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Protection of dogs from bites of phlebotomine sandflies by deltamethrin collars for control of canine leishmaniasis.
Dog collars made of PVC plastic impregnated with the pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin at 40 mg/g were investigated for their protective efficacy against phlebotomine sandflies. Collared dogs were kept separately (two untreated control dogs lived together) in outdoor enclosures, each with a kennel, in the Cévennes, southern France. To measure sandfly mortality and anti-feeding effects due to the deltamethrin-impregnated collars worn continuously by the dogs for up to 8 months, each dog was periodically sedated and exposed for 2h to 150-200 laboratory-reared Phlebotomus perniciosus females (plus c. 25 males) inside a net (1.2 m square, 1.8 m high) indoors. After dogs were removed from the nets, allowed to recover and returned to their kennels, any dead sandflies were collected from inside the net and counted. Surviving flies were kept overnight, then scored according to whether they were still alive or dead, unfed or blood-fed. From tests 2, 3, 4, 13, 20, 26 and 34 weeks after the dogs began wearing collars, the overall numbers of blood-fed female sandflies recaptured were 75 from two dogs with collars, compared with 1911 from two collarless dogs. Thus, for every 100 flies which fed on collarless dogs, only 4 fed on collared dogs, i.e. the collars protected dogs from 96% of the bites and this activity was maintained for up to 34 weeks. During the same period, the percentage of recaptured female sandflies that had fed on collared dogs was 0-12% compared to 55-95% on collarless dogs. Immediately after dogs were taken out of the nets, 21-60% of flies confined with the collared dogs were found dead, compared to 0-12% with the controls. It is concluded that, at least in the Mediterranean subregion, this insecticidal collar would protect a dog from the majority of sandfly bites and retain a killing effect for a complete sandfly season. Moreover, it seems likely that the use of collars on all dogs in a focus of Leishmania infantum would reduce contact between sandfly vectors and canine reservoir hosts sufficiently to diminish the risk of infection for humans as well as dogs. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Twenty-year follow-up of children with and without speech-language impairments: family, educational, occupational, and quality of life outcomes.
Parents, professionals, and policy makers need information on the long-term prognosis for children with communication disorders. Our primary purpose in this report was to help fill this gap by profiling the family, educational, occupational, and quality of life outcomes of young adults at 25 years of age (N = 244) from the Ottawa Language Study, a 20-year, prospective, longitudinal study of a community sample of individuals with (n = 112) and without (n = 132) a history of early speech and/or language impairments. A secondary purpose of this report was to use data from earlier phases of the study to predict important, real-life outcomes at age 25. Participants were initially identified at age 5 and subsequently followed at 12, 19, and 25 years of age. Direct assessments were conducted at all 4 time periods in multiple domains (demographic, communicative, cognitive, academic, behavioral, and psychosocial). At age 25, young adults with a history of language impairments showed poorer outcomes in multiple objective domains (communication, cognitive/academic, educational attainment, and occupational status) than their peers without early communication impairments and those with early speech-only impairments. However, those with language impairments did not differ in subjective perceptions of their quality of life from those in the other 2 groups. Objective outcomes at age 25 were predicted differentially by various combinations of multiple, interrelated risk factors, including poor language and reading skills, low family socioeconomic status, low performance IQ, and child behavior problems. Subjective well-being, however, was primarily associated with strong social networks of family, friends, and others. This information on the natural history of communication disorders may be useful in answering parents' questions, anticipating challenges that children with language disorders might encounter, and planning services to address those issues. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Quantitative measurement of muscle and joint sensitivity in focal brain lesions].
A method is suggested of quantitative evaluation of disorders of musculoarticular sensitivity from the time of ordinary motor reaction to passive movement of a finger (BR). The method is based on an examination of 16 normal test subjects and 75 patients with focal injuries of the brain. It was established that upon preservation of the pathways and centers of deep sensitivity, there were no differences between BR in response to stimulation of the right and left hand. In patients with a pathological focus in the somatosensory area, BR to passive movement of the hand contralateral to the affected hemisphere was greater than that to the stimulation of the analogous hand. BR was made use of to recognize the involvement of the parietal area even where it was not found during neurological examination. During repeated examinations changes in BR reflected the time course of the pathological process in the somatosensory area of the brain. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Fluoride ion sensing in aqueous medium by employing nitrobenzoxadiazole-postgrafted mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-41).
A mesoporous silica-based inorganic-organic hybrid material (NBD-AP-MCM) has been designed and developed as a fluorescent chemosensor for the detection of fluoride in aqueous medium. The system was developed by covalently anchoring 7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD) dye onto the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles, MCM-41. The system was characterized using several conventional analytical methods comprising spectroscopic, microscopic and thermo-gravimetric techniques. The sensory action of the material was investigated by carrying out steady state absorbance, fluorescence and time resolved fluorescence studies on the system in the absence and presence of several biologically and environmentally important anions in aqueous solution. The photophysical data of the present system (NBD-AP-MCM) have also been compared with the free dye (NBD) molecules. A significant decrease in the fluorescence quantum yield of the fluorophore in the hybrid material NBD-AP-MCM has been observed as compared to the unbound NBD. The decrease in fluorescence efficiency in the hybrid material is attributed to the aggregation caused quenching (ACQ) phenomenon. Interestingly, the system displays more than six-fold fluorescence enhancement in the presence of fluoride ions in aqueous solution. Enhancement of the fluorescence lifetime of the fluorescing moiety (NBD) has also been observed during fluorescence time-resolved studies. No significant optical changes have been observed with other commonly encountered anions rendering the present system highly selective towards fluoride detection. The fluorescence enhancement has been attributed to the cleavage of Si-O bonds due to the addition of fluoride. The silyl cleavage detaches the fluorophore from the solid support thereby making the fluorophore "free" in solution, which in turn recovers its original fluorescence which was decreased because of the aggregation on the solid silica support. Furthermore, the suitability of the present system in cellular imaging has also been demonstrated. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Expression of antimicrobial peptides in diabetic foot ulcer.
Foot ulcers are one of the main diabetes complications due to its high frequency and difficulty of complete healing. There are several factors that participate in diabetic ulcers development and limited information exists about the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression pattern of the main AMPs: Human Neutrophil Peptide (HNP)-1, Human β-defensin (HBD)-1, HBD-2, HBD-3, HBD-4 and cathelicidin LL-37 in biopsies from diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). 20 biopsies from DFU grade 3 according to Wagner's classification and 20 biopsies from healthy donors were obtained. Real time PCR, immunohistochemistry and primary cell cultures were performed. β-Defensins were overexpressed in DFU, whereas LL-37 has low or none expression in comparison with healthy skin. When primary cell culture from these biopsies were performed and infected with Staphylococcus aureus, epidermal cell from diabetic ulcers showed lower LL-37 expression compared with cell cultures from healthy donors skin. These results suggest that though most AMPs are expressed in DFU, this production is not appropriate to promote wound healing and contain secondary infections. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Disproportionate high incidence of invasive cervical cancer as an AIDS-indicative disease among young women in Catalonia, Spain.
Spain has the highest rate of AIDS in Europe since 1990, mainly at the expenses of the intravenous drug user (IDU) transmission group, and women account for 20% of all the cases. Because cervical lesions may be altered by HIV, invasive cervical cancer (ICC) is included in the AIDS case definition worldwide. To assess the impact of the HIV epidemic on the incidence of ICC and to describe the characteristics of ICC in the spectrum of AIDS-defining diseases in Catalonia, Spain. Descriptive study of women notified through the AIDS surveillance system during 1994 to 1996. Age-specific ICC incidence rates from a population-based Cancer Registry were used to calculate the population attributable risk percent (PAR%). Fifty-six cases (6.8%) with ICC were reported to the AIDS Registry, 64.3% of those women were IDU with a mean age of 32. Among women aged 20 to 49, the PAR% was 12.2% (95% CI: 7.9-16.5%) and the incidence rate ratio was 18.5 (95% CI: 11.2-29.2). HIV is having an impact on ICC epidemiology among young women in Catalonia. The policy of cervical screening should be modified and offered every 6 to 12 months to women at risk for or with HIV infection. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Fundamental Frequency Range in Japanese and English: The Case of Simultaneous Bilinguals.
This article reports an experiment to test whether Japanese and English speakers vary their fundamental frequency (f0) range as a function of the language spoken. Speech samples of Japanese-(American) English simultaneous bilinguals (5 males, 5 females; all undergraduates at UC Berkeley) performing comparable reading tasks in their two native languages were analysed. The study builds on a relatively new approach to measuring f0 range that computes its high and low points from tonal targets in the intonational phonology. Unlike in most previous studies where f0 range is traditionally treated as a one-dimensional measure, f0 range in this study is measured along two quasi-independent dimensions: level and span. Findings revealed statistically significant crosslanguage differences between Japanese and English in both dimensions. This provides new insights into the relation between prosodic structure and f0 range in these two typologically different prosodic systems. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Technology Use, Preferences, and Capacity in Injured Patients at Risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
This investigation comprehensively assessed the technology use, preferences, and capacity of diverse injured trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. A total of 121 patients participating in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of stepped collaborative care targeting PTSD symptoms were administered baseline one-, three-, and six-month interviews that assessed technology use. Longitudinal data about the instability of patient cell phone ownership and phone numbers were collected from follow-up interviews. PTSD symptoms were also assessed over the course of the six months after injury. Regression analyses explored the associations between cell phone instability and PTSD symptoms. At baseline, 71.9% (n = 87) of patients reported current cell phone ownership, and over half (58.2%, n = 46) of these patients possessed basic cell phones. Only 19.0% (n = 23) of patients had no change in cell phone number or physical phone over the course of the six months postinjury. In regression models that adjusted for relevant clinical and demographic characteristics, cell phone instability was associated with higher six-month postinjury PTSD symptom levels (p < 0.001). Diverse injured patients at risk for the development of PTSD have unique technology use patterns, including high rates of cell phone instability. These observations should be strongly considered when developing technology-supported interventions for injured patients with PTSD. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Ring-resonator-based frequency-domain optical activity measurements of a chiral liquid.
Chiral liquids rotate the plane of polarization of linearly polarized light and are therefore optically active. Here we show that optical rotation can be observed in the frequency domain. A chiral liquid introduced in a fiber-loop ring resonator that supports left and right circularly polarized modes gives rise to relative frequency shifts that are a direct measure of the liquid's circular birefringence and hence of its optical activity. The effect is in principle not diminished if the circumference of the ring is reduced. The technique is similarly applicable to refractive index and linear birefringence measurements. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The effectiveness of cranberry products to reduce urinary tract infections in females: a literature review.
Cranberry products, especially cranberry juice, have been posited to prevent or treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) in females. Antimicrobial resistance has been correlated to repeated antibiotic treatment. Thus, evaluating cranberry products as a possible alternative to conventional antibiotic therapy is appropriate. This review of the literature evaluated research in which cranberry-based products are used to prevent or treat UTIs. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Immunohistological screening in the selection of monoclonal antibodies: the use of isotype-specific antiglobulins.
This paper describes the use of the immunoperoxidase technique for the screening of rat hybridoma culture supernatants on tissue sections. By combining the avidin-biotin system with mouse monoclonal antibodies specific to different rat immunoglobulin isotypes, it is possible to resolve the specificity patterns of complex mixtures of monoclonal antibodies from uncloned culture wells. This strategy is particularly useful in the derivation of monoclonal antibodies to cell surface antigens. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Facile synthesis of biomimetic honeycomb material with biological functionality.
A microfluidic approach to a honeycomb-structure material based on the synergistic effects of polymer rapid precipitation, double emulsion templating, and internal effervescent salt decomposition is reported. The delicate honeycomb structure exhibits unique characteristics with an external nanopore membrane and internal multiple cavities. The biological functionality of the artificial structure is explored to serve as microcarriers for cell culture and drug release, indicating their attractive properties for potential biomedical applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Impact of age on QT interval and QT dispersion in healthy subjects: a regression analysis.
although the isolated effects of age on QT interval and QT dispersion (QTd) have been previously investigated, no data are available on the simultaneous effects of age and other physiological or lifestyle factors on QT interval and QTd in healthy subjects. We studied the effects of age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, and blood pressure on these electrocardiographic parameters. observational study. academic medical centre. age, gender, body mass index, smoking status, and blood pressure were obtained from 191 consecutive healthy subjects (101 males and 90 females, age range 19-89 years). The subjects were divided into three groups according to their age: <30 (n=56), 30-65 (n=49), and >65 years (n=86). heart-rate corrected QT interval (QTc, Bazett's formula) progressively increased with advancing age (389+/-3 vs. 411+/-4 vs. 418+/-3 ms, means+/-SEM; P<0.01). By contrast, no differences in QTd were observed across the three groups (36+/-2 vs. 35+/-3 vs. 40+/-2 ms, P=NS). A multivariate regression analysis showed that age (P<0.01) and body mass index (P=0.04) independently predicted QT interval while gender was a weak (P=0.09) predictor of QTd. after adjusting for gender, smoking status, and blood pressure, age and body mass index independently predicted QT interval in healthy subjects. By contrast, age is not a predictor of QTd. The increase of QT interval associated with ageing and body mass index might be secondary to cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial action potential prolongation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of biofeedback-assisted relaxation on migraine headache and changes in cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery.
Twenty-three patients with diagnosed migraine headaches were randomly assigned to a biofeedback-assisted relaxation therapy group or to a group who relaxed on their own. The biofeedback trained group decreased pain and medication more than the self relax group. Cerebral blood flow velocity was measured in the middle cerebral artery with transcranial doppler (TCD). The trained group significantly reduced systolic and mean cerebral blood flow velocity on the side with the highest velocity. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Long-term risk of first recurrent stroke in the Perth Community Stroke Study.
Few community-based studies have examined the long-term risk of recurrent stroke after an acute first-ever stroke. This study aimed to determine the absolute and relative risks of a first recurrent stroke over the first 5 years after a first-ever stroke and the predictors of such recurrence in a population-based series of people with first-ever stroke in Perth, Western Australia. Between February 1989 and August 1990, all people with a suspected acute stroke or transient ischemic attack of the brain who were resident in a geographically defined region of Perth, Western Australia, with a population of 138 708 people, were registered prospectively and assessed according to standardized diagnostic criteria. Patients were followed up prospectively at 4 months, 12 months, and 5 years after the index event. Three hundred seventy patients with a first-ever stroke were registered, of whom 351 survived >2 days. Data were available for 98% of the cohort at 5 years, by which time 199 patients (58%) had died and 52 (15%) had experienced a recurrent stroke, 12 (23%) of which were fatal within 28 days. The 5-year cumulative risk of first recurrent stroke was 22.5% (95% confidence limits [CL], 16.8%, 28.1%). The risk of recurrent stroke was greatest in the first 6 months after stroke, at 8.8% (95% CL, 5.4%, 12.1%). After adjustment for age and sex, the prognostic factors for recurrent stroke were advanced, but not extreme, age (75 to 84 years) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.6; 95% CL, 1.1, 6.2), hemorrhagic index stroke (HR, 2.1; 95% CL, 0.98, 4.4), and diabetes mellitus (HR, 2.1; 95% CL, 0.95, 4.4). Approximately 1 in 6 survivors (15%) of a first-ever stroke experience a recurrent stroke over the next 5 years, of which 25% are fatal within 28 days. The pathological subtype of the recurrent stroke is the same as that of the index stroke in 88% of cases. The predictors of first recurrent stroke in this study were advanced age, hemorrhagic index stroke, and diabetes mellitus, but numbers of recurrent events were modest. Because the risk of recurrent stroke is highest (8.8%) in the first 6 months after stroke, strategies for secondary prevention should be initiated as soon as possible after the index event. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Risk of seizure recurrence after a first unprovoked seizure: a prospective study among Jordanian children.
There is wide variation in the reported recurrence rate after a first unprovoked seizure in children. We investigated the risk of recurrence after a first unprovoked seizure in Jordanian children and the risk factors associated with increased recurrence rate. All consecutive patients aged 3 months-14 years who presented with their first unprovoked seizures between January 1997 and 2000, were included in a prospective study and followed up for 3 years for possible recurrence. Of the patients studied, there was slight male predominance (56.6%) and 55% of them were 2-9 years of age. Generalised seizures were reported in 75% and the remaining 25% had partial seizures. The duration of seizure was 1-4 minutes in 59%. Family history of epilepsy was positive in 31% and parental consanguinity in 32%. The role of these factors in increasing the risk of recurrence was also investigated. Two hundred sixty-five patients were included in the study and continued follow up for 3 years. Ninety-eight (37%) of them experienced seizure recurrence. Among the predictor factors for recurrence, partial seizure (P = 0.003) and positive family history (P = 0.000) were associated with a statistically significant increased risk. Sex, age, duration of seizure and consanguinity were not associated with increased risk of recurrence. Thirty-seven percent of the children studied experienced a second attack after a first unprovoked seizure over the 3 years follows up period. The risk of recurrence was significantly higher in children with a partial seizure (55%) and among those with a positive family history of epilepsy (59%). Age at first seizure, sex, duration of seizure and consanguinity were not significantly related to the risk of recurrence. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Lateral sinus thrombosis and intracranial hypertension associated with primary hypothyroidism: case report.
Several cases of hypothyroidism have been reported to develop idiopathic intracranial hypertension not directly precisely linked with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT). A 31-year-old Chinese woman presented with bilateral blurred vision and paroxysmal amaurosis for about 6 months without headache. Neurological examination revealed normal expect for the sixth cranial nerve palsy and bilateral papilledema. Laboratory tests showed pronounced hypothyroidism and greatly increased serum triglyceride. Cerebral spinal fluid showed the increased opening and closing pressure. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) disclosed a filling defect in the adjunction of bilateral transverse sinuses and sigmoid sinuses. Her symptoms gradually improved with levothyroxine, mannitol and anticoagulants treatment. In presenting the rare case of lateral sinus thrombosis associated with primary hypothyroidism, we wish to alert physicians that patients presenting with papilledema and hypothyroidism may require investigations of DSA for CVT, even in the absence of headache. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Regrowth of Broken Hydroxide Flocs: Effect of Added Fluoride.
Hydrous oxides of Al(III) and Fe(III) play a large part in environmental processes and in the action of coagulants used in water and wastewater treatment. Aggregates (flocs) of hydroxide precipitates can be rather weak and are easily broken by applied shear. It is usually found that broken flocs do not fully regrow under low-shear conditions, and this could be a serious disadvantage in practical applications. The irreversible nature of floc breakage suggests that some form of specific, chemical interaction between precipitate particles must be at least partly responsible. On the basis of experiments reported here and elsewhere, we propose that hydroxyl bridges between particles play a part. When these are broken, there is a reduction in the number of "active" surface groups that are able to form new bridges. When small amounts of fluoride are added during breakage of Al flocs, there can be significant improvement in floc regrowth, although this depends on a number of factors, especially pH. With Fe flocs, fluoride has no noticeable effect. These results can be explained by the formation of soluble Al-F complexes and some dissolution of the Al(OH)3 precipitate. This creates a new surface with more "active" groups that can form new hydroxyl bridges. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Low-reflection region within the stop band of a finite or absorbing periodic multilayer.
Nonabsorbing periodic multilayers reflect both the s(TE) and p(TM) polarizations strongly within the respective stop bands. We find that finite or weakly absorbing layers, for which the reflection is usually strong within the stop bands, can have zero or very weak reflection of the p polarization near the middle of the stop band, close to glancing incidence. Approximate expressions are derived for the location (in angle of incidence and frequency) of the reflection minimum and compared with calculated reflectances for specific multilayers. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Complete genome sequencing and sequence analysis of BCG Tice].
The objective of this study is to obtain the complete genome sequence of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Tice (BCG Tice), in order to provide more information about the molecular biology of BCG Tice and design more reasonable vaccines to prevent tuberculosis. We assembled the data from high-throughput sequencing with SOAPdenovo software, with many contigs and scaffolds obtained. There are many sequence gaps and physical gaps remained as a result of regional low coverage and low quality. We designed primers at the end of contigs and performed PCR amplification in order to link these contigs and scaffolds. With various enzymes to perform PCR amplification, adjustment of PCR reaction conditions, and combined with clone construction to sequence, all the gaps were finished. We obtained the complete genome sequence of BCG Tice and submitted it to GenBank of National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). The genome of BCG Tice is 4334064 base pairs in length, with GC content 65.65%. The problems and strategies during the finishing step of BCG Tice sequencing are illuminated here, with the hope of affording some experience to those who are involved in the finishing step of genome sequencing. The microarray data were verified by our results. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
A biometric study of C-shaped root canal systems in mandibular second molars using cone-beam computed tomography.
To investigate the configuration of C-shaped canals in mandibular second molars, canal wall thickness and the orientation of the thinnest area at 1-mm intervals from the canal orifice to the apex by using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images. Three-dimensional CBCT images of 92 Korean mandibular second molars having C-shaped root canals were analysed to determine their configuration using a modification of Melton's classification, as well as the thinnest walls and their location. Associations between configuration type and distance from the canal orifice to the apex, as well as associations between the directional orientation of the thinnest root wall and distance from the canal orifice to the apex, were assessed by Fisher's exact test. Because serial measurements of minimum wall thicknesses were correlated with individual teeth, a mixed-effects analysis was applied. The most common configuration types were Melton's type I in the coronal region and Melton's type III in the apical region. Mean thicknesses of the thinnest root canal walls were 1.39 ± 0.38, 0.85 ± 0.25 and 0.77 ± 0.20 mm in the coronal, middle and apical regions, respectively. The thicker the root canal walls at the orifice region, the greater the decrease in thickness towards the apical region (P < 0.05), with the linguo-central root area being the thinnest. The pattern of decreasing thickness from the orifice to the apex formed a nonlinear cubic curve. The most prevalent configuration types were Melton's type I (coronal region) and type III (apical region). The linguo-central root area was the thinnest in C-shaped root canals of Korean mandibular second molars. These anatomical variations should be considered during surgical or nonsurgical endodontic procedures. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Introduction of aminoalkyl groups into prepared synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotides by transamination of cytosine residues].
The bisulphite-catalysed transamination of cytosine residues by means of ethylenediamine generally used for the natural nucleic acids modification has been extended on relatively short synthetic oligonucleotides. One of the aminoalkyloligonucleotides thus obtained has been used for preparing a biotinylated hybridisation probe. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Actions of prostaglandins in peripheral vascular beds.
The prostaglandins comprise a large family of substances that includes primary prostaglandins (PGE2, F2 alpha, D2) prostacyclin (PGI2), and thromboxanes (TxA2, B2), all of which exhibit some vascular activity. The activity of each prostaglandin may be species- and organ-dependent, and the type of prostaglandin produced in a tissue is often dependent on the presence of terminal enzyme systems in that tissue. This paper describes the effects of certain members of the prostaglandin family on the mesenteric and renal vascular beds of anesthetized dogs. In the kidney, arachidonic acid, PGE2, D2, and I2 all produce vasodilation when studied by bolus injection techniques. PGF2 alpha is relatively inactive. In the mesenteric vascular bed arachidonate, PGE2 and PGI2 are vasodilators whereas PGD2 and PGF2 are vasoconstrictors. The direct actions of thromboxanes A2 and the endoperoxide PGH2 are uncertain because of their very short half-lives in plasma. Infusion of prostaglandins E2 and I2 into the left ventricle produces vasodilation in both the kidney and the gut. In the mesenteric vascular bed, however, vasodilation during PGE2 (but not PGI2) infusion is a transient phenomenon and the blood flow returns to control levels within the first few minutes of infusion. The vascular actions of prostaglandins are therefore complex and are dependent not only on organ and species, but on experimental technique as well. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Association of HLA class II genes with systemic sclerosis in Spanish patients.
To examine the role of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles in the susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its clinical expression in a Spanish population. One hundred Spanish Caucasian patients with SSc and 130 controls were studied. Molecular HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequence-based typing and PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide. HLA-DRB1*11 was associated with genetic susceptibility to SSc, whereas HLA-DRB1*07 (HLA-DRB1*0701) showed a protective effect. A significant increase in the frequency of the DRB1*1104 allele was observed in patients with anti-topoisomerase I autoantibodies (anti-Topo I) while HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DQB1*05 alleles were significantly increased in patients with anti-centromere antibodies (ACA). The HLA-DRB1*11 allele was more frequent in patients with pulmonary fibrosis; however, no significant association with any HLA-DRB1 or DQB1 alleles was identified in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. HLA alleles play a role in genetic susceptibility to SSc in Spanish patients. Some alleles are more prevalent in patients with pulmonary fibrosis and in patients with certain SSc-specific autoantibodies (anti-Topo I and ACA). | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Acute gastritis in cats. Effect of water lavage and local hypothermia on gastric blood flow.
In the present investigation gastric blood flow was determined in cat stomachs with acute inflammation during continuous local irrigation with ice water (4 degrees C) or water at body temperature (37 degrees C). Acute gastritis was induced by a 10% acetic acid solution and gastric mucosal and muscularis blood flow were measured by means of gamma-labelled microspheres. The mucosa and muscularis blood flow remained essentially unchanged during irrigation either with ice water or warm water during the observation time of 2 h. The difference in gastric blood flow between the ice-water and warm-water-irrigated groups was not significant. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Comparison of Ricketts analysis and Downs-Northwestern analysis for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea cephalograms.
To determine which analysis is suitable to examine the dentofacial skeletal pattern characteristics of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), we took lateral cephalograms of 44 Japanese OSAS patients and 34 Japanese non-OSAS controls. By Ricketts analysis, we found significant differences between OSAS patients and non-OSAS controls on facial axis, lower facial height and total facial height, which showed that Japanese OSAS patients have dolico facial patterns. However, by Downs-Northwestern analysis, we did not find any significant difference between OSAS patients and non-OSAS controls using the same cephalograms as the Ricketts analysis. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Factors for consideration in the development and implementation of an online RN-BSN course. Faculty and student perceptions.
An online "issues in nursing" course was developed over the summer 2000 and subsequently implemented over a 4-semester time period in an RN-BSN program. Student and faculty anecdotal evaluation records were compiled and reviewed to determine universal needs and concerns associated with online learning for this particular population. Seven themes emerged from student course evaluation data and 5 "factors for faculty consideration" were identified by the course facilitator. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Gene expression differences in nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species regulation point to an altered innate immune response in chronic rhinosinusitis.
The complex interplay between host, environment, and microbe in the etiopathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) remains unclear. This study focuses on the host-microbe interaction, specifically the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) against the pathogenic organism Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). NO and ROS play crucial roles in innate immunity and in the first-line defense against microbial invasion. Sinonasal tissue samples were harvested from CRS and control patients during surgery. CRS patients were classified S. aureus biofilm-positive (B+) or biofilm-negative (B-) using fluorescence in situ hybridization and clinically as polyp-positive (P+) or polyp-negative (P-). Samples were assessed using an NO polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array containing 84 genes involved in NO and ROS regulation, and gene expression of all subgroups were compared to each other. Twenty-three samples were analyzed with 31 genes significantly changed, the greatest seen in the B+P+ CRS patients. Four genes consistently displayed differential expression between the groups including the cytoprotective oxidation resistance 1 (OXR1) and peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), neutrophil cytosolic factor 2 (NCF2), and the prion protein (PRNP) genes. Alteration in gene expression points to impaired innate immune responses differing among CRS subgroups based on S. aureus biofilm and polyp status. The consistent alteration of 4 genes among distinct groups demonstrates that S. aureus biofilms and polyps are associated with specific changes in gene expression. Further studies are required to validate these findings in a wider cohort of patients and correlate this to protein expression and disease manifestation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Macroscopic two-pump two-vasculature cardiovascular model to support treatment of acute heart failure.
Comprehensive understanding of hemodynamics remains a challenge even for expert cardiologists, partially due to a lack of an appropriate macroscopic model. We attempted to amend three major problems of Guyton's conceptual model (unknown left atrial pressure, unilateral heart damage, blood redistribution) and developed a comprehensive macroscopic model of hemodynamics that provides quantitative information. We incorporated a third axis of left atrial pressure, resulting in a 3D coordinate system. Pump functions of left and right heart are expressed by an integrated cardiac output curve, and the capacitive function of total vasculature by a venous return surface. The equations for both the cardiac output curve and venous return surface would facilitate precise diagnosis (especially evaluation of blood volume) and choice of appropriate treatments, including application to autopilot systems. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Violent juvenile sex offenders compared with violent juvenile nonsex offenders: explorative findings from the Pittsburgh Youth Study.
Only a limited number of studies have compared the psychosocial characteristics of juvenile sex offenders and nonsex offenders. The results of these studies have often been contradictory. Furthermore, studies in normal population groups are rare and most of those studies have been conducted in specific populations. This paper reports on the findings of a prospective, longitudinal study, the Pittsburgh Youth Study, in which violent male sex offenders (n = 39) were compared with violent nonsex offenders (n = 430) based on 66 demographic and psychosocial characteristics. The findings show that the sex offenders resembled the nonsex violent offenders with respect to nearly all child, family, peer and demographic risk factors. Some suggestions are made with regard to future research. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Transfer of Bacillus ehimensis and Bacillus chitinolyticus to the genus Paenibacillus with emended descriptions of Paenibacillus ehimensis comb. nov. and Paenibacillus chitinolyticus comb. nov.
The taxonomic status of Bacillus ehimensis and Bacillus chitinolyticus was examined, based on their 16S rDNA sequences, DNA-DNA hybridization and other taxonomic characteristics. A phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequences revealed that the two species belong to the genus Paenibacillus. In particular, B. ehimensis KCTC 3748(T) and B. chitinolyticus KCTC 3791(T) were found to be phylogenetically closely related to Paenibacillus koreensis YC300(T) (98.3 % sequence similarity) and Paenibacillus chinjuensis WN9(T) (95.2 % sequence similarity), respectively. DNA-DNA hybridization values between B. ehimensis KCTC 3748(T) and P. koreensis YC300(T) were less than 26 %. An experiment using Paenibacillus-specific PCR primers, PAEN515F and 1377R, revealed that B. ehimensis and B. chitinolyticus had the same amplified 16S rDNA fragment as members of the genus Paenibacillus. Accordingly, it is proposed that B. ehimensis and B. chitinolyticus be transferred to the genus Paenibacillus as Paenibacillus ehimensis comb. nov. and Paenibacillus chitinolyticus comb. nov., respectively. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
PON1 Hypermethylation and PON3 Hypomethylation are Associated with Risk of Cerebral Infarction.
Paraoxonase (PON) family genes are closely related to the etiology and prognosis of cerebral infarction. This study explored the association of the promoter methylation of PON family genes (PON1, PON2 and PON3) with the risk of cerebral infarction. In this study, 152 patients with confirmed cerebral infarction were selected as the case group, and 152 healthy controls were selected as the control group. The quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) was used to determine the promoter methylation levels of PON1, PON2 and PON3 genes. The methylation level was expressed as a methylation reference percentage (PMR). Our results indicated that PON1 methylation was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (P = 0.0001). On the contrary, PON3 methylation was significantly lower in the case group than in the control group (P = 0.002). In addition, we found that PON2 gene had a very low level of methylation in both case and control groups (PMR = 0). Subgroup analysis showed that PON1 and PON3 methylation were associated with cerebral infarction only in males (PON1, P = 0.0002; PON3, P = 0.007). Interestingly, the methylation levels of PON1 and PON3 were correlated with each other (case: r = 0.418, P = 0.0001; control: r = 0.3, P = 0.0002). Further multiple regression analysis suggested that elevated methylation levels of PON3 were a protective factor for cerebral infarction [OR (95%CI) = 0.979 (0.96, 0.999), β = -0.021, P = 0.035)], highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) and uric acid (UA) also were protective factors for cerebral infarction [HDL, OR (95% CI) = 0.01 (0.003, 0.033), P < 0.0001); UA, OR (95% CI) = 0.995 (0.991, 0.998), P = 0.003)]. The ROC curve analysis found that the combination of PON3, HDL, and UA had a good predictive power for cerebral infarction (AUC=0.878, 95% CI=0.839-0.918, sensitivity 73.7%, specificity 89.7%, P < 0.0001). PON1 and PON3 promoter methylation levels in peripheral blood were closely related. PON1 and PON3 methylation were associated with the risk of cerebral infarction in men. PON3 promoter methylation combined with HDL and UA could be used as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of cerebral infarction. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Extraction of airway foreign bodies in adults: experience from 1987-2008.
To determine the incidence and the clinical, radiographic, and endoscopic characteristics of adult patients in our area diagnosed with tracheobronchial foreign bodies (FBs), we have performed a descriptive retrospective study analysing rigid and flexible bronchoscopies practised at our department between 1987 and 2008 in patients older than 14 years. Of the 9781 bronchoscopies performed, 32 involved cases of bronchoaspiration of FBs. The mean age of the patients was 43.81 years (S.D. 21.43); 65.6% were male and 34.4% were female. Acute or recurrent infection was the most frequent clinical presentation. Chest radiographs provided data for diagnosis in 68% of the cases. The most common FB aspirated were inorganic (pins and plastic devices 21.4%, respectively). In conclusion, we can state that in our area tracheobronchial aspiration of FBs by adults is not common. The clinical symptoms are highly variable and the FBs are usually lodged in the right bronchial tree. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Outcomes of Primary and Secondary Carotid Artery Stenting.
Little is known of the excess risk attributable to secondary carotid angioplasty and stenting (CAS). This study evaluates outcomes of redo-CAS and CAS after prior ipsilateral carotid endarterectomy (CASAPICEA) relative to primary-CAS. We studied all patients in the Vascular Quality Initiative, who underwent primary-CAS, CASAPICEA, or redo-CAS (2003-2016). Kaplan-Meier, multivariable logistic and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate outcomes within 30 days and up to 1 year and identify their predictors. There were 11 742 CAS procedures performed: 8519 (72%) primary-, 2645 (23%) CASAPICEA, and 578 (5%) redo-CAS. Comparing primary-CAS versus CASAPICEA versus redo-CAS, 30-day stroke/death was 2.5% versus 2.0% versus 1.3% for asymptomatic patients (P=0.23) and 5.2% versus 2.6% versus 5.0% for symptomatic patients (P=0.003). CASAPICEA was associated with significantly lower 30-day stroke/death (odds ratio: 0.60; 95% confidence interval: 0.37-0.98; P=0.04) compared with primary-CAS among symptomatic patients. The odds of bradycardia were lower following CASAPICEA (odds ratio: 0.32; 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.39; P<0.001) and redo-CAS (odds ratio: 0.55; 95% confidence interval: 0.39-0.78; P=0.001) compared with primary-CAS. Similarly, the odds of hypotension were significantly lower in both groups compared with primary-CAS (CASAPICEA: 0.41 [0.35-0.48], P<0.001; redo-CAS: 0.66 [0.50-0.86] P=0.003). There were no significant differences in the hazards of stroke/death at 1 year for CASAPICEA and redo-CAS compared with primary-CAS. CASAPICEA is associated with significantly lower odds of periprocedural stroke/death compared with primary-CAS among symptomatic patients. CASAPICEA and redo-CAS are associated with significantly lower odds of periprocedural hypotension and bradycardia but higher odds of hypertension compared with primary-CAS. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Demographic aging and biopower.
The aging of the world's population is an unprecedented recent phenomenon in human history, as for millennia - at least from the Neolithic to the mid-18th century - the age structures of human populations have changed little. The question posed by this anthropological perspective seems at first sight quite simple: how did this aging come to be? We will see that from a demographic point of view, the answer seems trivial: a basic shift in population structure is at the origin. However, we will go further by exploring the historical and political conditions of this transition by mobilizing the Foucauldian notion of biopower. We argue that this notion has the heuristic advantage of linking several core processes at work in the demographic transition. Although our analysis focuses on France to illustrate the notion of biopower in Foucault's work, we also discuss several non-western societies to explain why demographic aging is inevitable across the globe due to biopower strategies and "dispositifs". This article also constitutes a reflexive analysis on our practices as gerontologists and on the widespread "successful aging" concept. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Acute pulmonary edema in carbon monoxide poisoning. Prognostic effect].
285 patients affected by carbon monoxide poisoning were admitted in our intensive care unit over a period of two years (from july 1980 to july 1982). 18 patients had a pulmonary edema (P.E.). The occurrence of P.E. was more frequent when coma was grade 2, 3 or 4 (p less than 10(-3]. The acute physiologic score (weighting of physiologic measurements) as proposed by Knauss is higher in patients with P.E. (p less than 10(-2]. However death is never due to P.E.; about 54 patients with coma, 5 died; death is related to neurologic aggravation. Neurologic sequelae are not related to the occurrence of P.E. but to a delay in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These date show that prognosis of carbon monoxide poisoning is related to neurological status and is not influenced by the occurrence of P.E. when correctly treated and when hyperbaric oxygen therapy is early realized. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Alcohol and cocaine use among first-year college students.
We surveyed 1528 first-year students at the University of Virginia, 1 month after their arrival on campus, who had used alcohol at some time in their lives. Our survey was designed to identify alcohol and cocaine use, and related psychosocial patterns. Men drank more and more often than women. Our data suggest that body weight should be considered in defining those who drink heavily and often. We define 'frequent heavy drinking' as five or more drinks in a row each week for men and three to four drinks or more in a row each week for women. Frequent heavy drinkers, cocaine users, and students with psychosocial problems appeared disproportionately among students planning to join fraternities and sororities. Although first-year students used cocaine infrequently, its users followed the patterns of frequent heavy drinkers. We believe efforts to correct alcohol and cocaine misuse by college students should be directed, in part, at social organizations such as Greek-letter societies. Also, we must attend to psychosocial features that predispose to alcohol and cocaine misuse. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Syphilis in China: results of a national surveillance programme.
After a massive syphilis epidemic in the first half of the 20th century, China was able to eliminate this infection for 20 years (1960-80). However, substantial changes in Chinese society have been followed by a resurgent epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. Sporadic reports have provided clues to the magnitude of the spread of syphilis, but a national surveillance effort is needed to provide data for planning and intervention. We collected and assessed case report data from China's national sexually transmitted disease surveillance system and sentinel site network. In 1993, the reported total rate of cases of syphilis in China was 0.2 cases per 100,000, whereas primary and secondary syphilis alone represented 5.7 cases per 100,000 persons in 2005. The rate of congenital syphilis increased greatly with an average yearly rise of 71.9%, from 0.01 cases per 100,000 livebirths in 1991 to 19.68 cases per 100 000 livebirths in 2005. The results suggest that a range of unique biological and social forces are driving the spread of syphilis in China. A national campaign for detection and treatment of syphilis, and a credible prevention strategy, are urgently needed. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Alliance building and narcissistic personality disorder.
Building a therapeutic alliance with a patient with pathological narcissism or narcissistic personality disorder is a challenging process. A combined alliance building and diagnostic strategy is outlined that promotes patients' motivation and active engagement in identifying their own problems. The main focus is on identifying grandiosity, self-regulatory patterns, and behavioral fluctuations in their social and interpersonal contexts while engaging the patient in meaningful clarifications and collaborative inquiry. A definition of grandiosity as a diagnostic characterological trait is suggested, one that captures self-criticism, inferiority, and fragility in addition to superiority, assertiveness, perfectionism, high ideals, and self-enhancing and self-serving interpersonal behavior. These reformulations serve to expand the spectrum of grandiosity-promoting strivings and activities, capture their fluctuations, and help clinicians attend to narcissistic individuals' internal experiences and motivation as well as to their external presentation and interpersonal self-enhancing, self-serving, controlling, and aggressive behavior. A case example illustrates this process. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Base excision and DNA binding activities of human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase are sensitive to the base paired with a lesion.
The human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase has a broad substrate specificity, excising a structurally diverse group of damaged purines from DNA. To more clearly define the structural and mechanistic bases for substrate specificity of human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase, kinetics of excision and DNA binding activities were measured for several different damaged and undamaged purines within identical DNA sequence contexts. We found that 1,N(6)-ethenoadenine (epsilonA) and hypoxanthine (Hx) were excised relatively efficiently, whereas 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine, O(6)-methylguanine, adenine, and guanine were not. Single-turnover kinetics of excision of Hx and epsilonA paired with T showed that excision of Hx was about four times faster than epsilonA, whereas binding assays showed that the binding affinity was about five times greater for epsilonA than for Hx. The opposing pyrimidine base had a significant effect on the kinetics of excision and DNA binding affinity of Hx but a small effect on those for epsilonA. Surprisingly, replacing a T with a U opposite Hx dramatically reduced the excision rate by a factor of 15 and increased the affinity by a factor of 7-8. The binding affinity of human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase to a DNA product containing an abasic site was similar to that for an Hx lesion. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
HIFU induced particles redistribution in polymer matrix via synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography.
High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) was used to stimulate the embedded copper sulfate (CuSO4) particles to release from the crosslinked poly (methyl methacrylate-co-butyl acrylate) copolymer solid matrix. In order to better understand the ultrasound release mechanism for drug/polymer delivery systems, the synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography (SR-CT) was used to non-destructively investigate the structure of drug/polymer delivery systems after different HIFU treatment time. For the first time, we clearly demonstrate that ultrasonic waves can overcome the constraints of the polymer chain and drive the filler to move from the strong region to the weak region in the solid polymer matrix, thus resulting in a change in distribution of the filler in solid polymers. This result also demonstrates that SR-CT is a powerful technique which can be used to quantitatively study the 3D structure of fillers/polymers composite as it can take a broader and overall view than the conventional localized two-dimensional analysis method such as SEM, TEM. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Mass spectral studies of native and mass-labeled perfluorooctanesulfonamides.
This work examines the mass spectra of several environmentally relevant amides, perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA), NMeFOSA, NEtFOSA, and NMe(2)FOSA, under electron ionization conditions. A previous mass spectral study of FOSA and NEtFOSA led the authors to propose possible structures for some of the fragment ions and fragmentation pathways that might explain their formation. In the present communication, further fragment ions are identified for these two compounds and alternative fragmentation pathways proposed. Mass spectral analyses of NMeFOSA and NMe(2)FOSA and of mass-labeled NMeFOSA and NEtFOSA reinforce our conclusions about potential fragmentation pathways for these amides and the fragment ions expected. The mass spectral data presented here will help chemists to identify signals found in a gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) analysis that stem from these perfluoroalkylsulfonamides. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Framing research on culture in psychiatric diagnosis: the case of the DSM-IV.
The fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association 1994) treats the concept of culture as directly relevant to the diagnostic task. In contrast, its predecessor, the DSM-III-R, restricted its coverage to two paragraphs of the concept, cautioning that when the manual was used with clients from different cultural groups, cultural factors could interfere with diagnosis. I believe that the adequacy of the cultural insertions in the DSM-IV should be debated but I also believe that the changes will be considered important. The premise of this article is that they are important. The objective is to show that the cultural insertions in DSM-IV can be organized and focused on important issues of research. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Hipercalcemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Report of three patients (author's transl)].
Three out of 140 patients with non-hodgkin's lymphoma treated in a Department of Internal Medicine showed hypercalcemia during their clinical course. Hypercalcemia was symptomatic in two patients causing renal failure in one of them and a metabolic encephalopathy in the other. In the third case hypercalcemia was a casual finding. Serum calcium levels varied between 14.8 and 16.6 mg/100 ml; serum phosphate and tubular reabsorption of phosphate were normal. Alkaline phosphatase were high in the three cases. Bone disease was present in two cases. Transient responses were obtained with the administration of prednisone and calcitonin associated to forced diuresis. Indomethacin was ineffective. Pathogenesis of hypercalcemia could be related to the release of an osteoclastic activator factor. The role of prostaglandins and the presence of PTH-like mechanisms were discarded in our cases by indirect methods. The poor prognosis of patients with non-hogkin's lymphoma and hypercalcemia in stressed. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Influence of chitosan/1,4-butanediol blends on the thermal and surface behavior of polycaprolactone diol-based polyurethanes.
This current study aims to study of the thermal behavior of the polyurethane elastomers (PUEs) by varying blends of 1, 4-butanediol and chitosan (CS) into the backbone of polyurethane (PU). The polycaprolactone diol (PCL) was used as a macrodiol while a mixture of CS and 1, 4-butanediol was reacted to extend the polymer. For the preparation of NCO-endcapped polyurethane prepolymer; one equivalent of PCL was reacted with three equivalents of toluene diisocyanate (TDI). The obtained pre-polymer was further extended with CS and 1, 4-butanediol (2 mol) individually and with different blends. The characterization of the structure was determined using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. The glass transition temperature of prepared polyurethanes was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results obtained showed that, the thermal behavior of PUs was enhanced as the CS contents were increased in the PU backbone. The crystalline behavior of CS increased the hydrophobicity of the prepared PUs. Moreover; the water absorption, contact angle, swelling behavior, work of water adhesion and surface free energy of the synthesized PUs were affected with the addition of chitosan. Finally, it has been concluded resultant chitosan based PU has a potential for biomedical implant i.e., non-absorbable suture. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effects of acute hippocampal stimulation on EEG dynamics.
Progressive preictal dynamical convergence and postictal divergence of dynamical EEG descriptors among brain regions has been reported in human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and in a rodent model of TLE. There are also reports of anticonvulsant effects of high frequency stimulation of the hippocampus in humans. We postulate that this anticonvulsant effect is due to dynamical resetting by the electrical stimulation. The following study investigated the effects of acute hippocampal electrical stimulation on dynamical transitions in the brain of a spontaneously seizing animal model of TLE to test the hypothesis of divergence in dynamical values by electrical stimulation of the hippocampus. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Designing and validation of text messages for m-Health intervention for tobacco cessation and management.
Tobacco is a growing epidemic and tobacco-related death results in health consequences and lost economic opportunities. Tobacco cessation efforts mandate the use of multiple strategies to bring about behaviour change. To develop and validate health promotive text messages using transtheoretical model and prospect theory for behaviour change. The present observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital, Delhi among patients reporting at Tobacco Cessation Centre (TCC). The study was divided into two phases: first involved development of text messages in local language (Hindi) using a sound theoretical basis (TTM and prospect theory) and second phase dealt with validation of the developed text messages by patients and experts in the field of tobacco cessation. Descriptive statistics was obtained using the SPSS version 17. The sample comprised 20 males and 6 females. Average appeal score ranged from 6.1 to 9.6 (54 messages). Forty two messages out of a total of 54 messages were found to be appropriate after validation by the experts. Mean words of the final messages (42 messages) was 24.5 ± 1.3. Two hundred ninety one (90%) out of a total of 324 questionnaires showed adequate understanding of message as assessed by the reviewers. The current effort developed and validated health promotive text messages package to aid in tobacco cessation. The preventive text messages were grounded in evidence and sound theoretical basis and followed a standard validating procedure leading to satisfactory understanding and appeal in all domains. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Colistin bladder instillation, an alternative way of treating multi-resistant Acinetobacter urinary tract infection: a case series and review of literature.
The multiresistant Acinetobacter species bacteria are frequently involved in urinary or respiratory tract infections, and one of the most effective drugs, colistine, is associated with significant nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Given that very high concentrations of colistine into biological fluids are safe for the human organism, attempts have been made at delivering the drug topically, by aerosol, or, occasionally, intratechally or intraventricularly for meningitis. These topical treatments could eradicate the Pseudomonas sp. from the lung of patients with cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis and the Acinetobacter baumannii from lung and meninges. However, only one case of colistin topic treatment in urinary tract infection is described. We report a case series of three patients successfully undergone colistin bladder instillations for multi drug resistant Acinetobacter urinary tract infection, and we review the literature about colistin topic treatment. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Development of a Predictive Model for Adverse Outcomes of Preeclampsia].
To determine factors associated with adverse outcomes of preeclampsia and develop a predictive model. Clinical data of 2 532 patients with preeclampsia who were admitted to our hospital from 2005 to 2014 were extracted for the study. The patients were divided into two groups, including 990 (39.1%) with adverse outcomes and 1 542 (60.9%) without adverse outcomes. Factors associated with adverse outcomes were identified through univariate analyses. The predictive model was developed through multivariate logistic regression analyses using a randomly selected sample containing 80% of the cases. The remaining 20% of cases served for the purpose of validation and the establishment of the ROC curve. Primiparas, educational attainments, prenatal care, multiple births, edema, chest pain, dyspnea, dizziness, headache, blurred vision, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, urine protein, liver and kidney functions were found to be associated with adverse outcomes of preeclampsia. Multiple births, edema, dyspnea, blurred vision, cardiovascular disease, liver and kidney functions entered into the logistic regression model (P<0.05). The Logit(P) model had a good fitness of data and 77.1% accuracy in predicting adverse outcomes. The area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curve was 0.804 [P<0.01, 95% confidence interval CI): 0.758 to 0.849]. The highest sensitivity was achieved when the cut-off point set risk value at 0.300, [CM(155mm]with 58.6% patients having adverse outcomes representing 83.8% true positive rate and 46.8% false positive rate. Adverse outcomes of preeclampsia can be predicted through multiple births, edema, dyspnea, blurred vision, cardiovascular disease, liver and kidney functions. Risk value ≥0.300 is recommended. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Hospital use for potentially preventable conditions in aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australian populations.
The poor state of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health has been documented in many ways, most obviously by comparing the relatively higher age-specific mortality and morbidity rates. This paper demonstrates the use of acute hospital separation data as a way to identify potential deficiencies in providing appropriate primary health care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. It does so by using 'ambulatory sensitive conditions': those conditions (and procedures) for which high-quality appropriate primary health services deliverable under ideal circumstances are though to potentially reduce or eliminate the need for hospitalisation. Potential or realised access to primary care is not analysed directly using primary health service data. In this study, 1993-94 acute hospital separation data from NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were used to calculate separation rates and odds ratios for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. Age-specific acute hospital separation rates for ambulatory sensitive conditions were 1.7 to 11 times higher for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations studied. This supports clinical contentions that much Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander morbidity and mortality is preventable and that further consideration is needed to service delivery reform at all levels in the health system and the distribution of funding. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Open Infected Seymour Fracture.
One of the serious complications of Seymour fractures is infection. A 24-year-old male presented with the open infected distal phalanx fracture of the middle finger. Wound debridement, irrigation, use of antibiotics and external fixation with the aid of mini-Ilizarov provided a resolution to the infectious process and enabled us to achieve a stable osseous union in correct position. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Fractioning the Hooper: a multiple-choice response format.
The Hooper Visual Organization Test (HVOT) provides an excellent illustration of the multifactorial nature of most neuropsychological tests. Although the HVOT clearly requires certain visual perceptual skills, the test also demands that the subject produce an overt verbal response - i.e., the name of the object that has been cut up and rearranged. Thus, individuals with disorders of confrontation naming may obtain low scores on the HVOT by virtue of their anomia, even if the primary perceptual skills that the HVOT purports to assess are intact. The present study was designed to minimize the demands of object naming on HVOT performance, by using a multiple choice format of the HVOT. Fourteen individuals with lateralized injury resulting from either cerebral vascular accident or cerebral contusion were administered the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and the standard version of the HVOT. Approximately 24 hours later, subjects were administered the Multiple-Choice Hooper Visual Organization Test (MC-HVOT). The MC-HVOT consisted of the 30 original HVOT stimuli presented with four response choices, including the correct response and three foils. A paired sample t test revealed that anomic subjects achieved a significantly greater number of correct responses on the MC-HVOT then under the standard HVOT administration. Subjects with both right and left hemisphere involvement benefited from diminished naming demands. Overall HVOT performance significantly improved when the object naming demand was reduced, resulting in a clearer assessment of visual integration skills. These findings may have significant implications for both interpretation of impairment and formulation of treatment recommendations. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Collective Behavior of Social Bots Is Encoded in Their Temporal Twitter Activity.
Computational propaganda deploys social or political bots to try to shape, steer, and manipulate online public discussions and influence decisions. Collective behavior of populations of social bots has not been yet widely studied, although understanding of collective patterns arising from interactions between bots would aid social bot detection. In this study, we show that there are significant differences in collective behavior between population of bots and population of humans as detected from their Twitter activity. Using a large dataset of tweets we have collected during the UK-EU referendum campaign, we separated users into population of bots and population of humans based on the length of sequences of their high-frequency tweeting activity. We show that, while pairwise correlations between users are weak, they co-exist with collective correlated states; however the statistics of correlations and co-spiking probability differ in both populations. Our results demonstrate that populations of social bots and human users in social media exhibit collective properties similar to the ones found in social and biological systems placed near a critical point. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Digital echocardiography and telemedicine applications in pediatric cardiology.
Digital echocardiography offers several advantages over videotape, including easy review, comparison, storage, postprocessing, and sharing of studies, quantitative analysis, and superior resolution. Newer echocardiography systems can write digital data to computer hardware, whereas older systems require digitization of analog data. Clinical and digital data compression is required to reduce study size. Clinical compression has been validated in several adult studies and one pediatric study. JPEG and MPEG digital compression ratios of 26:1 and 200:1, respectively, approximate S-videotape quality. JPEG is the DICOM 3.0 standard and is ideal for short loops, serial comparisons, and quantitative analysis. MPEG (the motion picture standard) lends itself to digitization of video streams and may be more attractive to pediatric cardiologists. Options for data storage and transfer range from limited local review to multiple offline review stations linked by a wide-area network. Telemedicine expands the capabilities of digital echocardiography in a "store and forward" or "real-time" format. Real-time neonatal telecardiology is accurate, impacts patient care, is cost-effective, and does not increase utilization. Cost, increased reliance on sonographers' skills, lack of accepted standards, and legal, licensure, and billing issues are obstacles to widespread acceptance of digital echocardiography and telemedicine. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Facilitation of tacrolimus-induced heart-allograft acceptability by pretransplant host treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: interleukin-12-restricted suppression of intragraft monokine mRNA expression.
Because recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) is known to modulate function of antigen-presenting cells, we examined effects of pretransplant host treatment with rhG-CSF on allograft survival. In DA-to-Lewis rat heart transplantation, hosts were given pretransplant injections of rhG-CSF (250 microg/kg/day subcutaneously from day -5-0) and/or posttransplant injections of tacrolimus (2 mg/kg/day intramuscularly from day 0-3). Cytokine mRNA levels in grafts were measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. rhG-CSF pretreatment was effective in prolonging allograft survival only in tacrolimus-treated hosts (P <0.001). Intragraft mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-12 subunits (p35, p40) at 24 hours after transplantation was significantly (P <0.05) down-regulated by the addition of rhG-CSF and was associated with suppression of interferon-gamma levels on day 6, although other proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor -alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-18) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, transforming growth factor-beta) were not. rhG-CSF pretreatment down-regulates intragraft expression of the type-1 T-helper cell (Th1)-driving cytokine IL-12 and facilitates tacrolimus-induced graft acceptance. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Retroperitoneal repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms offers postoperative benefits to male patients in the Veterans Affairs Health System.
Transperitoneal (TP) and retroperitoneal (RP) approaches have equal efficacy in elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The effect of open operative approach on patient-specific outcomes after AAA repair was tested. Consecutive patients undergoing open AAA repair at the Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System between January 2000 and August 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Analysis was performed to examine the effects of demographic and clinical covariates on postoperative outcomes. A total of 106 patients were identified: 54 with TP approach and 52 with RP approach. Demographics and preoperative comorbidities were equivalent (p > or = 0.10), with the exception of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which was more prevalent in the TP group (61 vs. 40%). Operative times were longer in the TP group (4.6 vs. 3.5 hours; p < 0.01); however, significantly more TP patients had reconstruction with a bifurcated graft (72 vs. 2%; p < 0.01). Postoperative nasogastric tube decompression times were shorter in the RP group (1 vs. 3 days; p < 0.01), and RP approach led to a quicker return to preoperative diet (4 vs. 6 days; p = 0.05). Patients undergoing RP repair developed fewer incisional hernias (2 vs. 15%; p = 0.03). RP approach to AAA repair offers patients faster return of bowel function and is associated with fewer incisional hernias. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Rectal perchlorate for unconscious patients prior to brain scintigraphy with pertechnetate: concise communication.
Patients undergoing brain scintigraphy with pertechnetate are frequently premedicated with oral perchlorate. However, the oral route is difficult to employ in unconscious or uncooperative patients or when oral intake is restricted. In such situations, rectal administration of sodium perchlorate dissolved in water is an effective alternative to oral administration. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The Role of Stress Echocardiography in Valvular Heart Disease: A Current Appraisal.
Stress echocardiography is a widely available, safe, low-cost, versatile imaging modality which is becoming increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in the assessment of patients with native and prosthetic left-sided valvular heart disease. It provides a quantitative assessment to help guide clinical decision-making when discordance exists between symptoms and severity of valve disease. Exercise (treadmill or bicycle) remains the preferred stress modality, but pharmacological augmentation with dobutamine can be used if needed. Low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography is specifically valuable in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis when attempting to differentiate true severe aortic stenosis from pseudo-severe aortic stenosis. Stress echocardiography not only identifies high-risk features that indicate need for earlier surgery, it also provides useful information for the peri- and postoperative period, including long-term outcome, risk stratification to guide monitoring frequency, and offers guidance for eligibility in competitive sports participation. As research continues to expand the utility of stress echocardiography in the management of patients with valvular heart disease, future research should focus on the recognition of newer parameters identifying high-risk features including subsequent validation in a large population. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Are multichannel urodynamics required prior to surgery in a woman with stress urinary incontinence?
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that cystometry need not be performed before conservative therapy for incontinence in women, nor is cystometry routinely recommended in the small group of women with a clearly defined diagnosis of pure stress incontinence. Nonetheless, it is frequently utilized in the assessment of women with stress urinary incontinence in the hope that results will shed light on preoperative risk factors for failure or postoperative voiding dysfunction. The ability of urodynamic studies to characterize these parameters reliably remains under investigation. Because urodynamic studies are invasive, costly, and not always available, it is imperative that its benefit be carefully explored. This review highlights the recent arguments for and against this recommendation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Wegener's granulomatosis: histological documentation of common and uncommon manifestations in 216 patients.
Wegener's granulomatosis is the prototype of pulmonary angiitis and granulomatosis and a systemic vasculitic syndrome of unknown etiology. Wegener's granulomatosis can involve virtually any and often a multitude of organ-tissues. This survey of 216 patients provides a histological documentation and pertinent literature review of both the common and uncommon, but with emphasis on the uncommon, manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis. The common manifestations of the disease include the classic triad of upper airway, lung, and kidney, in 87%, 69%, and 48% of the patients, respectively. The less common manifestations involve the skin, central nervous system, eye and orbit, heart, breast, salivary gland, gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and male and female urogenital tracts; each of these accounts for less than 15% in all cases and below 5% for most of the patients. The manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis in many of the uncommon anatomical sites of involvement may be distinctive or atypical and therefore, the histopathological diagnosis must be correlated with clinical and laboratory test findings. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Recent advances in the pharmaceutical management of pain.
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience for patients. Management of pain is the most frequent issue encountered by clinicians and treatment is usually with pharmacological therapy. This review discusses recent pharmaceutical advances in pain management with respect to new modes of analgesic delivery, as well as new analgesic agents and adjuvants that are currently being investigated for their analgesic properties. New modes of administration include transdermal delivery in the form of skin patches, transmucosal delivery, inhalational administration, various patient-controlled devices and extended-release analgesic formulations. Up-to-date research is presented on classical analgesics, such as opioids, anti-inflammatory agents, including cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors and paracetamol (acetaminophen), local anesthetics and ketamine. In addition, newer agents such as antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs as well as medicinal cannabinoids are discussed. As our understanding of the multiple pain pathways involved in the pathogenesis of pain expands, further compounds with analgesic properties will be developed. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Giving life, giving death: ethical problems of high-technology medicine.
High-technology medicine, such as dialysis and transplantation is limited and nowhere can all potential beneficiaries receive it. Although very successful, high-technology medicine sometimes makes dying to a cruel spectacle and patients whose lives depend on a machine want to stop. The resulting ethical questions revolve around just distribution of life support - giving life, and withdrawal of life support in giving death. We investigated distributive justice of life-support by setting the number of patients accepted for dialysis in relation to those who died of renal failure and by setting the transplanted patients in relation to those waiting on chronic dialysis. In both Sweden and in the USA, and in both dialysis and transplantation, older patients received less treatment than younger ones. Seventy-year old people had less than 1/10 the chance of 20-40 year old of receiving dialysis and less than 1/30 chance of receiving a transplant. Women had between 70%-90% the chance of men of receiving dialysis and transplantation in both countries. Black people were more often dialyzed, but less often transplanted in the USA. Neither in Sweden, nor in the USA has distributive justice been achieved in dialysis and transplantation. Similar problems have been reported in other areas of high-technology medicine. We studied withdrawal, i.e. passive euthanasia, in chronic dialysis patients and found that 10% of all patients who begun dialysis died because it was stopped, although there was no medical or technical reason. Stopping caused 22% of all dialysis deaths. Half of those who died because dialysis was stopped, made the decision to stop treatment themselves. The other half was incompetent and families and physicians decided to discontinue treatment and let the patient die. The competent and incompetent patients were similar and the decisions seem to have been made on the same ground in both groups suggesting that families and physicians are appropriate surrogate decision-makers for incompetent patients. Home dialysis patients withdrew from dialysis, three times more often than center dialysis patients. The decision did not seem to harm the surviving relatives, but the relatives complained of poor physician communication. Old patients had shorter survival on dialysis, were more often excluded from, and stopped dialyses ten times more often than young patients. However, the ratio of mortality on dialysis compared to the mortality in the population at large was higher in young than in old patients and the self-reported quality of life of the old patients was particularly high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Modulation of testosterone-metabolizing hepatic cytochrome P-450 enzymes in developing Sprague-Dawley rats following in utero exposure to p,p'-DDE.
1,1-Dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) causes sexual developmental aberrations in male rats through a likely mechanism of androgen receptor antagonism. DDE is also known to induce liver cytochrome P-450 (CYP). The expression of CYP enzymes is regulated by steroid hormones, which, in turn, are inactivated in the liver by CYP-catalyzed hydroxylations and subsequent conjugations. This study was undertaken to examine the potential of in utero DDE exposure to affect the developmental expression of the hepatic CYP enzymes that are responsible for testosterone hydroxylations. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were dosed daily by gavage with DDE at 0, 10, or 100 mg/kg body weight or with flutamide at 40 mg/kg body weight from gestation day 14 to 18. Additional adult male rats were given seven daily doses of DDE at 100 mg/kg. Liver samples were collected from the offspring of the dosed dams on postnatal days (PND) 10 and 21 and from the adult rats a day after the last dosing. Assays for regioselective and sterospecific testosterone hydroxylase activities were performed using hepatic microsomal preparations. Specific liver CYP proteins were detected by immunoblotting. While the CYP2B1 and 3A1 and their hydroxylated testosterone products were highly elevated by the DDE treatments in both adult and developing rats, the responses of 2C11 and 2A1 were development-dependent. The flutamide treatment had little effect on CYP enzyme expression. This study demonstrated that developing offspring rats are susceptible to the hepatic CYP enzyme-modulating action of DDE following its administration to the pregnant dams. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The role of an amorphous carbon layer on a multi-wall carbon nanotube attached atomic force microscope tip in making good electrical contact to a gold electrode.
Multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) attached atomic force microscope (AFM) tips (MWNT tips) have good potential for use in AFM lithography. Good conducting MWNT tips are needed in such applications. However, characterizing the conductance of MWNT tips is nontrivial: making a good electrical contact between the MWNT and electrode is difficult. We observed that MWNT tips produced by hydrocarbon-deposition attachment usually do not make good electrical contacts to gold electrodes because of the thin and rough amorphous carbon layer on the MWNT that was unintentionally deposited during the attachment. We found that good contacts can be made if a more amorphous carbon layer is deposited to form a thick and smooth amorphous carbon layer on MWNTs. Good contact was made either by transformation of the amorphous carbon layer into a conducting or peel-off layer, exposing the bare MWNT surface. MWNT tips with an exposed MWNT surface showed the well-known high-current-flowing capacity and the stepped-cutting behavior of bare MWNTs. The peeling-off behavior of a thick amorphous carbon layer may be utilized in producing bare-surfaced MWNT tips that have good conductance and therefore are useful for applications. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Experimental infection of European flat oyster Ostrea edulis with ostreid herpesvirus 1 microvar (OsHV-1μvar): Mortality, viral load and detection of viral transcripts by in situ hybridization.
Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) infections have been reported in several bivalve species. Mortality of Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas spat has increased considerably in Europe since 2008 linked to the spread of a variant of OsHV-1 called μvar. In the present study we demonstrated that O. edulis juveniles can be infected by OsHV-1μvar when administered as an intramuscular injection. Mortality in the oysters injected with OsHV-1μvar was first detected 4 days after injection and reached 25% mortality at day 10. Moreover, the high viral load observed and the detection of viral transcripts by in situ hybridization in several tissues of dying oysters suggested that OsHV-1μvar was the cause of mortality in the O. edulis juveniles. This is therefore the first study to provide evidence about the pathogenicity of OsHV-1μvar in a species that does not belong to the Crassostrea genus. Additionally, we present a novel method to detect OsHV-1 transcripts in infected individuals' using in situ hybridization. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Long-term follow-up after the first episode of acute alcoholic pancreatitis: time course and risk factors for recurrence.
Owing to the current lack of long-term follow-up data on the recurrence of alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis (AP), we studied the pattern of recurrence and determined the characteristics of the disease to predict the recurrence. Between 1972 and 1991, 2678 AP episodes were detected; 1555 were induced by alcohol, and 591 of them were the first episode. During the first alcohol-induced AP 29 patients died and were excluded from further analysis. Of the 562 included, 503 were men, and 59 women. Admission serum tests, severity index, development of complications, intensive care unit and hospital stay, and need for surgery were assessed. Case records were studied. The national database was used to detect admissions to other hospitals. Overall, 260 (46%) developed recurrent disease. Of the first relapses, 80% developed during 4 years. The recurrence rate has not changed with time. Age less than 45 years increased the risk (odds ratio (OR) = 2.42; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.30-4.50). The risk factors of the first alcohol-induced AP associated with the development of multi-recurring pancreatitis are age <45 years (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.59-13.0), 0-2 positive Glasgow criteria (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.16-5.19), and arterial oxygen tension >60 mmHg (OR, 9.90; 95% CI, 1.32-74.3). Fewer than half of the patients develop recurrent alcohol-induced AP. Younger patients are at the highest risk of recurrence. Those whose first alcohol-induced pancreatitis episode was not severe are at a higher risk of developing multi-recurring pancreatitis. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Nicotinic receptors at the amino acid level.
nAChRs are pentameric transmembrane proteins into the superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels that includes the 5HT3, glycine, GABAA, and GABAC receptors. Electron microscopy, affinity labeling, and mutagenesis experiments, together with secondary structure predictions and measurements, suggest an all-beta folding of the N-terminal extracellular domain, with the connecting loops contributing to the ACh binding pocket and to the subunit interfaces that mediate the allosteric transitions between conformational states. The ion channel consists of two distinct elements symmetrically organized along the fivefold axis of the molecule: a barrel of five M2 helices, and on the cytoplasmic side five loops contributing to the selectivity filter. The allosteric transitions of the protein underlying the physiological ACh-evoked activation and desensitization possibly involve rigid body motion of the extracellular domain of each subunit, linked to a global reorganization of the transmembrane domain responsible for channel gating. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Non-metastatic breast cancer].
Seen before as a secondary branch in the field of surgery, the surgery of breast cancer is now a fully stand-alone specialty. A number of factors explain this trend: a dramatic increase of incidence, which practically doubled during the past twenty years, an evolution of the surgical practices leading to a "therapeutic coming-down" and, above all, a complexification of indications and elements of classification. The surgeon still remains the first actor of the treatment, often seing the patient in first place, and having by his surgical treatment a key action on the prognosis and the patient's quality of life. Nevertheless, the surgeon is not anymore the only master of the situation, as he once could have been. Breast cancer is now the archetypal disease where a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory at every stage. The aim of this article is to overview the reality of breast cancer at present, trying to clarify the numerous elements of classification, otherwise confusing. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
A three-dimensional model for the tooth-loss patterns by multi-plane regression analysis.
The construction of dental condition models is one of the useful methods for analysis of epidemiological surveys. The purpose of this investigation was to make a simple model with clear turning points for the longitudinal tooth-loss patterns of Japanese adults by means of multi-plane regression analysis. Since 1957, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has carried out national surveys of dental conditions every six years. The data of present tooth numbers by age (24-79 years) and sex from these surveys were used for this study. When there are turning points between two variables, intersecting straight lines regression is a valid means. However, a new method was developed so that the data of this study had three variables. The new three-dimensional model by multi-plane regression analysis seemed to fit tooth-loss patterns of Japanese adults within three phases. Younger subjects are represented in the first phase followed by the third phase of elders, where tooth loss was rather slow. However, in the second phase, middle-aged subjects, people lost their teeth rapidly. Thus, prolongation of the first phase could be an important factor to improve overall dental health. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Placental pathophysiology of the twin oligohydramnios-polyhydramnios sequence and the twin-twin transfusion syndrome.
Currently accepted sonographic criteria for antenatal diagnosis of twin-twin transfusion (TTT) syndrome include a monochorionic placenta with same-sex twins, marked growth discordance, and oligohydramnios of the growth-retarded twin with coexistent polyhydramnios of the larger twin. Our previous report of nine women fulfilling these criteria, examined using sequential funipuncture of both fetuses, demonstrated inter-twin blood transfusion in only four cases (44 per cent). It was proposed that traditional sonographic criteria actually describe a heterogeneous group of disorders more appropriately described as the twin oligohydramnios-polydramnios sequence (TOPS). True TTT is a subset of this population, the antenatal diagnosis of which requires specific demonstration of transfusion from one fetus (donor) to the other (recipient). In this report, antenatal placental evaluation has been correlated using duplex pulsed-wave Doppler analysis of arterial blood flow velocity with postpartum gross and histopathologic evaluation of the placenta, with special attention to microvasculature. There was a higher incidence of resistance to blood flow, abnormal umbilical cord insertion, and diminished placental microvasculature associated with oligohydramnic growth-retarded (donor) twins when compared with polyhydramnic (recipient) twins. Based on these observations, it is proposed that TTT and TOPS represent asymmetric placental insufficiency resulting from aberrant placentation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
The superior peripheral iridectomy: prevention of pupil block due to silicone oil.
Superior peripheral iridectomy has been performed in 40 patients who have undergone silicone oil surgery for retinal detachment and who are aphakic. Only two developed raised intraocular pressure due to pupil block by liquid silicone and in each case the iridectomies seemed to be closed by proliferative membrane rather than the silicone meniscus. This type of iridectomy is particularly suitable in patients requiring intracapsular cataract extraction after previous vitrectomy and silicone oil surgery. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Serial blood lactate concentrations in systemically ill dogs.
Lactate concentration often is quantified in systemically ill dogs and interpreted based on human data. To our knowledge, there are no published clinical studies evaluating serial lactate concentrations as a prognostic indicator in ill dogs. Our objective was to perform a prospective study, using multivariate analysis, to determine whether serial lactate concentrations were associated with outcome in ill dogs requiring intravenous fluids. Eighty sick dogs had lactate concentrations evaluated, using an analyzer that measures lactate in the plasma fraction of heparinized whole blood, at 0 hours and 6 hours after initiation of treatment. Severity of illness and outcome (survivor, nonsurvivor) were determined by reviewing the patient's record 2 weeks after admission. Lactate concentrations, age, body weight, gender, and severity of illness were evaluated using multivariate analysis to determine their effects on outcome. Dogs with lactate concentrations greater than the reference interval at 6 hours were 16 times (95% confidence interval = 2.32-112.71 times, P <.01) more likely not to survive compared to dogs with lactate concentrations within the reference interval. Lactate concentrations above the reference interval at 0 hours were not significantly related to outcome. However, hyperlactatemia that did not improve by > or = 50% within 6 hours was significantly associated with mortality (P = .024). Dogs with a lactate concentration higher than the reference interval at 6 hours were more likely not to survive. These results indicate an association between lactate concentration and outcome and emphasize the importance of serial lactate concentrations in evaluating prognosis. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Role of multidetector computed tomography in the assessment of cervical spine trauma.
Clearing the cervical spine has relied on individual and center-based experience. Not long ago, the screening modality of choice was radiography. The evidence now clearly supports multidetector computed tomography as the modality of choice for evaluating cervical spine trauma because of its higher accuracy and efficiency compared to radiography. Furthermore, clinical criteria have been validated to assess for cervical spine injuries and determine the need for imaging evaluation based on patient risk. Once imaging is deemed necessary to exclude cervical spine injury based on clinical predictors, multidetector computed tomography becomes the accepted modality of choice, providing accurate and rapid assessment and improving the understanding of injury patterns and stability determinants. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Trichomycin B, a polyene macrolide from Streptomyces.
Two polyene macrolide, trichomycins A and B, were compared by physico-chemical and microbiological methods. The two antibiotics were found to have the same molecular formula, C58H84N2O18 (MW 1,096), by elemental analysis and FAB-MS. However, 1H and 13C NMR spectrometry studies indicated that the hydroxyl at C-5 of trichomycin A located on C-9 in trichomycin B. Trichomycin B possessed lower activities against fungi and yeasts than those of trichomycin A. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Single step isolation of a hemoglobin binding protein present in chicken plasma].
A one step procedure for the purification of a Chicken hemoglobin binding protein is reported here for the first time. The method includes a single affinity chromatography step on Sepharose coupled to Chicken hemoglobin. The protein obtained is pure, its ability of binding hemoglobin is maintained and the recovery is close to 100%. Moreover, the same affinity system may be used again. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
High-dose methotrexate administration and acute liver damage in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A prospective study.
Methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity following chronic low-dose administration has been extensively reported. Current protocols now include high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX), but there are few studies providing data on its acute hepatotoxicity in childhood leukemia. To evaluate the prevalence of HDMTX-induced acute hepatotoxicity, sixty-eight consecutive children with ALL were prospectively studied from diagnosis to the end of HDMTX courses with biochemical and clinical evaluation performed at regular intervals. Prevalence of HDMTX-induced acute hepatotoxicity was 1.47% (1/68 patients). ALT values did not change in 22% (15/68) and decreased in 76.4% (52/68) after HDMTX infusion. Mean ALT levels calculated in all the patients decreased significantly during HDMTX administration when compared to the values reached during induction (p less than 0.0001). Direct hyperbilirubinemia was present only in the child with HDMTX-related hepatotoxicity. The use of HDMTX in the treatment of childhood ALL is not associated with major evidence of direct acute hepatotoxic effects, while it may modify the pattern of preexisting liver diseases. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Use of synthetic polypeptides in the preparation of biodegradable delivery vehicles for narcotic antagonists.
Synthetic polypeptides consisting of copolymers of glutamic acid and leucine have been shown to be useful materials for the fabrication of practical, biodegradable delivery vehicles for narcotic antagonists. Model delivery vehicles in film form were prepared from copolymers containing 10 mole percent to 40 mole percent glutamic acid, and loaded with 10% to 40% naltrexone by weight. The naltrexone was found to be released by diffusion, exhibiting diffusion coefficients that varied as a function of the glutamic acid content and the initial naltrexone loading. A wide range in diffusion coefficients were achieved (0.31 x 10(-7) cm2/hr to 120 x 10(-7) cm2/hr), leading to release rates within practical ranges of interest for meeting the program goals. We have demonstrated that the polypeptides can be fabricated into dosage forms that are amenable to administration by trochar. For example, rods 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm in diameter containing as much as 40% naltrexone by weight were extruded using a simple compression mold and die arrangement. An in vitro evaluation of the rods showed that antagonist is released by diffusion at a continuously decreasing rate, a behavior similar to that observed with the film devices that were, nonetheless, capable of blocking an AD80 challenge of morphine sulfate in mice for more than 30 days. One of the most promising delivery vehicles that we have developed to date consists of a polypeptide tube filled with a naltrexone/polypeptide core. Preliminary experiments have shown that these devices may be capable of administering high, constant rates of release for prolonged periods of time. Additional work, however, is required to develop techniques for the preparation of reproducible delivery vehicles. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Elderly widowers in a family practice setting.
Twenty-one elderly widowers were surveyed in a pilot study in a family practice setting to determine their psycho-emotional, social, and medical needs pre- and post-bereavement. Compared to the low psycho-emotional distress group, the widowers in the high distress group (1) were seeing their family doctors more often, (2) were less likely to belong to a community organization, (3) were more recently bereaved, (4) had more people supporting them, and (5) were more likely to indicate that they would participate in a self-help program for elderly widowers. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Cerebral microvascular nNOS responds to lowered oxygen tension through a bumetanide-sensitive cotransporter and sodium-calcium exchanger.
Na(+) cotransporters have a substantial role in neuronal damage during brain hypoxia. We proposed these cotransporters have beneficial roles in oxygen-sensing mechanisms that increase periarteriolar nitric oxide (NO) concentration ([NO]) during mild to moderate oxygen deprivation. Our prior studies have shown that cerebral neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) is essential for [NO] responses to decreased oxygen tension and that endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is of little consequence. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of three specific cotransporters known to play a role in the hypoxic state: KB-R7943 for blockade of the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger, bumetanide for the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter, and amiloride for Na(+)/H(+) cotransporters. In vivo measurements of arteriolar diameter and [NO] at normal and locally reduced oxygen tension in the rat parietal cortex provided the functional analysis. As previously found for intestinal arterioles, bumetanide-sensitive cotransporters are primarily responsible for sensing reduced oxygen because the increased [NO] and dilation were suppressed. The Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger facilitated increased NO formation because blockade also suppressed [NO] and dilatory responses to decreased oxygen. Amiloride-sensitive Na(+)/H(+) cotransporters did not significantly contribute to the microvascular regulation. To confirm that nNOS rather than eNOS was primarily responsible for NO generation, eNOS was suppressed with the fusion protein cavtratin for the caveolae domain of eNOS. Although the resting [NO] decreased and arterioles constricted as eNOS was suppressed, most of the increased NO and dilatory response to oxygen were preserved because nNOS was functional. Therefore, nNOS activation secondary to Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger functions are key to cerebral vascular oxygen responses. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Stereotypes influence false memories for imagined events.
Two experiments tested the influences of vivid imagery and person schemata on eyewitness accuracy. Participants watched an event sequence including actors performing stereotype-consistent and inconsistent actions. Additionally, participants either read descriptions of actions (Experiment 1) or vividly imagined actions (Experiment 2). After either 30 minutes or 2 days, recognition memory, source memory, and remember/know judgements were made. After 2 days, false alarms to imagined events increased, relative to the 30-minute test; those false alarms were more often misattributed to stereotype-consistent actors, relative to the same actions in the reading condition. In addition, the accompanying remember judgements were higher for false alarms to imagined events, relative to read events, regardless of stereotype consistency. Overall the results suggest that, over time, vivid imagery reinforces schema activation, increasing stereotype-consistent false memories. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Oxidative stress induced by Cremophor EL is not accompanied by changes in NF-kappaB activation or iNOS expression.
The effects of polyoxyethylenglycerol triricinoleate 35 (Cremophor EL, CrEL) on markers of oxidative stress, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression were studied in the liver of male Wistar rats. Animals were randomly divided into three groups. Group Cr1 received, i.p., CrEL at 0.046ml/kg daily for 7 days, group Cr2 received CrEL at 0.33ml/kg and the controls were injected with CrEL vehicle (saline solution with 25% ethanol). Both alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) serum activities were significantly increased in the Cr2 group (+16% and +25%, respectively). AST activity was also higher in the Cr1 group when compared to control animals (+20%). The cytosolic concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) increased in both groups of rats receiving CrEL (Cr1: +24%; Cr2: +33%). Reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration was not significantly modified at any of the CrEL doses, but both the hepatic concentration of oxidised glutathione (GSSG) (Cr1: +37%; Cr2: +84%) and the GSH/GSSG ratio (Cr1: -21%; Cr2: -45%) were significantly modified. CrEL induced no significant NF-kappaB activation, changes in p50 and p65 NF-kappaB subunits or induction of iNOS protein. Data obtained indicate that although high doses of CrEL cause oxidative stress, this is not enough to induce changes in NF-kappaB activation or iNOS expression. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Relation between thyroid iodine content and the accumulation and oxidation of [35-S] Methimazole in the rat.
The thyroid accumulation and oxidation of a single intraperitoneal dose of [35-S] methimazole has been studied in iodine-deficient, normal and iodine-treated rats. A highly significant positive linear correlation was found between the thyroid oxidation of methimazole to sulfate and intrathyroidal iodine content. A single dose of potassium iodide given intraperitoneally (ip) to rats 1 h before administration of [35-S] methimazole (1 mg/kg ip) increased the thyroid accumulation and oxidation of methimazole. Conversely, the thyroids of rats maintained on a low iodine diet for 21 days showed a markedly reduced capacity to accumulate and oxidize methimazole. The level of oxidation found in the iodine-deficient, normal and iodide-treated groups was 0.21, 4.15 and 12.6 nmol sulfate/g thyroid respectively. The animals maintained on the low iodine diet for 21 days showed significant increases in thyroid weight and thus the decrease in methimazole oxidation occurred in spite of increased stimulation by endogenous TSH. These results show that the intrathyroidal iodine content is a critical factor in the metabolism of methimazole in the thyroid. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Age, sex and ischemic heart disease mortality (factor model)].
A mathematical model of age mortality due to coronary heart disease among populations of the 24 European countries was made on the basis of the principal components method. It was shown that age and sex differences of mortality can be described by means of three different factors which are statistically independent on each other. Possible pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the formation of the three factors are discussed. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Reversible inhibition of gonadal functions by a potent gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist in adult dog.
This study examines the recovery of spermatogenesis, testicular and plasma steroidogenesis and prostatic steroid content 26 weeks following cessation of daily treatment for 16 weeks with [D-Tryp6]LHRH ethylamide (LHRH-A) in the adult dog. While administration of LHRH agonist resulted in testicular and prostatic weight reductions of 40-60%, a complete recovery is observed 26 weeks after cessation of treatment. The number of sperm in LHRH-A-treated dogs declined rapidly in the first 4 weeks, after which no ejaculation or erection is observed in these animals. Spermatogenesis completely recovered four months following cessation of treatment. While testicular steroidogenesis is completely inhibited during the treatment with the agonist peptide, normal levels of testicular steroids are observed with the exception of 17-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and androst-5-ene-3 beta,17 beta-diol which are elevated above control levels and, furthermore, an accumulation of these delta 5-steroids is also observed in the prostate after the end of treatment. Our data strongly suggest that chronic administration of an LHRH agonist may induce, after cessation of treatment, an overproduction of testicular steroids. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Safety and efficacy of glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction.
The safety and efficacy of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction were evaluated. The medical literature was reviewed to identify published trials and case series on the use of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction. Individual case reports and limited case series were excluded from the analysis. This search yielded two retrospective reviews, three prospective reviews, and one randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Only two of the studies analyzed the effect of glucagon alone. Two studies combined this therapy with benzodiazepines, and the other two combined this therapy with an effervescent product and water. Of the two studies that had a control group, one demonstrated no significant difference in the success rate of dislodgement and one showed a nonsignificantly lower success rate in the treatment group. The majority of reports excluded patients with known esophageal strictures and treated a variety of different food-type impactions, making it difficult to determine if the success of this therapy may be tied to a specific subgroup. Few studies documented the adverse effects of this therapy, the most common being nausea and vomiting. Although limited, the available data do not support the use of glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction. Based on the available data, the use of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction is not supported by the literature. In addition, glucagon has the potential to cause adverse effects and decrease the likelihood of spontaneous resolution. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Increased adiponectin level in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and its relationship with interleukin-10. Correlation with clinical features and outcome.
It was reported that interleukin-10 (IL-10) level increased in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients; moreover this was associated with poor prognosis. In addition, it was stated that adiponectin induced the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10. We evaluated adiponectin and IL-10 levels in NHL and CLL patients. We included newly diagnosed 28 NHL, 23 CLL patients, and 17 healthy subjects. In NHL patients, adiponectin level was higher than in CLL group and controls (p values < 0.05). In CLL group, IL-10 level was lower than in NHL, and control groups (p values < 0.05). Adiponectin level had a positive correlation with IL-10 level in the NHL patients (r = 0.41, p = 0.04). In the NHL group, the median survival of patients with high IL-10 levels was shorter (22 months vs. not reached, p = 0.03). Increased IL-10 levels helped to predict poor outcome in our NHL patients. High adiponectin levels and a relationship between adiponectin/IL-10 in newly diagnosed NHL patients might suggest a role for both in the immunodysregulation in NHL. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Apoptosis-associated antigens recognized by autoantibodies in patients with the autoimmune liver disease primary biliary cirrhosis.
There is growing evidence that the onset of autoimmune disorders can be linked to the inefficient removal of apoptotic cells. Since defects in the elimination of apoptotic cells lead to secondary necrosis and subsequent release of intracellular components, this might explain the generation of autoantibodies against intracellular antigens. Accordingly, we wanted to investigate, whether antibodies from patients with the autoimmune liver disease primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) recognize self-proteins generated and released during apoptosis. Using Western blot analyses we could detect intracellular antigens with serum IgG from PBC patients but not with serum IgG from healthy donors in lysates of Jurkat T-leukemia, HepG2 hepatoma, and HT-29 colon-carcinoma cells. Interestingly, PBC serum IgG also recognized caspase substrates in cells undergoing apoptosis induced by staurosporine or TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand). In addition to intracellular antigens, serum IgG from PBC patients detected caspase-dependent antigens in the supernatants of apoptotic (secondary necrotic) cells and antigens on the surface of apoptotic Jurkat cells. Among the caspase substrates recognized by PBC serum IgG we could identify the components PDC-E2 and -E1beta of the known autoantigen PDC (pyruvate dehydrogenase complex). Thus, caspase-mediated processing of intracellular proteins might generate de novo autoantigens that upon release contribute to the generation of autoantibodies and autoimmune diseases as PBC. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
[Weight variation in users of the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system, of the copper IUD and of medroxyprogesterone acetate in Brazil].
Assess weight variations in Brazilian users of the 20 microg/day levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS, Mirena) for comparison with a cohort of users of the TCu 380A intrauterine device (IUD) and a cohort of users of the injectable contraceptive, depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) over a period of five years. A total of 163 users of the LNG-IUS, who had the device inserted in 1998, were admitted to the study. At the time of enrollment, each woman was matched by weight (+/- 1 kg) and age (+/- 1 year) to a woman using a TCu 380A IUD and to another woman using DMPA. All women were followed up for a period of five years. Each year weight was measured and the body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated. Age of the LNG-IUS users was 27.0 +/- 6.7 years (mean +/- SD), while age of the copper IUD users was 28.0 +/- 6.6 years and that of DMPA users was 26.9 +/- 6.5 years. Weight recorded at the onset of the study was 62.9 +/- 0.8 kg, 62.8 +/- 0.8 kg, and 62.5 +/- 0.9 kg (Mean +/- SD) for users of the LNG-IUS, the copper IUD, and DMPA, respectively. The BMI of women was initially 25.0 (+/- 0.3), 26.4 (+/- 0.3), and 25.5 (+/- 0.4), (Mean +/- SD), for users of the LNG-IUS, copper IUD, and DMPA, respectively. Weight increases of 3.1 kg, 4.9 kg and 8.2 kg were observed at the end of the fifth year among users of the LNG-IUS, copper IUD, and DMPA, respectively (p = 0.009). Increase of the BMI was also observed among all groups (final BMI was 26.3 +/- 0.7, 28.5 +/- 0.8 and 28.7 +/- 1.3 for users of the LNG-IUS, copper IUD and DMPA, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that there was a significant association between weight increase and length of use of the contraceptive method and of the DMPA. The use of a LNG-IUS during five years caused no significant weight increase and the difference in weight was of the same magnitude as that of copper IUD users. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
A novel microassay for the quantitation of the sulfated glycosaminoglycan content of histological sections: its application to determine the effects of Diacerhein on cartilage in an ovine model of osteoarthritis.
A new micro-histological method of assessing the sulfated glycosaminoglycan (S-GAG) content in unstained histological sections of articular cartilage was developed and used to study the effects of orally administered Diacerhein (DIA) on joint cartilage in an ovine model of osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty adult, age-matched Merino wethers were subjected to bilateral lateral meniscectomy, while 10 served as non-operated controls (NOC groups). Half of the operated sheep (N=10) remained untreated (MEN groups), while the other 10 animals were given DIA (25 mg/kg orally) daily for 3 months, then 50 mg/kg daily for a further 6 months (DIA groups). Five animals each of the DIA, MEN and NOC groups, respectively, were sacrificed at 3 months post-operatively, and the remainder 6 months later. For the present study only one knee joint of each animal was used for histological processing. The tissues studied were from the lateral femoral condyles (LFC) and lateral tibial plateaux (LTP). Each of these joint regions was further subdivided into inner (I), middle (M), and outer (O) zones. Unstained histological sections from these AC regions and zones were then analysed for S-GAG content using the following procedure. Images of each section of 6 microm thickness were acquired using a flatbed scanner and the area determined with an image analysis software program. The sections were then transferred to wells of a microtiter plate, digested with papain and the S-GAG content quantitated using a modification of the 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue dye binding assay. The data was represented as microg S-GAG/mm(3)of each tissue section. These data were also compared with toluidine blue stained sections from the same paraffin blocks. The results obtained showed that the area of histological sections could be very accurately determined by computer assisted image analysis using a 10 mmx10 mm calibration grid. Cartilage sections of areas ranging from 1 mm(2)up to 25 mm(2)were analysed for S-GAG content with this simple technique. There was a linear relationship between section thickness (2-10 microm) and S-GAG content per unit area (R(2)=0.993). Sections of 6 microm thickness were found to be optimal. S-GAG analyses of serial sections from tibial and femoral articular cartilage (I, M and O zones) revealed an average coefficient of variation of 7.0+/-2.3% (range 4.9-10.2%) confirming the accuracy and reproducibility of this assay method. A separate experiment showed that no significant losses of S-GAG occurred during the histological sample processing. The different regions and zones of the knee joint AC in the six experimental groups revealed variable levels of S-GAG which did not necessarily correlate with the histochemical distribution of toluidine blue staining. The major S-GAG changes occurred in the middle (lesion zone) and outer zones (hypertrophic zone) of both the LFC and LTP of the MEN groups. In the lesion (M) zone the S-GAG content was reduced while in the O zone levels were increased at both 3 and 6 months post-surgery. In animals receiving Diacerhein S-GAG levels in the M zone were lower than or equivalent to those of non-drug treated OA or non-operated controls for both joint regions at 3 and 6 months. While the hypertrophic response in the outer zone of the LFC, as assessed by S-GAG content, was enhanced by drug treatment, the cartilage of the outer zones of the LTP was not affected by drug treatment. The results of this study have demonstrated that the S-GAG (and therefore proteoglycan [PG]) content in different cartilage zones of OA joints can be readily quantitated by direct biochemical analysis of unstained histological sections. By this means subtle changes in PG distribution in different cartilage zones, which were not evident using traditional histochemical staining methods, could be readily detected. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Isolation and genomic characterization of stem cells in head and neck cancer.
This study investigated the use of 3 different established cell-sorting strategies to isolate and characterize stem cells from head and neck cancer cell lines. Five low-passage cell lines were subjected to cell sorting based on Hoechst side population, Aldefluor, and CD44 expression. Isolated cell populations were studied for gene expression, radiosensitivity, and chemosensitivity to cisplatin and paclitaxel. Each sorting method identified a different set of genes associated with different gene ontology categories, with mitosis being the only common category. CD44-associated gene changes were almost exclusively associated with cell cycle and in particular mitosis. There were no significant differences in radiosensitivity or cisplatin sensitivity of stem or non-stem cells, but CD44-isolated stem cells were more resistant to paclitaxel. This study suggested that CD44 may be the most promising cell-sorting strategy to isolate and investigate the impact of stem cells in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Nucleotide sequence of Halobacterium cutirubrum ribosomal 5 S ribonucleic acid. An altered secondary structure in halophilic organisms.
The nucleotide sequence of ribosomal 5 S RNA from a halophilic bacterium, Halobacterium cutirubrum, grown in 4 M sodium chloride is U-U-A-A-G-G-C-G-G-C-C-A-U-A-G-C-G-G-U-G-G-G-G-U-U-A-C-U-C-C-C-G-U-A-C-C-C-A-U-C-C-C-G-A-A-C-A-C-G-G-A-A-G-A-U-A-A-G-C-C-C-G-C-C-U-G-C-G-U-U-C-C-G-G-U-C-A-G-U-A-C-U-G-G-A-G-U-G-C-G-A-G-C-C-U-C-U-G-G-G-A-A-A-U-C-C-G-G-U-U-C-G-C-C-G-C-C-U-A-C-U. This nucleotide sequence is the longest prokaryotic 5 S rRNA to be reported and unlike other 5 S species does not contain a terminal mononucleoside diphosphate residue at its 5'-end. When compared to other 5 S rRNA's, the sequence homology is greatest (about 68%) with Bacillus subtilis; there is a lower but similar degree of homology (about 58%) with either Escherichia coli or human 5 S RNA. The comparisons further indicate that among 5 S RNA's, eleven of the nucleotide residues are unique to H. cutirubrum. Estimates of the secondary structure of the H. cutirubrum 5 S RNA molecule contain one additional stable hairpin loop which is not found in other 5 S rRNA species; this unusual structure is probably an adaptation to the high salt environment within H. cutirubrum cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Two-step liquid hot water pretreatment of Eucalyptus grandis to enhance sugar recovery and enzymatic digestibility of cellulose.
A two-step liquid hot water pretreatment (TSLHW) was developed with the objective of achieving complete saccharification of both hemicellulose and cellulose of Eucalyptus grandis, thereby avoiding the problems associated with the use of strong acid catalysts. The first step of the pretreatment was studied in the temperature range 180-200 degrees C, and the highest yield of total xylose achieved was 86.4% after 20 min at 180 degrees C. The second-step of the pretreatment was studied in the temperature range 180-240 degrees C and for lengths of time of 0-60 min. The conversion rate of glucan was more sensitive to temperature than time. The optimum reaction conditions for the second step of the pretreatment with minimal degradation of sugars were 200 degrees C for 20 min. the total sugar recovery from E. grandis with the optimized pretreatment and 72 h enzymatic digestion, reached 96.63%, which is superior to the recovery from a single-step pretreatment with hot water or dilute acid. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
1-O-galloyl-6-O-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy)benzoyl-beta-D-glucose, a new hepatoprotective constituent from Combretum quadrangulare.
A new gallic acid derivative, 1-O-galloyl-6-O-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxy)benzoyl-beta-D-glucose (1) has been isolated from an H2O-fraction of MeOH extract of Combretum quadrangulare seeds. Compound 1 exhibited potent hepatoprotective activity against D-GalN/TNF-alpha-induced cell death in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes with an IC50 of 3.3 microM. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Decline of Anopheles sergentii and Aedes caspius populations following presentation of attractive toxic (spinosad) sugar bait stations in an oasis.
The effect of attractive sugar bait stations, including sucrose, juice of nectarine, slow-release substances, preservatives, red food-dye marker, and the oral insecticide spinosad, on Anopheles sergentii and Aedes caspius populations was studied in a small oasis in a southern desert of Israel. Feeding on similar baits without an insecticide was monitored as a control in a similar neighboring oasis. The insecticide caused a drastic decrease in the number of mosquitoes. Compared to the control site, the An. sergentii population was reduced to less than a tenth and that of Ae. caspius declined to a third. The majority of the mosquitoes, 76.0% of An. sergentii females and 74.8% of Ae. caspius females, were marked by the food dye in the control site. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Altered glycosylation of human chorionic gonadotropin decreases its hormonal activity as determined by cyclic-adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate production in MA-10 cells.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) purified from pooled urine of normal pregnant women contains four asparagine-linked sugar chains and four mucin-type sugar chains. The structures of asparagine-linked sugar chains of this hormone are constant and site-specific. hCGs obtained from the urine of patients with invasive mole or choriocarcinoma have quite different sets of oligosaccharides although the primary structures of the polypeptides and the numbers of the sugar chains are the same as those of normal hCG. In order to examine the biological activities of these hCGs with altered glycosylation, we measured the amount of cAMP produced in a murine Leydig tumour cell line, MA-10, after incubation with the hCG samples. The extent of sialylation of oligosaccharides in the three hCG samples used in this study were 88% in normal hCG, 82% in invasive mole hCG and 63% in choriocarcinoma hCG. The hormonal activity of invasive mole hCG was slightly lower while that of choriocarcinoma hCG was significantly (P less than 0.01) lower than that of normal hCG. Complete desialylation induced remarkable loss of full activities in all the samples. However, the hormonal activities of the three samples were different even after desialylation. The full activities of the desialylated samples of invasive mole hCG and choriocarcinoma hCG were 78 and 65% of that of desialylated normal hCG. These results indicated that the structures of the neutral oligosaccharide portion are also important for the expression of full hormonal activity. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Effect of maternal immunization with oral poliovirus vaccine on neonatal immunity.
During the summer of 1988, an outbreak of poliomyelitis caused by poliovirus 1 occurred in Israel, during which a national mass immunization campaign with oral poliovirus was undertaken. This prospective study was undertaken to assess the effect of maternal oral poliovirus immunization during the third trimester of pregnancy on neonatal immunity against poliovirus. Cord blood specimens of 88 neonates, born 2 to 7 weeks after maternal immunization, were examined for antipoliovirus antibodies and compared with 100 samples obtained from neonates 7 months before the outbreak. Blood samples were also obtained from the 62 mothers of neonates who had been immunized 2 to 5 weeks before delivery. Sera were tested for neutralizing antibodies to the 3 poliovirus types using a microneutralization technique. The geometric mean titer to poliovirus type 1 was significantly higher in neonates whose mothers were immunized during pregnancy (87.1) than in the offspring of the nonvaccinated group (53.0), P < 0.05. Two to 3 weeks after immunization, geometric mean titers against all 3 poliovirus types were higher in maternal blood than in cord blood whereas 4 to 5 weeks after vaccination a significant difference was found for type 3 only. Although oral poliovirus immunization during pregnancy resulted in higher neonatal antibody titers to poliovirus type 1, the proportion of newborns with titers of < 1:8 to the 3 poliovirus types did not change significantly. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Gene transfer into Xenopus hepatocytes: transcriptional regulation by members of the nuclear receptor superfamily.
A procedure to culture Xenopus laevis hepatocytes that allows the cells in primary culture to be subjected to gene transfer experiments has been developed. The cultured cells continue to present tissue-specific markers such as expression of the albumin gene or estrogen-controlled vitellogenin gene expression, which are both restricted to liver. Two efficient and reproducible gene transfer procedures have been adapted to the Xenopus hepatocytes, namely lipofection and calcium phosphate-mediated precipitation. The transcription of transfected reporter genes controlled by estrogen-, glucocorticoid- or peroxisome proliferator-response elements was stimulated by endogenous or co-transfected receptor in a ligand-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression of a reporter gene under the control of the entire promoter of the vitellogenin B1 gene mimicked the expression of the chromosomal vitellogenin gene with respect to basal and estrogen-induced activity. Thus, this culture-transfection system will prove very useful to study the regulation of genes expressed in the liver under the control of various hormones or xenobiotics. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Controlled Substances Compliance for Transport Programs.
Transport programs are highly regulated health care organizations. Of the many imposers of regulations, those controlled by the Drug Enforcement Administration are some of the least understood by transport programs. This article serves to lift the regulatory fog surrounding controlled substances and to provide clear and actionable guidance to transport programs. Storage, security, and recordkeeping requirements for emergency medical service organizations can be confusing given that there are no specific regulations for emergency medical services. Transport programs are subject to all the current regulations, and nonadherence can result in significant fines and loss of public trust for any transport program found to be in violation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Bronchoalveolar lavage cell data in amiodarone-associated pneumonitis. Evaluation in 22 patients.
To assess the value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of amiodarone-associated pneumonitis, we examined the results of BAL total and differential cell counts and phenotyping of lymphocytes in 22 patients with this lung disorder and in 33 normal subjects. Overall, the total cell count was found to be almost the same as that seen in control subjects; the macrophage population was significantly reduced, and the lymphocyte, neutrophil, and eosinophil populations were increased in absolute number and percentage. When results were analyzed individually, BAL data appeared to be distributed according to two patterns. In the first pattern, there was no abnormal lymphocytosis. In the second pattern a lymphocyte alveolitis was found in percentage and in absolute number. This lymphocyte alveolitis was present either alone or associated with neutrophil alveolitis or with eosinophil alveolitis. In the first pattern, despite the normal level of the lymphocyte population, the percentage of CD4 T-lymphocytes and the CD4:CD8 T-lymphocyte ratio were significantly lowered. In the second pattern the CD8 T-lymphocyte count was increased in absolute number and percentage, with a low CD4:CD8 ratio. In six patients relavaged two to four months after amiodarone withdrawal, there was a significant fall in alveolar lymphocytosis, but the progressive increase in the neutrophil population over time seemed to be associated with the seriousness and progression of the disease. Finally, these findings closely resembled those obtained in patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to inhalation of organic dust and suggest that an underlying immunologic cell-mediated mechanism may play a role in this iatrogenic pulmonary disease. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Consistent efficacy and tolerability of almotriptan in the acute treatment of multiple migraine attacks: results of a large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
In this double-blind study, the efficacy and tolerability of a single dose of almotriptan (6.25 or 12.5 mg) was compared with placebo in the treatment of three consecutive migraine attacks of moderate or severe intensity. Of 1013 randomized patients, 722 evaluable patients completed the study. The total number of attacks relieved (severe or moderate pain reduced to mild or no pain) at 2 h post-dose was significantly higher (P < 0.001) after treatment with almotriptan 6.25 or 12.5 mg compared with placebo (60% and 70% vs. 38%, respectively). Moreover, a consistent response was achieved across and within patients for almotriptan 6.25 or 12.5 mg compared with placebo (pain relief in at least two out of three attacks within 2 h for 64% and 75% vs. 36%, respectively) and less than one-third of the patients relapsed within 24 h. Almotriptan was well tolerated with no significant differences between the almotriptan and placebo treatment groups in the percentage of patients reporting adverse events. Overall, the 12.5-mg dose was associated with the most favourable efficacy/tolerability ratio and is, therefore, the recommended dose. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
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