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Hepatitis A and B vaccination and public health.
The introduction and implementation of hepatitis B vaccination programmes in areas of high endemicity has been very stressful. However, this initial accomplishment has led to the reassessment of priorities in some countries which could undermine these early successes. Work still remains to be done to support and implement interventions that will bring us closer to the WHO goal and to the control of hepatitis B in the community at large. Hepatitis A vaccine strategy for immunizing toddlers is shifting to those countries with intermediate endemicity where increasing morbidity in adults is being observed. Accumulating evidence indicates that such programmes can result in impressive reductions in the incidence of hepatitis A by herd immunity. Monitoring of these populations to determine durability of protection will be important to avoid shifting the infection to the older age population, when symptoms are more likely to occur. National policies need to consider hepatitis A vaccination in the context of other public health priorities. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Role of Tbx20 gene in the development of cardiac valves].
Cardiac valves are highly organized yet delicate structures that ensure unidirectional blood flow through the cardiac chambers and large vessels. Disturbed development of cardiac valves can lead to aberrant heart formation and function which account for approximately one third of congenital heart diseases. The formation of cardiac valves is a dynamic process accomplished by a series of complex events including lineage determination and cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. This paper reviews current knowledge about the role of Tbx20 gene in the development of cardiac valves, which include functional diversities of Tbx20 at various stages of cardiac valve development, its interaction with other signaling pathways, and genetic network involved in endocardial development. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Influence of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) on the ATPase activity in the rat heart.
Influence of fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) on the ATPase activity in the rat heart. Acta Physiol. Pol., 1978, 29 (2): 185--187. The influence of dialysable fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) on the ATPase activity was studied. It was found that FDP augment the Mg(2+)-- dependent ATPase and slightly decrease the (Na+--K+) dependent ATPase in the rat heart. It is concluded that biological activity of examined peptides depend on other mechanisms than the direct effect on ATPase in the heart. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Transplantation of placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells upon experimental stroke in rats.
The beneficial effects of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) administration following experimental stroke have already been described. Despite several promising characteristics, placenta-derived MSC have not been used in models of focal ischemia. The aim of the current study is to investigate the impact of intravenously transplanted placenta-derived MSC on post-stroke recovery. Permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was induced in spontaneously hypertensive rats. MSC were obtained from the human maternal or fetal placenta and intravenously administered after 24 h (single transplantation) or after 8 h and 24 h (dual transplantation). Sensorimotor deficits were quantified for 60 days using the beam walk test and the modified Neurological Severity Score system. Infarct volume was determined in vivo by means of magnetic resonance imaging on days 1, 8, 29 and 60. Astroglial reactivity was semiquantitatively ascertained within a small and a broad region adjacent to the lesion border. The double infusion of placental MSC was superior to single transplantation in the functional tests. However, a significant difference to the control group in all outcome parameters was observed only for maternally derived MSC. These findings suggest that placental tissue constitutes a promising source for experimental stroke therapies. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Response of duplex Cr(N)/S and Cr(C)/S coatings on 316L stainless steel to tribocorrosion in 0.89% NaCl solution under plastic contact conditions.
Two duplex coatings, Cr(N)/S and Cr(C)/S, were deposited on 316 L stainless steel by magnetron sputtering. The effectiveness of these duplex coatings in improving the tribocorrosion behavior of medical alloys under elastic contact conditions has been demonstrated in a recent publication. The present work focused on the response of these duplex coatings to tribocorrosion under plastic contact conditions. Tribocorrosion tests were conducted in 0.89% NaCl solution at 37°C at an initial contact pressure of 740 MPa and under unidirectional sliding conditions for sliding duration up to 24 h. The results showed that during sliding in the corrosive solution, the duplex coatings were plastically deformed into the substrate to a depth about 1 μm. The Cr(C)/S duplex coating had sufficient ductility to accommodate the deformation without cracking, such that it was worn through gradually, leading to the gradual increase in open circuit potential (OCP) and coefficient of friction (COF). On the other hand, the Cr(N)/S duplex coating suffered from cracking at all tested potentials, leading to coating blistering after prolonged sliding at OCP and stable pit formation in the substrate beneath the coating at applied anodic potentials. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1503-1513, 2017. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Treatment options in overuse injuries of the knee: patellofemoral syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome, and degenerative meniscal tears.
Overuse injuries of the knee, particularly those of the extensor mechanism and iliotibial band, are commonplace in primary care and musculoskeletal practices. Effective treatment requires identification of all pertinent biomechanical factors contributing to overload and implementing measures to correct them. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
One-hand chest compression and hands-off time in single-lay rescuer CPR-a manikin study.
To evaluate the effect of one-hand chest compression while continuously maintaining an open airway (OCOA) on rescue breath-associated hands-off time (RAHO) during single-lay rescuer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In this study, 193 CPR/automated external defibrillator certified lay rescuers were randomly allocated into 2 groups and were tested in a standard scenario using a mannequin. In control group (group A), the participants provided standard CPR. In group B, OCOA was performed by placing the heel of the strong hand in the center of the mannequin's chest while maintaining an open airway using the other hand. Mean RAHO was statistically significantly different between the two groups (group A: 8.38 ± 1.97 vs group B: 7.71 ± 2.43, P = .008). Only 13 (13.5%) group A and 25 (25.8%) group B providers ventilated the manikin with tidal volumes of 500 to 600 mL, while most participants caused hyperventilation. Although there were no significant differences in mean tidal volume between the groups, stomach inflation was greater in group A (< .001). Chest compressions were deeper in group A (P < .001), while chest recoil was significantly better in group B. In group B, there was a positive correlation between body mass index and compression depth (group A, P = .423; group B, P < .001). In our study, OCOA resulted in shorter RAHO and less stomach inflation. Our results indicate that the airway should be maintained open during chest compressions, regardless of the technique. Larger studies are needed for the full clarification of OCOA. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Development of omniphobic behavior in molecular self-assembled monolayer-coated nanowire forests.
The wetting characteristics of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on three different surface structures of thin film, microcone array, and nanowire forest topologies, which were chemically modified using phosphonic acid (HDF-PA and OD-PA) and trichlorosilane (HDF-S), were investigated. The molecular SAM-coated nanowire forest structures exhibited superhydrophobic properties with contact angles of 150.6°-155.4°, compared with the other structures combined with OD-PA, HDF-PA, and HDF-S SAMs, which displayed contact angles of 99.5°-116.8°. Moreover, the HDF-PA and HDF-S SAM-coated nanowire forest structures showed omniphobic properties for both flat and curved surfaces, irrespective of the substrate form. Four liquid droplets of different viscosities and composition (water, urea solution, oil, and photoresist) slid on the HDF-PA and HDF-S SAM-coated nanowire forest surfaces without leaving any traces. The omniphobic properties of the molecular SAM-coated nanowire forest structures developed in this study could be used for various applications in which their slippery effect is desirable, such as in medical tubes and the interior of pipes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 204-210, 2017. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Evaluation of stentangioplasty in university cardiac center.
In this ongoing prospective study conducted in University Cardiac Center, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, from July 2004 to January 2006. Fifty (50) patients (mean age 56+/-7.2 years) underwent stentangioplasty were evaluated. The study group of 50 patients consisted of 42 (84%) men and 08 (16%) women. The aim of this study was to evaluate in-hospital success, failure and complications during the procedures. About risk factors 19(38%) had hypertension, 13(26%) were smoker, 11(22%) suffered from diabetes mellitus, 05(10%) had family history of ischaemic heart disease. Average left ventricular ejection fraction was 54+/-7. Target vessel percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were done in 61 vessel, intracoronary stent implanted in 58 vessels, direct stenting were done in 35 cases, failed PTCA were in 03(6%) cases and two had dissection. The native vessels had a mean reference diameter of 2.91 mm and their luminal diameter increased significantly after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). All the patients were discharged by one to three days of the procedure with improvement of their clinical condition. In conclusion, intracoronary stent deployment in coronary artery stenosis following balloon angioplasty is a valid and beneficial strategy with good in-hospital results. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
IFN-alpha-induced modulations of the events in human mixed lymphocyte cultures.
Autologous mixed lymphocyte cultures (AMC) with T-enriched subset of human blood lymphocytes as responders and B-cells or plastic adherent cells as stimulators and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC) were assayed for blastogenesis and generation of cytotoxic potential. The activated cells lyzed K562 and Daudi, autologous and allogeneic PHA-blasts. The AMC population affected the autologous and allogeneic blasts at a similar strength and there was no indication for selective effects. B-Blasts induced with Staphylococcus aureus were not lyzed. The MLC populations had a stimulation-specific cytotoxic component. This was revealed by the stronger effect against the stimulator PHA-blasts and by the lysis of the stimulator B-blasts. Short-time interferon (IFN) treatment prior to the lytic assay enhanced the anti-Daudi and anti-K562 lytic activity of the AMC and MLC populations. With AMC the lytic efficiency against the autologous and allogeneic PHA-blasts were not changed while with MLC they were also elevated. This increase was confined to the non-specific component of the cytoxicity. The proliferation of lymphocytes was suppressed when interferon was added at the initiation of the mixed cultures. On a per-cell basis the cytotoxic potential of these cultures were stronger. In the MLC the stimulation-specific component increased more substantially than the effect against the non-specific targets. It is possible that the IFN-induced modification of the culture conditions such as suppression of the initial proliferation favored the growth of the specific clone. Re-exposure of these cells to another dose of interferon prior to the lytic assay had no effect on the lytic potential. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Induction of bone xenografts of rabbit growth plate chondrocytes in the nude mouse.
Subcutaneous transplantation of growth plate chondrocytes isolated enzymatically from the proximal tibia of 6-week-old rabbits into athymic (nu/nu) mice resulted in the formation of cartilaginous nodules. Calcification of the matrix was first seen after 48 hrs, and endochondral ossification at 12 days. The mineral first occurred about hypertrophic cells. Histochemical alkaline phosphatase activity was concentrated in pericellular collars at the same location. Immunofluorescence examination with rabbit anti-mouse lymphocyte serum disclosed that the bulk of the osteoblasts was derived from the mouse. A small quantity of mouse antigen was present in the cartilage matrix at its junction with bone. It presumably diffused into the cartilaginous interface from the host, but the possibility that some chondrocytes were of murine origin has not been excluded. Five of six grafts of cells grown to confluence in monolayer culture for 10 to 14 days became ossified. The ability to induce mineralization declined in subculture. Chondrocytes killed by heating to 56 degrees did not induce calcified cartilage or bone. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Comparison of results from two dietary interview methods].
The objective of this study was to compare the food consumption and nutrient intakes obtained through a 24-h dietary recall (DR) and a consumption tendency interview (CTI). Both instruments DR and CTI were applied simultaneously in groups of 264 schoolchildren and 272 adults. Information on age, sex, literacy, occupation, and head of family's social security system was also obtained. Body weight and height were measured and the body mass index BMI was calculated. Food portions and nutrient intakes were described and compared by using means, standard deviation. ANOVA, and product moment Pearson' correlation. No significant differences were detected between both methods with respect to mean consumption of cereals, fruits, meats and sugars. Dairy products and oil consumption were found to be larger according to CTI: 0.6 +/- 1.7 y 0.3 +/- 0.9 portions, respectively (p < 0.01). In terms of nutrient intakes, there were no differences in beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and zinc. Mean differences of energy and selected nutrients were lower than 10% of total intake, except by omega-3 fatty acid, cholesterol, vitamin E, and folate. Correlation coefficient between both methods was < 0.4 for most foods and nutrient intakes. Correlation was slightly higher in adults regarding cereals dairy and sugar (approximately 0.5). Both methods DR and CTI produce similar results when applied at the population level, but can be significant different on individuals. The suitability of each method will depend on the objectives of the study. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Physiological stress reactivity in human pregnancy--a review.
Prenatal maternal stress has been found to have long-lasting effects on the behavioral and physiological development of the offspring. These programming effects on the fetus would be physiologically mediated through heightened and/or abnormal activity of the maternal sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system (SAM) and especially of her hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA-axis). The abnormalities in maternal physiology could be present in her basal functioning, but also in her physiological reactivity to stressors, which constitutes the topic of this paper. This article reviews studies that have used laboratory challenges to study physiological stress reactivity in pregnant women. It concentrates on stress tests designed to produce pain or discomfort, or cognitive and psychological stress, and that assess changes in blood pressure, heart rate and/or cortisol as reactivity measures. The general conclusion is that physiological stress reactivity appears to be dampened during pregnancy. Nonetheless, the physiological responses to laboratory challenges are clearly present and display enough inter-individual variability to enable the study of links between responsivity patterns, psychosocial variables, fetal behavior, pregnancy outcome and offspring development. This paper also looks into the methodological limitations present in the reviewed studies. Options for sound design of stress test protocols are discussed and recommendations for future studies are presented. These methodological points are general and can therefore also be of use for researchers studying human stress reactivity in other populations and ages. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The carbohydrate-recognition domain of Dectin-2 is a C-type lectin with specificity for high mannose.
We examined the carbohydrate-binding potential of the C-type lectin-like receptor Dectin-2 (Clecf4n). The carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) of Dectin-2 exhibited cation-dependent mannose/fucose-like lectin activity, with an IC(50) for mannose of approximately 20 mM compared to an IC(50) of 1.5 mM for the macrophage mannose receptor when assayed by similar methodology. The extracellular domain of Dectin-2 exhibited binding to live Candida albicans and the Saccharomyces-derived particle zymosan. This binding was completely abrogated by cation chelation and was competed by yeast mannans. We compared the lectin activity of Dectin-2 with that of two other C-type lectin receptors (mannose receptor and SIGNR1) known to bind fungal mannans. Both mannose receptor and SIGNR1 were able to bind bacterial capsular polysaccharides derived from Streptococcus pneumoniae, but interestingly they exhibited distinct binding profiles. The Dectin-2 CRD exhibited only weak interactions to some of these capsular polysaccharides, indicative of different structural or affinity requirements for binding, when compared with the other two lectins. Glycan array analysis of the carbohydrate recognition by Dectin-2 indicated specific recognition of high-mannose structures (Man(9)GlcNAc(2)). The differences in the specificity of these three mannose-specific lectins indicate that mannose recognition is mediated by distinct receptors, with unique specificity, that are expressed by discrete subpopulations of cells, and this further highlights the complex nature of carbohydrate recognition by immune cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Masculinity, sexuality and vulnerability in 'working' with young men in South African contexts: 'you feel like a fool and an idiot … a loser'.
South Africa has seen a rapid increase in scholarship and programmatic interventions focusing on gender and sexuality, and more recently on boys, men and masculinities. In this paper, we argue that a deterministic discourse on men's sexuality and masculinity in general is inherent in many current understandings of adolescent male sexuality, which tend to assume that young women are vulnerable and powerless and young men are sexually powerful and inevitably also the perpetrators of sexual violence. Framed within a feminist, social constructionist the oretical perspective, the current research looked at how the masculinity and sexuality of South African young men is constructed, challenged or maintained. Focus groups were conducted with young men between the ages of 15 and 20 years from five different schools in two regions of South Africa, the Western and Eastern Cape. Data were analysed using Gilligan's listening guide method. Findings suggest that participants in this study have internalised the notion of themselves as dangerous, but were also exploring other possible ways of being male and being sexual, demonstrating more complex experiences of manhood. We argue for the importance of documenting and highlighting the precariousness, vulnerability and uncertainty of young men in scholarly and programmatic work on masculinities. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Quantum insulating states of F=2 cold atoms in optical lattices.
In this Letter we study various spin correlated insulating states of F=2 cold atoms in optical lattices. We find that the effective spin exchange interaction due to virtual hopping contains an octopole coupling between two neighboring lattice sites. Depending on scattering lengths and numbers of particles per site the ground states are either rotationally invariant dimer or trimer Mott insulators or insulating states with various spin orders. Three spin-ordered insulating phases are ferromagnetic, cyclic, and nematic Mott insulators. We estimate the phase boundaries for states with different numbers of atoms per lattice site. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Differential rates of forgetting from long-term memory in Alzheimer's and multi-infarct dementia.
In this study we explored the rate of forgetting from long-term memory in Alzheimer's (AD) and multi-infarct (MID) dementia. For this purpose, we administered to 15 AD, 15 MID, and 22 control subjects two tasks exploring, respectively, long-term verbal and long-term visuo-spatial memory. The absolute rate of forgetting in both tasks was computed as the difference between immediate and delayed recall of memorandum. Since level of immediate recall was significantly different between groups, a proportional rate of forgetting (percentage of memorandum lost passing from immediate to delayed recall) was computed for each patient. In the verbal task (Rey's 15 words) AD patients displayed significantly larger absolute and proportional rates of forgetting than MID and control subjects. In the spatial task (Corsi block supraspan), the absolute rate of forgetting was only marginally different between groups. Nevertheless, AD patients demonstrated a larger proportional rate of forgetting than MID and normal subjects. These results point out an exalted decay of information from long-term memory store in AD patients. In the light of previous data (Corkin et al., 1984; Kopelman, 1985) we propose that long-term memory deficits in AD is due, at least in part, to an abnormal forgetting of information within the first few minutes following acquisition. Information still present in the subsequent period (10 min to several days) is retained normally. The normal rate of forgetting in MID patients, further, suggests different mechanisms underlying memory disorders in vascular and degenerative dementias. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Impact of implementation of a modified World Health Organization multimodal hand hygiene strategy in a university teaching hospital.
Although educational programs could enhance knowledge, practices, and compliance with hand hygiene (HH) for health care workers, the researches focusing on effective methods for educating and increasing the compliance with HH practices are scanty. Consequently, the researchers conducted the present study to assess HH-related knowledge, attitude, and compliance rate after the implementation of a modified version of the World Health Organization (WHO) multimodal strategy was written in the background. A pretest-posttest quasiexperimental study was conducted in a university hospital in Cairo among 84 nurses. The study consisted of 4 phases: baseline assessment, intervention, postintervention assessment, and follow-up phase. The intervention (HH-campaign) consisted of 4 components: infrastructure change, training/education of health care workers, posting visual reminders, and development of institutional safety climate "hand hygiene champions." HH compliance rate significantly increased from 28% before the intervention to 50% after the intervention and 58% after the follow-up period (P < .001). The knowledge score and the attitude score significantly improved before and after the intervention (P < .001). The use of alcohol handrub significantly increased from 9.5% before the intervention to 65% after the intervention and 76% after the follow-up period. Implementation of a modified version of the World Health Organization multimodal strategy successfully doubled HH compliance rates. Tackling a social way of thinking together with regular frequent training and follow-up are essential to sustain adherence to safe HH practices. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy for nutritional support in dementia patients.
A link between aging, dementia and malnutrition is established and leads to poor prognosis. Endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is used without clear benefit on survival, nutritional status or quality of life. This work aims to assess the effectiveness of PEG-feeding for nutritional support in patients with dementia. We conducted an observational, longitudinal and retrospective study using records from patients with moderate-severe dementia that underwent PEG. Age, gender, dementia subtype and mortality were considered. Body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, transferrin and total cholesterol were recorded at the time of the PEG procedure (T0) and repeated after 3 months (T3). The evolution of those parameters was analysed and compared to survival. We obtained data from 46 patients (16 men/30 women) between 50 and 94 years (M = 79 years). Most had Alzheimer's. Mean survival was 21 months. Mortality rate at 3 months was 15 %. At T0, 30 patients were undernourished according to BMI and 29, 31 and 16 patients displayed low albumin, transferrin and total cholesterol, respectively. Albumin (p < 0.01) and transferrin levels (p < 0.05) were significantly increased from T0 to T3. High albumin (r = 0.2), transferrin (r = 0.3) and cholesterol (r = 0.1) at T0 were positively correlated with longer survival. Low albumin, transferrin and cholesterol were predictors of a poor survival. PEG improves low albumin and transferrin, serum markers of malnutrition and poor outcome. PEG should be considered on an individual basis in patients with moderate-severe dementia when risk of malnutrition and aspiration is present. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Plasmid DNA vaccines: assay for integration into host genomic DNA.
The primary safety concern for DNA vaccines is their potential to integrate into host cellular DNA. We describe a sensitive and quantitative assay for investigating the tissue distribution and integration of plasmid DNA vaccines. By including gonadal tissues in the analysis, the potential for germline transmission is also assessed. At various time points after injection, total DNA is isolated from a variety of tissues and assayed by PCR for the presence of plasmid. To test for integration, genomic DNA is first purified away from free plasmid using a series of different gel electrophoresis procedures. The gel-purified genomic DNA is then assayed for integrated plasmid using PCR. Stringent methods are used to prevent contamination. The assay, validated using a variety of positive and negative controls, is capable of detecting one copy of plasmid per ug DNA (approximately 150,000 diploid cells). Using this assay, we have carried out intramuscular studies in mice or guinea pigs for four different DNA vaccine plasmids. There was no evidence of integration to a sensitivity of about one copy/microg DNA, which is at least three orders of magnitude below the spontaneous mutation frequency. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effects of haemorrhage on thermoregulation, heart rate and blood constituents in goats (Capra hircus).
The effects of two levels of bleeding (15 and 30%) on physiological responses were evaluated in adult goats. The magnitude of haemorrhage was expressed as percentage of initial total blood volume after plasma volume determination by dye dilution. The groups subjected to haemorrhage had higher rectal temperature, respiration rate and heart rate compared to the control; the responses were more marked with the higher level of bleeding. The treated groups had lower Packed Cell Volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and Total Leucocyte Count (TLC) compared to the control; they were significantly lower with high level of bleeding compared to the control. The ratio of lymphocytes decreased, whereas the neutrophil ratio increased in treated groups compared to the control. The treated groups had lower serum total protein and albumin concentrations compared to the control. The plasma glucose level was higher in treated groups compared to the control and it increased with the increase of bleeding level. The treated groups had lower serum Na, Ca and Mg concentrations compared to the control. The levels of these minerals decreased with increase of bleeding level. The 15% bleeding group returned to normal values within 2 weeks, whereas the 30% bleeding group recovered within 5 weeks. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Predictors of early and late survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in which asystole was the first recorded arrhythmia on scene.
A large proportion of patients who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest have asystole as the initial recorded arrhythmia. Since they have a poor prognosis, less attention has been paid to this group of patients. To describe a consecutive population of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with asystole as the first recorded arrhythmia and to try to define indicators for an increased chance of survival in this population. The community of Gothenburg. All patients who suffered out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during 1981 to 1992 and were reached by our emergency medical service (EMS) system and where cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted. In all there were 3434 cardiac arrests of which 1222 (35%) showed asystole as the first recorded arrhythmia. They differed from patients with ventricular fibrillation by being younger, including more women and having a longer interval between collapse and arrival of the first ambulance. In all 90 patients (7%) were hospitalized alive and 20 (2%) could be discharged from hospital. Independent predictors for an increased chance of survival were: (a) a short interval between the collapse and arrival of the first ambulance (P < 0.001) and the time the collapse occurred (P < 0.05). Initial treatment given in some cases with adrenaline, atropine and tribonate were not associated with an increased survival. Of all the patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, 35% were found in asystole. Of these, 7% were hospitalized alive and 2% could be discharged from hospital. Efforts should be made to improve still further the interval between collapse and arrival of the first ambulance. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Iron acquisition and virulence in Helicobacter pylori: a major role for FeoB, a high-affinity ferrous iron transporter.
The genome sequence of Helicobacter pylori suggests that this bacterium possesses several Fe acquisition systems, including both Fe2+- and Fe3+-citrate transporters. The role of these transporters was investigated by generating insertion mutants in feoB, tonB, fecA1 and fecDE. Fe transport in the feoB mutant was approximately 10-fold lower than in the wild type (with 0.5 microM Fe), irrespective of whether Fe was supplied in the Fe2+ or Fe3+ form. In contrast, transport rates were unaffected by the other mutations. Complementation of the feoB mutation fully restored both Fe2+ and Fe3+ transport. The growth inhibition exhibited by the feoB mutant in Fe-deficient media was relieved by human holo-transferrin, holo-lactoferrin and Fe3+-dicitrate, but not by FeSO4. The feoB mutant had less cellular Fe and was more sensitive to growth inhibition by transition metals in comparison with the wild type. Biphasic kinetics of Fe2+ transport in the wild type suggested the presence of high- and low-affinity uptake systems. The high-affinity system (apparent Ks = 0.54 microM) is absent in the feoB mutant. Transport via FeoB is highly specific for Fe2+ and was inhibited by FCCP, DCCD and vanadate, indicating an active process energized by ATP. Ferrozine inhibition of Fe2+ and Fe3+ uptake implied the concerted involvement of both an Fe3+ reductase and FeoB in the uptake of Fe supplied as Fe3+. Taken together, the results are consistent with FeoB-mediated Fe2+ uptake being a major pathway for H. pylori Fe acquisition. feoB mutants were unable to colonize the gastric mucosa of mice, indicating that FeoB makes an important contribution to Fe acquisition by H. pylori in the low-pH, low-O2 environment of the stomach. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Some new insights into the effects of opioids in phasic and tonic nociceptive tests.
In this review we critically appraise the value of some phasic and tonic nociceptive tests as models for differentiating the antinociceptive effects of opioid agonists. Using heat-evoked withdrawal of the hind paw or tail of a rodent, several early studies have assessed the effects of stimulus intensity upon antinociceptive potency of opioid agonists. After intrathecal (i.t.) administration of either morphine or sufentanil, for example, for any incremental change in stimulus intensity, the degree of right shift in the dose-response relationship was greater for morphine than for sufentanil. At first glance, such data appear to provide robust support for the pharmacological model of fractional receptor occupancy (FRO), which, according to the historical tenets of classical receptor theory, describes the relationship between intrinsic efficacy and the total receptor concentration. However, new data which elegantly characterize the relative contribution of small calibre unmyelinated and myelinated nociceptive afferents in mediating thermal-evoked responses challenge the exclusivity of such explanations with origins in classical theory. Within our review we report the results of experiments which provide direct electrophysiological evidence that noxious skin heating at a low rate activates C-polymodal nociceptors, but does not effectively activate A-delta mechanothermal nociceptors. In contrast, a high rate of skin heating activates both nociceptor classes, but produces a more intense activation of A-delta nociceptors that occurs after a shorter onset latency compared with the activation of C-fibre nociceptors. Thus, in direct challenge to the traditional model of FRO, a shift in the dose-response relationship of morphine to the right with a reduction in efficacy, may reflect the limited effectiveness of morphine to attenuate the A-delta-mediated component which assumes increasing dominance at high intensity heating. In our appraisal of other nociceptive models we provide an in-depth characterization of afferent processing in the early neonate rat, in which opioids have been tested in both phasic (tail flick and hot-plate) and tonic (formalin) tests. Afferent processing in this model is typified by several behavioural, anatomical and functional features which, although not pathological, are characteristic of those observed in models of nerve injury using the adult rat. Notably, these features include a lack of segmental inhibition ('disinhibition') and afferent input in large diameter myelinated fibres which make synaptic contacts within superficial laminae of the dorsal horn that in the adult are predominantly nociceptive. Paradoxically, because this paradigm demonstrates increased sensitivity to the antinociceptive effects of opioids it may have special merit as a model of tonic pain. It was recently announced that the i.t. administration of pertussis toxin (PTX) caused hyperalgesia and allodynia that appears similar to the symptoms reported by patients suffering from neuropathic pain. Unlike the effects of other opioids so far tested, buprenorphine-induced antinociception is not blocked in this model. This is an exciting finding and provides new optimism that some opioids, notably buprenorphine, may have a special role in managing some types of neuropathic pain. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Nosocomial and community-acquired Legionella pneumonia: clinical comparative analysis.
Previous reports have suggested that nosocomial and community Legionella pneumonia cases are similar. However, community and hospital characteristics, such as aquatic environment, antibiotic pressure (usage) and populations, are quite different, leading to the suspicion that Legionella infection may differ in the two settings. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare demographic data, risk factors, clinical, radiological and outcome data between 125 nosocomial and 33 community-acquired cases of Legionella pneumophila infection. Patients in the nosocomially acquired Legionella pneumonia (NALP) group were older than those in the community-acquired Legionella pneumonia (CALP) group. Univariate analysis showed that smoking habit, cough, thoracic pain, and extrapulmonary manifestations were more prevalent in the CALP group, whilst chronic lung disease and cancer were more prevalent in the NALP group. Moreover, patients in the NALP group were more likely to have received oxygen and corticosteroid therapy and also to have altered creatinine values than patients in the CALP group, whilst more patients in the latter group had altered alanine amino-transferase values. However, multivariate analysis failed to confirm most of these differences. Smoking habit and blood creatinine levels were the only variables remaining significant. In conclusion, demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological and outcome data in nosocomial and community-acquired Legionella pneumonia are quite similar. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Understanding depressive rumination from a cognitive science perspective: the impaired disengagement hypothesis.
Persisting negative thoughts are considered a hallmark of depression. Recent information-processing approaches have begun to uncover underlying mechanisms of depressive rumination. Despite marked advances in this area, there is a lack of integration between psychopathology and cognitive (neuro) science research. We propose the 'impaired disengagement' hypothesis as a unifying framework between both approaches. The core tenet of our model is that prolonged processing of self-referent material is due to impaired attentional disengagement from negative self-referent information. We discuss empirical evidence for this framework and outline future ways in which the causal predictions of this model can be tested. The proposed framework can account for effectiveness of various treatments for depression and may aid in devising new interventions to target depressive cognition. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
In a sweet mood? Effects of experimental modulation of blood glucose levels on mood-induction during fMRI.
Glucose is the primary source of energy for the human brain. Previous literature has shown that varying blood glucose levels may have a strong impact on behaviour, subjective mood, and the intensity of the BOLD signal measured in fMRI. Therefore, blood glucose levels varying even within the normal range may interact with cognitive and emotional processing as well as BOLD signal. Here, in a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study on 20 healthy women, we show that overnight fasting, compared to an elevated glucose condition, influences brain activation and the affective state during mood induction. Results indicate that our brain may compensate for low glucose levels during fasting by stronger recruitment of the brain areas relevant to the task at hand. Additionally, we systematically tested the effect of prior cognitive effort on behavioural and neural patterns and found that elevated activation is only associated with maintained performance as long as no prior cognitively challenging task is administered. Prior cognitive effort leads to deteriorated performance and a further increase in emotion-associated brain activation in the pregenual anterior and posterior cingulate, the superior frontal gyrus, and the pre-SMA. These results are in line with the strength model of self-regulation. Our results corroborate the strength model of self-regulation and extend it to affect regulation processes. Additionally, our observations suggest that experimentally controlling for fasting state or glucose levels may be beneficial, especially when studying processes that involve self-regulation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Incretin mimetics and enhancers for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Recently, new therapeutic strategies based on the incretin system have been developed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present mini-review aims to provide a short overview of the background of this incretin system and the therapeutic potential of incretin mimetics and enhancers (DPP-4 inhibitors). The function of the incretin system, which shows gradual failure in type 2 diabetes, can be restored by incretin mimetics or DPP-4 inhibitors, with subsequently an improve of glycaemic control without an increase of risk for hypoglycaemia, as long as not combined with glucose-lowering agents like sulfonylureas or insulin. Incretin mimetics have additional important weight-reducing properties, though associated with gastro-intestinal adverse events. DPP-4 inhibitors appear to be 'weight neutral' and show a safe profile in a limited number of available clinical studies of short duration. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Approximate entropy of respiratory patterns in panic disorder.
Considerable evidence suggests a connection between panic disorder and respiration, but the nature of the respiratory abnormalities in panic disorder remains unclear. The authors investigated the breath-by-breath complexity of respiration dynamics in panic disorder. Respiratory physiology was assessed in 40 patients with panic disorder and 31 healthy comparison subjects by using a breath-by-breath stationary system for testing cardiorespiratory function. Irregularity in the breathing pattern was determined by applying the approximate entropy index, which is an indicator of the irregularity and the "disorder" of the measure. The patients with panic disorder showed significantly higher approximate entropy indexes than the healthy subjects for the measured respiratory parameters. Sighs contributed to the irregularity of breathing patterns but did not account for all the differences in approximate entropy between the patients with panic disorder and the comparison subjects. Anxiety state, severity of illness, and somatic and individual variables such as participation in sports and cigarette smoking did not seem to influence the results. Patients with panic disorder showed greater entropy in baseline respiratory patterns, indicating higher levels of irregularity and complexity in their respiratory function. Greater respiratory entropy could be a factor in vulnerability to panic attacks. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Puberty delay of bank vole females in a high-density population.
The onset of puberty in bank vole females was studied, with uterine weight, ovarian weight, and the number of large ovarian follicles used as indicators of gonadal activity. Maturation of females born at the beginning of the reproductive season was suppressed by the presence of other females. Puberty of animals born at the end of season was primarily influenced by climatic variation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Immune regulation in type 1 diabetes.
The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse is an animal model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) that shows many of the characteristics of human IDDM. In the NOD model, there exists a discrepancy between the onset of insulitis and diabetes suggesting the potential existence of some form of immune regulation that delays beta cell destruction. Our transfer system using NOD-scid/scid (NOD-scid) mice as recipients of donor NOD cells suggested that immune regulatory cells exist in the periphery of NOD mice, not in the islets. These regulatory cells are considered to be memory CD4+ cells which show a Th2 (or Th zero) type cytokine profile following activation in vitro. The function of the memory CD4+ cells seems to change from protective to pathogenic as the disease progresses. Moreover, cytokine profiles of this CD4+ CD45RBlow (memory) population shifted from a Th2 (or Th zero) to a Th1 type response coincident with the onset of hyperglycaemia. These data suggest that the progression of NOD disease from insulitis to frank hyperglycaemia is under the control of CD4+ CD45RBlow immune 'regulatory' cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Visual comparisons between Cherenkov radiation from water and fluorescence from a scintillator.
A system for observing blue light of Cherenkov radiation was constructed using a Co-60 gamma-ray irradiation unit. However, there was some doubt that the observed light was not Cherenkov light, but scintillation. Therefore, the radiation from water was compared with that from a scintillator. The difference between both luminosities was examined using photographs taken in a dark irradiation room with mirrors and a camera. The radiation from the scintillator was much stronger than that from water. The differences between luminosities of the light radiated in the beam direction, at right angles to the beam and in the reverse beam direction were examined for both radiations. The luminosity from water showed very definite anisotropy, while that from the scintillator was almost isotropic. Furthermore, the light radiated in the beam direction from water was the strongest, and the strengths of the light radiated in the three directions from the scintillator were almost equivalent to each other. It was confirmed that the radiation from water irradiated by Co-60 gamma-rays was indeed Cherenkov light. The anisotropy of the radiated Cherenkov light and the isotropy of the scintillation were clearly observed in the photographs. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Beta-adrenoceptors in the extraorbital lacrimal gland of the Syrian hamster. Characterization with [125I]-iodopindolol and evidence of sexual dimorphism.
Saturation and competition experiments with the radiolabeled beta-adrenergic antagonist (--)-[125I]-iodopindolol were used to characterized beta-adrenoceptor density (Bmax) and receptor affinity in the extraorbital lacrimal gland of male and female Syrian hamsters. Specific binding to the receptor was saturable. Scatchard analysis of saturation isotherms revealed a single population of receptor sites. Male glands had a significantly higher Bmax (38.9 +/- 5.0 vs. 23.3 +/- 2.1 fmol/mg protein, means +/- SEM, p less than 0.02) and receptor affinity (expressed in a lower dissociation constant Kd: 0.065 +/- 0.013 vs. 0.120 +/- 0.015 nM, p less than 0.02) than female glands. Binding of the radiolabeled ligand in competition with various adrenergic antagonists showed the receptor to be stereospecific and of the beta 2-subtype. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Episodic ataxia type 2. Three novel truncating mutations and one novel missense mutation in the CACNA1A gene.
We analysed the CACNA1A gene, located on chromosome 19p13, in three unrelated families and one sporadic case with episodic ataxia type 2 (EA-2). In two of the families and the sporadic patient, novel truncating mutations, which disrupt the reading frame and result in a premature stop of the CACNA1A protein, were identified in exons 14, 16 and 26. In the remaining family, a novel missense mutation (H253Y) was found. Of the twenty two EA-2 mutations identified thus far, including those of the present study, seventeen are truncating mutations and five are missense mutations, all resulting in an EA-2 clinical phenotype. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Eye trauma in childhood and youth].
Childhood trauma of the eye and its adnexa represents approx. 4 - 20 % of all eye injuries. Due to ambiguous patient history and limited cooperation a comprehensive diagnosis of pediatric eye trauma is often difficult. The weakness of the infantile cornea, the thin and elastic anterior lens capsule, and the firm vitreous with its strong adherence to the retina bear particular intra- or postoperative problems. Moreover, the quick development of secondary cataract and the high risk of PVR may complicate the posttraumatic and postoperative course. Small infants represent a special subgroup in various regards mainly because of the risk of amblyopia which often causes functional loss in spite of a good anatomical reconstruction. The relative frequency of certain injuries differs between children and adults. The ocular manifestation of child abuse as well as bite and fireworks injuries are characteristic for childhood and will be discussed more in detail. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Stable iodine as a prophylaxis therapy following exposure to radioactive iodines: pharmacological and pharmaceutical characteristics].
More or less rapid radio-induction of thyroidian cancers is the main pathological consequence of an accidental exposure to ingested or inhaled radioactive iodines following a nuclear power plant accident. The prophylactic administration of potassium iodine in a single oral dose has to be practiced as soon as possible after the nuclear accident. The efficacy of this therapy depends on pharmacokinetics of radioidines. Iodines are rapidly and completely absorbed as iodides. The radioactive iodines, mainly iodine 131, concentrate in the thyroid gland because of a carrier-mediated transport by the Na-I symporter. Administration of stable iodine results in the symporter blockade, which limits the uptake of radioactive iodines by the thyroid and the duration of the internal irradiation. This irradiation will never exceed 3days if the therapy is started between 6h before the accidental exposure and 1h after. The pharmacist asked to dispense the tablets of stable iodine has a important place because, besides his advices on the optimal modalities of taking stable iodine and the risks of unwanted effects, he extend these advices to information on the radioactive risk and on measures of civil and sanitary protection. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
A novel theoretical framework for the dynamic stability analysis, movement control, and trajectory generation in a multisegment biomechanical model.
We consider a simplified characterization of the postural control system that embraces two broad components: one representing the musculoskeletal dynamics in the sagittal plane and the other representing proprioceptive feedback and the central nervous system (CNS). Specifically, a planar four-segment neuromusculoskeletal model consisting of the ankle, knee, and hip degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) is described in this paper. The model includes important physiological constructs such as Hill-type muscle model, active and passive muscle stiffnesses, force feedback from the Golgi tendon organ, muscle length and rate feedback from the muscle spindle, and transmission latencies in the neural pathways. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for each individual DOF is assumed to represent the CNS analog in the modeling paradigm. Our main hypothesis states that all stabilizing PID controllers for such multisegment biomechanical models can be parametrized and analytically synthesized. Our analytical and simulation results show that the proposed representation adequately shapes a postural control that (a) possesses good disturbance rejection and trajectory tracking, (b) is robust against feedback latencies and torque perturbations, and (c) is flexible to embrace changes in the musculoskeletal parameters. We additionally present detailed sensitivity analysis to show that control under conditions of limited or no proprioceptive feedback results in (a) significant reduction in the stability margins, (b) substantial decrease in the available stabilizing parameter set, and (c) oscillatory movement trajectories. Overall, these results suggest that anatomical arrangement, active muscle stiffness, force feedback, and physiological latencies play a major role in shaping motor control processes in humans. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Plasminogen derivatives encoding kringles 1-4 and kringles 1-5 exert indirect antiangiogenic and direct antitumoral effects in experimental lung cancer.
Recently, increasing evidence has been found demonstrating direct effects of angiostatin on tumor cells themselves. We have applied the plasminogen derivatives K1-4 and K1-5 to a lung cancer model to analyse indirect angiostatic effects against endothelial and direct effects against tumor cells. In accordance with preceding findings both derivatives inhibited endothelial cell functions in vitro. Additionally K1-4 and K1-5 have also shown substantial anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in tumor cells and have inhibited tumor growth. In addition our data supports the recent conclusion that plasminogen derivatives have a dual antitumor mechanism affecting both tumor angiogenesis and tumor cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Hungry in hospital, well-fed in prison? A comparative analysis of food service systems.
Meals served in prisons and hospitals are produced in similar ways and have similar characteristics, yet hospital patients are often at risk of being undernourished, while prisoners typically are not. This article examines field notes collected during nutritional studies of prison and hospital food service, which confirmed the difference in nutrient intake claimed by other authors. A comparison of food service processes and systems showed that the production of meals and the quality leaving the kitchen was similar in both types of institution. However, the delivery and service system was found to be much less coherent in hospital than in prison. Transport and service of hospital food were subject to delays and disruptions from a number of sources, including poor communication and the demands of medical professionals. These meant that meals reached hospital patients in a poorer, less appetising condition than those received by prisoners. The findings are discussed in the light of previous work and in terms of hospital food service practice. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Inhibition of microbial growth on chitosan membranes by plasma treatment.
The use of polymeric medical devices has stimulated the development of new sterilization methods. The traditional techniques rely on ethylene oxide, but there are many questions concerning the carcinogenic properties of the ethylene oxide residues adsorbed on the materials after processing. Another common technique is the gamma irradiation process, but it is costly, its safe operation requires an isolated site, and it also affects the bulk properties of the polymers. The use of gas plasma is an elegant alternative sterilization technique. The plasma promotes efficient inactivation of the microorganisms, minimizes damage to the materials, and presents very little danger for personnel and the environment. In this study we used plasma for microbial inhibition of chitosan membranes. The membranes were treated with oxygen, methane, or argon plasma for different time periods (15, 30, 45, or 60 min). For inhibition of microbial growth with oxygen plasma, the time needed was 60 min. For the methane plasma, samples were successfully treated after 30, 45, and 60 min. For argon plasma, all treatment periods were effective. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Pulsatile insulin has greater hypoglycemic effect than continuous delivery.
The relative hypoglycemic effects of pulsatile versus steadily infused insulin have been examined in six normal subjects in whom pancreatic insulin output was suppressed by somatostatin-14. Soluble insulin was infused continuously overnight on one occasion and on another occasion the same quantity was given in pulses of 2-min duration with a gap of 11 min. The mean plasma glucose concentrations were lower when pulsed insulin was given [mean for the last hour: 4.66 +/- 0.08 mmol/L (+/- SEM) versus 5.53 +/- 0.06 mmol/L (+/- SEM) for steady infusion], diverging significantly (P less than 0.05 paired t test) 7 h after the start of the study. The specific binding of 125I(A14)mono-iodo-insulin to monocytes was greater after pulsed insulin (2.9% with pulsed versus 2.4% with steadily infused insulin at tracer-only point; P less than 0.02 paired t test). Thus, intravenous insulin has greater hypoglycemic effect when pulsed, possibly mediated by greater insulin receptor binding. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Substratum contacts and cytoskeletal reorganization of BALB/c 3T3 cells on a cell-binding fragment and heparin-binding fragments of plasma fibronectin.
BALB/c 3T3 cells make both close contacts and tight-focal contacts (with associated microfilament stress fibers) on plasma fibronectin (pFN)-coated substrata. To resolve the importance of the heparan sulfate-binding or cell-binding activities of the pFN molecule in these adhesive responses, a cell-binding fragment (120K) (CBF) free of any heparan sulfate-binding activity was prepared from human pFN by chymotrypic digestion and isolated as described by Pierschbacher et al. (Cell 26 (1981) 259). These adhesive responses to CBF were also compared to those of the model heparan sulfate-binding protein, platelet factor-4 (PF4), or heparin-binding fragments (HBF) of pFN. On intact pFN, greater than 70% of the cells formed tight-focal contacts and associated stress fibers by 4 h, the latter staining with NBD-phallacidin. In contrast, cells spread differently on CBF and failed to form tight-focal contacts; staining with NBD-phallacidin was localized to spiky projections at the cell margin with no detectable stress fiber formation. On PF4 or HBF, cells failed to form tight-focal contacts but did spread well and formed long microfilament bundles in peripheral lamellae. Spreading on CBF, HBF, or PF4 was paralleled by formation of close contacts. Spreading and to some extent attachment of cells on CBF was inhibited with a small peptide containing the Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser sequence; responses on HBF were unaffected by this peptide. When mixtures of CBF and PF4 were tested, cells still failed to form tight-focal contacts and stress fibers. These results demonstrate that the binding of CBF to its probable receptor under conditions routinely used to assay spreading activity results in an incomplete adhesive response compared with intact pFN. While this partial response may result from quantitative differences in the density of active cell-binding domains on the substratum, the pattern of microfilament reorganization produced by the binding of PF4 to cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans suggests that the ability of pFN to promote formation of tight-focal contacts and stress fibers may reside in the coordinate interaction of two or more binding activities in the intact molecule. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Corneal endothelium--past, present, and future.
To review the history of the growth in knowledge about the corneal endothelium. Publications concerning the corneal endothelium were reviewed. Highpoints in the growth of knowledge about the corneal endothelium include discovery of barrier and pump functions, specular microscopy, reduction in surgical trauma, corneal preservation, and future advances. The highpoints in the history of the growth in knowledge about the corneal endothelium were elucidated. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The acute effects of MDMA and ethanol administration on electrophysiological correlates of performance monitoring in healthy volunteers.
Knowing how commonly used drugs affect performance monitoring is of great importance, because drug use is often associated with compromised behavioral control. Two of the most commonly used recreational drugs in the western world, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy") and ethanol (alcohol), are also often used in combination. The error-related negativity (ERN), correct-related negativity (CRN), and N2 are electrophysiological indices of performance monitoring. The present study aimed to investigate how ethanol, MDMA, and their co-administration affect performance monitoring as indexed by the electrophysiological correlates. Behavioral and EEG data were obtained from 14 healthy volunteers during execution of a speeded choice-reaction-time task after administration of ethanol, MDMA, and combined ethanol and MDMA, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design. Ethanol significantly reduced ERN amplitudes, while administration of MDMA did not affect the ERN. Co-administration of MDMA and ethanol did not further impair nor ameliorate the effect of ethanol alone. No drug effects on CRN nor N2 were observed. A decreased ERN following ethanol administration is in line with previous work and offers further support for the impairing effects of alcohol intoxication on performance monitoring. This impairment may underlie maladaptive behavior in people who are under influence. Moreover, these data demonstrate for the first time that MDMA does not affect performance monitoring nor does it interact with ethanol in this process. These findings corroborate the notion that MDMA leaves central executive functions relatively unaffected. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and temperature based on a reflection-mode long-period grating and an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer sensor.
We have demonstrated a single fiber probe for simultaneous measurement of external refractive index and temperature based on two interferometers: a reflection-mode long-period grating (LPG) for refractometry and an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (IFPI) for temperature measurement. Since the output signal of the combined structure is a superposition of signals produced by both sensors, which have different spatial frequencies, the original signals needed for the index and temperature measurements can be separated and recovered through digital filters. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
DNA repair polymorphisms associated with cytogenetic subgroups in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair genes can affect the risk of developing different forms of cancer. Therefore, we have studied the putative association of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five DNA repair genes with the incidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We included 461 CLL patients and the same number of age- and sex-matched controls. As chromosomal aberrations are important prognostic markers in CLL, we additionally correlated the SNPs with the occurrence of favorable and unfavorable cytogenetic aberrations in CLL patients. Patients with del(13q) as a sole aberration were allocated to the favorable cytogenetic risk group, and patients with del(17p) and/or del(11q) to the unfavorable cytogenetic risk group. All investigated SNPs were equally distributed between patients with the favorable cytogenetic aberration and controls. However, differences were observed in the distribution of rs13181 in ERCC2 between all CLL patients and controls. Moreover, the clearest differences were found for rs13181 in ERCC2 and rs25487 in XRCC1 between CLL patients with unfavorable cytogenetic aberrations and controls. These data suggest that inborn genetic polymorphisms may predict the outcome of CLL. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Increased conjugation frequencies in clinical Enterococcus faecium strains harbouring the enterococcal surface protein gene esp.
This study compared the in-vitro ability of Enterococcus faecium isolates of different origin to acquire vanA by conjugation in relation to the occurrence of the esp gene. In total, 29 clinical isolates (15/29 esp+), 30 normal intestinal microflora isolates (2/30 esp+) and one probiotic strain (esp-) were studied with a filter-mating assay. Conjugation events were confirmed by PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Among the infection-derived isolates, the esp+ isolates had higher conjugation frequencies compared with esp- isolates (p < 0.001), with a median value of 6.4 x 10(-6) transconjugants/donor. The probiotic strain was shown to acquire vanA vancomycin resistance in in-vitro filter mating experiments. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Differential Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity and cisplatin sensitivity between transformants induced by H-ras and those induced by K-ras.
We examined the differential effects of the H-ras oncogene and the K-ras oncogene on cisplatin sensitivity in murine NIH/3T3 cells transfected with these oncogenes. Although the NIH/3T3 cells transformed with H-ras oncogenes (EJ-NIH/3T3 and Ha8-21) showed an increased resistance to cisplatin compared to the parental NIH/3T3, the cell lines transformed with K-ras oncogenes (DT and 1,8DNP2-2-5) did not. Compared with NIH/3T3, the 2 H-ras transformants reduced both the accumulation of cisplatin and the Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in the membrane fraction. On the other hand, we observed no significant difference in cellular accumulation of cisplatin or in Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity between parental NIH/3T3 and the K-ras transformants. Since these ras transformants did not affect the cellular metallothionein content, transcriptional level of DNA polymerase beta or activity of glutathione-S-transferase which is not associated with cisplatin sensitivity, these results suggest that cisplatin resistance is brought about by the H-ras oncogene, but not by K-ras, and that induction of cisplatin resistance by H-ras is mainly due to a reduction of cisplatin accumulation and an impairment of Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in the membrane fraction. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Morphological and biochemical changes in the pancreas of copper-deficient rats.
Two types of experimental chronic pancreatic damage were induced in rats by a copper-deficient diet containing D-penicillamine (DP rats) and by a similar diet without D-penicillamine (D rats). At 5-6 weeks after commencement of treatment, serum copper levels showed a significant decrease in both DP rats (1.5 +/- 0.9 micrograms/dl, M +/- SE) and D rats (18.8 +/- 1.4 micrograms/dl) compared with the findings in control rats (111.8 +/- 4.4 micrograms/dl). Histology revealed loss and atrophy of acinar cells in DP rats and mild vacuolar degeneration of acinar cells in D rats, whereas the islets of Langerhans were intact in both groups. The secretion of the exocrine pancreas showed a marked decrease in enzymes and protein output in DP and D rats compared with findings in the control rats. Our study confirmed the relationships between serum copper levels and morphological damage of pancreatic acinar cells or the reduction of enzyme secretion. On the other hand, the reductions in volume and bicarbonate output of pancreatic juice in DP rats and in D rats were detected, but no relationship was found between these reductions and the serum copper levels. The endocrine pancreatic function in DP rats showed a slight disturbance in intravenous glucose tolerance test. These results support the conclusion that copper-deficiency causes disturbances in enzyme-synthesis and selective destruction of acinar cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Direct capture of plasmid DNA from non-clarified bacterial lysate using polycation-grafted monoliths.
Monolith columns from macroporous polyacrylamide gel were grafted with polycations, poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (polyDMAEMA), (2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)-trimethyl ammonium chloride (polyMETA) and partially quaternized polyDMAEMA prepared via treating polyDMAEMA-grafted columns with propylbromide. The polymer grafting degrees varied between 34 and 110%. The polycation-grafted monolithic columns are able to capture plasmid DNA directly from alkaline lysate of Escherichia coli cells. Due to the large pore size in macroporous monoliths the particulate material present in non-clarified feeds did not block the columns. The captured plasmid DNA was eluted with 1M NaCl as particulate-free preparation with significantly reduced content of protein and RNA as compared to the applied lysate. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Antibacterial activity of Sonoran propolis and some of its constituents against clinically significant Vibrio species.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-Vibrio activity of propolis collected from three different areas of the Sonoran Desert in northwestern, Mexico [Pueblo de Alamos (PAP), Ures (UP), and Caborca (CP)]. The anti-Vibrio spp. activity of Sonoran propolis was determined by the broth microdilution method. UP propolis showed the highest antibacterial activity [minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC(50))<50 μg mL(-1)] against Vibrio spp. (UP>CP>PAP). UP propolis significantly inhibited the growth of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Inaba (MIC(50)<50 μg mL(-1)), V. cholerae non-O1 (MIC(50)<50 μg mL(-1)), V. vulnificus (MIC(50)<50 μg mL(-1)), and V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa (MIC(50) 100 μg mL(-1)), in a concentration-dependent manner. The UP propolis constituents, galangin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), exhibited a potent growth inhibitory activity (MIC(50) 0.05-0.1 mmol l(-1)) against V. cholerae strains (non-O1 and serotype Ogawa). The strong anti-Vibrio activity of Sonoran propolis and some of its chemical constituents (galangin and CAPE) support further studies on the clinical applications of this natural bee product against different Vibrio spp., mainly V. cholerae. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Cutaneous manifestations of the L-tryptophan-associated eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome: a spectrum of sclerodermatous skin disease.
The natural history of the clinical and pathologic features of skin disease was reviewed prospectively in 30 patients with the L-tryptophan-associated eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. Overall, cutaneous manifestations developed in 26 patients (87%). Early lesions were nonspecific and characterized predominantly by an erythematous macular eruption on the trunk and extremities. The most characteristic abnormality noted was the spectrum of sclerodermatous disease in 15 patients (50%) often after a subacute stage of peripheral or truncal edema. Clinical and/or biopsy evidence of eosinophilic fasciitis was seen in nine patients (30%). Findings consistent with diffuse, limited, or localized scleroderma were subsequently observed in nine patients (33%). Small mucinous papules, similar to those seen in scleromyxedema, were found in five patients (17%). Alopecia, frequently a late sequela, developed in 11 (37%). Common histologic features included papillary dermal fibrosis, dermal and fascial infiltrates consisting of mononuclear cells and eosinophils, deposition of glycosaminoglycans in the dermis, and, in some patients, numerous mast cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Anaerobic biotransformation of dinitrotoluene isomers by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain 27 isolated from earthworm intestine.
Dinitrotoluenes are widely used as solvents and are intermediates in the synthesis of dyes, explosives, and pesticides. Environmental concerns regarding DNTs have increased due to their widespread use and their discharge into the environment. In this study, the anaerobic biodegradation of four dinitrotoluene isomers, 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,6- and 3,4-DNT, was investigated using Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain 27, which was isolated from the intestines of earthworms. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy showed that L. lactis strain 27 non-specifically reduced the nitro groups on the tested dinitrotoluenes to their corresponding aminonitrotoluenes. L. lactis strain 27, however, did not reduce either sequentially or simultaneously two nitro groups of the dinitrotoluenes, resulting in the formation of the corresponding diaminotoluenes. In vitro formation of dinitroazoxytoluenes suggested the presence of oxygen-sensitive hydroxylaminonitrotoluenes. L. lactis strain 27 was capable of reducing 2,4-, 2,6-, 2,3-, and 3,4-dinitrotoluenes up to 173.6, 66.6, 287.1, and 355 microM, respectively in 12 h incubation. A relatively rapid reduction was observed in the case of the 2,3-, and 3,4-dinitrotoluenes, which have vicinal nitro groups on their arene structure. Non-specific anaerobic reduction of dinitrotoluenes by the intestinal bacterium L. lactis strain 27 differentiated the extent of reduction of DNTs according to the substitutional position of the nitro groups and produced in vitro more toxic dinitroazoxytoluenes, suggesting that anaerobic biotransformation of dinitrotoluenes could increase environmental risk. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Georg Ganter--a pioneer of peritoneal dialysis and his tragic academic demise at the hand of the Nazi regime.
First reports in German literature on the effective removal of uremic toxins by means of extracorporeal hemodialysis in bi-nephrectomized, acute uremic dogs were given by Heinrich Necheles and Georg Haas. These methods were viewed with great scepticism by Georg Ganter who criticized in particular the extensive operative procedure by use of the femoral artery and vein, the size and fragility of the dialysers, as well as the potential toxic effects of the anticoagulant hirudin. As an alternative approach, he suggested the use of the peritoneum as an especially large endogenous dialysis membrane. In 1923, in experiments on ureter-ligated guinea pigs and rabbits, he demonstrated that the single or repeated instillation (after effective draining) of physiological NaCl solution improves both the symptoms of uremia and the blood urea nitrogen level. In patients this new procedure was implemented only sporadically and in the form of a single fluid instillation after a first observation in a uremic patient where a pleura exudate was substituted: in a female patient with acute uremia as a consequence of a ureter occlusion, due to uterus carcinoma, and in a patient with a diabetic coma. In spite of these limited experiences, Ganter was convinced of the superiority of his method over the troublesome hemodialysis therapy and recommended its broader clinical application. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Relationship between luminous fish and symbiosis. I. Comparative studies of lipopolysaccharides isolated from symbiotic luminous bacteria of the luminous marine fish, Physiculus japonicus.
In order to investigate the relationship between host and symbiosis in the luminous marine fish, Physiculus japonicus, the bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of symbiotic luminous bacteria were compared serologically and electrophoretically. Five symbiotic luminous bacteria (PJ strains) were separately isolated from five individuals of this fish species caught at three points, off the coasts of Chiba, Nakaminato, and Oharai. LPS preparations were made from these bacteria by Westphal's phenol-water method and highly purified by repeated ultracentrifugation. These LPSs contained little or no 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate and had powerful mitogenic activity. In sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, these PJ-1 to -5 LPSs were separated by their electrophoretic patterns into three groups; the first group included PJ-1 and PJ-4, the second group PJ-2 and PJ-3, and the third group PJ-5 alone. The results agreed with those of the double immunodiffusion test; precipitin lines completely coalesced within each group but not with other groups. In immunoelectrophoresis, one precipitin line was observed between anti PJ-2 LPS serum and PJ-5 LPS but the electrophoretic mobility of PJ-5 LPS was clearly different from that of the PJ-2 LPS group. Furthermore, in a 50% inhibition test with PJ-2 LPS by the passive hemolysis system, the doses of PJ-2 LPS, PJ-3 LPS, and PJ-5 LPS required for 50% inhibition (ID50) in this system were 0.25, 0.25, and 21.6 micrograms/ml for each alkali-treated LPS, respectively, and the ID50's of both PJ-1 LPS and PJ-4 LPS were above 1,000 micrograms/ml. These results indicate that PJ-5 LPS has an antigenic determinant partially in common with LPS from the PJ-2 group but not with LPS from the PJ-1 group and that the symbiotic luminous bacterium PJ-5 is more closely related to the PJ-2 group than to the PJ-1 group. These results show that the species Physiculus japonicus is symbiotically associated with at least three immunologically different strains of luminous marine bacteria in its specialized light organ. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Season of birth and multiple sclerosis in Sweden.
To estimate the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) by month of birth in Sweden. Cases (n = 9361) were obtained from the Swedish MS Registry. All births in Sweden 1900-2007 served as controls (n = 12,116,853). The risk of MS was analyzed for each month of birth separately compared with birth during the other 11 months. More (11%) cases with MS than expected were born in June. Fewer (8% and 10%) cases with MS than expected were born in December and January (non-significant after correction for multiple analyses). More (5%) cases with MS than expected were born in February-July as compared with August-January. This study supports previous results suggesting an association between the risk of MS and the season of birth. Decreased exposure to sun in the winter leading to low vitamin D levels during pregnancy is a possible explanation that needs further research. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Evidence for a percolation-driven transition to coherent surface superconductivity.
Above the upper critical field we have investigated the field dependences of the surface conductance, G'-iG" and the critical current J(c) of an electropolished pure niobium cylinder. The low frequency limits of G', G", and J(c) display power-law singularities, defining a transition to coherent surface superconductivity at H(c)(c3). The critical exponents as well as the dynamical scaling of G'-iG" are consistent with predictions for a two-dimensional percolation transition. Relating H(c)(c3) to the conventional onset field, we find H(c)(c3)/H(c3)=0.81, and, surprisingly, this ratio turns out to be independent of significant variations of H(c3) due to differently structured surfaces. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Characterization of two male-specific polypeptides in the tergal glands secretions of the cockroach Leucophaea maderae (Dictyoptera, Blaberidae).
During the sexual behavior of cockroaches, the female mounts the courting male to feed on the proteinaceous secretion of the tergal glands. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of male and female protein extracts after cuticle wiping revealed three major bands. Two of 18 and 22 kDa, named Lma-P18 and Lma-P22, are specific to the male tergal extracts. Moreover, Lma-P22 is only found in the male second tergite extracts. The third one of 54 kDa, named Lma-P54, is common to male and female extracts and could be considered as an ubiquitous surface protein. Several other minor proteins are also present on the body surface of adults of both sexes. Quantitation of the total protein amount of the male tergal gland secretion shows a progressive accumulation from adult ecdysis to sexual maturity. Western blot analysis using antibodies raised against Lma-P22 and Lma-P54 confirms that Lma-P22 is only secreted by the male second tergite glands. Immunohistolocalization demonstrates that these three major proteins are produced by class 3 glandular cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Test-enhanced learning: taking memory tests improves long-term retention.
Taking a memory test not only assesses what one knows, but also enhances later retention, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. We studied this effect with educationally relevant materials and investigated whether testing facilitates learning only because tests offer an opportunity to restudy material. In two experiments, students studied prose passages and took one or three immediate free-recall tests, without feedback, or restudied the material the same number of times as the students who received tests. Students then took a final retention test 5 min, 2 days, or 1 week later. When the final test was given after 5 min, repeated studying improved recall relative to repeated testing. However, on the delayed tests, prior testing produced substantially greater retention than studying, even though repeated studying increased students' confidence in their ability to remember the material. Testing is a powerful means of improving learning, not just assessing it. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of serotonin on active electrolyte transport in rabbit ileum, gallbladder, and colon.
The effect of serotonin on active electrolyte transport was evaluated in vitro in epithelial sheets of rabbit ileum, gallbladder, and colon under short-circuited conditions. Serotonin added to the serosal surface of rabbit ileum caused a dose-dependent short-lived increase in short-circuit current and a more prolonged equal effect on net Na and Cl fluxes. The latter consisted primarily of inhibition of mucosal-to-serosal fluxes of both Na and Cl. In addition serosal serotonin decreased ileal Na influx from the mucosal solution into the epithelium, suggesting an effect on Na absorption. Serotonin did not alter all aspects of ileal absorptive function and did not affect glucose-dependent Na absorption. Consistent with serotonin acting by inhibiting NaCl absorption in the ileum, serotonin induced equal inhibition of net Na and Cl absorption in rabbit gallbladder (which has a linked Na and Cl absorptive process) but had no effect on rabbit colon (which lacks a linked Na and Cl absorptive process). In addition, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and serotonin both appeared to alter the same ileal NaCl absorptive process, since following stimulation of ileal secretion with the maximum concentration of theophylline, addition of serotonin did not cause any further effects. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Somatostatin and CXCR4 expression patterns in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung relative to small cell lung cancer.
Lung cancer is highly prevalent and has an especially poor prognosis. Thus, new diagnostic and therapeutic targets are necessary. Two potential targets are somatostatin receptors (SST), which are overexpressed in well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms, and the chemokine receptor CXCR4, which is present mainly in highly proliferative and advanced tumours. Although their expression is relatively well characterized in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), data on SST and CXCR4 expression are scarce and contradictory. We comparatively evaluated 83 tumour samples from a total of 57 lung cancer patients, of which 22 had adenocarcinoma (ADC), 21 had squamous cell carcinoma (SQC), and 15 had SCLC. Samples were evaluated for SST and CXCR4 expression using immunohistochemistry with well-characterized rabbit monoclonal antibodies. In the samples investigated, the most prominently expressed receptors were CXCR4 and SST5. Specifically, CXCR4 was detected with high expression intensity in more than 60% of ADC samples, about 90% of SQC, and 100% of SCLC. SST5 was present in about 75% of ADC and SQC samples and in more than 90% of SCLC. Although not noticeably expressed in ADC and SQC samples, SST2 was detected in 50% of SCLC cases, with a subset of patients displaying exceptionally high expression. The comparison of the three tumour entities revealed that SCLC samples had higher SST2, SST5, and CXCR4 expression, but lower SST3 and SST1 relative to ADC or SQC samples. CXCR4 may be a promising target for diagnostics and therapy in both SCLC and NSCLC. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Growth in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease in Yemen.
Physical growth is known to be impaired in children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and the prevalence and severity vary with geographical location. The factors which contribute to this sub-optimal growth are poorly understood. To describe the growth status of children and adolescents with SCD in Yemen using the new WHO reference values and to assess correlation of growth indicators with disease severity and with haematological and biochemical parameters. A cross-sectional study of children <16 years with SCD was conducted at Al-Wahda General Teaching Hospital, Aden. Anthropometric measurements of weight, length/height, mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and body mass index (BMI) were collected. Disease severity was assessed using a severity index (SI) score. A total of 102 children (56 male) were included and their mean age was 7.2 years (range 6 months to 15 years). Low weight, height and BMI-for-age Z-scores (<-2 SD) were observed in 45%, 54% and 35% of children, respectively. Regression analyses indicated an association of low height-for-age with male gender (p=0.02), low weight-for-age and weight-for-height with increased age (both p<0.001), low weight-for-age with raised alkaline phosphatase (p=0.04), and low BMI with reduced plasma albumin (p=0.04). There was no correlation between growth deficits and SI or anaemia severity. Growth is severely impaired in children and adolescents with SCD in Yemen. Growth monitoring and nutritional support should be included in their comprehensive care package. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Maximum intensity projection of cranial computed tomography data for dental identification.
Dental radiographs play the major role in the identification of victims in mass casualties besides DNA. Under circumstances such as those caused by the recent tsunami in Asia, it is nearly impossible to document the entire dentition using conventional x-rays as it would be too time consuming. Multislice computed tomography can be used to scan the dentition of a deceased within minutes, and the postprocessing software allows visualization of the data adapted to every possible antemortem x-ray for identification. We introduce the maximum intensity projection of cranial computed tomography data for the purpose of dental identification exemplarily in a case of a burned corpse. As transportable CT scanners already exist, these could be used to support the disaster victim identification teams in the field. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Hemangioma in the Anterior Thigh With Corresponding Periosteal Bone Reaction.
A 24-year-old female runner presented to physical therapy via direct access with an 8-month history of mid-thigh pain. At the onset of her symptoms, radiographs were negative; following physical therapy evaluation, additional imaging was requested. Lateral-view radiographs revealed cortical hypertrophy with no stress fracture. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enhancing mass adjacent to the anterolateral surface of the mid shaft of the femur, with associated cortical hypertrophy, consistent with a deep intramuscular hemangioma. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(3):218. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.6302. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Adsorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+ from Aqueous Solution Using Vermicompost Derived from Cow Manure and Its Biochar].
Using vermicompost (CV) as raw material, its biochar (CVC350) was prepared at 350℃ and then their physio-biochemical properties were characterized. Furthermore, adsorption studies were performed in a batch system for removing Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions from solution. The characterization results revealed much higher surface area, smaller pore size, greater aromaticity and nonpolarity of CVC350 as compared to CV. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that both the adsorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+ onto CV or CVC350 fitted Langmuir isotherm model very well, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Pb2+ was in the order of CVC350>CV, but no difference was observed for the adsorption capacity of Cd2+ between CV and CVC350. The desorption studies showed that both CV and CVC350 had much higher adsorption rate for Pb2+ than that for Cd2+, and the Cd2+ adsorbed could be more easily desorbed from CV and CVC350 compared with that for the Pb2+ adsorbed. Both the dynamic adsorption process of Pb2+ onto CV and CVC350 was a rapid process, however, the adsorption process of Cd2+ onto CV and CVC350 could be separated into the first rapid step and the second slower step. The adsorption capacity of Pb2+ or Cd2+ onto CV and CVC350 was only affected by the much lower initial pH of the solution, besides, the adsorption capacity of Cd2+ onto CV and CVC350 was relatively more influenced by the initial pH compared with that of Pb2+. Moreover, FTIR analysis showed that the adsorption of Pb2+ and Cd2+on CV depended on the active sites such as aliphatic alcohol, aliphatic acid,carbonates as well as phosphate while that on CVC350 mainly relied on aromatic alcohol, aromatic acid and carbonates. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Implementation of hazard analysis critical control point in jameed production.
The average of standard plate count and coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella counts for three home-made jameed samples, a traditional fermented dairy product, before applying hazard analysis critical control point system were 2.1 × 10(3), 8.9 × 10(1), 4 × 10(1) and less than 10 cfu/g, respectively. The developed hazard analysis critical control point plan resulted in identifying ten critical control points in the flow chart of jameed production. The critical control points included fresh milk receiving, pasteurization, addition of starter, water and salt, straining, personnel hygiene, drying and packaging. After applying hazard analysis critical control point system, there was significant improvement in the microbiological quality of the home-made jameed. The standard plate count was reduced to 3.1 × 10(2) cfu/g whereas coliform and Staphylococcus aureus counts were less than 10 cfu/g and Salmonella was not detected. Sensory evaluation results of color and flavor of sauce prepared from jameed showed a significant increase in the average scores given after hazard analysis critical control point application. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Self-report of family histories of learning difficulties.
Self-reports of learning difficulties by parents of reading disabled children may be inflated because of recall bias. A retrospective study of the association between specific reading disabilities and familial reports of learning difficulties indicated the relative odds of being reading disabled for those whose relatives reported learning difficulties compared with children whose relatives did not report learning difficulties was statistically significant if fathers or siblings reported learning difficulties. No significant association was found between mothers' self-reports of learning difficulties and a diagnosis of specific learning disabilities in their children. The results support the association between specific reading disabilities and self-reported histories of academic problems in the father or siblings, but not in mothers of learning disabled children. The results suggest that reports of learning difficulties among mothers of reading disabled children may be inflated because of recall bias. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Incidence of allergic contact sensitization in Danish adults between 1990 and 1998; the Copenhagen Allergy Study, Denmark.
Studies of incidence of contact allergy in a general population have not been reported. Data from incidence studies may support and direct strategies for prevention of contact allergy and allergic contact dermatitis. To study the incidence of contact allergy and evaluate risk factors for developing contact allergy in an adult general population sample. In 1990 a random sample of 567 persons of the 15-69-year-old population living in the western part of Copenhagen County (Denmark) was patch tested in a cross-sectional study. In 1998 a follow-up study was performed. Of 540 invited, 365 (68%) were patch tested again. In the follow-up study, 37 persons (12%) of the 313 patch-test-negative persons in 1990 had developed one or more positive patch tests (incident contact allergy). Twenty cases (6%) of incident nickel allergy and 25 cases (8%) of incident contact allergy to one or more haptens other than nickel were found. The data indicate that female sex, young age and ear piercing (before 1990) were risk factors for developing nickel allergy. Between 1990 and 1998 metal contact dermatitis was reported in seven women with incident nickel allergy. Six of these women had bought the eliciting item in Denmark before 1995, when vigorous control of the Danish nickel legislation was introduced. We found a considerable number of incident cases of contact allergy in the adult population. The results of the study support the actions taken to restrict the use of the allergens most frequently encountered, and to increase the labelling demands to products intended for prolonged contact with the skin or a combined action. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Distal cervical caries in the mandibular second molar: an indication for the prophylactic removal of third molar teeth? Update.
In 2005 we reported the clinical findings of 100 patients who had mandibular third molars removed because of distal cervical caries in the mandibular second molar. The aim of this follow-up study was to find out whether the findings in a new group of patients corroborate those of our previous study. We report on the clinical features of 239 patients (mean (SD) age 32.1 (7.85) years, range 20-65) who had 288 mandibular third molars removed because of distal cervical caries in the second molar. Patients had better dental health than average, and 67% had a DMF (decayed, missing, or filled) score of 5 or less. In 89% of third molars the mesial angulation was between 40° and 80°. Distal cervical caries in second molars is a late complication of third molar retention. The prophylactic removal of a partially erupted mesioangular third molar will prevent distal cervical caries forming in the second molar tooth. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Developmental changes of GM-CSF gene inducibility in embryonal carcinoma cells.
Murine embryonal carcinoma (EC) P19 cells, a tissue culture model of early embryonic development, failed to produce cytokines, such as interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-4, granulocytemacrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interferon-beta (IFN-beta) at the mRNA level. Differentiation induced by retinoic acid (RA) released this repression to produce some cytokines. GM-CSF and IFN-beta genes were expressed in response to PMA/A23187, poly(I):poly(C), IL-1 alpha, forskolin, or LPS stimulation in differentiated P19 cells, whereas IL-3 and IL-4 genes were not expressed. To elucidate the mechanism of the GM-CSF gene induction after differentiation, we transfected a series of 5' deletion mutants of the mouse GM-CSF promoter fused to the bacterial CAT gene. The 740-bp fragment of the 5'-flanking region mediated the positive response. Deletion analysis revealed that the 5' boundary region of the DNA element required for activation lies between positions -95 and -84 and the region upstream of position -95 appears inhibitory. These results indicate that the maturation of the transcriptional machinery after differentiation results in the activation of the GM-CSF gene. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Prediction of superficial bladder cancer by histoquantitative methods.
A retrospective clinicopathological study was done of 136 T1 bladder cancer patients, mean follow-up 10 years. With interactive morphometry, mean nuclear area, mean standard deviation of nuclear area (SDNA) and the mean area of the 10 largest nuclei (NA10) were measured in biopsy specimens from primary tumours. Volume corrected mitotic index (M/V index) was estimated in the same sections. Histological grading was done according to WHO and clinical staging according to UICC. Progress in bladder cancer was observed in 26 cases. Progressing tumours had significantly higher M/V values (P = 0.0038) than tumours without progression. By chi 2 statistics NA10 (P = 0.0065) and high M/V index values (P = 0.0104) eventually metastasised. Nuclear area (P = 0.0025), NA10 (P = 0.0053), histological grade (P = 0.0071), NA (P = 0.0563) and M/V index (P = 0.0979) predicted bladder cancer-related survival, in that order. The recurrence rate or recurrence-free period were not related to histological indices. The results suggest the use of these morphometric features instead of histological grading in the prediction of T1 bladder tumours. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Identification of the oriC region and its influence on heterocyst development in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120.
Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 (Anabaena PCC 7120) is a filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium. Upon deprivation of combined nitrogen, about 5-10 % of the cells become heterocysts, i.e. cells devoted to N(2) fixation. Heterocysts are intercalated among vegetative cells and distributed in a semi-regular pattern, and adjacent heterocysts are rarely observed. Previously, we showed that the cell cycle could play a regulatory function during heterocyst development, although the mechanism involved remains unknown. As a further step to understand this phenomenon, we identified the oriC region for chromosomal DNA replication, located between dnaA and dnaN. The oriC region of Anabaena PCC 7120 was able to support the self-replication of a plasmid in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Surprisingly, integration of the oriC region into the chromosome of Anabaena PCC 7120 through homologous recombination led to much slower cell growth in the absence of a combined-nitrogen source and to multiple contiguous proheterocysts after prolonged incubation. Real-time RT-PCR showed that expression of two heterocyst-related genes, hetR and hetN, was altered in these strains: hetR expression remained high 48 h after induction, and hetN increased to high levels after induction for 12 h. These results suggest that the balance between oriC and DnaA could be important for heterocyst development. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Drug-lab interactions: implications for nutrition support. Acetylcysteine interference with urine ketone test.
It is important that health care professionals be aware of the potential for medications to interfere with clinical laboratory tests. Medications can cause in vivo effects when the concentration or activity of the analyte is altered before the analysis and therefore the assay result is true and accurate. An in vitro effect occurs when the medication interferes with the assay, and the result is erroneous and cannot be interpreted. This report describes a recently identified case of interference of acetylcysteine with the urine test for ketones and demonstrates the importance of a thorough medication review in evaluating abnormal laboratory tests. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of high salt treatment on influenza B viral protein synthesis in MDCK cells.
Based on the information that high salt inhibits the initiation of cellular mRNA translation which depends on the function of the 5'-terminal structure of mRNA, we compared the effect of high salt on translation of host cellular mRNAs and influenza viral mRNAs, both of which are of 5'-terminal structure. Brief exposure of influenza B virus-infected MDCK cells to high salt medium resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of viral polypeptide synthesis as well as of cellular polypeptide synthesis, but it had less effect on synthesis of viral polypeptides, particularly nonstructural protein (NS). Under these conditions the Na+ content of the infected cells was significantly increased. A similar salt effect on in vitro translation of viral and cellular mRNAs extracted from infected cells was also observed. There was no significant difference in sensitivity to hypertonic block of in vivo translation of influenza viral mRNAs and vesicular stomatitis virus mRNAs, the latter of which possess a virus-directed structure at the 5'-terminus. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Role of thyroid stimulating hormone suppression in the management of thyroid cancer.
Well-differentiated thyroid cancers (papillary, follicular, and some Hurthle cell tumors) contain membrane receptors for TSH. Responsiveness of these tumors to TSH stimuli is documented by increased radioactive iodine uptake, secretion of thyroglobulin, increase in thyroid size, and potential progression to an anaplastic type. Although TSH suppression has a variable effect on the growth of existing tumors and the incidence of recurrent disease, there is a sound rationale for long-term TSH suppression in all patients with differentiated tumors of the thyroid. The ultrasensitive TSH test permits ready monitoring of the adequacy of thyroxine dosage. The cost is minimal (approximately $.10/day) and the risks are negligible if one assumes the avoidance of hyperthyroxinemia. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The early development of the frog retinotectal projection.
The guidance of retinal ganglion cell axons has been investigated in embryos of the frog Xenopus. During the initial development of the brain a series of axon tracts are laid down forming a basic 'scaffold' or framework. Retinal axons grow through one of these tracts, the tract of the post-optic commissure (tPOC). This is the only tract that extends through the rostral part of the brain at these early stages of development. The origin and development of the tPOC has been studied using antibodies which label neurons at their earliest stages of differentiation. The first sign of the tPOC is a chain of neurons which differentiate simultaneously in the caudolateral part of the diencephalon. Axons from these neurons grow the short distance between adjacent cells interlinking the chain to form a descending tract. A series of other axon projections are then added to the tPOC, each of which is segregated into a particular subregion of the tract. Retinal axons are added to the tract approximately 18 h after its formation. They grow in the sub-pial part of the tract and always occupy the rostral-most edge. Retinal axons follow the tract to the region of the developing tectum where they leave, turn dorsally, and terminate. The reliance of retinal axons on this pre-existing pathway has been demonstrated by experimentally altering the course of the tPOC during its early development. The caudo-lateral wall of the diencephalon has been rotated through 90 degrees at a stage just before the tPOC neurons differentiate. Confirmation of the predicted alteration in the course of the tPOC has been made using immunocytochemistry. In such manipulated brains, retinal axons maintain their strong affinity for the rostral edge of the tPOC, following its altered course through the diencephalon. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Infrared multiphoton dissociation tandem charge detection-mass spectrometry of single megadalton electrosprayed ions.
This work presents the implementation of tandem mass spectrometry for experiments on single electrosprayed ions from compounds of megadalton (MDa) molecular weight, using two charge detection devices. The first mass spectrometry stage (first charge detection device) combined with an ion gate allows both mass-to-charge ratio and charge selections of the megadalton ion of interest. The second stage is based on an electrostatic ion trap and consists of an image charge detection tube mounted between two ion mirrors. Single MDa ions can be stored for several dozen milliseconds. During the trapping time, single ions can be irradiated by a continuous wavelength CO(2) laser. We observe stepwise changes in the charge of a single trapped ion owing to multiphoton activation. Illustration of infrared multiphoton dissociation tandem mass spectrometry are given for single megadalton ions of poly(ethylene oxide)s and DNAs. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Incidence of and risk factors for diabetes mellitus in cats that have undergone renal transplantation: 187 cases (1986-2005).
To compare incidence of diabetes mellitus in cats that had undergone renal transplantation with incidence in cats with chronic renal failure, compare mortality rates in cats that underwent renal transplantation and did or did not develop diabetes mellitus, and identify potential risk factors for development of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) in cats. Retrospective case series. 187 cats that underwent renal transplantation. Medical records were reviewed. 26 of the 187 (13.9%) cats developed PTDM, with the incidence of PTDM being 66 cases/1,000 cat years at risk. By contrast, the incidence of diabetes mellitus among a comparison population of 178 cats with chronic renal failure that did not undergo renal transplantation was 17.9 cases/1,000 cat years at risk, and cats that underwent renal trans-plantation were 5.45 times as likely to develop diabetes mellitus as were control cats with chronic renal failure. The mortality rate among cats with PTDM was 2.38 times the rate among cats that underwent renal transplantation but did not develop PTDM. Age, sex, body weight, and percentage change in body weight were not found to be significantly associated with development of PTDM. Results suggest that cats that undergo renal transplantation have an increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus, compared with cats with chronic renal failure, and that mortality rate is higher for cats that develop PTDM than for cats that do not. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Human platelet antigens: HPA-1, -2, -3, -4, and -5 polymorphisms in kidney transplantation.
To investigate the association between kidney transplant rejection and polymorphisms of HPA-1, -2, -3, -4, and -5, the genomic DNA of 70 renal transplant recipients and 100 healthy blood donors was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-SSP. The patients were classified into two groups. Group 1 included 33 HLA-identical recipients and group 2, 37 one haplo-identical recipients. Thirty-one recipients experienced an acute rejection episode (ARE): 10 in group 1 and 21 in group 2. Ten group 2 patients developed chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD). Before transplantation, five patients in group 1 were lymphocytocytotoxic antibodies (LCT) positive, among them three developed an ARE. In group 2, seven recipients were LCT positive and four had an ARE. After transplantation, 29 patients were LCT positive: 11 in group 1 and 18 in group 2, among them: 6/11 and 11/18 had an ARE. The allelic frequencies of HPA-1, -2, and -5 among patients and controls did not reveal significant differences, whereas the HPA-3a and HPA-4b alleles were significantly more frequent among patients than controls: 91.4% and 27.8% versus 76.5% and 11.5% respectively (P < .05 and P < .001). The frequency of the HPA-3b allele was increased in patients with an ARE (11.3%) and those who developed CAD (20%) compared with those not affected by these complications (6.6% and 6.4%, respectively), but the difference was not significant. The genotype distribution of HPA-1, -3, and -4 genes of GPIIb/IIIa revealed that the most frequent genotype was HPA-1a1a/3a3a/4a4a (19%) among controls and HPA-1a1a/3a3a/4a4b (31.4%) among patients. This genotype was associated with an ARE in 25.8%, namely 50% of group 1 recipients and 14.28% of group 2. The HPA-4b polymorphism of GPIIb/IIIa receptor seem to be an independent risk factor for acute allograft rejection in kidney transplantation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Doxorubicin- and cisplatin-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers for breast cancer combination chemotherapy.
Combination anticancer therapy is promising to generate synergistic anticancer effects, to maximize the treatment effect and to overcome multi-drug resistance. Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), composed of solid and liquid lipids, and surfactants are potentially good colloidal drug carriers. The aim of this study is to construct novel NLCs as nanocarriers for co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin (CDDP) to treat breast cancer. DOX and CDDP loaded NLCs (D-C-NLCs) were prepared by the solvent diffusion method. The in vitro cytotoxicity and synergistic studies of different formulations were evaluated on human breast cancer cells (doxorubicin resistant) (MCF-7/ADR cells). In vivo anti-tumor effects were observed on the murine bearing MCF-7/ADR cells model. D-C-NLCs showed the highest cytotoxicity and synergistic effect of two drugs in tumor cells in vitro. The in vivo study revealed the greatest anti-tumor activity than the other formulations in the breast cancer model. The constructed NLCs could be used as a novel carrier for co-delivery of DOX and CDDP for breast cancer therapy. D-C-NLCs could be a promising targeted and combinational therapy nanomedicine. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Thought disorder and nucleus accumbens in childhood: a structural MRI study.
Thought disorder has been described as a hallmark feature in both adult and childhood-onset schizophrenia. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been repeatedly proposed as a critical station for modulating gating of information flow and processing of information within the thalamocortical circuitry. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of thought disorder measures, which were administered to 12 children with schizophrenia and 15 healthy age-matched controls, and NAc volumes obtained from high-resolution volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analyses. The propensity for specific thought disorder features was significantly related to NAc volumes, despite no statistically significant differences in the NAc volumes of children with schizophrenia and normal children. Smaller left NAc volumes were significantly related to poor on-line revision of linguistic errors in word choice, syntax and reference. On the other hand, underuse of on-line repair of errors in planning and organizing thinking was significantly associated with decreased right NAc volumes. The results of this pilot study suggest that the NAc is implicated in specific thought patterns of childhood. They also suggest that subcortical function in the NAc might reflect hemispheric specialization patterns with left lateralization for revision of linguistic errors and right lateralization for repair strategies involved in the organization of thinking. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Visual disturbances in advanced cancer patients: clinical observations.
Visual disturbances in advanced cancer patients are very rarely signaled, evaluated, or adequately treated. The main causes of sight disturbances are primary eye tumors, ocular metastases, and some paraneoplastic syndromes. Sight alteration can also be associated with asthenia, fatigue, anemia, and hypovitaminosis. These symptoms can be monocular or binocular, and their gravity and evolution can vary. Based on a survey of 156 patients, we estimate the prevalence of visual disturbances to be 12% in advanced cancer patients. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Case Study: Supply Chain Transformation in the Mercy Health System.
The Mercy case study documents evidence of a clinically integrated supply chain strategy implemented in the peri-operative programs in three of the 46 hospitals in the Mercy system. Mercy became the first US health system to achieve "the perfect order," a supply chain industry standard with end-to-end integration of supply chain best practice in the Mercy system. To date, the Mercy strategy has demonstrated revenue growth of $8 billion, a 70% reduction in Never Events, a 33.3% reduction in supplies cost/case and a 29.5% reduction in labour costs/case in the perioperative programs in three hospitals. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Relation between natural killer cells and neoplastic cells in serous fluids.
Natural killer (NK) cells are capable of lysing certain tumor cells in vitro. We investigated whether the percentage of NK cells (NK%) in serous effusions has any relation with the presence of malignant cells. Fresh effusions were routinely processed, and a portion of them was submitted for lymphocyte immunophenotyping, using a flow cytometer. Fifty-one fluids (15 peritoneal, 36 pleural), from 47 patients were analyzed. Thirty-two cases were negative and 19 were positive for neoplastic cells: there were 13 adenocarcinomas, 2 malignant mesotheliomas (MM), 3 malignant lymphomas (ML), and 1 rhabdomyosarcoma (R). Negative cases showed an average NK% of 5.09% (1-16%). Effusions positive for adenocarcinoma had an average NK% of 22.08% (12-33%) (P < 0.001). MM, ML, and R had a low NK%, with an average of 3.01% (0-5%). Investigation of the NK% could be useful in cytologically doubtful cases and in the differential diagnosis between MM and adenocarcinoma. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of obesity on survival of women with epithelial ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
Although obesity is shown to be a risk factor for epithelial ovarian cancer, its role as a prognostic factor has been remained inconclusive. In this study, available evidences on this matter to date have been assembled for a meta-analysis to determine the effect of obesity on the survival of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Eligible studies published up to December 2010 were searched using MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and manual review of relevant bibliography to look for additional studies was done. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) from individual studies were pooled using a random-effects model. Ten cohort studies of 331 screened articles were included in the final analysis. The meta-analysis showed overweight or obesity at early adulthood to be associated with higher mortality among patients with ovarian cancer (HR, 1.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.34). Among patients with advanced ovarian cancer, premorbid obesity was associated with worse prognosis (HR, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-1.93). However, there was no significant relationship between prognosis and obesity around the time of diagnosis. This study suggests a possible relationship between obesity at early adulthood and higher mortality among patients with ovarian cancer. Further studies are needed to elucidate the harmful effect of obesity on the survival of patients with ovarian cancer. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Quality Comes with the (Anatomic) Territory: Evaluating the Impact of Surgeon Operative Mix on Patient Outcomes After Pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Recent support for centralization of complex operations, such as pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), is based on surgeon-specific volume-outcome relationships. This study examined whether volume of anatomically related operations (operative mix), besides PD, is also independently associated with postoperative outcomes after PD. The study queried the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2004-2009) for surgeons performing PD. Operative mix (OM) was defined as the year-specific number of other pancreatic, hepatic, biliary, and gastric operations performed by individual surgeons. Regression models included surgeon and hospital PD volume, adjusted for other hospital- and patient-specific factors. Among 1747 surgeons, 88.3% had low PD volume (≤ 5 cases/year), 8.9% had moderate PD volume (6-16 cases/year), and 2.8% had high PD volume (≥ 17 cases/year). Low-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (≥ 21 cases/year) (4.4%), moderate-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (3.4%), and high-PD-volume surgeons with high OM (2.7%) each had lower mortality than low-PD-volume surgeons with low OM (9.3%; all p ≤ 0.02). The frequency of prolonged hospitalization among low-PD/high-OM surgeons (45.3%) was lower than among low-PD/low-OM surgeons (61.6%; p < 0.001). Increasing OM volume was associated with decreased inpatient mortality, shorter hospital stay, and lower likelihood of any postoperative complication, using unadjusted regression (all p < 0.001). Adjusted regression results indicated that increasing OM volume is a significant predictor of decreased odds of a prolonged hospital stay (odds ratio [OR] 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73-0.90; p < 0.001). Surgeon PD volume is an important predictor of outcomes after PD. However, surgeon OM volume identifies a subset of lower-PD-volume surgeons with more favorable outcomes. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Prevalence of oral hairy leukoplakia in 120 pediatric patients infected with HIV-1.
Oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) is an EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) opportunistic infection found in HIV-infected patients. It is an asymptomatic lesion that has an important prognostic value in AIDS. Differently from what takes place with HIV adult patients, OHL has been described in the literature as having a very small prevalence in pediatric patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of OHL in HIV pediatric patients using cytopathology. The sample consisted of 120 patients who were submitted to oral examination and had material scraped from both sides of their tongues. The diagnostic criterion was based on the identification of nuclear alterations. Clinical OHL was identified in two (1.67%) patients. The cytopathology revealed twenty (16.7%) cases of subclinical OHL. Our results show that in pediatric patients the prevalence of OHL may be larger than that described in the literature. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Screening for Cardiovascular Disease Risk With Resting or Exercise Electrocardiography: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. To review the evidence on screening asymptomatic adults for CVD risk using electrocardiography (ECG) to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force. MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries through May 2017; references; experts; literature surveillance through April 4, 2018. English-language randomized clinical trials (RCTs); prospective cohort studies reporting reclassification, calibration, or discrimination that compared risk assessment using ECG plus traditional risk factors vs traditional risk factors alone. For harms, additional study designs were eligible. Studies of persons with symptoms or a CVD diagnosis were excluded. Dual review of abstracts, full-text articles, and study quality; qualitative synthesis of findings. Mortality, cardiovascular events, reclassification, calibration, discrimination, and harms. Sixteen studies were included (N = 77 140). Two RCTs (n = 1151) found no significant improvement for screening with exercise ECG (vs no screening) in adults aged 50 to 75 years with diabetes for the primary cardiovascular composite outcomes (hazard ratios, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.59-1.71] and 0.85 [95% CI, 0.39-1.84] for each study). No RCTs evaluated screening with resting ECG. Evidence from 5 cohort studies (n = 9582) showed that adding exercise ECG to traditional risk factors such as age, sex, current smoking, diabetes, total cholesterol level, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level produced small improvements in discrimination (absolute improvements in area under the curve [AUC] or C statistics, 0.02-0.03, reported by 3 studies); whether calibration or appropriate risk classification improves is uncertain. Evidence from 9 cohort studies (n = 66 407) showed that adding resting ECG to traditional risk factors produced small improvements in discrimination (absolute improvement in AUC or C statistics, 0.001-0.05) and appropriate risk classification for prediction of multiple cardiovascular outcomes, although evidence was limited by imprecision, quality, considerable heterogeneity, and inconsistent use of risk thresholds used for clinical decision making. Total net reclassification improvements ranged from 3.6% (2.7% event; 0.6% nonevent) to 30% (17% event; 19% nonevent) for studies using the Framingham Risk Score or Pooled Cohort Equations base models. Evidence on potential harms (eg, from subsequent angiography or revascularization) in asymptomatic persons was limited. RCTs of screening with exercise ECG found no improvement in health outcomes, despite focusing on higher-risk populations with diabetes. The addition of resting ECG to traditional risk factors accurately reclassified persons, but evidence for this finding had many limitations. The frequency of harms from screening is uncertain. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Characterization of nucleoside-diphosphate kinase-associated guanine nucleotide-binding proteins from HeLa S3 cells.
Nucleoside-diphosphate (NDP) kinase-associated [alpha-32P]GTP-incorporating proteins from HeLa S3 cells have been biochemically characterized. Two distinct NDP-kinases (F-I and F-II) had been partially purified from HeLa S3 cells by Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The [alpha-32P]GTP-incorporating proteins (approx. Mr 20,000) could be separated from NDP-kinases (approx. Mr 80,000) by 5-25% glycerol density-gradient centrifugation analysis after treatment with 7 M urea in the presence of 1 mM EDTA. [alpha-32P]GTP incorporation into these two proteins (G1 and G2) from NDP-kinases required 5 mM Mg2+ and was highly inhibited by either GDP or GTP analogues, such as guanylyl imidodiphosphate and guanylyl methylenediphosphate. [3H]GDP, but no other nucleoside 5'-diphosphates, was also bound to these two proteins in the presence of Mg2+ (5 mM). Moreover, incubation of [alpha-32P]GTP with either G1 or G2 in the presence of Mg2+ (5 mM) resulted in the formation of [32P]GDP and Pi. The data presented here indicated that the guanine nucleotide-binding activity, the GTPase activity, and the molecular weight (approx. Mr 20,000) of NDP-kinase-associated proteins from HeLa S3 cells are similar to those reported for ras oncogene products (p21 proteins). | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Systemic, portal and renal effects of terlipressin in patients with cirrhotic ascites: pilot study.
Terlipressin is a vasopressin analog that may improve renal function in hepatorenal syndrome by mechanisms as yet unknown. The authors investigated the effect of the drug on systemic, hepatic and renal hemodynamics in cirrhosis. Six patients with cirrhosis and ascites were studied (five Child's B and one Child's C). Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), systemic vascular resistance (SVR), hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG), reverse thermodilution unilateral real-time renal blood flow (RBF), urinary flow, and sodium concentrations were measured before and 1 h after an intravenous bolus of 2 mg of terlipressin. Following terlipressin administration, HR fell significantly (84.2 +/- 6 to 70.8 +/- 4.9, P = 0.013), MAP increased (72.7 +/- 3.6 to 87 +/- 5.3 mmHg, P = 0.027), CO fell (7.4 +/- 0.8 to 6.4 +/- 0.8 L/min, P = 0.02) and SVR increased (1368.5 +/- 236 to 2079.7 +/- 458, P = 0.04). There were no significant differences in HVPG (12.3 +/- 1.6 to 14 +/- 0.9 mmHg, P-value not significant [NS]), RBF (255 +/- 0.02 compared with 249 +/- 0.02 mL/min, P-value NS), urinary volume (49.1 +/- 8.9 compared with 49.6 +/- 16.7 mL/ h, P-value NS) and urinary sodium excretion (4 +/- 1.1 compared with 5.9 +/- 3.5 mmol/ h). In the present small study, the authors were able to demonstrate that a bolus injection of terlipressin produced an increase in MAP and SVR, along with a reduction in cardiac output without a reduction in renal blood flow. Further studies are necessary to define the effects of terlipressin on renal hemodynamics and sodium excretion. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Role of hepatic STAT3 in brain-insulin action on hepatic glucose production.
STAT3 regulates glucose homeostasis by suppressing the expression of gluconeogenic genes in the liver. The mechanism by which hepatic STAT3 is regulated by nutritional or hormonal status has remained unknown, however. Here, we show that an increase in the plasma insulin concentration, achieved either by glucose administration or by intravenous insulin infusion, stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3 in the liver. This effect of insulin was mediated by the hormone's effects in the brain, and the increase in hepatic IL-6 induced by the brain-insulin action is essential for the activation of STAT3. The inhibition of hepatic glucose production and of expression of gluconeogenic genes induced by intracerebral ventricular insulin infusion was impaired in mice with liver-specific STAT3 deficiency or in mice with IL-6 deficiency. These results thus indicate that IL-6-STAT3 signaling in the liver contributes to insulin action in the brain, leading to the suppression of hepatic glucose production. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Ecotoxicological evaluation of chlorpyrifos exposure on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
To investigate the effects of chlorpyrifos (CP), an organophosphorus insecticide, on the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the toxicity of the insecticide on the molecular, biochemical, and physiological levels were investigated upon sublethal exposure, and an acute toxicity test was conducted using lethality as an endpoint. To assess the molecular-level effect, stress-related gene expression was investigated, and the neurotoxicity indicator, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was assessed as the biochemical-level response. Growth, reproduction and development were also studied as physiological-level responses. The overall results indicate that CP exposure leads to the alteration of the expression of some stress genes, such as of heat shock protein, metallothionein, vitellogenin and C. elegans p53-like protein genes; the inhibition of AChE activity; and the retardation of development. These data suggest that the toxicity of CP on C. elegans occurred in multiple biological organizations; nevertheless this is not sufficient to conclude that there is a casual relationship between them. Thus, direct experimental demonstrations of the wider relationships between the molecular/biochemical effects of CP exposure and their consequences at higher levels of biological organization are needed to fully understand the effects of this compound on C. elegans. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Effects of estrogen, progestin and mifepristone on endometrial carcinoma cell lines].
To study the effects of estrogen, progestogen and mifepristone on endometrial carcinoma cell lines in vitro. The well-differentiated endometrial cancer cell line Ishikawa and moderate-differentiated endometrial cancer cell line Hec-1B were cultured in vitro. The cells were divided into four groups: control, estrogen, estrogen and progestogen, estrogen and progestogen and mifepristone, then we implanted cells in 96-well plates to search the response in distinct hormones. When stimulated by estrogen for 72 hours, the growth of Ishikawa cells was significantly higher than the control, Hec-1B cells only grew higher than the control, but it was no significance in statistics. Progestogen inhibited Ishikawa cells significantly after being stimulating for 72 hours, there was the same effect on Hec-1B cells after being stimulating for 96 hours. On the base of estrogen and progestogen, we added mifepristone, cells developed after 96 hours in Ishikawa cells and cells developed after 48 hours in Hec-1B cells. Estrogen can cause endometrial carcinoma cell growth; progestogen inhibits the hyperplasia induced by estrogen; mifepristone antagonizes the effect of progestogen on cell growth. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Hypercalcemia associated with infection by Cryptococcus neoformans and Coccidioides immitis.
Of the 13 reported cases of hypercalcemia associated with fungal infection, 1 was caused by Cryptococcus neoformans and probably mediated by increased levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. Eight others were associated with Coccidioides immitis, of which only 2 had measured 1,25(OH)2D levels; in both, they were diminished. We report a patient with human immunodeficiency virus infection and simultaneous C. immitis and C. neoformans pneumonia and C. immitis fungemia associated with hypercalcemia. Consecutive measurements of serum total and ionized calcium, phosphorous, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrp) and albumin were performed over a period of 46 months. While the patient was hypercalcemic, intact serum PTH and PTHrp were undetectable, serum 25(OH)D levels were normal, and serum 1,25(OH)2D levels were in the high normal range. Successful treatment of the C. immitis and C. neoformans infections resulted in resolution of the hypercalcemia and increase of PTH and PTHrp to the normal range. In some patients with HIV infection, coincident hypercalcemia, and severe fungal infection, the responsible factor may be 1,25(OH)2D. Although total serum levels of this compound may not be frankly elevated, they are inappropriately high for the circumstances. Free 1,25(OH)2D levels should be determined in this situation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Evaluation of a single-dose PIGRET assay for cisplatin in rats compared with the RBC Pig-a assay.
As a part of a collaborative study of the Pig-a assay by the Mammalian Mutagenicity Study Group of the Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society, a genotoxicity study on cisplatin was performed using red blood cell (RBC) Pig-a and PIGRET assays. The dose levels were set at 0 (vehicle, physiological saline), 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg, and cisplatin was administered intravenously once to male F344 rats. The RBC Pig-a and PIGRET assays were performed using peripheral blood collected at pre-dosing and 1, 2 and 4 weeks after dosing. In the RBC Pig-a assay, an increase in the Pig-a mutant frequency (MF) was observed at week 4 in the high dose group. Although a significant increase in the Pig-a MF was also observed at week 2 in all cisplatin-treated groups, it was considered that this change was caused by a low MF in the vehicle control group and not to be biologically relevant. In the PIGRET assay, the Pig-a MF was increased at weeks 1, 2 and 4 in the high dose group. In addition, the means of the vehicle control group's Pig-a MFs in the PIGRET assay were lower than those in the RBC Pig-a assay. Based on the above results, cisplatin was determined to have mutagenicity under the conditions of this study, and it was demonstrated that the PIGRET assay was an appropriate tool to evaluate the in vivo mutagenicity much earlier than the RBC Pig-a assay. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of pulley integrity on excursions and work of flexion in healing flexor tendons.
We investigated the effect of incision of a single critical pulley on excursions and work of flexion in healing flexor tendons. Forty-two long toes from 21 white leghorn chickens were used as the experimental model. Gliding excursions of the flexor digitorum profundus tendons and work of flexion of the long toes were studied 8 weeks after tendon repair to determine the functions of the healed tendons in intact, incised, or enlarged A2 pulleys. Eleven additional chickens (22 long toes) were used to obtain tendon excursion measurements in normal chicken toes. At 8 weeks, gliding excursions were statistically smaller in the intact pulley group than in the incised or enlarged pulley groups; the excursions were 73% +/- 4% for the intact pulley group, 88% +/- 9% for the incised pulley group, and 91% +/- 8% for the enlarged sheath group compared with the normal group. Work of flexion of the toes in the intact pulley group was statistically greater than that in the incised or enlarged pulley groups. Excursion efficiency of the flexor tendons was not statistically different among the toes receiving different treatments in the pulley. The results of this study demonstrate that release of a single pulley after repair of the tendons in this area improved gliding excursions of the tendons and reduced resistance to motion of the repaired tendons, and provide support for partial A2 pulley incision after repair of the tendons in the area of the pulley. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
A prospective study of ocular abnormalities in hearing impaired and deaf students.
In a prospective study of 505 hearing impaired and deaf students conducted at Children's Hospital Eye Clinic, 48.7% were found to have significant ocular abnormalities. The prevalence of myopia, astigmatism, and pathological intraocular changes was found to be significantly increased over the general population. In addition, the prevalence of ocular abnormalities generally increased with the severity of the hearing loss. Of importance was the high prevalence of rubella-consistent abnormalities in the hearing impaired and deaf student populations. Rubella syndrome may be responsible for a major portion of high refractive errors and ocular pathological changes. It is recommended that ENT specialists and pediatricians be aware of the nearly 50% chance of ocular abnormality in hearing impaired and deaf students, and that ophthalmologic examination may be valuable for identification or confirmation of the etiology of hearing impairment. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Quantitative determination of dopamine in human plasma by a highly sensitive LC-MS/MS assay: Application in preterm neonates.
The determination of dopamine facilitates better understanding of the complex brain disorders in the central nervous system and the regulation of endocrine system, cardiovascular functions and renal functions in the periphery. The purpose of this study was to develop a highly sensitive and reliable assay for the quantification of dopamine in human neonate plasma. Dopamine was extracted from human plasma by strong cation exchange (SCX) solid phase extraction (SPE), and subsequently derivatized with propionic anhydride. The derivatized analyte was separated by a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column using gradient elution at 0.4 ml/min with mobile phases A (0.2% formic acid in water [v/v]) and B (MeOH-ACN [v/v, 30:70]). Analysis was performed under positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometer (ESI-MS/MS) in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The stable and relatively non-polar nature of the derivatized analyte enables reliable quantification of dopamine in the range of 10-1000 pg/ml using 200 μl of plasma sample. The method was validated with intra-day and inter-day precision less than 7%, and the intra-day and inter-day accuracy of 91.9-101.9% and 92.3-102.6%, respectively. The validated assay was applied to quantify dopamine levels in two preterm neonate plasma samples. In conclusion, a sensitive and selective LC-MS/MS method has been developed and validated, and successfully used for the determination of plasma dopamine levels in preterm neonates. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Accurate remote distance sensing by use of low-coherence interferometry: an industrial application.
An apparatus for accurate remote distance sensing based on fiber-optic low-coherence light interferometry has been designed for molten glass level measurement. We demonstrate operation of the meter in an adverse industrial environment with <20-mum resolution (standard deviation) within a 20-mm range with the sensing head placed in an oven at ~800 degrees C. In laboratory conditions we were able to measure with 3-mum resolution, which could be improved to submicrometer level by optimization of a reference arm of the interferometer and detection electronics. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Congenital, hereditary and developmental spinal cord disease.
A number of papers have been published during 1991 in the area of congenital, hereditary and developmental spinal cord disorders, which discuss a wide range of rare spinal anomalies; there have, however, been no significant advances. The diagnosis of these disorders has been enhanced by the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
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