these or structurally related compounds. | 10.1023/a:1015201129331 |
pubmed_1092_24724 | In this work, a highly sensitive electrochemical DNA methyltransferase (MTase) activity assay was fabricated with DNA-gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) network as signal amplification unit and an easy assembly method by the linkage of benzenedithiol bridge. By two complementary AuNPs modified single-stranded DNA, DNA-gold nanoparticles network was self-assembled. With the linkage of benzenedithiol bridge, the DNA network structure was immobilized on the surface of gold electrode through the covalent Au-S bond. In the presence of Dam MTase, the special sites of DNA-AuNPs network were methylated and could not be digested by restriction endonuclease Mbo I. Thus the loaded electrochemical indicator Methylene blue (MB) was MB molecules still remained on the DNA-Au NPs network. The electrochemical response depended on the methylated degree, which could be used to detect MTase activity. By the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), it was demonstrated that a linear relationship between the DPV response and logarithm of Dam concentration ranged from 0.075 to 30 U/mL, achieving a low detection limit of 0.02 U/mL. The use of benzenedithiol avoided the direct incubation of the solid electrode with the capture DNA probe under complex and harsh conditions. Therefore the immobilization of DNA-AuNPs network was easy to be carried out, which is favorable for the specially high stability and reproducibility of the electrochemical biosensor. | pubmed_1092_24724 |
pubmed_757_9687 | Rural women have well documented health disparities, with higher prevalence of obesity and chronic conditions, including arthritis. Change in weight and actigraph-recorded data were examined in a subset of 63 of 82 women with physician-diagnosed arthritis who completed a 30-month web-based clinical trial. Repeated measures analyses showed women lost weight from baseline to six months, slowly regained at 18 and 30 months, ending with a lower weight than baseline F(1,62)=40.89, p<0.001, η2p =0.40. Of 53 women with complete data, activity increased at six months, decreased at 18 months, and increased at 30 months F(1,52)=4.14, p =.04, η2p=0.07. Women showed improved change in weight and activity from baseline at six, 18 and 30 months. This study adds support that web-based programs may promote weight loss and activity in a hard-to-reach, underserved population of midlife and older rural women with arthritis. | 10.4081/jphr.2021.2164 |
pubmed_174_5283 | It is appreciated that, linked with B-mode echocardiography, the real-time two-dimensional Doppler flow imaging technique provides information on the heart, which has never been available with conventional methods, greatly improving the capabilities of cardiac ultrasound. In general, the concept of major heart disease consists of anatomical abnormalities and those in intracardiac flow condition. The present method provides information on these two aspects simultaneously; consequently, it is regarded as a closer approach to heart diseases, compared with conventional examinations and techniques. The equipment is also convenient to operate. The combination of real-time two-dimensional Doppler flow imaging and B-mode echocardiography is expected to become a standard tool of the ultrasound examination of the heart. | 10.1253/jcj.49.694 |
pubmed_596_11320 | OBJECTIVE
To facilitate knowledge synthesis and implementation of evidence supporting early physical activity and mobilization of adult patients in the intensive care unit and its translation into practice, we developed an evidence-based clinical management algorithm.
METHODS
Twenty-eight draft algorithm statements extracted from the extant literature by the primary research team were verified and rated by scientist clinicians (n = 7) in an electronic three round Delphi process. Algorithm statements which reached a priori defined consensus - semi-interquartile range <0.5 - were collated into the algorithm.
RESULTS
The draft algorithm statements were edited and six additional statements were formulated. The 34 statements related to assessment and treatment were grouped into three categories. Category A included statements for unconscious critically ill patients; Category B included statements for stable and cooperative critically ill patients, and Category C included statements related to stable patients with prolonged critical illness. While panellists reached consensus on the ratings of 94% (32/34) of the algorithm statements, only 50% (17/34) of the statements were rated essential.
CONCLUSION
The evidence-based clinical management algorithm developed through an established Delphi process of consensus by an international inter-professional panel provides the clinician with a synthesis of current evidence and clinical expert opinion. This framework can be used to facilitate clinical decision making within the context of a given patient. The next step is to determine the clinical utility of this working algorithm. | 10.1177/0269215510397677 |
pubmed_0_676 | A report of the 3rd joint European Science Foundation and University of Barcelona Conference in Biomedicine, San Feliu de Guixols, Catalonia, Spain, 6-11 June 2010. | 10.1186/gm190 |
pubmed_219_25710 | When vital rates depend on population structure (e.g., relative frequencies of males or females), an important question is how the long-term population growth rate λ responds to changes in rates. For instance, availability of mates may depend on the sex ratio of the population and hence reproductive rates could be frequency-dependent. In such cases change in any vital rate alters the structure, which in turn, affect frequency-dependent rates. We show that the elasticity of λ to a rate is the sum of (i) the effect of the linear change in the rate and (ii) the effect of nonlinear changes in frequency-dependent rates. The first component is always positive and is the classical elasticity in density-independent models obtained directly from the population projection matrix. The second component can be positive or negative and is absent in density-independent models. We explicitly express each component of the elasticity as a function of vital rates, eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the population projection matrix. We apply this result to a two-sex model, where male and female fertilities depend on adult sex ratio α (ratio of females to males) and the mating system (e.g., polygyny) through a harmonic mating function. We show that the nonlinear component of elasticity to a survival rate is negligible only when the average number of mates (per male) is close to α. In a strictly monogamous species, elasticity to female survival is larger than elasticity to male survival when α<1 (less females). In a polygynous species, elasticity to female survival can be larger than that of male survival even when sex ratio is female biased. Our results show how demography and mating system together determine the response to selection on sex-specific vital rates. | pubmed_219_25710 |
pubmed_1141_4596 | We have isolated uracil-auxotrophic mutants of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus in order to explore the genomic stability and mutational frequencies of this organism and to identify complementable recipients for a selectable genetic transformation system. Positive selection of spontaneous mutants resistant to 5-fluoroorotate yielded uracil auxotrophs with frequencies of between 10(-4) and 10(-5) per sensitive, viable cell. Four different, nonhomologous insertion sequences (ISs) were identified at different positions within the chromosomal pyrEF locus of these mutants. They ranged in size from 1,058 to 1,439 bp and possessed properties typical of known transposable elements, i.e., terminal inverted repeats, flanking duplicated target sequences, and putative transposase genes encoding motifs that are indicative of the IS4-IS5 IS element families. Between 12 and 25 copies of each IS element were found in chromosomal DNAs by Southern analyses. While characteristic fingerprint patterns created by IS element-specific probes were observed with genomic DNA of different S. solfataricus strains, no homologous sequences were identified in DNA of other well-characterized strains of the order Sulfolobales. | 10.1128/JB.182.9.2574-2581.2000 |
pubmed_1044_12660 | Introduction
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can progress to severe respiratory compromise and lead to mortality due to induction of cytokine storm. Tocilizumab (TCZ) is approved by the FDA for the treatment of cytokine release syndrome (CRS). This study aims to analyze the outcomes among patients who received TCZ in the United Arab Emirates.
Methods
A retrospective cohort study was conducted among COVID-19 patients who received TCZ in a tertiary care hospital from May 2020 to August 2021. For analysis, patients were divided into two groups based on survival and clinical improvement.
Results
Overall, 80% of patients receiving TCZ were discharged by day 28. There was a gradual improvement in oxygen requirements in our patients with a majority of them on room air by day 28. Age more than 50 years (P=0.034) and comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) (P=0.002) and renal insufficiency (P=0.013) were significantly associated with mortality. Discussion. In our analysis, patients who were mechanically ventilated at the time of administration of TCZ had a significantly higher risk of death by day 28. In both survived and improved groups, younger patients had better outcomes than older patients. Patients who received TCZ earlier during therapy from the onset of symptoms had better survival outcomes. There was only one death among 14 patients who received vaccination. There was no significant difference in mortality among patients with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, and pulmonary diseases, hypothesizing that administration of TCZ improves the outcomes in COVID-19 patients with these comorbidities. | 10.1155/2022/7060466 |
pubmed_251_18007 | To identify the structural defects of nonsporulating mutants of Streptomyces griseus, the wild-type strain and class III bald mutants were examined by using transmission electron microscopy, ultrasonic treatment, and fluorescence microscopy after the induction of submerged sporulation by phosphate starvation. In the wild-type strain, submerged sporulation was marked by the relatively synchronous formation of sporogenic hyphae, nucleoid segregation, deposition of sporulation septa, and subsequent thickening of the spore walls during maturation. All of the class III mutants prematurely synthesized sporulation septa and thick spore walls. The class IIIA and C mutants formed sporogenic hyphae earlier than the wild-type strain and underwent nucleoid segregation in parallel with sporulation septum formation. In the class IIIB (bld4) mutant, DNA segregation appeared to be uncoupled from septum formation. The results indicate that the class III mutants are defective in loci that are involved in the regulation of key events of Streptomyces morphogenesis. | 10.1128/jb.178.15.4643-4650.1996 |
pubmed_716_1360 | Physical and mental health symptoms can reduce participation in physical activity. The current study assessed the impact of a bout of exercise on mood state in depressed participants with and without current physical pain. We enrolled a community sample of 147 participants (Mage = 45.5; SD = 11.98; 87.1% female) with elevated depressive symptoms. Individuals rated their mood state, completed a 1-mile walk test on a treadmill, and rated their mood state again. Pairwise comparisons between pre- and post-exercise mood ratings were statistically significant (p < .001) and showed improved mood state. People with at least moderate pain showed greater decreases in sadness and irritability from pre- to post- exercise bout. A single bout of exercise was associated with decreased sadness, anxiety, and irritability, and increased energy in a sample of adults with depression. The changes in sadness and irritability were greatest in those who reported at least moderate physical pain. | 10.1080/13548506.2022.2141276 |
pubmed_874_337 | Since prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been identified as a diagnostic target for prostate cancer, many urea-based small PSMA-targeting molecules were developed. First, the clinical application of these Ga-68 labelled compounds in positron emission tomography (PET) showed their diagnostic potential. Besides, the therapy of prostate cancer is a demanding field, and the use of radiometals with PSMA bearing ligands is a valid approach. In this work, we describe the synthesis of a new PSMA ligand, CHX-A''-DTPA-DUPA-Pep, the subsequent labelling with Ga-68, Lu-177 and Y-90 and the first in vitro characterization. In cell investigations with PSMA-positive LNCaP C4-2 cells, KD values of ≤14.67 ± 1.95 nM were determined, indicating high biological activities towards PSMA. Radiosyntheses with Ga-68, Lu-177 and Y-90 were developed under mild reaction conditions (room temperature, moderate pH of 5.5 and 7.4, respectively) and resulted in nearly quantitative radiochemical yields within 5 min. | 10.3390/ph7050517 |
pubmed_916_2818 | BACKGROUND
Screening for donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) using bead-based multiplex assays to determine transplant suitability is standard practice in many countries. We compared the health benefits and costs of screening preformed DSA using bead-based assay as an add-on test to complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatch with CDC crossmatch alone, and determined the optimal threshold to determine transplant suitability.
METHODS
Three probabilistic Markov models were developed to compare bead-based assay with CDC and CDC alone. The model assumed a hypothetical cohort of 10,000 patients who received only a single kidney transplant and terminated when all patients were deceased.
RESULTS
Assuming transplantation was permitted for recipients with no DSA or with a DSA mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) value of 500 or less, screening by bead-based assay and CDC saved 6.5 grafts and U.S. $1,192,303 per 100 transplants compared with CDC alone. If the thresholds were increased to an MFI of 2000 or less and 5000 or less, an extra 6.4 and 6.1 grafts would be saved, with cost savings of U.S. $867,203 and U.S. $830,664 per 100 transplants compared with CDC alone. The total number of kidney transplants performed would have increased by 8 and 9, respectively, but at the expense of an extra 0.1 and 0.4 graft lost per 100 transplants after 5 years.
CONCLUSIONS
Screening using bead-based assay is cost-saving and improves graft outcomes. The greatest benefits and cost-savings are achieved if transplantation occurs at a threshold of MFI of 500 or less or in those without preformed DSA. Increasing the threshold to an MFI of 2000 or less may provide an acceptable balance for improving transplant eligibility without compromising longer-term outcomes. | 10.1097/TP.0000000000000697 |
pubmed_1109_4292 | BACKGROUND
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can have very destructive effects, especially in the cervical spine. Bone quality is poor in these patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of fusion and accuracy of fluoroscopy in cervical transpedicular fixation (CPF) in a standardized clinical protocol for RA patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
96 pedicles of 15 patients operated between January 2000 and ay 2010 due to atlanto-axial and subaxial cervical subluxation were investigated for post-operative malposition of the transpedicular screws. Three-dimensional computed tomography was used as a useful tool in preoperative planning and in transarticular or transpedicular screw placement with the free hand technique in the cervical spine of RA patients. Fixation and reduction with fusion was performed in all of the patients, and autogrefts from iliac wing were used for fusion. Ranawat's and Nurick scales were used to assess the results. All screws were evaluated by Kast's criteria. Fusion or stability was evaluated on plain radiographs taken 3 weeks and 6, 12 and 60 months after the surgery.
RESULTS
Female to male ratio was 6/9. The mean age at the time of surgery was 57.4 years (range 44-72 years). Five of the patients were operated for both C1-2 and subaxial subluxation. Two of the 15 patients had only C1-2 subluxation and the remaining eight patients had only subaxial cervical subluxation. The screws were at their correct places in 84 pedicles (87.5.%) while minor breach was detected in 9 (10.9%). According to Ranawat's criteria, seven patients remained the same, and eight patients showed improvement. Instrumentation failure, loss of reduction or non-union was not observed at the final follow-up (average 31.5 months; range 24-60 months).
CONCLUSION
CPF provides a very strong three column stabilization and solid fusion in the osteoporotic vertebrae, but also carries a risk of vascular injury without nerve damage or in the RA patients, but the risk is low in experienced hands. | 10.4103/0974-8237.116532 |
pubmed_477_5643 | A 24-year-old man suffered an orbital impalement injury from a car aerial antenna that penetrated the medial third of the right lower lid. Immediately after the accident a convergent eye position, diplopia, and complete paresis of the upper lid as well as reduced abduction could be observed; the uninjured globe could not be moved beyond the midline. According to orbital tomograms and a traction test an incarceration of the medial rectus muscle was suspected. Electromyography 24 days after the accident revealed a peripheral paresis of the abducens nerve but an intact medial rectus muscle. Surgical exploration of the muscle was postponed, and the condition of the eye gradually improved; 8 days after the electromyography the clinical examination as well as the electromyogram showed near to normal results. | pubmed_477_5643 |
pubmed_768_15575 | Platelets, known for their role in primary haemostasis, prevent excessive bleeding after injury. The study of platelets has, therefore, traditionally focused on bleeding disorders. It has recently become evident, however, that platelet research can contribute to unravelling the disease mechanisms that underlie neuropathological disorders that have a subtle subclinical platelet phenotype. Platelets and neurosecretory cells have common gene expression profiles and share several biological features. This review provides a literature update on the use of platelets as easily accessible cells to study neurological disorders. We provide examples of the use of different platelet-based tests to understand the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms for both complex and monogenetic neuropathological disorders. In addition to the well-studied regulated granule secretion and serotonin metabolism, more recent studies have shown that defects in transcription factors, membrane transporters, G-protein signal transduction, and cytoskeletal proteins can be investigated using platelets to gain information on their role in neuropathology. | 10.1111/dmcn.12421 |
pubmed_673_7867 | The clinical relevance of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is determined by the occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias due to the syndrome. Occurrence and severity of the cardiac arrhythmias are mainly dependant on the electrophysiological properties of the accessory atrioventricular bypass or the refractory period of the regular and irregular pathways respectively. Programmed electrical stimulation allows the study of these properties directly in man. The treatment in patients with WPW syndrome suffering from re-entry tachyarrhythmias should be directed to an interruption of the tachycardia circuit. During sinus rhythm a suppression of spontaneously occurring ectopic beats which may initiate a tachycardia is indicated. | pubmed_673_7867 |
pubmed_301_23209 | OBJECTIVE
This single-centre, open, uncontrolled pilot clinical trial set out to assess the efficacy and tolerability of Hyalofill-F (a partial benzyl ester derivative of hyaluronan), used in combination with compression bandaging, in the treatment of venous leg ulcers.
METHOD
The 20 patients enrolled into the study had venous insufficiency and a leg ulcer that had been refractory to treatment for one month. Treatment was continued for eight weeks, with weekly assessments.
RESULTS
During the study period four of the patients' ulcers healed completely. An average wound area reduction of 53.5% was seen in the ulcers that did not heal. Differences in ulcer area and ulcer depth between the initial and final visit were significant (p < 0.01, p = 0.03). The average healing rate (cm2/week reduction) was 1.26 +/- 1.7 (standard deviation). A calculated prognostic index was used to identify patients at high risk of a poor response to compression therapy (10% probability of wound closure at 120 weeks). These patients demonstrated a mean 63% decrease in wound area after eight weeks of treatment with Hyalofill-F plus compression bandaging. All wounds showed a positive response in terms of granulation-tissue formation. The comfort of the dressing was described as excellent.
CONCLUSION
The hyaluronan derivative showed promising results in initiating the healing process in chronic venous ulcers. It was found to be well tolerated and safe to use. However, further clinical trials should be performed involving a control group to verify these data.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST
This study was sponsored by Fidia Advanced Biopolymers, Italy. | 10.12968/jowc.2003.12.9.26530 |
pubmed_494_21142 | We investigated electrophysiological correlates of the access to semantic representations. Participants had to make word/nonword decisions to target words. A first word (i.e. the prime) preceded the target. The prime was either semantically related or unrelated to the target. Using a special masking technique we were able to present the prime rather long (approximately 140 ms) while preventing participants from consciously processing the prime. In line with former studies, participants showed a reversed priming effect: they reacted faster to unrelated compared with related targets. Interestingly, the N400 mimicked the behavioral effect: we observed more negative-going waveforms to related relative to unrelated targets. The result indicates that the N400 can reflect temporarily reduced access to semantic representations. | 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32830f4b0b |
pubmed_244_6277 | Several case reports have been filed regarding the latent presentation of hemorrhagic pheochromocytomas in the trauma setting; however, few patients have been found to exhibit these symptoms in the absence of a tumor. In this report, we discuss a patient who sustained blunt abdominal trauma leading to the development of an adrenal hemorrhage and his unexpected sequelae of symptoms. Discovery of the source of the patient's symptoms was delayed secondary to multiple comorbidities in the critical care setting and work-up for other sources such as infection and agitation. Hypertensive urgency was confirmed to be of adrenal etiology with measurement of persistently elevated plasma and urine metanephrines during the hospital course. The patients hypertensive urgency was successfully managed with the use of antisympathomimetics including an esmolol drip, clonidine, and eventually tapered dose of metoprolol. Symptoms improved over time, and repeat CT imaging weeks later showed resolution of the hematoma. Review of literature reveals only one other case of adrenal hemorrhage after blunt force trauma resulting in hemorrhagic psuedotumor. To our knowledge, this is the second such case ever presented. This case is discussed along with the presentation, diagnostic work-up, and treatment of a critically ill patient with an adrenal hemorrhage masked as a pseudotumor. | 10.7759/cureus.7256 |
pubmed_1032_12794 | Almost all plant species interact with one or more symbioses somewhere within their distribution range. Bringing together plant trait data and growth responses to symbioses spanning 552 plant species, we provide for the first time on a large scale (597 studies) a quantitative synthesis on plant performance differences between eight major types of symbiosis, including mycorrhizas, N-fixing bacteria, fungal endophytes and ant-plant interactions. Frequency distributions of plant growth responses varied considerably between different types of symbiosis, in terms of both mean effect and 'risk', defined here as percentage of experiments reporting a negative effect of symbiosis on plants. Contrary to expectation, plant traits were poor predictors of growth response across and within all eight symbiotic associations. Our analysis showed no systematic additive effect when a host plant engaged in two functionally different symbioses. This synthesis suggests that plant species' ecological strategies have little effect in determining the influence of a symbiosis on host plant growth. Reliable quantification of differences in plant performance across symbioses will prove valuable for developing general hypotheses on how species become engaged in mutualisms without a guarantee of net returns. | 10.1111/nph.15392 |
pubmed_334_7844 | OBJECTIVE
To explore the pain experience of persons with chronic pain of the hip or knee in the context of self-assessment instruments commonly used to assess pain severity in individuals with osteoarthritis.
METHODS
Participants who reported that they currently had either hip or knee pain were recruited from the UK Somerset and Avon Survey of Health. A total of 28 participants (14 men and 14 women, ages 57-89 years) took part in 6 focus groups stratified according to pain site and severity. Using the "questerviews" technique, participants described and discussed their experience of joint pain in the context of standard self-assessment questionnaires: the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. The focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed by identifying emergent codes that were grouped and compared, resulting in the identification of key categories.
RESULTS
Both knee pain and hip pain participants expressed similar pain experiences. Four key categories were identified, all of which impacted upon participants' responses to the standardized questionnaires: pain is intermittent and variable, pain elsewhere in the body influences the experience of joint pain, pain is inextricable from function, and adaptation and avoidance strategies modify the experience of pain.
CONCLUSION
The assessment or measurement of pain should take into account the importance of pain experience as well as severity through use of patient narrative accounts. | 10.1002/art.22681 |
pubmed_1104_21413 | A fast and efficient procedure has been developed for the analysis of total mercury in human tissues and blood using a hydride vapor generator system coupled to an atomic absorption spectrometer (HVG-AA). Tissue and blood samples were digested in a pressurized microwave decomposition system and the digest diluted prior to formation of free mercury vapor and analysis by atomic absorption. Recovery studies performed on 10 spiked/unspiked pairs of human liver and on 10 spiked/unspiked pairs of human blood samples yielded average recoveries of 99.7% (CV=0.4%) and 101.2% (CV=0.5%), respectively. The method detection limit for liver and blood was 50 microg Hg/kg and 12.5 microg Hg/l, respectively. The "normal" concentrations of mercury in human liver and blood are 33-490 microg Hg/kg and 0.6-59 microg Hg/l, respectively [1]. This method is able to determine mercury poisoning levels and may also be applied to detect mercury near the lower levels of these "normal" ranges, using the standard addition method approach. | 10.1016/s0379-0738(00)00379-0 |
pubmed_437_6250 | The effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on humans and biodiversity are multiple and varied. Nowadays environmentally-friendly pesticides are strongly preferred to POPs. It is noteworthy that the crop protection role of pesticides and other techniques, i.e. biopesticides, plant extracts, prevention methods, organic methods, evaluation of plant resistance to certain pests under an integrated pest management (IPM), could improve the risks and benefits which must be assessed on a sound scientific basis. For this directive it is crucial to bring about a significant reduction in the use of chemical pesticides, not least through the promotion of sustainable alternative solutions such as organic farming and IPM. Biopesticides are derived from natural materials such as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. Most of them are biodegradable in relatively short periods of time. On this regard, substances from Calceolaria species emerge as a strong alternative to the use of POPs. The American genus Calceolaria species are regarded both as a notorious weeds and popular ornamental garden plants. Some have medicinal applications. Other taxa of Calceolaria are toxic to insects and resistant to microbial attack. These properties are probably associated with the presence of terpenes, iridoids, flavonoids, naphthoquinones and phenylpropanoids previously demonstrated to have interesting biological activities. In this article a comprehensive evaluation of the potential utilization of Calceolaria species as a source of biopesticides is made. The chemical profile of selected members of the Chilean Calceolaria integrifolia sensu lato complex represents a significant addition to previous studies. New secondary metabolites were isolated, identified and tested for their antifeedant, insect growth regulation and insecticidal activities against Spodoptera frugiperda and Drosophila melanogaster. These species serve as a model of insect pests using conventional procedures. Additionally, bactericidal and fungicidal activity were determined. Dunnione mixed with gallic acid was the most active fungistatic and fungicidal combination encountered. Several compounds as isorhamnetin, combined with ferulic and gallic acid quickly reduced cell viability, but cell viability was recovered quickly and did not differ from that of the control. The effect of these mixtures on cultures of Aspergillus niger, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium sporotrichum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, was sublethal. However, when fungistatic isorhamnetin and dunnione were combined with sublethal amounts of both ferulic and gallic acid, respectively, strong fungicidal activity against theses strains was observed. Thus, dunnione combined with gallic acid completely restricted the recovery of cell viability. This apparent synergistic effect was probably due to the blockade of the recovery process from induced-stress. The same series of phenolics (iridoids, flavonoids, naphthoquinones and phenylpropanoids) were also tested against the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Enterobacter agglomerans, and Salmonella typhi, and against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Sarcinia lutea, and Staphylococcus aureus and their effects compared with those that of kanamycin. Mixtures of isorhamnetin/dunnione/kaempferol/ferulic/gallic acid in various combinations were found to have the most potent bactericidal and fungicidal activity with MFC between 10 and 50 μg/ml. Quercetin was found to be the most potent fungistatic single compound with an MIC of 15 µg/ml. A time-kill curve study showed that quercetin was fungicidal against fungi assayed at any growth stage. This antifungal activity was slightly enhanced by combination with gallic acid. The primary antifungal action of the mixtures assayed likely comes from their ability to act as nonionic surfactants that disrupt the function of native membrane-associated proteins. Hence, the antifungal activity of isorhamnetin and other O-methyl flavonols appears to be mediated by biophysical processes. Maximum activity is obtained when the balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions of the molecules of the mixtures becomes the most appropriate. Diterpenes, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, iridoids and phenolic acids were identified by chromatographic procedures (HPLC-DAD), ESI-MS, and NMR hyphenated techniques. | pubmed_437_6250 |
pubmed_428_8822 | The multinuclear Zn-bisamidinate catalyzed enantioselective addition of Et2Zn to α-ketoesters has been developed. The steric tuning of two amidinate units as well as multiple coordination on the Zn atoms play a key role in achieving high enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee) and unique chemoselectivity. The present catalyst exhibited the preferential alkylation of α-ketoesters even in the presence of aldehydes. | 10.1039/c7cc01736g |
pubmed_434_8756 | In contrast to GC-MS libraries, currently available LC-MS libraries for toxicological detection contain besides parent drugs only some main metabolites limiting their applicability for urine screening. Therefore, a metabolite-based LC-MS(n) screening procedure was developed and exemplified for antidepressants. The library was built up with MS(2) and MS(3) wideband spectra using an LXQ linear ion trap with electrospray ionization in the positive mode and full-scan information-dependent acquisition. Pure substance spectra were recorded in methanolic solution and metabolite spectra in urine from rats after administration of the corresponding drugs. After identification, the metabolite spectra were added to the library. Various drugs and metabolites could be sufficiently separated. Recovery, process efficiency, matrix effects, and limits of detection for selected drugs were determined using protein precipitation. Automatic data evaluation was performed using ToxID and SmileMS software. The library consists of over 700 parent compounds including 45 antidepressants, over 1,600 metabolites, and artifacts. Protein precipitation led to sufficient results for sample preparation. ToxID and SmileMS were both suitable for target screening with some pros and cons. In our study, only SmileMS was suitable for untargeted screening being not limited to precursor selection. The LC-MS(n) method was suitable for urine screening as exemplified for antidepressants. It also allowed detecting unknown compounds based on known fragment structures. As ion suppression can never be excluded, it is advantageous to have several targets per drug. Furthermore, the detection of metabolites confirms the body passage. The presented LC-MS(n) method complements established GC-MS or LC-MS procedures in the authors' lab. | 10.1007/s00216-010-4398-9 |
pubmed_349_12879 | Highly reduced phosphomolybdate hybrid compounds have been hydrothermally prepared and structurally defined. X-ray single-crystal analysis revealed that these phosphomolybdates had the following formulae: (H2bpp)6{Fe[Mo6O12(OH)3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)2]2}2·11H2O (1), (H2bpp)6{Zn[Mo6O12(OH)3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)2]2}2·11H2O (2), and (H2bpp)5.5{Mn[Mo6O12(OH)3(HPO4)2(H2PO4)2]2}2·2H2O (3) (bpp = 1,3-bi(4-pyridyl)propane). In the inorganic moiety, all Mo centers are in the +5 reduced form, representing a unique, fully reduced cluster in the polyanionic family. As a counter cation, the flexible bpp surrounds the anionic cluster to form hybrid 'core-shell' supramolecular assemblies. These hybrids are stable and insoluble in water, which can change a catalytic reaction from homogeneous to heterogeneous. Experiments showed that the three supramolecular hybrids exhibit ideally reversible multi-electron transfer behavior, and hybrid 1 is active as a heterogeneous molecular catalyst to reduce toxic Cr(vi) to nontoxic Cr(iii) at low temperature in a short period of time. Hybrid 1 serves as an electron shuttle to promote the redox reaction between Cr(vi) and HCOOH. The activation energy of the reaction is effectively decreased after the reactants are adsorbed on the solid crystal surface, and the activation energy is calculated to be 78.5 kJ·mol-1. The well-organized structures of polyoxometalates help to explain the catalytic mechanism at the molecular level. | 10.1039/c7dt01448a |
pubmed_294_10976 | Equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1; Ab4 isolate) was inoculated unilaterally into the cavum vaginale of four pony colts under general anaesthesia. The animals were monitored daily for evidence of scrotal or testicular swelling and euthanased electively on days 3, 4, 6 and 12 after infection. Detailed pathological examination of the male genital tract was carried out. In animals examined at days 3 and 4 after infection, replication of EHV-1 was detected bilaterally in mesothelial and endothelial cells of the parietal and visceral vaginal tunics. The mesothelial infection had resolved by day 12 after infection, with no evidence of direct extension to deeper genital organs. None of the four colts showed significant scrotal or testicular swelling. | 10.1016/0034-5288(93)90066-o |
pubmed_195_10864 | A calculation of the second-order (rescattering) term in the S-matrix expansion of above-threshold ionization is presented for the case when the binding potential is the unscreened Coulomb potential. Technical problems related to the divergence of the Coulomb scattering amplitude are avoided in the theory by considering the depletion of the atomic ground state due to the applied laser field, which is well defined and does not require the introduction of a screening constant. We focus on the low-energy structure, which was observed in recent experiments with a midinfrared wavelength laser field. Both the spectra and, in particular, the observed scaling versus the Keldysh parameter and the ponderomotive energy are reproduced. The theory provides evidence that the origin of the structure lies in the long-range Coulomb interaction. | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.013001 |
pubmed_820_10658 | BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Electrical stimulation, physical therapy and occupational therapy remain the main treatment for children with upper brachial plexus palsy (UBPP), when surgery has been excluded. A pilot study was undertaken to investigate whether botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) and plaster casting, as adjunct to the physical therapy, decreased muscle contracture and improved the position and function of the impaired arm.
METHOD
Twenty-two children (mean age 5.6 +/- 3.4 years) with mild UBPP who previously underwent serial cast treatment, unsuccessfully, were enrolled. Neurological impairment and functional status were quantified using Medical Research Council (MRC) and Mallet scales and the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT). Elbow extension was measured using a goniometer. Biceps brachii, brachialis, pronator teres and pectoralis major muscles were injected with 22 units kg(-1) BoNT-A (Dysport, Ipsen). After injection, the treated arm was fixed with a plaster cast and progressively lengthened over 14 days. The cast was maintained for 30 days. Assessments of elbow extension, MRC, Mallet Scale and NHPT were made at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months.
RESULTS
After BoNT-A injection, children had significant improvement of active elbow extension (15.5 degrees +/- 17.1 at 12 months after injection, compared with 42.0 degrees +/- 10.4 at baseline; p < 0.001). NPHT scores improved significantly over the 12 months (51.1 +/- 21.8 seconds compared with 56.7 +/- 19.3 seconds at baseline, p < 0.01). MRC and Mallet scale scores of the paretic muscles were unchanged.
CONCLUSION
The children showed a reduction in muscular contracture and improvements of the arm position and elbow extension. The data support the use of BoNT-A and plaster casting as an adjunct to physical therapy, in the treatment of children with mild UBPP. | 10.1080/13693780500402229 |
pubmed_194_10399 | 26-Hydroxyecdysone is the predominant molting hormone in 24- to 44-hour-old embryonated tobacco hornworm eggs, accounting for approximately 80% of the ecdysones present at this stage of development. This molting hormone was previously shown to be the major ecdysone present in 48- to 64-hour-old embryonated eggs of this insect. During both of these periods of embryonic development in the hornworm 20-hydroxyecdysone is a minor component, in contrast to its presence as the major ecdysone in the hornworm during certain stages of post-embryonic development. | 10.1016/s0039-128x(76)90192-6 |
pubmed_428_7498 | BACKGROUND
Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a clinically and genetically heterogenic group of pigmentation abnormalities characterized by variable hair, skin, and ocular hypopigmentation. Six known genes and a locus on human chromosome 4q24 have been implicated in the etiology of isolated OCA forms (OCA 1-7).
METHODS
The most frequent OCA types among Caucasians are OCA1, OCA2, and OCA4. We aimed to investigate genes responsible for the development of these OCA forms in Hungarian OCA patients (n = 13). Mutation screening and polymorphism analysis were performed by direct sequencing on TYR, OCA2, SLC45A2 genes.
RESULTS
Although the clinical features of the investigated Hungarian OCA patients were identical, the molecular genetic data suggested OCA1 subtype in eight cases and OCA4 subtype in two cases. The molecular diagnosis was not clearly identifiable in three cases. In four patients, two different heterozygous known pathogenic or predicted to be pathogenic mutations were present. Seven patients had only one pathogenic mutation, which was associated with non-pathogenic variants in six cases. In two patients no pathogenic mutation was identified.
CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the concomitant screening of the non-pathogenic variants-which alone do not cause the development of OCA, but might have clinical significance in association with a pathogenic variant-is important. Our results also show significant variation in the disease spectrum compared to other populations. These data also confirm that the concomitant analysis of OCA genes is critical, providing new insights to the phenotypic diversity of OCA and expanding the mutation spectrum of OCA genes in Hungarian patients. | 10.1186/s40001-017-0262-0 |
pubmed_879_2756 | We applied the process-based model, LandscapeDNDC, to estimate feed availability in the Sahelian and Sudanian agro-ecological zones of West Africa as a basis for calculating the regional Livestock Carrying Capacity (LCC). Comparison of the energy supply (S) from feed resources, including natural pasture, browse, and crop residues, with energy demand (D) of the livestock population for the period 1981-2020 allowed us to assess regional surpluses (S > D) or deficits (S < D) in feed availability. We show that in the last 40 years a large-scale shift from surplus to deficit has occurred. While during 1981-1990 only 27% of the area exceeded the LCC, it was 72% for the period 2011-2020. This was caused by a reduction in the total feed supply of ~ 8% and an increase in feed demand of ~ 37% per-decade, driven by climate change and increased livestock population, respectively. Overall, the S/D decreased from ~ 2.6 (surplus) in 1981 to ~ 0.5 (deficit) in 2019, with a north-south gradient of increasing S/D. As climate change continues and feed availability may likely further shrink, pastoralists either need to source external feed or significantly reduce livestock numbers to avoid overgrazing, land degradation, and any further conflicts for resources. | 10.1038/s41598-021-01706-4 |
pubmed_807_14664 | Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a neuroendocrine tumor derived from parafollicular or C cells of the thyroid gland. Surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment for MTC. External-beam radiation treatment (EBRT) has traditionally played a limited role in the management of MTC. Despite aggressive surgery, patients at high risk for local recurrence may benefit from adjuvant EBRT. With improvements in radiation technique, adequate dose can be effectively delivered to the region at risk while minimizing dose to surrounding critical structures. Although the role of EBRT in the management of these tumors has thus far been poorly defined, EBRT should be considered as a treatment option for patients with locally advanced MTC to optimize locoregional control. | 10.6004/jnccn.2010.0041 |
pubmed_849_609 | Macrosocial changes may generate influences on marital quality. This study used data from the 2002-2012 Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice surveys conducted by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong to track the trends of marital satisfaction of both husbands and wives over a 10-year period in Hong Kong, with associated factors. Results indicated that 85% of the husbands and around 80% of the wives reported that they were satisfied with their marital relationships, and no significant changes in general were observed for them between 2002 and 2012 except for some subgroups. Husbands aged 45-49 years, in employment and whose monthly household income between 25,000 HKD and 39,999 HKD, reported marital satisfaction decreased over the past 10 years and wives with primary education or below also reported a decreasing trend during this period. Education and family income had positive influences on the husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction, and husbands were more likely to be sensitive to the unemployment. Less than one-third of couples needed professional counseling on family-related issues, and couple conflicts and work-family conflicts were the urgent needs that should be given priority in delivering services. The implications of this study are discussed in the Chinese context of Hong Kong. | 10.1080/0092623X.2015.1053021 |
pubmed_1097_3234 | In 2008, a well preserved and complete shoe was recovered at the base of a Chalcolithic pit in the cave of Areni-1, Armenia. Here, we discuss the chronology of this find, its archaeological context and its relevance to the study of the evolution of footwear. Two leather samples and one grass sample from the shoe were dated at the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU). A third leather sample was dated at the University of California-Irvine Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility (UCIAMS). The R_Combine function for the three leather samples provides a date range of 3627-3377 Cal BC (95.4% confidence interval) and the calibrated range for the straw is contemporaneous (3627-3377 Cal BC). The shoe was stuffed with loose, unfastened grass (Poaceae) without clear orientation which was more than likely used to maintain the shape of the shoe and/or prepare it for storage. The shoe is 24.5 cm long (European size 37), 7.6 to 10 cm wide, and was made from a single piece of leather that wrapped around the foot. It was worn and shaped to the wearer's right foot, particularly around the heel and hallux where the highest pressure is exerted in normal gait. The Chalcolithic shoe provides solid evidence for the use of footwear among Old World populations at least since the Chalcolithic. Other 4th millennium discoveries of shoes (Italian and Swiss Alps), and sandals (Southern Israel) indicate that more than one type of footwear existed during the 4th millennium BC, and that we should expect to discover more regional variations in the manufacturing and style of shoes where preservation conditions permit. | 10.1371/journal.pone.0010984 |
pubmed_1138_630 | About 65% of the original 258 children who participated in 1982-1984 in a caries prevention program involving the use of xylitol chewing gum were retrieved in 1989 for a follow-up study. Ninety-five subjects from the original xylitol (X) group and 70 subjects from the original control (no-gum, C) group were available. In 1984, when the children completed the program at the age of 13-14 years, the caries scores were significantly lower in children who had used xylitol gums daily, compared with the C group. In 1989, 5 years after the discontinuation of the gum program, the difference between the X and C groups had continued to increase in favor of the X group. These effects were explained by assuming that the X gum program had facilitated the establishment of a low-virulent bacterial flora on the surfaces of the teeth, and especially on those teeth that erupted during the trial proper. This type of results are possibly helpful when evaluating cost-benefit ratios of caries prevention. | 10.1159/000261587 |
pubmed_135_10606 | Desert truffle crop is a pioneer in southeastern Spain, a region where native edible hypogeous fungi are adapted to the semiarid areas with low annual rainfall. Terfezia claveryi Chatin was the first species of desert truffle to be cultivated, and has been increasing in recent years as an alternative rainfed crop in the Iberian Peninsula. However, its behaviour in the field has yet not been investigated. For this purpose, specific primers were designed for the soil DNA quantification of both T. claveryi and Terfezia crassiverrucosa and a real-time qPCR protocol was developed, using the ITS rDNA region as a target. Moreover, a young desert truffle orchard was sampled for environmental validation. The results showed the highest efficiency for the TerclaF3/TerclaR1 primers pair, 89%, and the minimal fungal biomass that could be reliable detected was set at 4.23 µg mycelium/g soil. The spatial distribution of fungal biomass was heterogeneous, and there was not a direct relationship between the quantity of winter soil mycelium and the location/productivity of desert truffles. This protocol could be applied to tracking these species in soil and understand their mycelial dynamics in plantations and wild areas. | 10.3390/jof8101095 |
pubmed_958_12893 | We present a case of pacer wire thrombus and recurrent pulmonary emboli in pregnancy associated with a permanent pacemaker. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated a thrombus attached to the pacer wire at the point where it crossed the tricuspid valve. After the uncomplicated vaginal delivery, thrombolytic therapy was given. This thrombus persisted despite thrombolytic therapy. Consequently, the patient was referred for cardiac surgery. The suspected cause was confirmed during the surgery. | pubmed_958_12893 |
pubmed_351_23770 | Kindling induces long-term adaptations in neuronal function that lead to a decreased threshold for induction of seizures. In the present study, the influence of amygdala kindling on levels of mRNA for the immediate-early genes (IEGs) c-fos, c-jun, and NGF1-A were examined both before and after an acute electroconvulsive seizure (ECS). Although amygdala kindling did not significantly influence resting levels of c-fos mRNA in cerebral cortex, ECS-stimulated levels of c-fos mRNA (examined 45 min after ECS) were approximately twofold greater in the cerebral cortex of kindled rats relative to sham-treated controls. The influence of kindling on IEG expression was dependent on the time course of kindling, as ECS-stimulated levels of c-fos mRNA were not significantly increased in stage 2 kindled animals. ECS-stimulated levels of c-jun and NGF1-A mRNA were also significantly increased in cerebral cortex of kindled rats relative to sham-treated controls. The influence of kindling on IEG expression was long-lasting because an acute ECS stimulus significantly elevated levels of c-fos and c-jun mRNA in the cerebral cortex of animals that were kindled 5 months previously. In contrast to these effects in cerebral cortex, kindling did not influence ECS-stimulated levels of c-fos mRNA in hippocampus. Finally, immunohistochemical studies revealed lamina-specific changes in the cerebral cortex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) | 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1992.tb11007.x |
pubmed_889_20789 | Most often jealousy is treated as a complex mental phenomenon, which consists of changes in emotional state, in cognitive and behavioral spheres, caused by erotic infidelity of a partner or a feeling of insecurity caused by a rival. It is estimated that factors contributing to this are a combination of dynamic affiliative factors, personality traits as well as environmental and social factors. Jealousy can take a reactive, anxious or possessive forms. This paper aims to present multifactorial genesis of jealousy, which leads to aggressive behaviors, usually in a form of domestic violence, but also resulting in homicides. Factors contributing to the occurrence of aggressive behaviors include specific personality traits of perpetrators as well as external variables, often constant and growing conflicts with the environment, usually multiplied by strong negative emotions directly preceding aggressive attacks. Acts motivated by jealousy often cause juridical difficulties in forensic psychiatry, both in the scope of diagnosis, determination of sanity related to the accusation, as well as in validity of the use of security measures. Identification of the nature of different types of jealousy, their dimensions and various conditioning can contribute to apt judicial-psychiatric assessments. | 10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/80418 |
pubmed_700_6289 | Laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) has been successfully used in clinical and experimental settings to evaluate bone perfusion but unanswered questions regarding its capabilities and limitations still remain. This study was undertaken to determine absorption of He-Ne laser light (632.8 nm) and maximum depth for flow assessment (threshold thickness) under optimal conditions in bone. Light transmittance in bovine bone samples of femora and tibia was measured after each step of grinding and depth of penetration calculated. The threshold thickness was obtained by placing the same samples in a flow chamber where a solution of 2% latex circulated beneath; flow was detected by a laser Doppler probe resting on top of the sample. The results showed a significantly higher depth of penetration for trabecular than for cortical bone. A regression analysis showed a high correlation between the inorganic fraction of the bone and the depth of penetration. The maximum depth at which the laser Doppler probe can evaluate flow in bone conditions was found to be 2.9 +/- 0.2 mm in cortical bone, 3.5 +/- 0.3 mm in bone covered by 1 mm cartilage and 3.5 +/- 0.2 mm in trabecular bone. The study showed the limitations of LDF in bone and their correlations to various bone properties. | 10.1002/jor.1100070314 |
pubmed_914_9432 | Microscopy-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments measure donor and acceptor intensities by isolating these signals with a series of optical elements. Because this filtering discards portions of the spectrum, the observed FRET efficiency is dependent on the set of filters in use. Similarly, observed FRET efficiency is also affected by differences in fluorophore quantum yield. Recovering the absolute FRET efficiency requires normalization for these effects to account for differences between the donor and acceptor fluorophores in their quantum yield and detection efficiency. Without this correction, FRET is consistent across multiple experiments only if the photophysical and instrument properties remain unchanged. Here we present what is, to our knowledge, the first systematic study of methods to recover the true FRET efficiency using DNA rulers with known fluorophore separations. We varied optical elements to purposefully alter observed FRET and examined protein samples to achieve quantum yields distinct from those in the DNA samples. Correction for calculated instrument transmission reduced FRET deviations, which can facilitate comparison of results from different instruments. Empirical normalization was more effective but required significant effort. Normalization based on single-molecule photobleaching was the most effective depending on how it is applied. Surprisingly, per-molecule gamma-normalization reduced the peak width in the DNA FRET distribution because anomalous gamma-values correspond to FRET outliers. Thus, molecule-to-molecule variation in gamma has an unrecognized effect on the FRET distribution that must be considered to extract information on sample dynamics from the distribution width. | 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.04.063 |
pubmed_15_19721 | PURPOSE
Markers of mercury (Hg) exposure have shown both positive and negative associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We assessed the association between serum Hg (S-Hg) and risk of cardiovascular disease in a prospective population-based cohort, with attention to the roles of dental health and fish consumption.
METHODS
Total mortality, as well as morbidity and mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke, was followed up for 32 years in 1,391 women (initially age 38-60), in relation to S-Hg at baseline, using Cox regression models. Potential confounders (age, socioeconomic status, serum lipids, alcohol consumption, dental health, smoking, hypertension, waist-hip ratio, and diabetes) and other covariates (e.g., fish consumption) were also considered.
RESULTS
Hazard ratios (HR) adjusted only for age showed strong inverse associations between baseline S-Hg and total mortality [highest quartile: hazard ratio (HR) 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.97], incident AMI (HR 0.56; CI 0.34-0.93), and fatal AMI (HR 0.31; CI 0.15-0.66). Adjustment for potential confounding factors, especially dental health, had a strong impact on the risk estimates, and after adjustment, only the reduced risk of fatal AMI remained statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS
There was a strong inverse association between Hg exposure and CVD. Likely, reasons are confounding with good dental health (also correlated with the number of amalgam fillings in these age groups) and/or fish consumption. The results suggest potential effects of dental health and/or fish consumption on CVD that deserve attention in preventive medicine. | 10.1007/s00420-012-0746-8 |
pubmed_634_7130 | Understanding the degree and pattern of shrinkage undergone by bone when subjected to heating is crucial to accurately deduce a biological profile from incinerated remains. X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) enables a nondestructive insight into hard tissue structural changes, while allowing for an accurate documentation of volumetric and trabecular shrinkage. Sheep ribs were experimentally burned at temperatures between 400 and 1000°C in 100°C increments and their volumetric shrinkage was calculated. Observed shrinkage ranged from 14.0% at 400°C to 45.5% at 1000°C. Bones burned at temperatures up to 600°C showed no significant difference, whereas the 700 and 800°C samples exhibited higher shrinkage. Bones burnt at 900 and 1000°C showed significantly higher shrinkage than the other temperature groups. Findings signify the potential of micro-CT in research on the effects of factors such as diagenesis or burning on the bone density, morphology and microarchitecture. | 10.1111/1556-4029.14150 |
pubmed_291_18141 | We report a dual plane in-line digital holographic microscopy technique that exploits the method of subtraction of average intensity of the entire hologram to suppress the zero-order diffracted wave. Two interferograms are recorded at different planes to eliminate the conjugate image. The experimental results demonstrate successful reconstruction of phase objects as well as of amplitude objects. The two interferograms can be recorded simultaneously, using two CCD or CMOS sensors, in order to increase the acquisition rate. This enhanced acquisition rate, together with the improved reconstruction capability of the proposed method, may find applications in biomedical research for visualization of rapid dynamic processes at the cellular level. | 10.1364/OL.35.003426 |
pubmed_31_4727 | BACKGROUND
An increasing body of empirical evidence suggests that early intervention has positive outcomes for parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Parental self-efficacy has been used as an outcome measure in some empirical studies; however, there is a lack of evidence of the impact of parent training programmes on parenting self-efficacy beliefs.
OBJECTIVES
This systematic review sought to assess the effectiveness of parenting interventions to increase parental self-efficacy levels in parents of young children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
METHOD
We conducted a broad literature search, which included grey literature, such as dissertations and unpublished conference presentations, to identify all relevant prospective studies reporting on our study objective. Articles were selected for inclusion using predefined criteria and data were extracted onto a purposely designed data extraction form. Twenty-five articles met our search criteria. We extracted parenting self-efficacy scores before, and on, completion of parenting interventions and performed a meta-analysis using standardised mean difference. We also conducted a risk of bias assessment for all the included studies.
RESULTS
Parent training programmes resulted in a statistically significant increase in parental self-efficacy levels (standardised mean difference, 0.60 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.38-0.83]; I2, 74%) relative to baseline measurements. Parents of children younger than 5 years demonstrated the highest increase in levels of parental self-efficacy after parenting interventions. Furthermore, this review showed that psychologists and other healthcare practitioners are successfully able to implement training programmes that enhance parenting self-efficacy.
CONCLUSION
Parent training programmes are effective in increasing parental self-efficacy in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. | 10.4102/ajod.v7i0.437 |
pubmed_318_1756 | The anti-ulcer effect of glaziovine, a major psychotropic alkaloid isolated from Ocotea glaziovii (Laureaceae) and belonging to a new chemical class, has been studied in different types of experimentally induced ulcers in the guinea-pig and the rat. The effect of glaziovine was compared with that of sulpiride. | pubmed_318_1756 |
pubmed_368_8599 | PURPOSE
To compare the outcomes of combined endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) and phacoemulsification cataract extraction versus cataract extraction alone in eyes with medically controlled open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and visually significant cataract.
SETTING
Clinical practices of glaucoma specialists and comprehensive ophthalmologists.
DESIGN
Prospective nonrandomized matched-control study.
METHODS
Consecutive patients with medically controlled OAG and visually significant cataracts were treated with ECP and cataract extraction (study group) or cataract extraction alone (control group). The groups were matched in age and baseline intraocular pressure (IOP). The main outcome measures were the change in IOP and number of glaucoma medications. Secondary measures included visual acuity and postoperative complications.
RESULTS
In the study group (n = 80) the mean IOP decreased (baseline: 18.1 mm Hg ± 3.0 [SD]; 1 year: 16.0 ± 2.8 mm Hg; 2 years: 16.0 ± 3.3 mm Hg). The number of glaucoma medications decreased from 1.5 ± 0.8 to 0.4 ± 0.7 (1 year and 2 years). In the control group (n = 80), the mean IOP was 18.1 ± 3.0 mm Hg (baseline), 17.5 ± 3.6 mm Hg (1 year), and 17.3 ± 3.2 mm Hg (2 years). The mean number of glaucoma medications was 2.4 ± 1.0, 1.8 ± 1.2, and 2.0 ± 1.0, respectively. The difference in IOP and medication reduction between the 2 groups was statistically significant at all timepoints. Visual acuity outcomes and complication rates were similar between the 2 groups.
CONCLUSION
Combined ECP and cataract extraction resulted in lower IOP and a greater reduction in glaucoma medications than cataract extraction alone in medically controlled OAG patients with visually significant cataract.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Proprietary or commercial disclosures are listed after the references. | pubmed_368_8599 |
pubmed_363_386 | NK cell cytotoxicity, IFN-gamma expression, proliferation, and accumulation are rapidly induced after murine CMV infections. Under these conditions, the responses were shown to be elicited in overlapping populations. Nevertheless, there were distinct signaling molecule requirements for induction of functions within the subsets. IL-12/STAT4 was critical for NK cell IFN-gamma expression, whereas IFN-alphabeta/STAT1 were required for induction of cytotoxicity. The accumulation/survival of proliferating NK cells was STAT4-independent but required IFN-alphabeta/STAT1 induction of IL-15. Taken together, the results define the coordinated interactions between the cytokines IFN-alphabeta, IL-12, and IL-15 for activation of protective NK cell responses during viral infections, and emphasize these factors' nonredundant functions under in vivo physiological conditions. | 10.4049/jimmunol.169.8.4279 |
pubmed_414_16373 | A large body of evidence indicates a major influence of sex hormones, particularly estrogen, on autonomic regulation of blood pressure (BP). The sympathetic nervous system is now widely recognized as a major regulator of BP homeostasis and contributor to pathogenesis of hypertension in humans. Menopause is accompanied by an accelerated age-related rise in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA). Mechanisms underlying sympathetic activation in menopause are unknown but may be related to impaired central modulation of baroreflex function or direct inhibitory influence of estrogen on SNA. Menopause is also accompanied by enhanced alpha-adrenergic peripheral vasoconstriction both at rest and during exercise. In ovariectomized rats, reduced nitric oxide release from the skeletal muscle caused by estrogen deficiency contributes to augmented sympathetic vasoconstriction during muscle contraction. The alteration in central autonomic regulation coupled with enhanced vascular adrenergic sensitivity may be responsible for elevation in resting BP and exaggerated pressor responses to exercise and mental stress in postmenopausal women. | 10.1055/s-0029-1225262 |
pubmed_641_10993 | Methods for the quantitative determination of amitriptyline and nortriptyline by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) is described. One immunoassay allows for the accurate quantification of amitriptyline in the presence of nortriptyline while the second immunoassay allows for the accurate quantification of nortriptyline in the presence of amitriptyline. | 10.1097/00007691-199406000-00012 |
pubmed_1026_24429 | Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by defective biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles. Clinical manifestations include a bleeding diathesis due to a platelet delta storage pool deficiency, oculocutaneous albinism, inflammatory bowel disease, neutropenia, and pulmonary fibrosis. Ten genes associated with HPS are identified to date, and each gene encodes a protein subunit of either Biogenesis of Lysosome-related Organelles Complex (BLOC)-1, BLOC-2, BLOC-3, or the Adaptor Protein-3 complex. Several genetic variants and phenotypic heterogeneities are reported in individuals with HPS, who generally exhibit easy bruisability and increased bleeding. Desmopressin, pro-coagulants, or platelet transfusion may be used as prophylaxis or treatment for excessive bleeding in patients with HPS. However, response to desmopressin can be variable. Platelets are effective in preventing or treating bleeding in individuals with HPS, but platelets should be transfused judiciously to limit alloimmunization in patients with HPS who are at risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis and may be potential candidates for lung transplantation. The discovery of new genes associated with HPS in people with excessive bleeding and hypopigmentation of unknown etiology may be facilitated by the use of next-generation sequencing or panel-based genetic testing. | 10.1080/09537104.2019.1663810 |
pubmed_449_6298 | Two patients presenting with a locked knee are described. In both cases a loose body from an osteochondritis dissecans defect had wedged beneath the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus, creating a block to extension which could not be reduced. Arthroscopy and arthroscopic methods proved unsuccessful in the removal of the loose body. | 10.1177/014107688307601211 |
pubmed_357_8579 | PURPOSE
To compare functional and anatomic outcome of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) and intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) treatments in neovascular age-related macular degeneration by using the treat and extend (TE) protocol.
METHODS
In this retrospective chart study, treatment naïve 74 eyes of 74 age-related macular degeneration patients treated with IVR and IVA (38 eyes in IVR and 36 eyes in IVA group) with TE protocol were included. Following three consecutive monthly intravitreal injections, TE protocol was applied to each group. Patients were followed up for at least 36 months. Mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macula thickness (CMT) and injection numbers over 3 years were compared.
RESULTS
Among 36 months period, the mean number of injections was 17 ± 4 for both groups (p > 0.05). In terms of CMT, there was no statistically significant difference between groups at 36 months compared to baseline. A decrease of 72.55 ± 39.37 μm in CMT was detected in IVR group, whereas the decrease was 70.58 ± 33.96 μm in IVA group (p > 0.05). There was a significant increase in BCVA at 36 months of measurements. In addition, BCVA demonstrated an increase of 4.1 ± 0.44 letters in IVR group and 4.36 ± 0.67 letters in IVA group after 36 months compared to the baseline (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Both IVR and IVA injections provided significant improvements and stability in BCVA and CMT, however there was no significant difference between IVR and IVA injections with TE protocol of 36 months. | 10.3341/kjo.2020.0109 |
pubmed_216_16626 | Earlier results have indicated that serotonin transporter (SERT) availability is altered in major depression. We examined SERT density with a more serotonin-specific ligand and with a larger number of patients than in previous studies. Twenty-nine antidepressant-naïve patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 19 healthy age- and sex-matched controls were studied with SPECT using [(123)I] nor-beta-CIT as a ligand. The patients had a significantly lower (-10%) binding potential in the midbrain region than controls. No correlation with depression severity was found. These findings indicate that SERT availability in the midbrain area is reduced in depression, and that interindividual variation is considerable in both patients and controls. | 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2006.08.001 |
pubmed_948_12226 | The authors describe a case of cavernous sinus thrombosis in a female aged 59 years referred to hospital with suspected tumour at the base of the brain. With the present broad use of sulphamides and antibiotics the incidence of septic thrombosis of the cavernous sinus has decreased considerably. In the reported case the infectious focus giving rise to the thrombosis was in the palatine tonsils or in teeth with gangrenous changes. The thrombosis was associated with infarction of the left hemisphere. The correct diagnosis was established after CT of the head. | pubmed_948_12226 |
pubmed_1059_8065 | When attitudes toward nursing interventions of 103 psychiatric inpatients studied over a 28-month period, in three different ward phases, were correlated with demographic, psychiatric, and psychologic test variables, attitudes varied premirily and almost exclusively with ward administrative phase. Within the differing ward phases the nursing interventions most valued by patients did not focus directly upon the individual patient. | pubmed_1059_8065 |
pubmed_171_22819 | OBJECTIVE
The technical and clinical outcome of endovascular revascularization was analyzed in patients with suspicion of chronic splanchnic syndrome (CSS).
METHODS
Medical history, duplex, angiography and exercise gastric tonometry suggested CSS in 97 patients. Twenty-seven of them were treated endovascular (one patient had 3-vessel, 12 patients had 2-vessels, 14 patients had 1-vessel CSS). Five patients received previous splanchnic revascularization. Twenty-three patients (85%) had severe co-morbidity: cardiac, pulmonary or cachexia. Endovascular treatment consisted of percutaneous transluminal angiography (PTA) of the coeliac artery (CA) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA) in three and primary balloon expandable stenting in 24 patients (13 CA and 10 SMA solitary, two CA and SMA both, 31 splanchnic arteries in total).
RESULTS
Three patients showed procedure related complications (11%). Mean follow-up was 19, range 2-76 months. Two patients died during follow up, both not procedure or CSS related. Five patients had no improvement of symptoms, without evidence of re- or residual stenosis. The primary clinical success was 67%, secondary clinical success was 81%. The primary patency was 81% and secondary patency was 100%.
CONCLUSION
Endovascular treatment of CSS has a reasonable outcome. It is an alternative to operative treatment, especially in patients with high co-morbidity or limited life expectancy. | 10.1016/j.ejvs.2004.04.005 |
pubmed_397_19591 | Inflammation of the arterial wall has been demonstrated by 18 Fluoro-Deoxyglucose PET imaging in patients with Takayasu's and temporal arteritis. We used ultrasonography and FDG-PET for structural and metabolic imaging of the carotid artery to diagnose giant cell arteritis without biopsy. In a 72 years old patient with isolated clinical and paraclinical signs of severe systemic inflammation ultrasonogaphy showed concentric hypoechogenic mural thickening of the carotidarteries and high FDG uptake in the left carotid, both axillary and subclavian arteries and the aorta. Clinical and paraclinical abnormalities showed a typical response to steroid treatment. In conclusion a combined approach using ultrasound and FDG-PET seems to be helpful in the diagnosis of GCA of large arteries particularly in patients with atypical manifestations of the disease and negative or unavailable biopsy of the temporal artery. | 10.1024/0301-1526.34.4.269 |
pubmed_94_19205 | BACKGROUND
Pneumonia is defined as an acute inflammation of the Lungs' parenchymal structure. It is a major public health problem and the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in under-five children especially in developing countries. In 2015, it was estimated that about 102 million cases of pneumonia occurred in under-five children, of which 0.7 million were end up with death. Different primary studies in Eastern Africa showed the burden of pneumonia. However, inconsistency among those studies was seen and no review has been conducted to report the amalgamated magnitude and associated factors. Therefore, this review aimed to estimate the national prevalence and associated factors of pneumonia in Eastern Africa METHODS: Using PRISMA guideline, we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed studies that examined the prevalence and associated factors of pneumonia from PubMed, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar. Heterogeneity across the studies was evaluated using the Q and the I2 test. A weighted inverse variance random-effects model was applied to estimate the national prevalence and the effect size of associated factors. The subgroup analysis was conducted by country, study design, and year of publication. A funnel plot and Egger's regression test were used to see publication bias. Sensitivity analysis was also done to identify the impact of studies.
RESULT
A total of 34 studies with 87, 984 participants were used for analysis. The pooled prevalence of pneumonia in East Africa was 34% (95% CI; 23.80-44.21). Use of wood as fuel source (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI:1.30-1.77; I2 = 0.0%;P = 0.465), cook food in living room (AOR = 1.47;95% CI:1.16-1.79; I2 = 0.0%;P = 0.58), caring of a child on mother during cooking (AOR = 3.26; 95% CI:1.80-4.72; I2 = 22.5%;P = 0.26), Being unvaccinated (AOR = 2.41; 95% CI:2.00-2.81; I2 = 51.4%;P = 0.055), Child history of Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARTI) (AOR = 2.62; 95% CI:1.68-3.56; I2 = 11.7%;P = 0.337) were identified factors of pneumonia.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of pneumonia in Eastern Africa remains high. This review will help policy-makers and program officers to design pneumonia preventive interventions. | 10.1186/s12887-020-02083-z |
pubmed_32_12927 | BACKGROUND
The Perth Community Stroke Study (PCSS) was a population-based study of the incidence, cause, and outcome of acute stroke.
METHOD
Subjects from the study were assessed initially, by examination and interview, and at four- and 12-month follow-ups to determine differences in prevalence of depression between the sexes and between patients with first-ever and recurrent strokes.
RESULTS
The prevalence of depressive illness four months after stroke in 294 patients from the PCSS was 23% (18-28%), 15% (11-19%) major depression and 8% (5-11%) minor depression. There were no significant differences between the sexes or between patients with first-ever and recurrent strokes. With a non-hierarchic approach to diagnosis of those with depression, 26% of men and 39% of women had an associated anxiety disorder, mainly agoraphobia. Nine per cent of male and 13% of female patients interviewed had evidence of depression at the time of the stroke. Twelve months after stroke 56% of the men were still depressed (40% major and 16% minor), as were 30% of the women (12% major and 18% minor).
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of depression after stroke was comparable with that reported from other studies, and considerably less than that reported from in-patient and rehabilitation units. | 10.1192/bjp.166.3.320 |
pubmed_235_24782 | Recently, optical metasurfaces have attracted much attention due to their versatile features in manipulating phase, polarization, and amplitude of both reflected and transmitted light. Because it controls over four degrees of freedom: phase, polarization, amplitude, and wavelength of light wavefronts, optical cryptography is a promising technology in information security. So far, information encoding can be implemented by the metasurface in one-dimensional (1D) mode (either wavelength or polarization) and in a two-dimensional (2D) mode of both wavelength and polarization. Here, we demonstrate multiplexing multifoci optical metasurfaces for information encoding in the ultraviolet spectrum both in the 1D and 2D modes in the spatial zone, composed of high-aspect-ratio aluminum nitride nanorods, which introduce discontinuous phases through the Pancharatnam-Berry phase to realize multifoci in the spatial zone. Since the multiplexed multifocal optical metasurfaces are sensitive to the helicity of the incident light and the wavelength is within the ultraviolet spectrum, the security of the information encrypted by it would be guaranteed. | 10.1364/AO.413921 |
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