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The 2-azadecalin ring system was evaluated as a scaffold for the preparation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists. High affinity, selective GR antagonists were discovered based on a hypothetical binding mode related to the steroidal GR antagonist RU-43044. 2-Benzenesulfonyl substituted 8a-benzyl-hexahydro-2H-isoquinolin-6-ones exemplified by (R)-37 had low nanomolar affinity for GR with moderate functional activity (200 nM) in a reporter gene assay. These compounds were devoid of affinity for other steroidal receptors (ER, AR, MR, and PR). Analogues based on an alternative putative binding mode (CP-like) were found to be inactive. | Isoquinolines |
BACKGROUND: Jugular foramen tumors, particularly those that are triple dumbbell-shaped with intracranial, intraforaminal, and extracranial extensions, are difficult to access surgically. However, advances in neuroimaging, neuromonitoring, and skull base surgery have enabled their safe resection with lower rates of morbidity and mortality. METHOD: We share our experience with the surgical technique for the management of triple dumbbell-shaped jugular foramen schwannomas. CONCLUSION: The infralabyrinthine transjugular transsigmoid approach with high cervical exposure under continuous vagus nerve monitoring enables gross total resection of triple dumbbell-shaped jugular foramen schwannomas, aiming at surgical cure of these benign tumors for appropriately selected patients. | Jugular Foramina |
The quantum yield (QY) of the iodide-iodate chemical actinometer (0.6 M KI-0.1 M KIO3) was determined for irradiation between 214 and 330 nm. The photoproduct, triiodide, was determined from the increase in absorbance at 352 nm, which together with a concomitant measurement of the UV fluence enabled the QY to be calculated. The QY at 254 nm was determined to be 0.73 +/- 0.02 when calibration was carried out against a National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable radiometer or photometric device. At wavelengths below 254 nm the QY increased slightly, leveling off at -0.80 +/- 0.05, whereas above 254 nm the QY decreases linearly with wavelength, reaching a value of 0.30 at 284 nm. In addition, the QY was measured at different iodide concentrations. There is a slight decrease in QY going from 0.6 to 0.15 M KI, whereas below 0.15 M KI the QY drops off sharply, decreasing to 0.23 by 0.006 M KI. Calibration of the QY was also done using potassium ferrioxalate actinometry to measure the irradiance. These results showed a 20% reduction in QY between 240 and 280 nm as compared with radiometry. This discrepancy suggests that the QY of the ferrioxalate actinometer in this region of the spectrum needs reexamination. | Iodine Compounds |
Glycoconjugate vaccines are vaccines in which a bacterial polysaccharide antigen is conjugated to a carrier protein to enhance immunogenicity by promoting T cell-dependent immune response. However, the free (unreacted) polysaccharides remaining after the conjugation process can inhibit the immunogenicity of a conjugate vaccine. Thus, we aimed to reduce the unbound free polysaccharides in the polysaccharide-protein conjugation process for the development of a new 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV15) by varying some factors that may affect the conjugation results such as polysaccharide/protein ratio, polysaccharide size, and concentration of a coupling agent in a conjugation reaction mixture. Concentrations of a coupling agent, carbodiimide (EDAC), and a carrier protein (CRM197) used in PCV15 production, during the conjugation process, had little effect on the content of free polysaccharides. However, the size of the polysaccharide was identified as the critical factor to control the free polysaccharide content, with an inverse relationship observed between the molecular weight of the polysaccharide and the residual free polysaccharide content after conjugation. Based on these results, a new PCV15 with low free polysaccharide contamination was produced and tested for immunogenicity using a rabbit model to show that it induces similar level of immune responses in rabbits compared to a comparator vaccine Prevnar13(R). | Vaccines, Conjugate |
As an alcohol-aversive agent, disulfiram occupies an exceptional position in the pharmacological relapse prevention of alcohol dependence. In contrast to anti-craving drugs, disulfiram does not modulate neurobiological mechanisms of addiction, but rather works by producing an aversive reaction when combined with alcohol. Therapeutic and adverse effects are therefore closely related: On the one hand, the aversiveness of the disulfiram ethanol reaction has the potential to support abstinence in a subgroup of alcohol-dependent patients, while on the other hand it becomes a health threat if the patient fails to maintain complete abstinence. The exceptional position of disulfiram is also related to the role that expectations play in the mediation of therapeutic effects. These are not determined by the pharmacological effects or the actual occurrence of a disulfiram-ethanol reaction, but are attributable to patient awareness that the drug was consumed and the corresponding anticipation of an aversive reaction if combined with alcohol. This is in line with the findings of a recent meta-analysis that only showed significant effects for disulfiram in open-label trials. The authors of the meta-analysis conclude that due to expectations induced in both the treatment and placebo groups, blinded studies are incapable of distinguishing a difference between groups. The mediation of therapeutic effects through expectation has a number of consequences for clinical practice and future research on disulfiram. | Disulfiram |
Traditional leaders play a prominent role at the community level in Malawi, yet limited research has been undertaken on their role in relation to policy implementation. This article seeks to analyse the role of traditional leaders in implementing national maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) policy and programmes at the community level. We consider whether the role of the chief embodies a top-down (utilitarian) or bottom-up (empowerment) approach to MNCH policy implementation. Primary data were collected in 2014/15, through 85 in-depth interviews and 20 focus group discussions in two districts in Malawi. We discovered that traditional leaders play a pivotal role in supporting MNCH service utilization, through mobilization for MNCH campaigns, and encouraging women to give birth at the health facility rather than at home or in the community setting. Women and their families responded to bylaws to deliver in the facility out of respect for the traditional leader, which is ingrained in Malawian culture. Fines were imposed on women for delivering at home, in the form of goats, chickens and money. Fear and coercion were often used by traditional leaders to ensure that women delivered at the health facility. Chiefs who failed to enforce these bylaws were also fined. Although the role of the traditional leader was often positive and encouraging in relation to MNCH service utilization, this was sometimes carried out in a coercive manner. Results show evidence of a utilitarian top-down model of policy implementation, where the goal of health service utilization justified the means, through encouragement, fear, punishment or coercion. Although the bottom-up approach would be associated with a more empowerment approach, it is unlikely that this would have been successful in Malawi, given the hierarchical nature of society. Further research on policy implementation in the context of community participation is needed." | Maternal-Child Health Services |
Receptor activity-modifying protein 3 (RAMP3) is a single-pass transmembrane protein known to interact with and affect the trafficking of several G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). We sought to determine whether RAMP3 interacts with GPR30, also known as G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1. GPR30 is a GPCR that binds estradiol and has important roles in cardiovascular and endocrine physiology. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer titration studies, co-immunoprecipitation, and confocal microscopy, we show that GPR30 and RAMP3 interact. Furthermore, the presence of GPR30 leads to increased expression of RAMP3 at the plasma membrane in HEK293 cells. In vivo, there are marked sex differences in the subcellular localization of GPR30 in cardiac cells, and the hearts of Ramp3(-/-) mice also show signs of GPR30 mislocalization. To determine whether this interaction might play a role in cardiovascular disease, we treated Ramp3(+)(/)(+) and Ramp3(-/-) mice on a heart disease-prone genetic background with G-1, a specific agonist for GPR30. Importantly, this in vivo activation of GPR30 resulted in a significant reduction in cardiac hypertrophy and perivascular fibrosis that is both RAMP3 and sex dependent. Our results demonstrate that GPR30-RAMP3 interaction has functional consequences on the localization of these proteins both in vitro and in vivo and that RAMP3 is required for GPR30-mediated cardioprotection." | Receptor Activity-Modifying Protein 3 |
Trichinellosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by the nematode Trichinella spp. Neurotrichinellosis represents one of the most important complications of severe trichinellosis in humans and is sometimes fatal, especially when Trichinella spiralis is involved. There are numerous mechanisms responsible for the involvement of the nervous system through direct or indirect involvement of the parasite. In the latter, inflammatory cells, especially eosinophils, appear to play a crucial role. Encephalopathy, neuromuscular disturbances, and ocular involvement represent the most frequent presentations of neurotrichinellosis, with the first being the most responsible for fatalities. The diagnosis is based on imaging (CT or MRI), which shows nodular multifocal hypodensities in serologically positive individuals with relevant epidemiological factors (e.g., consumption of raw pork). However, only direct diagnosis by muscle biopsy can give the absolute certainty of infection. Albendazole and mebendazole are the anthelminthic of choice and should be used with corticosteroids to prevent allergic manifestations. | Enoplida Infections |
BACKGROUND: Despite being a common pediatric hand condition, there are few clear guidelines regarding the optimal management of pediatric trigger thumb. Our primary aim was to help guide surgical management of this disorder by establishing a treatment algorithm on the basis of our institution's experience. METHODS: This is an institutional review board-approved retrospective study of all patients with idiopathic trigger thumbs from 2005 to 2015 at a single institution. Demographics and treatment course were recorded for all patients including duration of follow-up, observation, surgical intervention, and complications. All children were classified according to the Sugimoto classification. RESULTS: A total of 149 patients with 193 thumbs met inclusion and exclusion criteria. 16.5% of patients had stage II thumbs, 10.3% of patients with stage III, and 73% of patients with stage IV thumbs. Of all patients with stage IV thumbs, 3.5% were locked in extension for an overall incidence of 2.6%.In total, 46% of patients failed observation and underwent surgical treatment. Only 14% of stage IV trigger thumbs resolved when observed, compared with 53% of stage II and 25% of stage III trigger thumbs. Stage IV thumbs were 4.6 times more likely to fail conservative treatment and go on to surgery than stage II or III thumbs (odds ratio, 4.6; P=0.006).Thirty-two percent of patients underwent surgery without an observation period. Older children with bilateral stage 3 thumbs were the most likely to go straight to the odds ratio instead of being observed (P=0.002, r=0.17).Of the total amount of patients who underwent surgery (116), there were 4 complications for a rate of 3.4% with a recurrence rate of 1.7%. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of the data in this study, the authors would recommend that stage IV thumbs undergo surgery without an observational period. Second, stage II and stage III thumbs can be safely observed for at least 1 year before surgery. Finally, our study concurs with the literature that surgery can be successful with low rates of complications and recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV. | Tendon Entrapment |
An efficient synthetic route is proposed to produce 2-hydroxy-2-ethyl-3-oxobutanoate for the specific labelling of Ile methyl-gamma(2) groups in proteins. The (2)H, (13)C-pattern of the biosynthetic precursor has been designed to optimize magnetization transfer, in large proteins, between these important structural probes and their corresponding backbone nuclei. | Isoleucine |
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary inclusion of eucalyptus essential oil (EEO) on growth performance, relative organ weight, cecal microflora, nutrient digestibility, serum biochemical parameters, and thigh muscle fatty acid profile in broiler chickens. A total of six hundred 1-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly allocated into 5 treatment groups with 8 replicate pens, and each pen contained 15 birds. The experiment lasted for 42 d. Dietary treatments included corn-soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0, 250, 500, 750, and 1,000 mg/kg EEO. The results indicated that dietary treatments had no effect on growth performance parameters in the 1 to 10 d period. From day 11 to 24, dietary supplementation of EEO showed a linear decrease in feed conversion ratio (FCR, P < 0.05). From day 25 to 42 and the overall period (1-42 d), broilers fed with different levels of EEO showed a linear increase in body weight gain (BWG) and reduction in feed conversion ratio (linear, P < 0.05). The relative organ weight were unaffected by any of the dietary treatments. With increasing levels of EEO, the cecal Escherichia coli (linear, P = 0.085) count showed a trend in reduction, and the cecal lactic acid bacteria population tended to increase (linear, P = 0.063). The apparent ileal digestibility of ether extract and organic matter were linearly and quadratically increased in response to increasing dietary EEO supplementation (P < 0.05). A trend of linear decrease in total cholesterol in the serum of birds fed with different levels of EEO was recorded (P = 0.074). Eucalyptus essential oil's inclusion increased serum superoxide dismutase linearly but reduced serum malondialdehyde linearly (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation of EEO affected the fatty acid profile of thigh muscle so that increased the concentrations of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (linear, P < 0.05) and reduced total saturated fatty acid contents (linear, P < 0.05). Taken together, the inclusion of EEO increased BWG and decreased FCR during day 25 to 42 and day 1 to 42, and partially improved cecal microflora balance, nutrient digestibility, antioxidant activity, and thigh muscle fatty acid profile in broiler chickens. | Eucalyptus Oil |
Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide. The occurrence of breast cancer is associated with many risk factors, including genetic and hereditary predisposition. Breast cancers are highly heterogeneous. Treatment strategies for breast cancer vary by molecular features, including activation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), hormonal receptors (estrogen receptor [ER] and progesterone receptor [PR]), gene mutations (e.g., mutations of breast cancer 1/2 [BRCA1/2] and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha [PIK3CA]) and markers of the immune microenvironment (e.g., tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte [TIL] and programmed death-ligand 1 [PD-L1]). Early-stage breast cancer is considered curable, for which local-regional therapies (surgery and radiotherapy) are the cornerstone, with systemic therapy given before or after surgery when necessary. Preoperative or neoadjuvant therapy, including targeted drugs or immune checkpoint inhibitors, has become the standard of care for most early-stage HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer, followed by risk-adapted post-surgical strategies. For ER-positive early breast cancer, endocrine therapy for 5-10 years is essential. Advanced breast cancer with distant metastases is currently considered incurable. Systemic therapies in this setting include endocrine therapy with targeted agents, such as CDK4/6 inhibitors and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for hormone receptor-positive disease, anti-HER2 targeted therapy for HER2-positive disease, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and immunotherapy currently for part of triple-negative disease. Innovation technologies of precision medicine may guide individualized treatment escalation or de-escalation in the future. In this review, we summarized the latest scientific information and discussed the future perspectives on breast cancer." | Phosphatidylinositol-4-Phosphate 3-Kinase |
This study aimed to investigate the phylogenetic utility of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data in the southern South American subclade of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales). The variety of forms that has arisen in this clade, presumably over the past 5-10â¯millionâ¯years, has all the signatures of an adaptive and rapid radiation. While the phylogeny of Valerianaceae has received a great deal of attention in the last decade, species relationships have been hard to resolve using traditional phylogenetic markers. Here, we collected high-throughput genomic sequence data from reduced-representation libraries obtained through GBS protocols. Putative orthologs were identified using within- and among-sample clustering using the computer software pyRAD. We recovered over 3000 loci for 14 species of southern South AmericanValeriana,with 140 loci present across all samples.We analyzed a set of phylogenetic trees generated from each locus using maximum likelihood methods, as well as multispecies coalescent ( *BEAST) methods. For comparative purposes, we also used a supermatrix approach to infer the phylogeny for these taxa. Across different methods and data sets, we recovered consistent relationships for the southern South American valerians that we sampled with varying degrees of support. | Valerianaceae |
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To explore the aging experience of the over 60" group of singles who have never been married and have no children. How they experience their aging process in terms of their singlehood and vice versa. DESIGN AND METHODS: A qualitative-phenomenological approach was adopted. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants aged 60 to 87. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged: (a) "How come I stayed single?" (b) Between loneliness, aloneness and solitude. (c) "I have to take care of myself in old age." (d) The self behind prejudices and stereotypes. IMPLICATIONS: As the normative expectation is to live with partners, children, and grandchildren, they need to account for their alternative choice and give meaning to being a never married single. This meaning is expressed by constructing their self-dentity and accepting their way of life." | Single Person |
To treat unilateral limbal stem cell (LSC) deficiency, we developed cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells (CALEC) using an innovative xenobiotic-free, serum-free, antibiotic-free, two-step manufacturing process for LSC isolation and expansion onto human amniotic membrane with rigorous quality control in a good manufacturing practices facility. Limbal biopsies were used to generate CALEC constructs, and final grafts were evaluated by noninvasive scanning microscopy and tested for viability and sterility. Cultivated cells maintained epithelial cell phenotype with colony-forming and proliferative capacities. Analysis of LSC biomarkers showed preservation of stemness." After preclinical development, a phase 1 clinical trial enrolled five patients with unilateral LSC deficiency. Four of these patients received CALEC transplants, establishing preliminary feasibility. Clinical case histories are reported, with no primary safety events. On the basis of these results, a second recruitment phase of the trial was opened to provide longer term safety and efficacy data on more patients." | Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency |
In small animal practice, prostatic diseases are increasingly encountered. All dogs may experience prostatic disease, but particular care should be addressed to breeding dogs, in which prostatic affection may lead to decrease in semen quality and fertility. The most common prostatic disease is the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) followed by prostatitis, prostatic neoplasia and prostate squamous metaplasia. These diseases do not have pathognomonic symptoms, therefore, making a correct diagnosis may not be easy. An accurate clinical examination and a correct diagnostic protocol are essential in order to begin the most appropriate treatment, and also to do a good prophylaxis where it is possible. BPH therapy is usually recommended when mild-severe signs are present or if symptoms disturb the patient. New therapeutic approaches, both medical and surgical, allow to maintain fertility in most animals with prostatic disorders. Prostate cancer is relatively infrequent. Elective therapy is the surgical one, but it is considered palliative and can result in important post-operative complications. The aim of this paper is to lay down the most appropriate diagnostic process describing the aetiologies of prostatic disease, their symptoms, the right investigative tools and therapy. | Dog Diseases |
Tickborne relapsing fever caused by Borrelia species is rarely reported in travelers returning from Africa. We report a case of a 71-year-old woman who sought treatment at University Medical Center in Freiburg, Germany, in 2015 with recurrent fever after traveling to southern Africa. We detected spirochetes in Giemsa-stained blood smears. Treatment with doxycycline for suspected tickborne relapsing fever was successful. Sequence analyses of several loci (16S rRNA, flagellin, uvrA) showed high similarity to the recently described Candidatus Borrelia kalaharica, which was found in a traveler returning from the same region earlier that year. We provide additional information regarding the genetic relationship of Candidatus B. kalaharica. Sequence information for an additional 6 housekeeping genes enables improved comparability to other borrelial species that cause relapsing fever. Our report underlines the importance and possible emergence of the only recently delineated pathogen in southern Africa. | Relapsing Fever |
Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) causes gastroenteritis following the consumption of contaminated poultry meat, resulting in a large health and economic burden worldwide. Phage therapy is a promising technique for eradicating C. jejuni from poultry flocks and chicken carcasses. However, C. jejuni can resist infections by some phages through stochastic, phase-variable ON/OFF switching of the phage receptors mediated by simple sequence repeats (SSR). While selection strength and exposure time influence the evolution of SSR-mediated phase variation (PV), phages offer a more complex evolutionary environment as phage replication depends on having a permissive host organism. Here, we build and explore several continuous culture bacteria-phage computational models, each analysing different phase-variable scenarios calibrated to the experimental SSR rates of C. jejuni loci and replication parameters for the F336 phage. We simulate the evolution of PV rates via the adaptive dynamics framework for varying levels of selective pressures that act on the phage-resistant state. Our results indicate that growth reducing counter-selection on a single PV locus results in the stable maintenance of the phage, while compensatory selection between bacterial states affects the evolutionary stable mutation rates (i.e. very high and very low mutation rates are evolutionarily disadvantageous), whereas, in the absence of either selective pressure the evolution of PV rates results in mutation rates below the basal values. Contrastingly, a biologically-relevant model with two phase-variable loci resulted in phage extinction and locking of the bacteria into a phage-resistant state suggesting that another counter-selective pressure is required, instance, the use of a distinct phage whose receptor is an F336-phage-resistant state. We conclude that a delicate balance between counter-selection and phage-attack can result in both the evolution of phase-variable phage receptors and persistence of PV-receptor-specific phage. | Bacteriophage Receptors |
The lack of benefit from randomised controlled trials has resulted in significant controversy regarding the role of nutrition during critical illness in terms of long-term recovery and outcome. Although methodological caveats with a failure to adequately appreciate biological mechanisms may explain these disappointing results, it must be acknowledged that nutritional support during early critical illness, when considered alone, may have limited long-term functional impact.This narrative review focuses specifically on recent clinical trials and evaluates the impact of nutrition during critical illness on long-term physical and functional recovery.Specific focus on the trial design and methodological limitations has been considered in detail. Limitations include delivery of caloric and protein targets, patient heterogeneity, short duration of intervention, inappropriate clinical outcomes and a disregard for baseline nutritional status and nutritional intake in the post-ICU period.With survivorship at the forefront of critical care research, it is imperative that nutrition studies carefully consider biological mechanisms and trial design because these factors can strongly influence outcomes, in particular long-term physical and functional outcome. Failure to do so may lead to inconclusive clinical trials and consequent rejection of the potentially beneficial effects of nutrition interventions during critical illness. | Nutritional Status |
The main effects of trypanosomosis in Brazil are related to reproductive alterations. In this context, the present study aimed to report the occurrence of abortions in goats and sheeps in the semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil, associated with Trypanosoma vivax. Trypomastigotes forms visualized by Buffy coat technique (BCT) method in 68.7% of the goats and 50.0% of the ewes that aborted. PCR identified that 100% of the goats and ewes that aborted were infected with T. vivax. The goats and ewes that aborted showed high parasitemia and developed clinical signs of trypanosomosis. The presence of T. vivax DNA was identified in the blood of fetuses by the PCR technique, proving infection by T. vivax in aborted fetuses, as well as confirming the congenital transmission of the parasite. | Trypanosomiasis |
Granuloma annulare is a palisading granulomatous skin disease which may be generalized, localized, perforating, or subcutaneous. Subcutaneous granuloma annulare is self-limiting, affecting infants and children, with typical postnatal onset. Here we report a patient with congenital clinical manifestations. | Granuloma Annulare |
A four-applicator phased-array hyperthermia system with movable apertures (MA) is compared with an eight-applicator annular phased-array hyperthermia system with fixed apertures (AA) in terms of the HEP (hyperthermia equipment performance) values, based on two-dimensional models and the bioheat transfer equation. A hybrid element method is used to calculate the zeta-directed two-dimensional electric field with the inhomogeneities in tissue properties taken into account. The amplitudes and phases of each applicator are then optimized with the objective of uniform power deposition in the tumour and no power deposited in normal tissues. The temperature distributions under different blood flow conditions are obtained by solving the bioheat transfer equation using the finite element method. It is found that among the seven patient models studied, the MA and AA in general perform equally well when the tumour has zero blood flow, or equally poorly when the tumour has a blood flow larger than 5 ml/100 g per min. The performance of AA is often significantly better than that of MA when the tumour blood flow is 2.7 ml/100 g per min. The effects of different weighting functions are evaluated. We show that even if uniform absorbed power density (ARD = absorption rate density) could be achieved in the tumour volume with zero ARD in normal tissue the entire tumour would still not be brought to 43 degrees C or greater. However, it is found that the performance of uniform ARD in the tumour is on average far better than either the AA or MA, and choosing the uniform ARD as the objective function improved 35% of the cases for AA and 16% for MA. The optimization formula includes a weighting function that can be varied for different tissues. By decreasing the weights in regions of high blood flow the HEP values can sometimes be improved quite noticeably. Finally, the importance of the locations of applicators is studied. The results obtained indicate that the applicators should be placed about 5 cm or more away from the patient body (assuming water is the coupling medium) to ensure good HEP ratings. | Hot Temperature |
BACKGROUND: Although chronically constipated patients usually respond to medical treatment, there is a subgroup with scarce/no response, generally labeled as refractory or intractable. However, whether this lack of response is real or due to ancillary causes (suboptimal dosage, lack of compliance etc.) is unknown. AIMS: To see whether a pharmacologic test (bisacodyl colonic intraluminal infusion during manometric assessment) may predict the therapeutic outcome. METHODS: Data of patients undergoing 24/h colonic manometry for severe intractable constipation in whom the bisacodyl test (10 ml of drug dissolved into saline and injected through the more proximal recording port) had been carried out were retrieved and analysed, and correlations with the therapeutic outcome made. RESULTS: Overall, charts from 38 patients (5 men) were available; of these, only 21% displayed naive high-amplitude propagated contractions (average, less than 2/24 h), mostly meal-induced, during the recordings. A bisacodyl response was present in 31.6% patients, with a mean number of events of 1.8 per patient. After bisacodyl testing, 47.3% patients underwent intensive medical treatment, 44.7% surgery (medical failures), and 8% transanal irrigation, a procedure employed to treat refractory patients. The presence of naive propulsive contractions significantly correlated with the response to bisacodyl infusion (p < 0.0001), and with a favourable outcome to intensive medical treatment (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The bisacodyl test may be clinically useful to better categorize constipated patients erroneously labelled as intractable and to exclude true colonic inertia, thus avoiding surgery in more than 30% of these subjects. | Bisacodyl |
The respiratory neural network is flexible and can undergo neuronal plasticity. Recent work suggests that neurotrophins and their high-affinity tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptors are involved in mediating plasticity of respiratory motor output elicited by intermittent hypoxia. We aimed to determine whether Trk receptor activation is required for plasticity of upper airway motor outflow induced by repeated obstructive apneas that mimic those experienced in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We show that Trk receptor inhibition on hypoglossal motor neurons prevents long-term enhancement of genioglossus muscle tone triggered by repeated airway obstructions in rats. Our result suggests that plasticity of upper airway motor outflow requires a functional neurotrophic signaling cascade. Triggering motor plasticity of upper airways via pharmacological mechanisms could be a potentially useful strategy for improving airway patency in OSA. | Hypoglossal Nerve |
In intracellular calcium signaling, calcium buffers has been recognized for their role in reshaping and localizing the calcium concentration profile in the vicinity of the channel, as well as reducing the effective diffusion of free calcium. In the presence of an excess of endogenous or exogenous buffers, linearization of the reaction-diffusion system describing the calcium-buffer dynamics has been instrumental in understanding the extent of the microdomain formation and in quantifying the apparent diffusion of the free calcium. In these linearized models, the conclusions are usually drawn from the steady-state solutions upon the opening of the channel. In this work, using the joint Laplace-Fourier method, we give an explicit integral transient solution, as well as, the long-time asymptotic behavior of the linearized calcium-buffer dynamics. The results confirm and emphasize the long stated intuitions on the diffusive character of the calcium-buffer dynamics. Numerical validations of our analytical results will be discussed. | Egtazic Acid |
BACKGROUND: With rising health care expenditures, hospitals must contain costs in ways that maintain high-quality patient care. A significant portion of perioperative costs are associated with materials and supplies; many reusable instruments on surgical trays go unused, which may account for significant annual excess processing costs. Reorganizing gynecologic trays to contain fewer instruments can result in significant cost savings. In the field of operative gynecology, there has been considerable attention to the various costs and surgical outcomes that are associated with hysterectomy performed in the abdominal, vaginal, and laparoscopic approaches; however, little research has been done on the cost differences that are associated with the reusable instruments that are used in these approaches. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the percent usage of instruments within gynecologic surgery and to identify differences by surgical approach. We further aimed to estimate the costs of sterilizing surgical instruments and estimate the excess costs that are associated with processing unused instruments. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single site observational study. Specific instruments that were used from incision to closure were recorded on operating room count sheets via direct observation of surgeries that were performed in the gynecologic operating rooms by a trained investigator. Cost data on instrument transportation, employee wages, and instrument replacement was obtained from institutional supply chain management. RESULTS: In total, 28 surgical cases (5 abdominal, 11 laparoscopic, and 12 vaginal) were analyzed, with an average of 2 hours 37 minutes operating room time and 5.4 instrument trays for each case. One hundred fifty trays were observed. Trays had an average of 38 instruments per tray (range, 1-141). Surgeons used an average of 36.7 instruments of 184 available instruments per case, for a usage rate of 20.5+/-2.8%. A significant difference was noted between usage rates in abdominal cases (26.3+/-6.5%) and vaginal cases (13.6+/-3.3%) but not between laparoscopic (19.4+/-4.2%) vs other approaches. Instrument use was correlated inversely with the number of instruments, with an average usage rate of 18.7% for trays that contained >/=10 instruments. Total annual institutional cost associated with instrument processing was estimated at $3.19 per instrument. CONCLUSION: Instrument usage in the gynecologic operating room is low, and the cost of processing instruments is significant. Availability of certain instruments is necessary for patient safety in the event of rare unexpected events. However, given that less than one quarter of the instruments pulled for surgery are used and that total processing cost per instrument exceeds $3.00, careful review of what instruments are included in each tray is warranted. Clearly, significant cost-savings are possible while concurrently balancing safety concerns. | Surgical Instruments |
There is little doubt that the main component of the transmissible agent of spongiform encephalopathies - the prion - is a conformational variant of the ubiquitous host protein PrP(C), and that the differing properties of various prion strains are associated with different abnormal conformations of this protein. The precise structure of the prion is not yet known, nor are the mechanisms of infection, conformational conversion and pathogenesis understood. | Prion Proteins |
A vastus lateralis muscle flap is used as a pedicled and free flap. In this study, the vastus lateralis muscles of 15 adult formalin-fixed cadavers (30 cases) were dissected. The dominant pedicle was found to be descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery. The mean diameter of the artery was found to be 2.1 mm. This pedicle was located 119.4 mm distal to the pubic symphysis. The mean length of the major pedicle was found to be 56.8 mm when the dominant pedicle was chosen to nourish the flap. The dominant pedicle entered the muscle 155.8 and 213.7 mm from the greater trochanter and the anterior superior iliac spine, respectively. The muscle had proximal minor pedicles from the ascending and transverse branches of lateral circumflex femoral artery. These arteries had mean diameters of 1.8 and 2.0 mm, respectively. The distal minor branches were present in all of the dissections. The distal branch had a mean diameter of 1.8 mm. The origin of this distal branch was located 83.7 mm proximal to the intercondylar line. The motor nerve of the vastus lateralis was found to be originating from femoral nerve. The nerve entered the muscle 194.6 mm from the anterior superior iliac spine. | Surgically-Created Structures |
Telomeres, the natural ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes, are essential for protecting chromosomes from degradation and fusion. The synthesis of telomere DNA repeats in most eukaryotes is performed by a special enzyme, telomerase. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme, is a specialized reverse transcriptase utilizing its RNA moiety as a template for synthesis of telomeric DNA. Enzymatic properties and results of comparative analysis of telomerase RNA and protein structures from different eukaryotic systems are discussed in this review. | Telomerase |
The spectroscopic properties of alpha-chymotrypsin (alpha-Chym), L-tryptophan (Trp) and N-acetyl-L-tryptophan (NAT) solubilized in hydrated reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate in iso-octane were followed by fluorescence as a function of the amount of intramicellar water and initial pH. The lack of pH dependence observed for Trp in these systems, as opposed to what occurs in bulk water, and the similarities found for the protein in both media foresee different locations of these probes. In reverse micelles, fluorescence quenching studies using acrylamide emphasize the existence of structural alterations within the protein when its global charge changes from positive (pH = 7) to negative (pH = 10). The ensemble of the data points to an interfacial location of the zwitterionic Trp, an intermediate region of less tightly bound water for the location of the anionic Trp and NAT and an almost bulk water environment for alpha-Chym. | Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid |
A hurdle in the evaluation of any therapy of ISHL has previously been proposed-a spontaneous recovery of satisfactory hearing of 63% of patients. The hurdle has yet to be convincingly passed by any drug therapy. The intent here is not to denigrate the use of drugs in this syndrome; on the contrary, it remains likely that some subgroups of ISHL would benefit from specific medical management. For instance, a systemic viremia would be most logically treated with anti-inflammatory agents and a thrombotic event with anticoagulants. However, prospective studies in which patients are divided into prognostic categories before treatment with adequate control groups must be performed. | Diatrizoate Meglumine |
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of stationary cycling exercise on pain, function and stiffness in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. DATA SOURCES: Systematic search conducted in seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, PEDro, and CNKI) from inception to September 2020. REVIEW METHODS: Included studies were randomized-controlled trials involving stationary cycling exercise conducted on individuals with knee osteoarthritis. End-trial weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were analyzed, and random-effects models were used. Methodological quality and risk bias were assessed by using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale and Cochrane Collaboration tool, respectively. RESULTS: Eleven studies with 724 participants were found, of which the final meta-analysis was performed with eight. Compared to a control (no exercise), stationary cycling exercise resulted in reduced pain (WMD 12.86, 95% CI 6.90-18.81) and improved sport performance (WMD 8.06, 95% CI 0.92-15.20); although most of the meta-analysis results were statistically significant, improvements in stiffness (WMD 11.47, 95% CI 4.69-18.25), function (WMD 8.28, 95% CI 2.44-14.11), symptoms (WMD 4.15, 95% CI -1.87 to 10.18), daily living (WMD 6.43, 95% CI 3.19 to 9.66) and quality of life (WMD 0.99, 95% CI -4.27 to 6.25) for individuals with knee osteoarthritis were not greater than the minimal clinically important difference values for each of these outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: Stationary cycling exercise relieves pain and improves sport function in individuals with knee osteoarthritis, but may not be as clinically effective for improving stiffness, daily activity, and quality of life. | Osteoarthritis, Knee |
A new abeo-abietane diterpenoid, 12-methoxy-6,11,14,16-tetrahydroxy-17(15-->16)-abeo-5,8,11,13-abietatetraen-3,7-dione (8), was isolated from the hydroalcoholic extract of the herb of Clerodendrum kiangsiense along with seven known diterpenoids (1-7). Their structures were identified on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including two-dimensional NMR and comparison with literature data. All of these compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against the growth of human cancer cells lines HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549 and MCF-7 by the MTT assay. The results showed that cryptojaponol (4), fortunin E (6) and 8 exhibited significant cytotoxicity against four human cancer cell lines. | Clerodendrum |
RATIONALE: The a2A-noradrenergic agonist guanfacine can decreases stress-induced smoking in female, but not male, human smokers. It is not known whether these effects are due to effects on mood regulation and/or result from nicotinic-cholinergic interactions. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to determine whether there are sex differences in the effect of guanfacine in tests of anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy in mice at baseline and in a hypercholinergic model of depression induced by the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine. METHODS: The effects of guanfacine were measured in the light/dark box, tail suspension, and the forced swim test in female and male C57BL/6J mice. In parallel, electrophysiological properties were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex, a critical brain region involved in stress responses. c-fos immunoreactivity was measured in other brain regions known to regulate mood. RESULTS: Despite a baseline sex difference in behavior in the forced swim test (female mice were more immobile), guanfacine had similar, dose-dependent, antidepressant-like effects in mice of both sexes (optimal dose, 0.15 mg/kg). An antidepressant-like effect of guanfacine was also observed following pre-treatment with physostigmine. A sex difference in the paired-pulse ratio in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (male, 1.4; female, 2.1) was observed at baseline that was normalized by guanfacine. Other brain areas involved in cholinergic control of depression-like behaviors, including the basolateral amygdala and lateral septum, showed sex-specific changes in c-fos expression. CONCLUSIONS: Guanfacine has a robust antidepressant-like effect and can reverse a depression-like state induced by increased acetylcholine (ACh) signaling. These data suggest that different brain areas are recruited in female and male mice, despite similar behavioral responses to guanfacine. | Guanfacine |
Objective Pleurodesis is an effective therapy for malignant pleural effusion (MPE). While interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been regarded as a serious complication of pleurodesis, its clinicopathological characteristics have not been fully understood. This study was conducted to elucidate the incidence of ILD and the risk factors for ILD in patients who underwent pleurodesis to control MPE. Methods The medical records of patients who underwent pleurodesis in Aichi Medical University between March 2008 and February 2013, the period before the approval of talc in Japan, were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 84 patients underwent pleurodesis, all using OK-432. ILD occurred in 13 patients (15.5%). The development of ILD after pleurodesis was significantly associated with old age (odds ratio [OR]: 4.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-19.08) and epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment (OR: 5.97, CI: 1.7-20.9). A multivariate analysis revealed that >67 years of age (p=0.01) and EGFR-TKI treatment (p=0.02) were significantly associated with the development of pleurodesis-related ILD. Among the patients who received both pleurodesis and EGFR-TKIs (n=23), 8 patients developed ILD. All of these patients were receiving EGFR-TKI therapy at the time of pleurodesis or within 30 days after pleurodesis. In contrast, no cases of ILD were observed among the patients who stopped EGFR-TKIs before pleurodesis or started EGFR-TKIs at more than 30 days after pleurodesis. Conclusion ILD seemed to be a frequent complication of pleurodesis in patients using OK-432, especially elderly patients and those who underwent pleurodesis while receiving EGFR-TKI therapy or who started EGFR-TKI therapy within 30 days after pleurodesis. | Pleurodesis |
The dextrorotatory morphinan dextromethorphan (DM), a clinically tested antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-channel complex, was tested in an in vivo model of acute transient focal cerebral ischemia. Rabbits were randomly assigned to pretreatment with a 20 mg/kg i.v. bolus followed by 10 mg/kg/h of 0.4% DM in normal saline (NS), or with an equivalent volume of NS alone. They then underwent 1 h occlusion of the left internal carotid artery an anterior cerebral artery followed by 4 h of reperfusion. DM-treated animals showed a significant decrease in the percentage of severe neocortical ischemic neuronal damage (10.5%), as compared to NS-treated animals (49.6%). | Levorphanol |
Lymph nodes (LNs) are important hubs for metastatic cell arrest and growth, immune modulation, and secondary dissemination to distant sites through a series of mechanisms, and it has been proved that lymph node metastasis (LNM) is an essential prognostic indicator in many different types of cancer. Therefore, it is important for oncologists to understand the mechanisms of tumor cells to metastasize to LNs, as well as how LNM affects the prognosis and therapy of patients with cancer in order to provide patients with accurate disease assessment and effective treatment strategies. In recent years, with the updates in both basic and clinical studies on LNM and the application of advanced medical technologies, much progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms of LNM and the strategies for diagnosis and treatment of LNM. In this review, current knowledge of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of LNs, as well as the molecular mechanisms of LNM, are described. The clinical significance of LNM in different anatomical sites is summarized, including the roles of LNM playing in staging, prognostic prediction, and treatment selection for patients with various types of cancers. And the novel exploration and academic disputes of strategies for recognition, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions of metastatic LNs are also discussed. | Clinical Relevance |
OBJECTIVE: Absorbable gelatin compressed sponge (Gelfoam; Pfizer Inc, New York, NY), a biodegradable agent prepared from purified porcine skin gelatin, is frequently used for intraoperative hemostasis. Its appearance on sonography may mimic tumor or residual thyroid when placed in the resection bed after thyroidectomy. The purpose of this study was to describe the appearance of Gelfoam on early post-thyroidectomy sonography so that an erroneous diagnosis of locally recurrent or residual tumor can be avoided. METHODS: We reviewed the early postoperative sonographic examinations of 6 patients after thyroidectomy in which Gelfoam was used for hemostasis. Screening cervical sonography was performed to identify possible lateral compartment adenopathy before completion of thyroidectomy or ablation. Sonographic examinations were performed up to 50 days after resection. Surgical reports confirmed the use of Gelfoam in each patient. RESULTS: In all cases, uniform elongated echogenicity was shown within the lobectomy bed. In 1 patient, sonographically guided fine-needle aspiration of lobectomy bed echogenicity yielded scant red blood cells, multinucleated giant cells, and macrophages. Follow-up sonography performed in 1 patient 14 months after thyroidectomy confirmed complete Gelfoam absorption. CONCLUSIONS: Gelfoam may mimic residual or recurrent thyroid carcinoma on early surveillance sonography performed after thyroidectomy. Recognition of its characteristic appearance should prompt a search for an appropriate surgical history and, when placed in the appropriate clinical context, should prevent an errant diagnosis of tumor. | Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable |
OBJECTIVE: This study gives details of a rare case of petrous apicitis that presented as Gradenigo's syndrome and was managed surgically. METHOD: This study presents a case report and review of the literature. RESULTS: A four-year-old female was admitted for failure to thrive following recent sinusitis. Physical examination was positive for right sided facial pain, photophobia and right abducens nerve palsy. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 1.3 x 1.7 x 1.4 cm abscess encompassing the right Meckel's cave. A computed tomography scan showed petrous apicitis and otomastoiditis, confirming Gradenigo's syndrome. The patient was taken to the operating theatre for right intact canal wall mastoidectomy with myringotomy and tube placement. She was discharged on six weeks of ceftriaxone administered by a peripherally inserted central catheter line. At a two-week post-operative visit, she showed notable improvement in neuropathic symptoms. CONCLUSION: This study presents a rare case of petrous apicitis managed surgically without the need for a craniotomy or transcochlear procedure. | Petrositis |
In 1983 Libet et al. demonstrated that brain activity associated with a voluntary act precedes conscious experience of the intention to act by several hundred milliseconds. The implication that it is the brain, rather than 'free will', that initiates voluntary acts has been discussed ever since by philosophers and lawyers, as well as by scientists. We show here how Libet's original study gave rise to an entire research field of experimental investigations of volition. | Volition |
BACKGROUND: The parasitic nematodes Ascaris lumbricoides and A. suum are of great public health and economic significance, and the two taxa were proposed to represent a single species. miRNAs are known with functions of gene regulations at post-transcriptional level. RESULTS: We herein compared the miRNA profiles of A. lumbricoides and A. suum female adults by Solexa deep sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis and stem-loop real-time PCR. Using the A. suum genome as the reference genome, we obtained 171 and 494 miRNA candidates from A. lumbricoides and A. suum, respectively. Among which, 74 miRNAs were shared between the two taxa, 97 and 420 miRNAs were A. lumbricoides and A. suum specific. Target and function prediction revealed a significant set of targets which are related to ovarian message protein, vitellogenin and chondroitin proteoglycan of the two nematodes. Enrichment analysis revealed that the percentages of most predicted functions of the miRNA targets were similar, with some taxon specific or taxon enhanced functions, such as different target numbers, specific functions (NADH dehydrogenase and electron carrier functions), etc. CONCLUSIONS: This study characterized comparatively the miRNAs of adult A. lumbricoides and A. suum, and the findings provide additional evidence that A. lumbricoides and A. suum represent a single species. Due to the fast evolution nature of miRNAs and the different parasitic living conditions of humans and pigs, the phenomenon above might indicate a fast evolution of miRNAs of Ascaris in humans and pigs. | Ascaris suum |
In an attempt to determine the possible predictive value of the main clinical and haematological initial features of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) on the evolution to acute leukaemia, as well as the real impact of such an event on survival, 35 such patients were submitted to multiple regression analyses. At the time of the study 30 out of the 35 patients had died, with a median survival of 8.2 months for the whole series. 12 patients (34%) developed acute leukaemia, between 1.5 and 42.1 months from diagnosis of CMML, the actuarial median time of acute transformation being 29.4 months. The initial bone marrow blast cell percentage was the only factor influencing the development of acute leukaemia. On the other hand, the multivariate survival study showed that acute transformation introduced in the model as a time-dependent variable had a clear-cut unfavourable influence on the outcome of CMML patients, as did palpable spleen, advanced age and marked monocytosis." | Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute |
The compatibility and stability of 2B combinations of diamorphine hydrochloride (5-100 mg/ml) with cyclizine lactate (5-50 mg/ml), eight combinations of diamorphine (10-100 mg/ml) with haloperidol (2-4 mg/ml) and eight combinations of all three drugs was assessed after storage in 1 ml polypropylene syringes. Samples were stored for periods up to seven days in the light and at room temperature (22 degrees C). Five combinations of diamorphine with cyclizine precipitated immediately upon preparation. After analysis and determination of t90% values (the time taken for 10% degradation). 16 of the remaining 23 combinations were judged to be compatible (no signs of crystallization or precipitation) and stable (less than 10% loss of potency of either drug) after storage for 24 h. After seven days storage only four remained compatible and stable. The results indicate that ratios of diamorphine to cyclizine of 1:1 are stable at concentrations up to 20 mg/ml. An increase in diamorphine concentration necessitates a reduction in cyclizine to 10 mg/ml, and an increase in cyclizine concentration necessitates a reduction in concentration of diamorphine to 15 mg/ml to maintain stability over 24 h. All the combinations of diamorphine with haloperidol remained compatible and stable for seven days. The addition of haloperidol (2 mg/ml) to the diamorphine and cyclizine combinations had no detrimental effect on their compatibility and stability. A stability curve is included as an easy way for palliative care personnel to avoid potential problems with incompatibilities and reduced stability when using these combinations. Furthermore, to reduce the possibility of precipitation with mixtures containing cyclizine, the use of 0.9% sodium chloride should be avoided. | Cyclizine |
OBJECTIVES: To identify the proportion of critically ill patients able to consent to participation in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and to assess to what extent patient consent and relative assent processes could be conducted according to ethics committee permission. DESIGN: Descriptive study nested in an RCT. SETTING: Fifty-six UK intensive care units participating in the PAC-Man trial. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: First 500 patients consecutively enrolled into PAC-Man. MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS: The outcome measures were patient consent and/or relative assent. Of the 498 patients included, 13 (2.6%) provided consent before randomisation. Of the remaining 485 patients, relative assent was obtained for 394 patients (81.2%), and refused post-randomisation for 3 patients (0.6%). No relatives were available for 15 patients (3.1%), and it was unclear from documentation whether relative assent had been obtained for 73 patients (15.1%). Of the 482 patients who did not provide consent prior to randomisation, 188 (39%) survived. Of these, 175 (93.1%) gave retrospective informed consent, six (3.2%) refused, and seven (3.7%) did not regain mental competency. CONCLUSIONS: A very small proportion of patients were able to give consent before randomisation. Due to the high in-hospital mortality (60.6%), only around one third of the remaining patients could provide consent retrospectively. This study demonstrates difficulties experienced in obtaining consent from critically ill patients to participate in medical research and raises important issues about the ethical basis of the consent process in critical care. | Informed Consent |
An extremely rare case of congenital midline sinus of the upper lip in a 12-year-old girl is presented. The sinus had a pit-like orifice in the midline philtral area with a duct extending 4 mm posterosuperiorly. It was excised by extraoral elliptical incision. Histopathological examination disclosed that the duct was covered by a stratified squamous epithelium with sebaceous glands. Twelve cases of this rare disease have previously been reported. | Lip Diseases |
PURPOSE: To investigate whether daily-disposable and 2-week disposable soft contact lenses are being used correctly. METHODS: The number of purchases made and brands selected by the 44,566 consumers who purchased daily-disposable and 2-week disposable soft contact lenses in Okada Eye Clinic institutions between April 1, 2002 and November 1, 2002 were monitored. From the 7,759 respondents to a survey conducted in the clinic between November 1, 2002 and March 31, 2003, the number of purchases made and brands selected by the 1,584 respondents, whose sales records could be traced, were analyzed in further detail. RESULTS: The total number of consumers purchasing daily-disposable soft contact lenses was 14,909, and their annual average purchase was 10.56 boxes. Most purchases were of two boxes followed by purchases of four and then six. Only 6.4% of consumers purchased 24 boxes at a time. Consumers purchasing four or fewer boxes at a time accounted for 37.8%. A total of 25,705 consumers purchased 2-week disposable soft contact lenses, with an annual average purchase of 6.37 boxes per consumer. Nineteen percent of the consumers purchased eight boxes of 2-week disposable soft contact lenses per year. Most consumers tended to purchase their contact lenses in even numbers for daily-disposable and 2-week disposable soft contact lenses. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Jacksonville, FL) was the most popular manufacturer. According to the survey, 86.6% of the 2-week disposable soft contact lens wearers followed instructions correctly, whereas 13.4% did not. That is, they exceeded the instructed 14 days of wear. CONCLUSIONS: Annual average purchases of daily-disposable and 2-week disposable soft contact lenses tended to be in even numbers and showed differences in their sales depending on contact lens brands. The results obtained from the survey and the actual sales records correlated. | Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear |
BACKGROUND: Plastids originated from cyanobacteria and the majority of the ancestral genes were lost or functionally transferred to the nucleus after endosymbiosis. Comparative genomic investigations have shown that gene transfer from plastids to the nucleus is an ongoing evolutionary process but molecular evidence for recent functional gene transfers among seed plants have only been documented for the four genes accD, infA, rpl22, and rpl32. RESULTS: The complete plastid genome of Thalictrum coreanum, the first from the subfamily Thalictroideae (Ranunculaceae), was sequenced and revealed the losses of two genes, infA and rpl32. The functional transfer of these two genes to the nucleus in Thalictrum was verified by examination of nuclear transcriptomes. A survey of the phylogenetic distribution of the rpl32 loss was performed using 17 species of Thalictrum and representatives of related genera in the subfamily Thalictroideae. The plastid-encoded rpl32 gene is likely nonfunctional in members of the subfamily Thalictroideae (Aquilegia, Enemion, Isopyrum, Leptopyrum, Paraquilegia, and Semiaquilegia) including 17 Thalictrum species due to the presence of indels that disrupt the reading frame. A nuclear-encoded rpl32 with high sequence identity was identified in both Thalictrum and Aquilegia. The phylogenetic distribution of this gene loss/transfer and the high level of sequence similarity in transit peptides suggest a single transfer of the plastid-encoded rpl32 to the nucleus in the ancestor of the subfamily Thalictroideae approximately 20-32 Mya. CONCLUSIONS: The genome sequence of Thalictrum coreanum provides valuable information for improving the understanding of the evolution of plastid genomes within Ranunculaceae and across angiosperms. Thalictrum is unusual among the three sequenced Ranunculaceae plastid genomes in the loss of two genes infA and rpl32, which have been functionally transferred to the nucleus. In the case of rpl32 this represents the third documented independent transfer from the plastid to the nucleus with the other two transfers occurring in the unrelated angiosperm families Rhizophoraceae and Salicaceae. Furthermore, the transfer of rpl32 provides additional molecular evidence for the monophyly of the subfamily Thalictroideae. | Thalictrum |
We present a miniaturized high-throughput sensor array that will augment biofuel technology by facilitating in situ biochemical measurements upon micrometer-scale surfaces of leaves, stems, or petals. We used semiconductor processing to photopattern Foturan glass wafers and fabricated gold-plated microscopic electrode needles (ElectroNeedles) that pierced 125-mum-thick surfaces without deformation. The 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 arrays of ElectroNeedles can analyze 25 or 100 samples simultaneously, increasing throughput. Each microneedle in the array can also be individually addressed and selectively functionalized using diazonium electrodeposition, conferring multiplexing capability. Our microfabrication is a simple, inexpensive, and rapid alternative to the time-, cost-, and protocol-intense, deep-reactive-ion-etching Bosch process. We validated the system performance by electrochemically detecting p-cresol, a phenolic substrate for laccase, an enzyme that is implicated in lignin degradation and therefore important to biofuels. Our limits of detection (LOD) and quantization (LOQ) for p-cresol were 1.8 and 16microM, respectively, rivaling fluorescence detection (LOD and LOQ = 0.4 and 3microM, respectively). ElectroNeedles are multiplexed, high-throughput, chip-based sensor arrays designed for minimally invasive penetration of plant surfaces, enabling in situ and point-of-test analyses of biofuel-related biochemicals. | Diazonium Compounds |
Myc proteins have a tripartite carboxyl-terminal domain containing specific amino acid sequence motifs: a basic motif, a helix-loop-helix motif, and a leucine heptad repeat. Similar sequence motifs have been identified in several eukaryotic transcription factors and were shown to facilitate protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. By using recombinant v-Myc proteins obtained by bacterial expression of full-length or partially deleted avian v-myc alleles, the functional relevance of these sequence motifs for Myc protein oligomerization and for DNA binding was investigated. All recombinant v-Myc proteins that have retained the carboxyl-terminal domain dimerize and specifically bind to double-stranded DNA containing the palindromic core sequence CACGTG. This and a closely related DNA sequence element have been defined previously as part of the binding sites for human transcription factors USF and TFE3, which specifically bind to the adenovirus major late promoter or the muE3 motif within the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer, respectively. It is shown that a 61-amino-acid peptide sequence containing only the bipartite basic motif/helix-loop-helix domain of Myc is necessary and sufficient for dimerization and sequence-specific DNA binding of v-Myc recombinant proteins. | Oncogene Proteins |
BACKGROUND: Flax (Linum usitatissimum. L) is an ancient oilseed and natural fiber crop. It could be divided into three categories by use, namely oil flax, fiber flax and oil-fiber dual purpose (OF). Cultivated flax is widely used in the food and textile industry. It is of great significance to elucidate the genetic characteristics of flax collections for accelerating the process of breeding improvement in this dual purpose crop. With the development of next-generation sequencing, we can use new methods, such as SLAF-seq (specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing), to decode unknown genomes of species. In this study, a high-through sequencing of flax collections using SLAF-seq was conducted. The evolutionary tendency was defined and candidate genes associated with agronomic traits of flax species were identified by Genome-Wide Association Studying (GWAS). RESULTS: A flax collection consisting of 224 varieties were sequenced by SLAF-seq. In total, 346,639 SLAF tags were developed from all accessions, with an average sequencing depth of 7.19 for each accession. A total of 584,987 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) with an MAF > 0.05 were identified from these SLAFs. The population structure division and phylogenetic analysis indicated a strong divergence among three kinds of flax groups. The genome-wide variation uncovered that oil flax had the highest genetic diversity and was considered to be the ancestor of fiber flax and oil-fiber flax. Sixteen associated peak SNPs for six traits were obtained by GWAS of oil-related traits using EMMAX (efficient mixed-model association eXpedited). Candidate genes and their related pathway were evaluated. A new GWAS was developed for fiber properties using the GLM (General linear model) model and a number of loci were identified. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study on discovery multiple loci for important agronomic traits of flax species using GWAS strategy. These results will provide the highest possibility of incorporating both high fiber and good oil traits in a single variety. | Flax |
Exposure to allergens at workplace is more frequent nowadays. The most common occupational allergic diseases with proven association of the disease and occupational exposure determining damage to function and/or morphology and confirming the disease by diagnostic workup are occupational allergic rhinitis, occupational asthma, allergic alveolitis and allergic contact dermatitis. This paper describes diagnostic algorithms of differential diagnosis to confirm the diagnosis of occupational disease and to take measures for preserving functional capacity of the employees. | Respiratory Hypersensitivity |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) play an important role in synaptic plasticity and learning, as well as in nociception and mechanosensation. ASICs are involved in pain and in neurological and psychiatric diseases, but their therapeutic potential is limited by the lack of ligands activating them at physiological pH. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We extracted, purified and determined the structure of a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, lindoldhamine, (LIN) from laurel leaves. Its effect on ASIC3 channels were characterized, using two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiological recordings from Xenopus laevis oocytes. KEY RESULTS: At pH 7.4 or higher, LIN activated a sustained, proton-independent, current through rat and human ASIC3 channels, but not rat ASIC1a or ASIC2a channels. LIN also potentiated proton-induced transient currents and promoted recovery from desensitization in human, but not rat, ASIC3 channels. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We describe a novel ASIC subtype-specific agonist LIN, which induced proton-independent activation of human and rat ASIC3 channels at physiological pH. LIN also acts as a positive allosteric modulator of human, but not rat, ASIC3 channels. This unique, species-selective, ligand of ASIC3, opens new avenues in studies of ASIC structure and function, as well as providing new approaches to drug design. | Laurus |
The aggression theory of schizophrenia is a psychoanalytic theory which proposes that schizophrenia results from uncontrolled, deprivation-induced aggressive impulses. An animal model of the aggression theory is presented using predatory aggression as the source of arousal. Although neurochemical control of predatory aggression is nonspecific, anatomic control is located in the lateral hypothalamus across species. The lateral hypothalamus also controls schedule-induced polydipsia which has been implicated in schizophrenia. The aggression theory could be empirically evaluated by determining if schizophrenics respond differently than normals to scheduled feedings. Implications of the aggression theory are discussed. | Aggression |
BACKGROUND: Chilaiditi syndrome is a rare condition characterized by impaired fixation of the colon resulting in symptoms secondary to colonic interposition. It commonly presents with nonspecific abdominal pain and constipation, making clinical diagnosis difficult, especially in pregnancy. CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old afebrile woman in the week 28 of pregnancy presented with right-sided abdominal pain and constipation. With an Alvarado score of 6, the working diagnoses were acute appendicitis and intestinal obstruction. After a normal transabdominal ultrasound, emergent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging showed abnormal fixation of hepatic flexure wedged between the falciform ligament and liver. Without clinical, laboratory, and radiologic signs of complete obstruction or colonic perforation, conservative therapy was introduced and was successful. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Symptoms associated with Chilaiditi syndrome in pregnancy include nonspecific abdominal pain, and the correct preoperative diagnosis is difficult. The most common differential diagnoses are intestinal obstruction and acute appendicitis. It is important to diagnose Chilaiditi syndrome early because it can lead to severe complications, including intestinal obstruction, perforation, and ischemia. Therefore, in patients with right-sided abdominal pain with inconclusive transabdominal ultrasound, emergent magnetic resonance imaging leads to early diagnosis and treatment, minimizes maternal and fetal complications, avoids unnecessary explorations, and shortens the hospitalization. | Chilaiditi Syndrome |
BACKGROUND: Femoral neck stress fractures are rare in healthy children, with only 9 cases previously reported. The present article reviews our institutional experience with femoral neck stress fractures in children younger than 10 years of age, to highlight the unique features of this condition. METHODS: We undertook a retrospective review of clinical records of patients who had been treated at our institution for an idiopathic femoral neck stress fracture between 2000 and 2014. To focus on children rather than adolescents, the World Health Organization's definition of adolescent as a person between 10 and 19 years of age was used; we thereby limited our analysis to patients younger than 10 years of age. RESULTS: The study included 6 patients (3 males, 3 females) treated for an idiopathic femoral neck stress fracture, with a mean age at diagnosis of 7.7 years (range, 5.2 to 8.9 y). All patients presented with a limp, which worsened with activity and had persisted for a mean of 5 weeks (range, 2 to 9 wk). None of the patients had experienced an increase in activity level or sporting volume before symptom onset. On examination, 3 patients experienced pain with terminal hip flexion and 3 patients demonstrated pain-free hip range of motion. Plain radiography demonstrated inferior femoral neck cortical disruption, suggesting a compression-type stress fracture mechanism. The diagnosis was confirmed by cross-sectional imaging in all cases. All patients were initially treated with 6 to 8 weeks of non-weight-bearing followed by 4 to 6 weeks of partial weight-bearing, leading to complete healing in 4 patients. Two patients demonstrated incomplete healing and were managed with spica casting for an additional 6 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Our case series illustrates the unique features of this rare condition in children, with a history and examination profile distinct from those of adolescents and adults. Compliance with weight-bearing restrictions is difficult in this population and hip spica casting may be required to permit complete healing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-case series. | Femoral Neck Fractures |
Dimethylglycine dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.99.2) and sarcosine dehydrogenase (EC 1.5.99.1) are flavoproteins which catalyze the oxidative demethylation of dimethylglycine to sarcosine and sarcosine to glycine, respectively. During these reactions tightly bound tetrahydropteroylpentaglutamate (H4PteGlu5) is converted to 5,10-methylene tetrahydropteroylpentaglutamate (5,10-CH2-H4PteGlu5), although in the absence of H4PteGlu5, formaldehyde is produced. Single turnover studies using substrate levels of the enzyme (2.3 microM) showed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with apparent first-order rate constants of 0.084 and 0.14 s-1 at 23 and 48.3 microM dimethylglycine, respectively, for dimethylglycine dehydrogenase and 0.065 s-1 at 47.3 microM sarcosine for sarcosine dehydrogenase. The rates were identical in the absence or presence of bound tetrahydropteroylglutamate (H4PteGlu). Titration of the enzymes with substrate under anaerobic conditions did not disclose the presence of an intermediate semiquinone. The effect of dimethylglycine concentration upon the rate of the dimethylglycine dehydrogenase reaction under aerobic conditions showed nonsaturable kinetics suggesting a second low-affinity site for the substrate which increases the enzymatic rate. The Km for the high-affinity active site was 0.05 mM while direct binding for the low-affinity site could not be measured. Sarcosine and dimethylthetin are poor substrates for dimethylglycine dehydrogenase and methoxyacetic acid is a competitive inhibitor at low substrate concentrations. At high dimethylglycine concentrations, increasing the concentration of methoxyacetic acid produces an initial activation and then inhibition of dimethylglycine dehydrogenase activity. When these compounds were added in varying concentrations to the enzyme in the presence of dimethylglycine, their effects upon the rate of the reaction were consistent with the presence of a second low-affinity binding site on the enzyme which enhances the reaction rate. When sarcosine is used as the substrate for sarcosine dehydrogenase the kinetics are Michaelis-Menten with a Km of 0.5 mM for sarcosine. Also, methoxyacetic acid is a competitive inhibitor of sarcosine dehydrogenase with a Ki of 0.26 mM. In the absence of folate, substrate and product determinations indicated that 1 mol of formaldehyde and of sarcosine or glycine were produced for each mole of dimethylglycine or sarcosine consumed with the concomitant reduction of 1 mol of bound FAD. | Sarcosine Dehydrogenase |
There have been recent advancements in understanding the genetic contribution to pulmonary valve stenosis (PS) in brachycephalic breeds such as the French Bulldog and Bulldog. The associated genes are transcriptions factors involved in cardiac development, which is comparable to the genes that cause PS in humans. However, validation studies and functional follow up is necessary before this information can be used for screening purposes. | Pulmonary Valve Stenosis |
No outside funding supported the writing of this commentary. Hsu reports research support from Vedanta Biosciences and consulting fees from EBSCO, outside the submitted work." | Nut and Peanut Hypersensitivity |
As an arthropod-borne human pathogen, Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) cycles between an insect vector and mammalian hosts. Little is known about the cellular requirements for infection in either host. Here we developed a tissue culture model for RVFV infection of human and insect cells that is amenable to high-throughput screening. Using this approach we screened a library of 1280 small molecules with pharmacologically defined activities and identified 59 drugs that inhibited RVFV infection with 15 inhibiting RVFV replication in both human and insect cells. Amongst the 15 inhibitors that blocked infection in both hosts was a subset that inhibits protein kinase C. Further studies found that infection is dependent upon the novel protein kinase C isozyme epsilon (PKCepsilon) in both human and insect cells as well as in adult flies. Altogether, these data show that inhibition of cellular factors required for early steps in the infection cycle including PKCepsilon can block RVFV infection, and may represent a starting point for the development of anti-RVFV therapeutics. | Protein Kinase C-epsilon |
The blepharochalasis syndrome is an uncommon disorder seen in young people that is characterized by recurrent episodes of eyelid edema. After repeated episodes various eyelid supportive structures are stretched, giving rise to the characteristic features of thin excess lid skin, blepharoptosis, pseudoepicanthal folds, and disinserted lateral canthal tendons. Surgical repositioning and reconstruction are often required. The author describes 10 patients with this disorder and suggests a relation to angioedema, a common dermatologic condition with numerous triggering mechanisms. | Eyelids |
Mitral valve prolapse is a common valvular abnormality that is the most common cause of severe non-ischaemic mitral regurgitation in the USA. The overall prognosis of patients with mitral valve prolapse is excellent, but a small subset will develop serious complications, including infective endocarditis, sudden cardiac death, and severe mitral regurgitation. We present a comprehensive review of mitral valve prolapse, examining normal mitral anatomy, the clinical and echocardiographic features of mitral valve prolapse, and the pathophysiology and genetics of the disorder. We discuss the contemporary management of both asymptomatic and symptomatic prolapse, with particular attention to the timing and technique of surgical repair. We conclude that echocardiography is the method of choice for diagnosing mitral valve prolapse, that clinical and echocardiographic features can predict which patients with prolapse are at highest risk for complications, and that mitral valve repair is the treatment of choice for symptomatic prolapse. | Heart Valve Prolapse |
Tropane alkaloids (TA) are valuable secondary plant metabolites which are mostly found in high concentrations in the Solanaceae and Erythroxylaceae families. The TAs, which are characterized by their unique bicyclic tropane ring system, can be divided into three major groups: hyoscyamine and scopolamine, cocaine and calystegines. Although all TAs have the same basic structure, they differ immensely in their biological, chemical and pharmacological properties. Scopolamine, also known as hyoscine, has the largest legitimate market as a pharmacological agent due to its treatment of nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, as well as smooth muscle spasms while cocaine is the 2nd most frequently consumed illicit drug globally. This review provides a comprehensive overview of TAs, highlighting their structural diversity, use in pharmaceutical therapy from both historical and modern perspectives, natural biosynthesis in planta and emerging production possibilities using tissue culture and microbial biosynthesis of these compounds. | Erythroxylaceae |
Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH) encompasses a wide range of disorders, primarily vascular in origin, presenting with portal hypertension (PHT), but with preserved liver synthetic functions and near normal hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). Non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis/Idiopathic PHT (NCPF/IPH) and extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) are two prototype disorders in the category. Etiopathogenesis in both of them centers on infections and prothrombotic states. Presentation and management strategies focus on repeated well tolerated episodes of variceal bleed and moderate to massive splenomegaly and other features of PHT. While the long-term prognosis is generally good in NCPF, portal biliopathy and parenchymal extinction after prolonged PHT makes outcome somewhat less favorable in EHPVO. While hepatic schistosomiasis, congenital hepatic fibrosis and nodular regenerative hyperplasia have their distinctive features, they often present with NCPH." | Idiopathic Noncirrhotic Portal Hypertension |
The potential threat of superfine carbon black (CB) particles to human health has received attention, but there are few human toxicological data available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between serum CC16 and SP-A with small airway related pulmonary functions in CB workers. Ninety-nine male CB packers and 115 non-CB-exposed healthy male workers were recruited. Serum CC16 and/or SP-A and pulmonary function tests were evaluated, and the relationship between them were also analyzed. To further assess pulmonary damage induced by CB particles in target organs, an animal inhalation exposure study was conducted. Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 15 and 30â¯mg/m(3) CB for 6â¯h per day for 28â¯days. Levels of CC16 and SP-A were evaluated by ELISA and immunohistochemical staining (IHC). The results showed a 20% decreased in median CC16 and a 15% increase in median SP-A among CB-exposed workers. FEV1%, FEV/FVC, MMEF%, FEF25%, and FEF75% were also decreased in CB-exposed workers (Pâ¯<â¯0.05). A significant positive correlation was observed between serum CC16 concentration and FEV1/FVC, although a negative correlation was found between serum SP-A concentration and FEV1/FVC. Serum CC16 was significantly reduced by 72% in mice with high CB-exposure, and serum SPA was 1.65x and 1.17x higher than CB-unexposed control mice in low and high CB-exposed mice, respectively. Lung CC16 and serum CC16 levels were positively correlated in mice (Pâ¯=â¯0.024). Long-term exposure to ultrafine CB particles is associated with a decrease in CC16 and an increase in SP-A in the peripheral blood of CB-exposed workers. In conclusion, superfine CB particles have the potential to cause small airway obstruction. | Soot |
In this case report, we discuss a rare tarsal coalition occurring bilaterally between the navicular and the medial cuneiform in a 15-year-old girl and highlight the management of such cases. | Tarsal Coalition |
Prochlorococcus is an abundant photosynthetic bacterium in the open ocean, where nitrogen (N) often limits phytoplankton growth. In the low-light-adapted LLI clade of Prochlorococcus, nearly all cells can assimilate nitrite (NO(2)(-)), with a subset capable of assimilating nitrate (NO(3)(-)). LLI cells are maximally abundant near the primary NO(2)(-) maximum layer, an oceanographic feature that may, in part, be due to incomplete assimilatory NO(3)(-) reduction and subsequent NO(2)(-) release by phytoplankton. We hypothesized that some Prochlorococcus exhibit incomplete assimilatory NO(3)(-) reduction and examined NO(2)(-) accumulation in cultures of three Prochlorococcus strains (MIT0915, MIT0917, and SB) and two Synechococcus strains (WH8102 and WH7803). Only MIT0917 and SB accumulated external NO(2)(-) during growth on NO(3)(-). Approximately 20-30% of the NO(3)(-) transported into the cell by MIT0917 was released as NO(2)(-), with the rest assimilated into biomass. We further observed that co-cultures using NO(3)(-) as the sole N source could be established for MIT0917 and Prochlorococcus strain MIT1214 that can assimilate NO(2)(-) but not NO(3)(-). In these co-cultures, the NO(2)(-) released by MIT0917 is efficiently consumed by its partner strain, MIT1214. Our findings highlight the potential for emergent metabolic partnerships that are mediated by the production and consumption of N cycle intermediates within Prochlorococcus populations. IMPORTANCE Earth's biogeochemical cycles are substantially driven by microorganisms and their interactions. Given that N often limits marine photosynthesis, we investigated the potential for N cross-feeding within populations of Prochlorococcus, the numerically dominant photosynthetic cell in the subtropical open ocean. In laboratory cultures, some Prochlorococcus cells release extracellular NO(2)(-) during growth on NO(3)(-). In the wild, Prochlorococcus populations are composed of multiple functional types, including those that cannot use NO(3)(-) but can still assimilate NO(2)(-). We show that metabolic dependencies arise when Prochlorococcus strains with complementary NO(2)(-) production and consumption phenotypes are grown together on NO(3)(-). These findings demonstrate the potential for emergent metabolic partnerships, possibly modulating ocean nutrient gradients, that are mediated by cross-feeding of N cycle intermediates. | Prochlorococcus |
Data sourcesMedline via Pubmed and the Cochrane Library were searched from January 1980 to September 2013. This was complemented by a manual search of the magazines Deutsche Zahnaerztliche Zeitung, Quintessenz, Zeitschrift fur Zahnarztliche Implantologie, Schweizerische Monatszeitschrift and Implantologie. Additionally, the list of reference s of all selected full-text articles and related reviews were further scrutinised for potential included studies in English or German.Study selectionThree review authors independently searched for clinical trials that assessed the muscular activity in the intervention groups: edentulous patients treated with implant-overdentures (IODs) and implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (ISFDPs) and the comparison groups: dentates and edentulous patients treated with mucosa-borne complete removable dental prostheses (CRDPs).Data extraction and synthesisThe primary outcome was the muscular activity (measured by electromyography [EMG]) in masseter or temporalis muscle of the participants during clenching and chewing. The data extraction of each included study consisted of author, year, age range, treatment, number of participants, number of implants inserted, arch treated, opposite jaw, kind and side of the muscles that were measured. EMG gain or loss (unit measured: volt) was considered by using the effect size. For the meta-analyses only the studies that included masseter muscle measured separately from temporalis were considered. Concerning the side of measurement (right and left side measured together or right and left side measured separately), only the dominant type in each category was included.ResultsSixteen articles, out of the initial 646 retrieved abstracts, were analysed. The muscular activity of edentulous subjects increased after implant support therapy during clenching (effect size [ES]: 2.18 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14, 3.23]) and during chewing (ES: 1.45 [95 % CI: 1.21, 1.69]). In addition, the pooled EMG data of IODs and ISFDPs were lower than that of dentate subjects during clenching (ES: -1.01 [95% CI: -1.37, -0.65]). However, the ISFDPs showed higher values than dentates during chewing. Among the edentulous patients the IODs and ISFDPs displayed higher pooled values during clenching (ES: 1.12 [95% CI: 0.7, 1.55]) and chewing (ES: 1.33 [95% CI: -0.57, 2.10]). Furthermore, the muscular activity during chewing correlated with the hardness of the food.ConclusionsEdentulous patients with CRDPs can achieve a greater degree of muscular activity after rehabilitation with implant-supported/retained prostheses during clenching and chewing. During clenching, patients with ISFDPs achieved higher EMG-values than those with dentates. The harder the food, the more muscular activity involved. | Mouth, Edentulous |
This study evaluated the unique features of a filamentous algae matrix (FAM) that can be applied to high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) as a promising way to remove nutrient from polluted rural streams. The results show that the HRAPs, coupled with the FAM, effectively removed nitrogen and phosphorus (79.8% and 81.2%, respectively), and achieved high production of DO, with a maximum of 11.0â¯g O(2) g FAM(-1) d(-1). The FAM functioned wells as a screen to prevent excessive algae loss from the system and obtained relatively high biomass growth rate (0.032â¯mgâ¯L(-1) d(-1) for nitrogen and 0.344â¯mgâ¯L(-1) d(-1) for phosphorus). The harvested FAM was a useful fertilizer and the rate of addition of FAM were 1.52â¯kgâ¯d(-1) ha(-1) of nitrogen and 0.44â¯kgâ¯d(-1) ha(-1) of phosphorus. Thus, combining the HRAP with the FAM was an effective nutrient removal and resource utilization system for rural streams. | Spirogyra |
Recent studies have shown that Nur77 and AMPKalpha play an important role in regulating adipogenesis and isoalantolactone (ISO) dual-targeting AMPKalpha and Nur77 inhibits adipogenesis. In this study, we hypothesized that Inula helenium (elecampane) root extract (IHE), which contains two sesquiterpene lactones, alantolactone (ALA) and ISO, as major compounds, might inhibit adipogenesis. Here, we found that ALA and IHE simultaneously target AMPKalpha and Nur77 and inhibited adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells, accompanied by the decreased expression of adipocyte markers. Further mechanistic studies demonstrated that IHE shares similar mechanisms of action with ISO that reduce mitotic clonal expansion during the early phase of adipogenic differentiation and decrease expression of cell cycle regulators. These results suggest that IHE inhibits adipogenesis, in part, through co-regulation of AMPKalpha and Nur77, and has potential as a therapeutic option for obesity and related metabolic dysfunction. | 3T3-L1 Cells |
The class II DR of bovine major histocompatibility complex of cattle (BoLA) plays a central role in the regulation of the immune response through their ability to present those peptides to T-cell receptors. In this work, we sequenced the exon2 of DRB3 to identify new alleles in Chinese yellow cattle, a total of 15 new BoLA-DRB3 alleles were found." | Histocompatibility Antigens Class II |
Ribosyl 1,5-bisphosphate (PRibP) was discovered 65 years ago and was believed to be an important intermediate in ribonucleotide metabolism, a role immediately taken over by its big brother" phosphoribosyldiphosphate. Only recently has PRibP come back into focus as an important player in the metabolism of ribonucleotides with the discovery of the pentose bisphosphate pathway that comprises, among others, the intermediates PRibP and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (cf. ribose 5-phosphate and ribulose 5-phosphate of the pentose phosphate pathway). Enzymes of several pathways produce and utilize PRibP not only in ribonucleotide metabolism but also in the catabolism of phosphonates, i.e., compounds containing a carbon-phosphorus bond. Pathways for PRibP metabolism are found in all three domains of life, most prominently among organisms of the archaeal domain, where they have been identified either experimentally or by bioinformatic analysis within all of the four main taxonomic groups, Euryarchaeota, TACK, DPANN, and Asgard. Advances in molecular genetics of archaea have greatly improved the understanding of the physiology of PRibP metabolism, and reconciliation of molecular enzymology and three-dimensional structure analysis of enzymes producing or utilizing PRibP emphasize the versatility of the compound. Finally, PRibP is also an effector of several metabolic activities in many organisms, including higher organisms such as mammals. In the present review, we describe all aspects of PRibP metabolism, with emphasis on the biochemical, genetic, and physiological aspects of the enzymes that produce or utilize PRibP. The inclusion of high-resolution structures of relevant enzymes that bind PRibP provides evidence for the flexibility and importance of the compound in metabolism." | Pentosephosphates |
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent problem among military personnel and veterans. Identification of effective screening tools, diagnostic technologies, and treatments for PTSD is essential to ensure that all individuals in need of treatment are offered interventions with proven efficacy. Well-validated methods for screening and diagnosing PTSD are now available, and effective pharmacological and psychological treatments can be offered. Despite these advances, many military personnel and veterans do not receive evidence-based care. We review the literature on screening, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD in military populations, and discuss the challenges to implementing the best evidence-based practices in clinical settings. | Stress Disorders, Traumatic |
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of gas stunning (GS) and electrical stunning (ES) on energy metabolism in Arbor Acres broilers. Thirty-six birds were slaughtered without stunning (control) or after stunning with the following treatments: 40% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G40%); 60% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G60%); 35 V, 47 mA, 400 Hz (E35V); 50 V, 67 mA, 160 Hz (E50V); and 65 V, 86 mA, 1,000 Hz (E65V). Muscle samples were obtained from the pectoralis major (breast) and tibialis anterior (leg) muscles in ambient temperature within 45 min postmortem and stored at -80 degrees C. Blood pH decreased consistently with GS (G40% and G60%) compared with ES and the control (P < 0.01). No consistent differences were observed between GS and ES in the plasma variables, glycolytic potential, adenosine phosphates, or fiber intensities. Plasma lactate increased with G40% and E35V (P < 0.05), whereas plasma uric acid and urea nitrogen increased with E35V (P < 0.05) compared with the control. Compared with the control, the intensity of type IIB fibers decreased in broilers stunned with E35V and E50V (P < 0.05) and glycolytic potential increased (P < 0.01) with G60% in the breast muscle and decreased (P < 0.01) in the leg muscle with all the stunning treatments except for E50V. Energy decreased (lower adenosine triphosphate, higher adenosine monophosphate, and adenosine monophosphate:adenosine triphosphate ratio, P < 0.05) in breast muscle with G40% compared with ES at high currents (E50V and E65V). However, the adenosine phosphates with GS were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from ES at low current (E35V) in either breast or leg muscle. In conclusion, no essential difference in energy metabolism was found in broilers stunned with ES and GS when ES was based on low current and high frequency and GS was based on hypercapnic moderate oxygenation. This study indicated that G40% was potentially a superior stunning variable. | Electronarcosis |
Increasing numbers of human cowpox virus infections that are being observed and that particularly affect young non-vaccinated persons have renewed interest in this zoonotic disease. Usually causing a self-limiting local infection, human cowpox can in fact be fatal for immunocompromised individuals. Conventional smallpox vaccination presumably protects an individual from infections with other Orthopoxviruses, including cowpox virus. However, available live vaccines are causing severe adverse reactions especially in individuals with impaired immunity. Because of a decrease in protective immunity against Orthopoxviruses and a coincident increase in the proportion of immunodeficient individuals in today's population, safer vaccines need to be developed. Recombinant subunit vaccines containing cross-reactive antigens are promising candidates, which avoid the application of infectious virus. However, subunit vaccines should contain carefully selected antigens to confer a solid cross-protection against different Orthopoxvirus species. Little is known about the cross-reactivity of antibodies elicited to cowpox virus proteins. Here, we first identified 21 immunogenic proteins of cowpox and vaccinia virus by serological screenings of genomic Orthopoxvirus expression libraries. Screenings were performed using sera from vaccinated humans and animals as well as clinical sera from patients and animals with a naturally acquired cowpox virus infection. We further analyzed the cross-reactivity of the identified immunogenic proteins. Out of 21 identified proteins 16 were found to be cross-reactive between cowpox and vaccinia virus. The presented findings provide important indications for the design of new-generation recombinant subunit vaccines. | Chordopoxvirinae |
PURPOSE: To evaluate femtosecond laser technology for penetrating keratoplasty in patients with various corneal diseases. DESIGN: Interventional case series. METHODS: Five patients aged 45 to 81 years underwent penetrating keratoplasty using the 20/10 Perfect Vision Femtec femtosecond laser system in September 2005. Patients had granular corneal dystrophy, Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, keratoconus, and herpetic keratitis with endothelial decompensation. Histopathology was performed to analyze the cut quality of donor and recipient cornea. RESULTS: All procedures were performed without any complications. In all cases, the donor cornea was cut with an 8.0 or 8.1 mm diameter and the recipients' cornea with a 7.8 mm diameter. A complete perforating cut was achieved in all corneas. Histology of donor and recipient specimen showed a straight, smooth cut without any abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Penetrating keratoplasty can be performed with the Femtec femtosecond laser safely and accurately. The postoperative outcome was uneventful. | Keratoplasty, Penetrating |
Listeriosis, the disease caused by pathogenic Listeria species, can present severe symptoms in susceptible people. The goal of this study was to develop a novel enrichment broth, Listeria allose enrichment broth (LAEB), to improve isolation of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria ivanovii from samples through incorporating a specific carbohydrate and reducing inhibitor concentrations. Other coexisting bacteria, particularly Listeria innocua, can interfere with the isolation of pathogenic Listeria in such ways as overgrowth of L. innocua and the generation of inhibitory metabolites. The incorporation of allose into the novel LAEB was effective for slowing the growth of L. innocua and other nontarget microorganisms. We determined that 35 degrees C and pH 7.0 under aerobic conditions are optimal for Listeria growth in this medium. The novelty of the use of LAEB is the single enrichment procedure at 35 degrees C for 24 h, obviating the need for a secondary enrichment medium. In 50 simulated samples, the sensitivity of the LAEB method (86%) was higher than that of the International Organization for Standardization (EN ISO) method (70%). In 142 naturally contaminated samples tested, the isolation rate for pathogenic Listeria with the LAEB method was 26.0% (37 of 142 samples), which was significantly higher than the 17.6% (25 of 142 samples) for the EN ISO method. Higher isolation rates and a quicker and easier protocol make the novel LAEB method an appropriate alternative for the isolation of pathogenic Listeria. | Listeria |
Ibogaine is a natural chemical compound, which belongs to the indole alkaloid family. It can be naturally found within the root bark of african plant Tabernanthe iboga. Ibogaine plays a significant role among tribal cultures. Ibogaine, in small amount, causes reduction of hunger, thirst and exhaustion. In bigger amount, however, it can cause intensive visions. Other effects include reduction or complete disappearance of absitnence symptoms visible in people addicted to the nicotine, alcohol, methamphetamine, cocaine or opioids, what has been scientifically proven after the tests on animals and small groups of people. After oral application, 80% of ibogaine is subjected to the Odemethylation into noribogaine; main catalyzing enzyme is cytochrome CYP2D6. Research suggests, that ibogaine acts in many places within central nervous system. NMDA receptors seem to play main role in its anti-addiction properties. It is important to mention the side effects of the compound, which are cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity, what makes it harder to use its beneficial properties. Because of this, Ibogaine is included among the dangerous substance. However, there are a few clinics in the world which specializes in the use of the compound in order to interrupt the sypmtoms acute opioid withdrawal syndrome as well as a substance benficial in curing other addictions. There is more hope with synthetic derivatives of ibogaine, which although are less toxic still keep their anti-addiction properties. The aim is to collect the available knowledge related to the structure and effects on human body of alkaloid Tabernanthe iboga and consider the possibility of commercial medical use. | Ibogaine |
AIMS: To test the hypothesis that absence of squamous cells in cervical smears obtained by an endocervical sampling technique is more prominent in patients with a cervical ectropion. METHODS: Prospective study exploring the relation between the composition of cervical smears obtained using an endocervical cotton swab in patients with (n = 188) and without (n = 341) a cervical ectropion. Subjects were 529 consecutive patients from whom a cervical smear was prepared at a university gynaecological clinic. RESULTS: In 7% of the endocervical samples no squamous cells were found. There was no correlation, however, between the presence or the size of an ectropion and the absence of squamous cells in those samples. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that endocervical sampling alone is insufficient to obtain good quality cervical smears. The presence of an ectropion proved to be an unreliable predictor of the absence of squamous cells. | Vaginal Smears |
The family of caspases is known to mediate many cellular pathways beyond cell death, including cell differentiation, axonal pathfinding, and proliferation. Since the identification of the family of cell death proteases, there has been a search for tools to identify and expand the function of specific family members in development, health, and disease states. However, many of the currently commercially available caspase tools that are widely used are not specific for the targeted caspase. In this report, we delineate the approach we have used to identify, validate, and target caspase-9 in the nervous system using a novel inhibitor and genetic approaches with immunohistochemical read-outs. Specifically, we used the retinal neuronal tissue as a model to identify and validate the presence and function of caspases. This approach enables the interrogation of cell-type specific apoptotic and non-apoptotic caspase-9 functions and can be applied to other complex tissues and caspases of interest. Understanding the functions of caspases can help to expand current knowledge in cell biology, and can also be advantageous to identify potential therapeutic targets due to their involvement in disease. | Caspase 9 |
Radiation qualities were characterised and validated at the fully automated X-ray calibration facility of the Individual Monitoring Service at Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen by using half-value layer and Hp(10) dosimetry approaches specified in the updated ISO 4037:2019 standard. As the ISO 4037 contains a somewhat vague description of the half-value layer procedure, we extended it to be more constrained and thus less subjective in its implementation. We specify both the measurement and data analysis steps performed in order to provide reproducible half-value layer results and compare the results with the Hp(10) dosimetry-based validation approach specified in the ISO 4037 as an alternative for field validation. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results and the extended procedure on validation and the recent changes to the ISO 4037. | Radiation Monitoring |
In this paper, we discuss the value of scientific conferences to both the discipline area and the individual participants and trace the growth in grant support of biomedical meetings by the National Institutes of Health and, in particular, the National Cancer Institute." | Health Care Economics and Organizations |
An unknown Gram-positive, catalase-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium originating from semen of a pig was characterized using phenotypic, molecular chemical and molecular phylogenetic methods. Chemical studies revealed the presence of a directly cross-linked cell wall murein based on L-lysine and a DNA G + C content of 39 mol%. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the unidentified rod-shaped organism formed a hitherto unknown subline related, albeit loosely, to Alkalibacterium olivapovliticus, Alloiococcus otitis, Dolosigranulum pigrum and related organisms, in the low-G + C-content Gram-positive bacteria. However, sequence divergence values of > 11% from these recognized taxa clearly indicated that the novel bacterium represents a separate genus. Based on phenotypic and phylogenetic considerations, it is proposed that the unknown bacterium from pig semen be classified as a new genus and species, Allofustis seminis gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is strain 01-570-1(T) (= CCUG 45438(T) = CIP 107425(T)). | Gram-Positive Rods |
The pathology archive of any hospital is likely to contain tens of thousands of slides and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks, with their number constantly increasing. As a result, serious space and management issues are created. There has always been a favorable location for the pathology laboratory to rapidly and efficiently collect specimens and to meet the different service requirements of clinicians and patients. However, archiving may be one of the most neglected issues in the planning of spaces and activities, so much so that many laboratories are currently in trouble and looking for space inside and outside their hospitals. Another crucial issue is related to the environmental conditions of the identified preservation place, which, based on their characteristics, probably provide suboptimal habitats in most cases. For FFPE blocks, controlled temperature (<27 degrees C) and humidity (>30% and <70%) are recommended, with control systems for parasite infestation. For glass slides, systems suitable for guaranteeing their safety, traceability and conservation suitable for possible revision are recommended. The aim of this position paper is to outline the issues that currently exist in archives and to suggest a rational health policy solution to overcome the problems raised. | Paraffin Embedding |
PURPOSE: Leprosy is rarely seen in Taiwan. We herein report a foreign worker concomitantly with facial borderline tuberculoid leprosy presenting with trigeminal neuralgia. CASE REPORT: A 26-year-old male foreign labor from Indonesia, presented with 1 year history of a hypoanaesthetic erythematous plaque of right face and subsequent 6 months constant, severe pain in the right side of his face over the nasolabial groove. Biopsies and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of leprosy. We treated the patient with a multidrug regimen including dapsone, clofazimine, and rifampine since April of 2012 with a good response. CONCLUSIONS: We report a rare case of new-onset leprosy presenting with trigeminal neuralgia in Taiwan and suggest leprosy should be listed in the differential diagnosis of unusual skin manifestations and neuralgia. | Granulomatosis, Orofacial |
Thrombosis, the formation of blood clots due to platelet aggregation, vascular injury or hypercoagulability, leads to cardiovascular pathologies including myocardial or cerebral infarction. Antiplatelet and thrombolytic agents have promising effects in ameliorating thromboembolism and dissolving blood clots. However, the associated limitations generate the need to explore agents from natural origin. The aim of the study was to explore the potential of aqueous methanolic extract (Sc.Cr) of an indigenous plant, Sida cordifolia L., traditionally used for cardiovascular complaints. Sc.Cr was evaluated by clot lysis assay, acute pulmonary embolism, carrageenan-induced tail vein thrombosis and ferric chloride-induced carotid arterial thrombosis models. Hemostasis parameters were increased in a dose-dependent manner. Histological studies showed restoration with clear alveolar spaces and less red blood cell congestion. Significant reduction in infarcted length of thrombus, escalation in coagulation parameters with a profound decrease in platelet count (PC) were observed. Arterial occlusion time was increased with a reduction in weight of thrombus dose-dependently with significant augmentation in PT and APTT. Sc.Cr was also analyzed for phytochemical constituents and antioxidant potential. The results demonstrated the antithrombotic and thrombolytic potential of Sc.Cr using in vitro and in vivo experimental models. | Sida Plant |
In 2016, two adult male sperm whales beached off of Yangkou Port in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. The local government planned to preserve them as specimens, one was entrusted to Dalian Hoffen Biological Co., Ltd., and thus became the first sperm whale to be preserved by plastination. The other sperm whale was preserved in Nantong by the traditional stripping method (The skin was preserved, and then the prosthesis was filled into the skin to preserve the specimens. The material of the prosthesis was polyurethane. The outline of the animal was sculpted by suturing the skin like a bag and filling it with polyurethane). Plastination of such a large marine mammal allowed us to view the mutual adaptations of its internal structure to its specific living environment and daily habits. This sperm whale is the largest specimen in the world and this is the first time a sperm whale has been preserved using the plastination method. The plastination process also provides a method for studying the anatomy of large marine mammals for humans to understand deep-sea organisms at close contact and visual level. The plastination of this sperm whale promises to be a world class resource holding tremendous scientific, educational, and artistic value. | Plastination |
EAAT2 is a predominantly astroglial glutamate transporter responsible for the majority of synaptic glutamate clearance in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Its dysfunction has been linked with many neurological disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Decreases in EAAT2 expression and function have been implicated in causing motor neuron excitotoxic death in ALS. Nevertheless, increasing EAAT2 expression does not significantly improve ALS phenotype in mouse models or in clinical trials. In the SOD1-G93A mouse model of inherited ALS, the cytosolic carboxy-terminal domain is cleaved from EAAT2, conjugated to SUMO1, and accumulated in astrocytes where it triggers astrocyte-mediated neurotoxic effects as disease progresses. However, it is not known whether this fragment is sumoylated after cleavage or if full-length EAAT2 is already sumoylated prior to cleavage as part of physiological regulation. In this study, we show that a fraction of full-length EAAT2 is constitutively sumoylated in primary cultures of astrocytes in vitro and in the CNS in vivo. Furthermore, the extent of sumoylation of EAAT2 does not change during the course of ALS in the SOD1-G93A mouse and is not affected by the expression of ALS-causative mutant SOD1 proteins in astrocytes in vitro, indicating that EAAT2 sumoylation is not driven by pathogenic mechanisms. Most interestingly, sumoylated EAAT2 localizes to intracellular compartments, whereas non-sumoylated EAAT2 resides on the plasma membrane. In agreement, promoting desumoylation in primary astrocytes causes increased EAAT2-mediated glutamate uptake. These findings could have implications for optimizing therapeutic approaches aimed at increasing EAAT2 activity in the dysfunctional or diseased CNS." | Glutamate Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins |
Since their discovery 50 years ago, the aflatoxins have become recognized as ubiquitous contaminants of the human food supply throughout the economically developing world. The adverse toxicological consequences of these compounds in populations are quite varied because of a wide range of exposures leading to acute effects, including rapid death, and chronic outcomes such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore, emerging studies describe a variety of general adverse health effects associated with aflatoxin, such as impaired growth in children. Aflatoxin exposures have also been demonstrated to multiplicatively increase the risk of liver cancer in people chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) illustrating the deleterious impact that even low toxin levels in the diet can pose for human health. The public health impact of aflatoxin exposure is pervasive. Aflatoxin biomarkers of internal and biologically effective doses have been integral to the establishment of the etiologic role of this toxin in human disease through better estimates of exposure, expanded knowledge of the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, and as tools for implementing and evaluating preventive interventions. | Poisons |
Plant metabolites are dynamically modified and distributed in response to environmental changes. However, it is poorly understood how metabolic change functions in plant stress responses. Maintaining ion homeostasis under salt stress requires coordinated activation of two types of central regulators: plasma membrane (PM) H(+)-ATPase and Na(+)/H(+) antiporter. In this study, we used a bioassay-guided isolation approach to identify endogenous small molecules that affect PM H(+)-ATPase and Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activities and identified phosphatidylinositol (PI), which inhibits PM H(+)-ATPase activity under non-stress conditions in Arabidopsis by directly binding to the C terminus of the PM H(+)-ATPase AHA2. Under salt stress, the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate-to-phosphatidylinositol (PI4P-to-PI) ratio increased, and PI4P bound and activated the PM Na(+)/H(+) antiporter. PI prefers binding to the inactive form of PM H(+)-ATPase, while PI4P tends to bind to the active form of the Na(+)/H(+) antiporter. Consistent with this, pis1 mutants, with reduced levels of PI, displayed increased PM H(+)-ATPase activity and salt stress tolerance, while the pi4kbeta1 mutant, with reduced levels of PI4P, displayed reduced PM Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity and salt stress tolerance. Collectively, our results reveal that the dynamic change between PI and PI4P in response to salt stress in Arabidopsis is crucial for maintaining ion homeostasis to protect plants from unfavorable environmental conditions." | 1-Phosphatidylinositol 4-Kinase |
The new quality assurance standard, which should help hospitals to identify optimum methods for improving patient care and clinical performance and to be recognized for all rational and purposeful efforts at improvement, will take time to implement. In its continuing effort to help hospitals upgrade the quality of patient care, the JCAH is committed to implementing the new quality assurance standard in a manner that will not be disruptive to participating hospitals. The JCAH is also committed to ascertaining that hospitals are making every effort to comply with the standard. The degree to which a hospital does comply with the standard will be a persuasive factor in determining accreditation status. | Credentialing |
Range expansion during biological invasion requires that invaders adapt to geographical variation in climate, which should yield latitudinal clines in reproductive phenology. We investigated geographic variation in life history among 25 introduced populations of Lythrum salicaria, a widespread European invader of North American wetlands. We detected a strong latitudinal cline in initiation of flowering and size at flowering, which paralleled that reported among native populations. Plants from higher latitudes flowered earlier and at a smaller size than those from lower latitudes, even when raised in a uniform glasshouse. Early flowering was associated with greatly reduced reproductive output, but this was not associated with latitudinal variation in abundance, and probably did not result from a genetic correlation between time to and size at flowering. As introduction to North America c. 200 years ago, L. salicaria has re-established latitudinal clines in life history, probably as an evolutionary response to climatic selection. | Lythrum |
Adrenal incidentaloma has recently increased in number because of the advances in radiologic diagnostic means. The clinical management and histopathological diagnosis of the resected adrenal mass has therefore become increasingly important. When evaluating the resected adrenal mass of the patients with adrenal incidentaloma, it is very important to evaluate the following aspects: 1) is the mass functional or not? 2) is the mass malignant or not? and 3) is the mass of adrenocortical origin or not? In this mini review, the recent advances in endocrine pathology of adrenal incidentaloma are briefly summarized, with emphasis on the three aspects above, | Adrenal Gland Neoplasms |
We evaluated the haemodynamic and metabolic effects of prevention of shivering after prophylactic nefopam administration in neurosurgical patients undergoing craniotomy and mild systemic hypothermia (33-35 degrees C). Forty patients were enrolled in a randomised, double-blind study. Before extubation, patients received intravenously either nefopam 0.12 mg.kg-1 or an equal volume of saline 0.9%. Left ventricular systolic work index, oxygen consumption index and systemic lactate concentration were recorded before, immediately after and every 20 min for 2 h after extubation. Shivering appeared in two patients treated with nefopam and in all control patients (p < 0.001). Both left ventricular systolic work index and oxygen consumption index were similar in the two groups before extubation, increased after extubation, and further increased in control patients showing a statistical difference compared to patients treated with nefopam. Our results suggest that nefopam is effective in preventing postoperative shivering in patients undergoing neurosurgery and mild hypothermia and attenuates the haemodynamic effects of shivering during rewarming. | Shivering |
OBJECTIVES: Structural differences of implantable drug delivery systems (IDDSs) might have an impact on the efficiency of needle access to the reservoir fill port (RFP). The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of RFP needle access with an ultrasound (US)-guided vs. a blind refill technique in IDDSs with a Recessed RFP (Recessed-RFP-IDDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The primary outcome was the number of attempts needed to enter the RFP with a needle comparing the US-guided technique vs. the blind refill technique. The time to enter the RFP with the needle was a secondary outcome. We compared the amount of attempts between both techniques with the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Fourteen adult patients underwent a total of 75 refills of their Recessed-RFP-IDDS during a period of 24 months. The median number of attempts to enter the RFP did not differ significantly between the US-guided technique and the blind refill technique (2.0 (IQR: 1-5) vs. 1.5 (IQR: 1-5.0), p = 0.572). The median time to enter the RFP with the needle did not differ significantly between both techniques (35.0 sec (IQR: 26.0-58.0) vs. 41.0 sec (IQR: 25.5-46.8), p = 0.878). CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that there is no difference in the RFP needle access efficiency between the US-guided and the blind refill technique in superficially located Recessed-RFP-IDDSs, if performed by experienced practitioners. However, the study did not address efficiency of the RFP needle access in IDDSs with aberrancy in pump location or refills performed by inexperienced staff. | Injections, Spinal |
BACKGROUND: Transverse colon volvulus is an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction. The total number of cases reported in the literature is 100. It constitutes a surgical emergency since it can lead to bowel infarction, peritonitis, and death if not diagnosed at once. It seemed appropriate to report this case that was treated at the Department of Visceral Surgery A, University Hospital Center Hassan II of Fez in Morocco. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a rare case of transverse colon volvulus in a 42-year-old Arabic man, with no particular history, who presented to our emergency department with a 5-day history of constipation, progressive abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. His last bowel movement had been 3 days ago. Abdominal radiography showed a large bowel obstruction with a U-shaped" loop in the left upper abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography was not performed because of impaired renal function. He was operated on urgently after conditioning and the diagnosis of a transverse colon volvulus was done intraoperatively. Rotated in a 360 degrees clockwise direction on its mesentery, the bowel was intact without signs of ischemia. An extended right hemicolectomy was carried out with end-to-side ileocolic anastomosis. Through this case, we will try to discuss its physiopathology, etiologies, diagnosis, and management in emergencies. CONCLUSION: This case is unusual because no etiological factor has been found. Its diagnosis can be difficult and management effectiveness remains controversial. It is important to highlight this case and those of the literature, as many surgeons may have never seen a case of transverse colon volvulus. Volvulus of the transverse colon may therefore not be considered in the differential diagnosis of recurrent intermittent abdominal pain or acute intestinal obstruction. Prompt recognition with emergency intervention constitutes the key to a successful outcome." | Colon, Transverse |
Erythema ab igne (EAI) is a skin condition caused by chronic heat-induced damage. The rash usually progresses over weeks to months of repeated or prolonged exposure to subthreshold-intensity infrared radiation that is not hot enough to cause a burn. The diagnosis is clinical based on patient history and physical examination, but a biopsy can reveal dilated vasculature, interface dermatitis, and pigment incontinence. Erythema ab igne initially was described in association with patients cooking over wood-fire stoves but has been shown over the decades to have a variety of causes. Herein, we describe various etiologies of EAI, including new heat-producing technologies, cultural practices, psychiatric illnesses, and even iatrogenic causes. However, the cause most commonly is application of heat for treatment of chronic pain, which may be a diagnostic clue for an underlying chronic illness. Although there are no current US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for treatment of EAI hyperpigmentation, the prognosis is excellent because removal of the heat source often will result in spontaneous resolution over time. Finally, chronic EAI rarely has been reported to evolve into squamous cell carcinoma, poorly differentiated carcinoma, cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma, and even Merkel cell carcinoma. | Erythema Ab Igne |
Two cardioexcitatory and one cardioinhibitory neural groups have been previously identified as the central cardioregulatory system in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina. We describe in this study one additional element of the central cardioregulatory system, which consists of a large intestinal neuron named Z-cell with a novel effect on the heart activity. Intracellular stimulation of the Z-cell induced only auricle contractions with no effect on the ventricle activity. The Z-cell processes were traced down to the heart, and vigorous branching was found in the auricle tissue. Specific patterns of activity of the Z-cell as well as intestinal heart excitatory and inhibitory neurons were studied during initiation of two behaviors--whole body withdrawal and escape swimming. It was found that initiation of both behaviors was accompanied by activation of Z-cell and intestinal heart excitor neurons. The firing rate of neurons induced by sensory stimuli was sufficient to trigger auricle contractions in the semi-intact preparations. Video analysis of heart activity revealed that auricle indeed was activated during both active and passive avoidance reactions, though the intensity and delay of the activation were different. The possible physiological role of the auricle contractions during antagonistic forms of behavior is discussed. | Clione |
A case of scabies infestation in a ten-week-old infant is described. Infestation in a neonate presents a clinical picture quite different from that found in older children and adults. Therapeutic options can be limited in infants. Current concepts and treatment modalities are discussed. | Sarcoptidae |
The anti-rotavirus components in breast milk and infant formulas play an important role in the prevention of rotavirus infection. The present study examined whether the levels of phospholipids and bovine lactadherin, which are the major components and proteins of the milk fat globule membrane complex, are useful indices of the anti-rotavirus activity of dairy ingredients used in infant formulas. We compared the anti-rotavirus activity of 2 types of dairy ingredients enriched in the milk fat globule membrane complex: high-fat whey protein concentrate (high-fat WPC) and butter milk powder (BMP), using 50% inhibition concentration (IC(50)) and linear inhibition activity to determine levels of solid contents, total proteins, phospholipids, and bovine lactadherin. Here, we developed a quantification method using full-length isotope-labeled proteins to measure bovine lactadherin levels in these dairy ingredients. The evaluation of anti-rotavirus activity showed that the difference in IC(50) was the smallest when the 2 dairy ingredients were compared at the bovine lactadherin level, among other indices in this study. Additionally, no significant difference was observed between the inhibition linearity of 2 dairy ingredients when evaluating only bovine lactadherin levels. These results indicated that the level of bovine lactadherin was more strongly associated with anti-rotavirus activity than the level of phospholipids. Our results suggest that bovine lactadherin levels can be used to estimate the anti-rotavirus activity of dairy ingredients and can be a criterion used in selecting ingredients for infant formulas. | Buttermilk |
In patients having undergone the Fontan operation, besides the well discussed changes in the cardiac, pulmonary and gastrointestinal system, alterations of further organ systems including the hematologic, immunologic, endocrinological and metabolic are reported. As a medical adjunct to Fontan surgery, the systematic study of the central role of the liver as a metabolizing and synthesizing organ should allow for a better understanding of the pathomechanism underlying the typical problems in Fontan patients, and in this context, the profiling of endocrinological and metabolic patterns might offer a tool for the optimization of Fontan follow-up, targeted monitoring and specific adjunct treatment. | Fontan Procedure |
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