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Pardaxin, a hydrophobic toxin of the Red Sea flatfish, disassembles the intact membrane of vesicular stomatitis virus.
Reaction of vesicular stomatitis virus with pardaxin, the hydrophobic toxin of the Red Sea flatfish, resulted in a profound morphological change of many virions and dissociation of their membrane and nucleocapsid into components readily separable by density gradient centrifugation. The basic matrix protein and acidic pardaxin segregated largely with the high density nucleocapsid. The dissociated virion membrane formed lipoprotein vesicles which retained glycoprotein spikes and a certain amount of N protein but no appreciable amounts of other nucleocapsid proteins and little if any RNA. Iodination of the tyrosine residue of the glycoprotein tail fragment provided supporting evidence that the COOH terminus of the glycoprotein extends beyond the inner layer of the membrane into the interior of the virion. These data indicate that pardaxin may serve as a probe for studying the organization of viral membranes, and, hopefully, other biological membranes.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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IFN-gamma-producing CD45RA+CD8+ and IL-10-producing CD45RA-CD4+ T cells generated in response to LACK in naive subjects never exposed to Leishmania.
Leishmania guyanensis (L.g.)-specific CD8+ T cells can be isolated from PBMC of subjects who have never been previously exposed to Leishmania. Cells that produce IFN-gamma in response to live L.g. are generated from naive CD45RA+CD8+ T cells. The generation of L.g.-specific CD8+ T cells requires the presence of whole L.g. or UV-irradiated parasite but not the soluble antigens from L.g. promastigotes. The IFN-gamma-producing T cells recognize a specific antigen, the Leishmania homologue of receptors of activated C kinases (LACK) and this antigen but not live L.g. can produce a strong IL-10 response in CD45RA-CD4+ memory T cells from naive subjects. A single epitope (amino acid 156-173) is found to induce the IL-10 synthesis. While the IFN-gamma-producing cells are present among CD45RA+CD8+ T cells that are CD62L-CDR7- and CLA-, the LACK-reactive IL-10-producing cells are CD4+ T cells that are CD62L+CCR7- and CLA-.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Cryopreserved chondrocytes in porous biomaterials with surface elastin and poly-L-lysine for cartilage regeneration.
The ability of cryopreserved chondrocytes to revitalize and propagate is a key biotechnology in cartilage regeneration. This study shows the formation of neocartilage from cryopreserved chondrocytes in scaffolds grafted with elastin and poly-L-lysine. Cryopreserved chondrocytes in elastin- and poly-L-lysine-grafted constructs were cultured in a dynamic bioreactor and assessed by biochemical assay and staining. Elastin demonstrated a better efficacy for recruiting cryopreserved chondrocytes onto the pore surface of constructs than poly-L-lysine. However, surface elastin and poly-L-lysine did not significantly enhance the biocompatibility to cryopreserved chondrocytes. Chondrocytes multiplied from cryopreserved chondrocytes in elastin-grafted constructs is faster than that in poly-L-lysine-grafted constructs. In addition, elastin could stimulate cryopreserved chondrocytes to synthesize more glycosaminoglycans and collagen than poly-L-lysine. Porous biomaterials with surface elastin and poly-L-lysine can maintain active chondrocytic proliferation and extracellular matrix secretion from chondrocytes with appropriate cryopreservation.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Factors associated with adherence to immunosuppressive therapy among transplant recipients].
Advancing medical technology has made organ transplantation an emerging surgical treatment option for organ failure. Patients who receive transplants must take immunosuppressive agents for the remainder of their life in order to maintain good graft function. Failure to take these agents may affect the function of the transplanted graft, reduce quality of life, and even cause death. Thus, encouraging patients to take immunosuppressive agents as directed is critical to minimizing the long-term medical burdens and social costs of organ transplantation. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors associated with adherence to immunosuppressive therapy among transplant recipients using the WHO adherence model. Findings are provided as a reference to health education and clinical care planners.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Immunoreactivity in vitro to human testis in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Patients with lepromatous leprosy and tuberculoid leprosy, together with normal aged matched controls, were tested for in vitro immunoreactivity against a panel of soluble extracts prepared from normal human tissues. The panel consisted of a soluble homogenate of human testis as well as two partially purified fractions of this extract, and control extracts from other human tissues. Immunoreactivity was assessed by extract induced peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) transformation, leucocyte migration inhibition (LMI) and leucocyte adherence inhibition (LAI). Although no difference in PBL transformation, LMI, or LAI was obtained between the groups with the control tissue extracts, significant reactivity was obtained for the patients with lepromatous leprosy in at least one of the in vitro tests, when one of the testis extracts was used (Mann-Whitney test). No such reactivity to the testis extracts was obtained in the patients with tuberculoid leprosy or the normal control subjects. Of the twenty-two patients studied with lepromatous leprosy, thirteen had clinical evidence of testicular disease and nine of these patients had raised PBL transformation and LAI reactivity to the testis extracts. This finding of immunoreactivity against testicular extracts in a significant number of patients with lepromatous leprosy by at least one of the vitro tests used, suggests that the associated in vivo testicular atrophy that occurs in these patients may have an auto-immune basis.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Effects of the summer holiday season on UV filter and illicit drug concentrations in the Korean wastewater system and aquatic environment.
Seasonal variations in the concentrations of eight ultraviolet (UV) filters and 22 illicit drugs including their metabolites in the Korean aquatic environment were investigated. Seawater samples from three beaches, water samples from two rivers, and influents and effluents from three wastewater treatment plants were analyzed. The UV filter concentrations in the seawater, river water, and effluent samples were 39.4-296, 35.4-117, and 6.84-51.1 ng L-1, respectively. The total UV filter concentrations in the seawater samples were 1.9-4.4 times higher at the peak of the holiday season than outside the peak holiday season. An environmental risk assessment showed that ethylhexyl methoxy cinnamate (EHMC) could cause adverse effects on aquatic organisms in the seawater at the three beaches during the holiday period. Seven of the 22 target illicit drugs including their metabolites were detected in the wastewater influent samples, and the total illicit drug concentrations in the influent samples were 0.08-65.4 ng L-1. The estimated daily consumption rates for cis-tramadol (Cis-TRM), methamphetamine (MTP), meperidine (MEP), and codeine (COD) were 25.7-118.4, 13.8-36.1, 1.36-12.6, and 1.75-8.64 mg d-1 (1000 people)-1, respectively. In popular vacation area, the illicit drug consumption rates (Cis-TRM, MTP and MEP) were 1.6-2.6 times higher at the peak of the summer holiday season than at the beginning of the summer.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Positive thinking: an unfair burden for cancer patients?
This presentation challenges the purveyors of the importance of "positive thinking" in the cure of cancer. Psychological support should allow the patient to come to terms with his or her situation in a way that works for that individual within a caring and realistic environment. In no way should psychological support add an extra burden to an already devastated patient. By forcing "positive mental attitude", health-care professionals are not allowing patients to face reality. Promoters of the "cure" that comes with positive thinking are quoted, as well as authors who question the promoters' intent and outcome. It is felt that "positive thinking" may be appropriate as one of many successful coping strategies. To attribute more to it or, worse, to insist that patients believe in its power to cure may be courting emotional disaster.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab predicts favorable survival in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-overexpressing breast cancer: results from the TECHNO trial of the AGO and GBG study groups.
To evaluate efficacy and safety of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel and trastuzumab as neoadjuvant treatment in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-overexpressing breast cancer. Patients with centrally confirmed HER2-overexpressing breast cancer (≥ 2 cm or inflammatory) received four 3-week cycles epirubicin and cyclophosphamide (90/600 mg/m(2)) followed by four 3-week cycles paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2)) and trastuzumab (6 mg/kg) before surgery. Trastuzumab was continued after surgery to complete 1 year of treatment. Primary end point was pathologic complete response (pCR) defined as no residual invasive tumor in breast and lymphatic tissue. Thirty-nine percent of 217 enrolled patients achieved a pCR. Breast conservation was possible in 64% of patients. Three-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 88% in patients with pCR compared to 73% in patients without pCR (P = .01). Three-year overall survival (OS) was 96% in patients with pCR compared to 86% in patients without pCR (P = .025). pCR was the only significant prognostic factor for DFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.1; P = .013) and OS (HR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.4 to 17.4; P = .012) in multivariable analysis. Cardiac toxicity was reported in eight patients (3.7%) of whom six presented with an asymptomatic left ventricular ejection fraction decrease and two with symptomatic chronic heart failure. Neoadjuvant combination of trastuzumab and chemotherapy resulted in a high pCR rate in HER2-overexpressing primary breast cancer. Patients with a pCR after neoadjuvant anti-HER2 therapy in combination with chemotherapy followed by maintenance trastuzumab have an improved long-term outcome. Patients without a pCR had an increased risk for relapse and death.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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The Experiences of Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer With a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.
Background: While the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube has become an established part of the management regimen for patients with head and neck cancer (HNCA) with impaired nutrition and functional status, limited research has explored the impact and experiences of living with a PEG tube from the patient's perspective. This qualitative study serves as a follow-up investigation undertaken to describe the experiences of patients with advanced HNCA living with a PEG tube. Materials and Methods: Eligible patients from convenience sampling were invited to participate until data saturation was reached. In-depth interviews were conducted with consenting participants. Qualitative descriptive design guided the content analysis of the interview transcripts. Results: Of the 49 patients invited, a total of 15 participants' interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Each interview was 15-90 minutes in length. Four of 22 content codes were chosen to describe the overarching ideas of the progressive experience of a patient's journey from the initial decision-making process around tube insertion through to its removal. Difficulty swallowing and weight loss emerged as primary factors for PEG tube insertion, and all participants became accustomed to living with the tube. Resuming a complete oral diet was a gradual transition. All participants recognized the value of the tube, and most acknowledged its necessity for their survival. Conclusions: Results describe the overall PEG tube experience as a dichotomy. While there were issues with the PEG tube, all participants found the tube to be beneficial. This study provides invaluable insight from a practice perspective.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Computed tomography findings and surgical outcomes of dermoid sinuses: a case series.
This case series describes the computed tomography (CT) and surgical findings of nine dogs with dermoid sinuses. Medical records were reviewed and summarised. CT with intravenous contrast showed a superficial, peripherally contrast-enhancing, fluid-filled structure with a contrast-enhancing, soft tissue-attenuating tract that extended from the skin through the dorsal midline soft tissues, often to the level of the nuchal ligament. The tract often extended in an oblique direction to the nuchal ligament, but the tract ventral to the nuchal ligament, found at surgery, was not always discernible on CT. The dermoid sinuses were excised from all dogs. At surgery, the tract often extended ventral to the nuchal ligament, terminating on the vertebra. The most ventral aspect of the tracts involved a fibrous strand extension of the sinus, which was not discernible on CT. Preoperative CT facilitated the diagnosis of a dermoid sinus and directed surgical planning; however, careful dissection beyond the nuchal ligament is imperative for complete excision.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Brain maturation is associated with increasing tissue stiffness and decreasing tissue fluidity.
Biomechanical cues guide proliferation, growth and maturation of neurons. Yet the molecules that shape the brain's biomechanical properties are unidentified and the relationship between neural development and viscoelasticity of brain tissue remains elusive. Here we combined novel in-vivo tomoelastography and ex-vivo proteomics to investigate whether viscoelasticity of the mouse brain correlates with protein alterations within the critical phase of brain maturation. For the first time, high-resolution atlases of viscoelasticity of the mouse brain were generated, revealing that (i) brain stiffness increased alongside progressive accumulation of microtubular structures, myelination, cytoskeleton linkage and cell-matrix attachment, and that (ii) viscosity-related tissue fluidity decreased alongside downregulated actin crosslinking and axonal organization. Taken together, our results show that brain maturation is associated with a shift of brain mechanical properties towards a more solid-rigid behavior consistent with reduced tissue fluidity. This shift appears to be driven by several molecular processes associated with myelination, cytoskeletal crosslinking and axonal organization. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The viscoelastic properties of brain tissue shape the environment in which neurons proliferate, grow, and mature. In the present study, novel tomoelastography was used to spatially map tissue mechanical properties of the in-vivo mouse brain during maturation. In vivo tomoelastography was also combined with ex vivo mass spectrometry proteomic analysis to identify the molecules which shape the biomechanical properties of brain tissue. With the combined technique, we observed that brain maturation is associated with a shift of brain mechanical properties towards a more solid-rigid behavior consistent with reduced tissue fluidity which is driven by multiple molecular processes. We believe that this shift of brain mechanical properties discovered in our study reflects a fundamental biophysical signature of brain maturation.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Arthroscopic therapy of tendinitis calcarea--acromioplasty or removal of calcium?].
In a retrospective analysis we evaluated 48 patients who had been arthroscopically treated for tendinitis calcarea. The calcific deposit was removed whenever possible and all patients were treated by arthroscopic subacromial decompression. In subjects who showed subacromial stenosis by X-ray or by intraoperative findings, an arthroscopic acromioplasty was performed. At follow-up all patients were evaluated according to the Constant score. Additionally all pre- and postoperative X-rays were reviewed. After surgery the Constant score significantly improved. In all cases where acromioplasty was performed, a flattening of the bony configuration was achieved. The X-ray analysis showed that no calcific deposit with blurred borders converted to sharp borders. There was also no deposit that converted from a transparent appearance to a dense structure. Patients with disappearance of the calcific deposit post-operatively had significantly better outcome than patients with no change in the X-ray. An additional acromioplasty did not improve the results. The aim of arthroscopic treatment of calcific tendinitis has to be the removal of the calcific deposit. Acromioplasty does not lead to further improvement to the result.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Factor analysis of exercise capacity, dyspnoea ratings and lung function in patients with severe COPD.
In this study we aimed to determine the relationship between exercise capacity, clinical ratings of dyspnoea and lung function parameters in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by means of the statistical method of factor analysis. Sixty two patients (mean age +/- SD, 66 +/- 9 yrs) in stable clinical condition, with a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 65% of predicted were investigated. Before the study, therapy was optimized, including inhaled bronchodilators, theophylline and steroids. Exercise capacity was determined from the best 6 min walking distance achieved in five self-paced treadmill walks performed on consecutive days. Lung function testing comprised spirometry and body plethysmography. Four different tools were chosen to rate dyspnoea and quality of life: the Baseline Dyspnoea Index (BDI), the Oxygen Cost Diagram (OCD), a modified Medical Research Council (MRC) Scale, and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ). Principal component factor analysis revealed that the data could be reduced to three hypothetical underlying variables (factors), which accounted for 79% of the total variance. BDI, MRC, OCD, CRQ and walking distance were attributed to the first factor, forced expiratory volume in one second and airway resistance to the second factor, and lung volumes to the third factor. Thus, our data suggest that the pathophysiological condition of severe COPD is characterized by three statistically independent entities: 1) exercise capacity, dyspnoea and quality of life ratings; 2) airway obstruction; and 3) pulmonary hyperinflation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Enhanced expression of hypothalamic nitric oxide synthase in rats developmentally exposed to organophosphates.
Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is highly expressed in the hypothalamus, and nitric oxide (NO) specifically contributes to the regulation of neuronal activity within distinct hypothalamic regions. We studied the long-lasting effects of developmental exposure to low doses of organophosphate chlorpyrifos (CPF) and diazinon (DZN) on the expression of NOS in the hypothalamic subnuclei that subserve neuroendocrine, autonomic and cognitive functions. A daily dose of 1 mg/kg of either CPF or DZN was administered to developing rats during gestational days 15-18 or postnatal days (PND) 1-4. Brain sections from PND 60 rats were processed using NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) immunohistochemistry. The number of labeled neurons and the optical density (OD) were assessed in the supraoptic (SON), paraventricular (PVN), medial septum, vertical limb, and horizontal limb of the diagonal band. Developmental exposure to organophosphates increased the number of labeled neurons and OD in different subnuclei in the hypothalamus without gender selectivity. The effect on OD was more pronounced and was significant for more cases. Prenatal exposure to CPF and DZN significantly increased the OD in all regions studied with the exception of PVN. Neonatal exposure to DZN also consistently increased OD in all studied subnuclei. For rats that treated with CPF during early postnatal period, this effect was statistically significant only for the SON and PVN. These findings suggest that overexpression of NOS in the hypothalamus may contribute to the mechanisms inducing or compensating for endocrine, autonomic and cognitive abnormalities after developmental exposure to organophosphates.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[A case of Crohn's disease accompanied by Peutz-Jeghers syndrome].
Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder characterized by multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps and mucocutaneous pigmentation. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome has an incidence of approximately 1 in 25,000 to 300,000 births. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that typically manifests as regional enteritis with its incidence ranging from 3.1 to 14.6 cases per 100,000 person-years in North America. Herein, we report a case of a 30-year-old male patient who had both Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and Crohn's disease. We believe that this is the first case in Korea and the second report in the English literatures on Peutz-Jeghers syndrome coincidentally accompanied by Crohn's disease.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Enhancement of interferon induction in mice by polycationic modified polypeptides.
Combined intraperitoneal treatment of mice with poly I: C and a polycationic modified polypeptide (poly-DMAE-glutamine) was investigated. It was established that the presence of appropriate amounts of poly-DMAE-glutamine produced markedly enhanced serum interferon levels as compared to those produced by poly I: C alone. Similar combinations injected into mice produced full protection against lethal doses of mouse-virulent Semliki forest virus.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Methodological considerations with data uncertainty in road safety analysis.
The analysis of potential influencing factors that affect the likelihood of road accident occurrence has been of major interest for safety researchers throughout the recent decades. Even though steady methodological progresses were made over the years, several impediments pertaining to the statistical analysis of crash data remain. While issues related to methodological approaches have been subject to constructive discussion, uncertainties inherent to the most fundamental part of any analysis have been widely neglected: data. This paper scrutinizes data from various sources that are commonly used in road safety studies with respect to their actual suitability for applications in this area. Issues related to spatial and temporal aspects of data uncertainty are pointed out and their implications for road safety analysis are discussed in detail. These general methodological considerations are exemplary illustrated with data from Austria, providing suggestions and methods how to overcome these obstacles. Considering these aspects is of major importance for expediting further advances in road safety data analysis and thus for increasing road safety.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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A new species of Agrilozodes Théry, 1927, new record for A. pygmaeus (Kerremans, 1897) and a key for the genus (Coleoptera, Buprestidae).
Agrilozodes bellamyi sp. nov. from the Caatinga Biome (type locality: Juazeirinho, Paraíba, Brazil) is described and illustrated. It differs from the other five known species mainly by the moderate longitudinal elevation between the eyes, posterolateral angles of pronotum acute and oblique, mesoepisternum excavated, elytral color pattern and elevation of interestriae 2 and 4. The distribution of A. pygmaeus is extended to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photographs of six species as well as a key to the six species of the genus are provided.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Sequence dependent conformational variations of collagen triple-helical structure.
The 2 A crystal structure reported here of the collagen-like model peptide, T3-785, provides the first visualization of how the sequence of collagen defines distinctive local conformational variations in triple-helical structure.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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New validated LC-MS/MS method for the determination of three alkylated adenines in human urine and its application to the monitoring of alkylating agents in cigarette smoke.
A highly specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous determination of urinary N(3)-methyladenine (N(3)-MeA), N(3)-ethyladenine (N(3)-EtA), and N(3)-(2-hydroxyethyl)adenine (N(3)-HOEtA). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column, with a mobile phase gradient prepared from aqueous 10 mM ammonium formate-acetonitrile (5:95 v/v, pH 4.0). Quantification of the analytes was done by multiple reaction monitoring using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in positive-ionization mode. The limits of quantification were 0.13, 0.02, and 0.03 ng/mL for N(3)-MeA, N(3)-EtA, and N(3)-HOEtA, respectively. Intraday and interday variations (relative standard deviations) ranged from 0.6 to 1.3 % and from 3.7 to 7.5 %. The recovery ranges of N(3)-MeA, N(3)-EtA, and N(3)-HOEtA in urine were 80.1-97.3 %, 83.3-90.0 %, and 100.0-110.0 %, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to urine samples from 251 volunteers including 193 regular smokers and 58 nonsmokers. The results showed that the levels of urinary N(3)-MeA, N(3)-EtA, and N(3)-HOEtA in smokers were significantly higher than those in nonsmokers. Furthermore, the level of urinary N(3)-MeA in smokers was found to be positively correlated with the level of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (r = 0.48, P < 0.001, N = 192). This method is appropriate for routine analysis and accurate quantification of N(3)-MeA, N(3)-EtA, and N(3)-HOEtA. It is also a useful tool for the surveillance of alkylating agent exposure.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Preinduced molecular chaperones in the endoplasmic reticulum protect cardiomyocytes from lethal injury.
Although molecular chaperones in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are known to be involved in folding and assembly of glycosylated proteins, it is unclear whether preinduced ER chaperones can protect cardiomyocytes from lethal injury. In this study we used tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-linked glycosylation in the ER, to preinduce ER chaperones in H9c2 cardiomyocytes and we tested the cytoprotective role of preinduced ER chaperones in the cardiomyocytes. Expression of GRP78 at both protein and mRNA levels was markedly increased in cardiomyocytes pretreated with tunicamycin, when compared to non-treatment controls. Following prolonged ATP depletion or oxidative stress, which was used to simulate cardiac ischemia and reperfusion injury, respectively, the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from tunicamycin-pretreated cardiomyocytes was significantly lower than from non-pretreated cardiomycocytes. Tunicamycin-pretreated cardiomyocytes showed significantly higher Ca2+ release into cytoplasm than controls when treated with both caffeine and thapsigargin, indicating higher storage of Ca2+ in the ER. After oxidative stress, cytosolic Ca2+ levels were maintained relatively stable in tunicamycin-pretreated cardiomyocytes, when compared to control cardiomyocytes. These observations suggest that preinduced ER chaperones protect cardiomyocytes from lethal injury, at least in part, by preventing an increase in cytosolic Ca2+.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A report from the Korean society of pediatric hematology-oncology.
Recent development of stratified chemotherapeutic regimens has rapidly improved the survival rate of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of childhood. Despite these improvements, the outcome for children with recurrent or refractory NHL remains dismal. We explored the use of high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (HDC/PBSCT) for children with either refractory or recurrent NHL, and we evaluated various factors influencing outcome of HDC/PBSCT. Thirty-three patients underwent HDC/PBSCT in 11 institutes were enrolled. All patients had refractory or recurrent NHL. Sex, stage at diagnosis, histologic subtype (lymphoblastic, Burkitt's, and large-cell lymphoma), LDH level at diagnosis, disease status at transplantation, and preparative regimens for HDC/PBSCT were explored. In regard to the patients, six had Burkitt's lymphoma, 13 had lymphoblastic lymphoma, and 14 had large-cell lymphoma. The 2-year event-free survival (EFS) was 59.1+/-9.3%. The EFS for Burkitt's, lymphoblastic, and large-cell lymphoma was 66.7+/-27.2, 50.5+/-14.8, and 82.1+/-11.7%, respectively. In comparison with lymphoblastic and non-lymphoblastic lymphoma, the relative risk for lymphoblastic lymphoma was higher than the others (P = 0.037). EFS between anaplastic large-cell and diffuse large-cell lymphoma was 100 and 55.6+/-24.9%, respectively (P = 0.106). Status at transplantation was the most predictive factor for the survival after HDC/PBSCT (EFS for CR 70.8+/-9.5% vs non-CR 20.0+/-17.9%, P = 0.008). Transplantation-related complications were minimal, and infection was the most prevalent complication. HDC/PBSCT is considered applicable to recurrent or refractory pediatric NHL patients safely and it could replace conventional chemotherapy. In this study, children with CR status at the time of HDC/PBSCT showed higher survival rate. However, refractory or recurrent lymphoblastic lymphoma patients showed dismal results. Therefore, new therapeutic modalities may be needed for this group of NHL patients.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Overexpression of acyl-coA binding protein and its effects on the flux of free fatty acids in McA-RH 7777 cells.
Overexpression of acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) was induced in a rat hepatoma cell line (McA-RH 7777) by stable integration of rat ACBP cDNA. The transfected cells (ACBP-27) had 3.5-fold higher concentrations of ACBP than control cells (14 vs. 4 ng/microg DNA). Both ACBP-27 and control cells were cultured in the presence of various concentrations of radiolabeled palmitic acid; and the effects of ACBP on lipogenesis and beta-oxidation were studied. Incubation of the cells with 100 microM palmitic acid resulted in 42% greater incorporation of the fatty acid in ACBP-27 cells as compared to that in the control cells. This increased incorporation of the fatty acid was observed predominantly in the triglyceride fraction. Higher concentrations of palmitic acid (200 to 400 microM) were associated with a significant decrease in the production of 14CO2 in the ACBP-27 cell line than in the control cells, while lower concentrations had no effect. Our data suggest a role for ACBP in the partitioning of fatty acids between esterification reactions leading to the formation of neutral lipids and beta-oxidation. ACBP may play a regulatory role by influencing this important branch point in intermediary lipid metabolism.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Perceived Ethics Dilemmas Among Pioneer Accountable Care Organizations.
This study of Pioneer accountable care organizations (ACOs) suggests that the ACO model is creating moral distress for physicians and business leaders in seven critical ways:Despite an overall sense of optimism associated with the ACO model, our research identified an underlying sense of moral distress at most sites. A clear opportunity exists for ACOs to use a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to proactively resolving ethical dilemmas while continuing the march toward risk-based contracts.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic oral vaccines?].
Recent data suggest clinical efficacy of specific antigens delivered at mucosal sites in the treatment of certain organ specific autoimmune diseases. This approach appears non-toxic and has no side effects. Phase I/II human trials on multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis show positive outcomes. Furthermore, animal studies point to beneficial effects on uveitis, diabetes mellitus, transplantation reactions and allergic diseases. The immunological mechanism is oral tolerance, a well known principle for induction of a systemic hyporesponse to specific antigens. The tolerance is most pronounced on delayed type hypersensibility and IgE-mediated reactions. At least three different mechanisms mediate the tolerance. Low doses of antigen induce active suppression, intermediate doses induce clonal T-cell anergy, and high doses induce clonal T-cell deletion. The recent improvements in the understanding of the mechanisms of oral tolerance have fueled an interest in manipulating this principle to develop anti-inflammatory vaccines.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Methoxyflurane for Procedural Analgesia at 4470 m Altitude.
Methoxyflurane is a volatile, fluorinated anesthetic agent with analgesic properties. Although no longer used as an anesthetic due to concerns regarding renal toxicity in high doses, it has enjoyed a resurgence as an inhaled analgesic in prehospital care and in the emergency department. The agent is nonflammable and leads to rapid, titratable analgesia without intravenous access. The Penthrox inhaler device is light, robust, and straightforward to administer. Consequently, it has been proposed as an ideal analgesic for the remote high altitude setting. We report its use for procedural analgesia during suprapubic aspiration for acute urinary retention at a remote rescue post at night, in cold winter conditions, at 4470 m altitude in Machermo, Nepal. We found that methoxyflurane provided rapid, effective analgesia for our patient's visceral and procedural pain. The inhaler was easy to administer, and the patient remained responsive to voice, with satisfactory oxygen saturation and respiratory rate throughout. We also briefly review the administration, dosing, efficacy, and safety of methoxyflurane and its role in remote medical care.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Hysteroscopically detected asymptomatic müllerian anomalies. Prevalence and reproductive implications.
To assess the prevalence of uterine anomalies and relative reproductive function in 322 women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) evaluated by diagnostic hysteroscopy. Uterine contours were classified as septate/bicornuate, arcuate or normal on the basis of hysteroscopy. A complete medical history was obtained from all the subjects; it included a questionnaire on menstrual characteristics, reproductive history and pregnancy outcome. Cumulative birth rates, frequency of spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, malpresentation and mode of delivery in patients with normal and abnormal uteri were compared using life table analysis, the log-rank test and chi 2 analysis. Arcuate, septate/bicornuate and unicornuate uteri were observed in 6.5%, 3.7% and 0.3% of women, respectively. Although 24-month pregnancy rates and monthly fecundability rates were similar in women with and without müllerian anomalies, the 36-month cumulative live birth rate was significantly lower in women with a septate/bicornuate uterus. Overall, women with uterine malformations showed a significantly higher miscarriage rate (P < .05) and a significantly lower term delivery rate (P < .05) than women with a normal-shaped uterus. Diagnostic hysteroscopy in women with AUB detected a 10% prevalence of uterine anomalies, which were associated with a significantly higher incidence of spontaneous abortion and lower cumulative live birth rates.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Functional polymers for targeted delivery of nucleic acid drugs.
Cationic polymers have been chemically modified with a variety of targeting molecules such as peptides, proteins, antibodies, sugars and vitamins for targeted delivery of nucleic acid drugs to specific cells. Stimuli-sensitive polymers exhibiting different size, charge and conformation in response to physiological signals from specific cells have also been utilized for targeted delivery. To achieve target-specific delivery of nucleic acids, conjugation chemistry is critical to produce stable nanosized polyplexes tethered with cell-recognizable ligands for facile cellular uptake via a receptor-mediated endocytic pathway. In this review, synthetic strategies of functional cationic polymers with various targeting ligands are presented.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Hormesis and its application in medicinal plant growing].
Hormesis describes the low-dose stimulation and high-dose inhibition phenomena for all kind lives under toxicity environment. This paper generalized hormesis of medicinal plant on grow and metabolite after introducing the concept and study state of hormesis and analyzing hormesis mechanism and its significance. It points out that hormesis can be well used for medicinal plants growth, including increasing the metabolise, giving a dereaction for cultivated field chosen, guiding the agriculture management during the cultivation and improving the anti-stress.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Future of gait analysis: a podiatric medical perspective.
Despite the plethora of information on human gait analysis, its continued use as a clinical tool remains uncertain. Analysis of gait dysfunction has become integral to podiatric medical practice, and, like many specialized fields, it is rapidly changing to meet the needs of the future. Practice in the 21st century is predicated on the concept of multidisciplinary working approaches and a growing trend toward evidence-based practice, in which gait analysis could play a prominent role. This article provides a historical synopsis of instrumented gait analysis and its associated subcomponents and discusses the salient issues concerning its future role in podiatric medicine.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Knockdown of filaggrin impairs diffusion barrier function and increases UV sensitivity in a human skin model.
Loss-of-function mutations in the filaggrin gene are associated with ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis. To investigate the impact of filaggrin deficiency on the skin barrier, filaggrin expression was knocked down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology in an organotypic skin model in vitro. Three different siRNAs each efficiently suppressed the expression of profilaggrin and the formation of mature filaggrin. Electron microscopy revealed that keratohyalin granules were reduced in number and size and lamellar body formation was disturbed. Expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers and the composition of lipids appeared normal in filaggrin-deficient models. The absence of filaggrin did not render keratins 1, 2, and 10 more susceptible to extraction by urea, arguing against a defect in aggregation. Despite grossly normal stratum corneum morphology, filaggrin-deficient skin models showed a disturbed diffusion barrier function in a dye penetration assay. Moreover, lack of filaggrin led to a reduction in the concentration of urocanic acid, and sensitized the organotypic skin to UVB-induced apoptosis. This study thus demonstrates that knockdown of filaggrin expression in an organotypic skin model reproduces epidermal alterations caused by filaggrin mutations in vivo. In addition, our results challenge the role of filaggrin in intermediate filament aggregation and establish a link between filaggrin and endogenous UVB protection.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Role of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in osteoblastic differentiation.
Cholesterol (C27H46O) is the principal structural lipid of the biological membrane, but it also plays an important role in many other biological functions. Even though the majority of body cholesterol is synthesized by the liver and secreted as circulating lipoproteins, many cell types can synthesize cholesterol ex novo. The biosynthetic pathway of cholesterol proceeds through several intermediates and involves different enzymes. The rate-limiting step of cholesterol synthesis is the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase that synthesizes mevalonate starting from HMG-CoA. Since natural inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase, named statin, have been isolated, many others have been developed, which differ in their lipophilicity/ hydrophilicity. By using statins, many studies have been performed in order to shed light on the role of cholesterol on different cell types and, among these, on bone cells. In vivo studies have demonstrated that treatment of pluripotent mouse marrow stromal cells (M2-10B4) with statins inhibited the differentiation of these cells into osteoblastic cells, confirming the crucial role of cholesterol biosynthetic pathway for osteoblast differentiation. Conversely, other studies, using other cellular systems, have reported that statins may exert an anabolic effect on bone. Moreover, human and animal studies have shown that hypercholesterolemia may play an adverse effect in osteoporotic bone loss. In conclusion, it appears that cholesterol is important for different cellular activities, such as osteoblastic differentiation, if present in "normal" physiological concentration and particular experimental conditions, but it may exert adverse effects if present in excess.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Cementless versus cemented Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty: early results of a non-designer user group.
Although fewer tibial radiolucent lines are observed in cementless Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) compared with cemented Oxford UKA, an independent comparative study on this topic is lacking. In this multicentre retrospective study, a cohort of 60 consecutive cases of cementless Oxford UKA is compared with a cohort of 60 consecutive cases of cemented Oxford UKA. Radiolucent lines, survival, perioperative data and clinical results were compared. No complete tibial radiolucent lines were observed in either group. Seventeen per cent of partial tibial radiolucent lines were observed in the cementless group versus 21 % in the cemented group (n.s.). The percentage of tibial radiolucent zones was 4 versus 9 %, respectively (p = 0.036). Survival rates were 90 % at 34 months for the cementless group and 84 % at 54 months for the cemented group (n.s.). Mean operation time was 10 min shorter in the cementless group (p < 0.001), and clinical results were not significantly different. Although no significant differences in radiolucent lines were found between both groups, they appear to be more common in the cemented group. This confirms previous results from reports by prosthesis designers. The presence of radiolucent lines after cemented Oxford UKA does not correlate with clinical outcome or survival. III.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Nitrogenase structure and function: a biochemical-genetic perspective.
Biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by nitrogenase, an enzyme composed of two component proteins called the Fe protein and the MoFe protein. During catalysis, electrons are delivered one at a time from the Fe protein to the MoFe protein in a process involving component-protein association and dissociation and hydrolysis of at least two MgATP for each electron transfer. The Fe protein contains the sites for MgATP binding and hydrolysis, whereas the site for substrate binding and reduction is located on the MoFe protein. Among the important aspects of nitrogenase enzymology discussed here are (a) the structures of the metal centers that participate in electron transfer, (b) the organization of the metalloclusters within the polypeptides and their contributions to substrate binding and electron transfer, (c) the nature of the dynamic interactions between the two component proteins that lead to nucleotide hydrolysis and intermolecular electron transfer, (d) the mechanism by which the multiple electrons necessary for substrate reduction are distributed within the MoFe protein, (e) the nature of the intramolecular electron path within the MoFe protein, and (f) where and how substrate and various inhibitors become bound to the substrate-reduction site. This chapter summarizes biochemical-genetic strategies used to address these questions and discussed them in the context of the recently proposed three-dimensional models for both the Fe protein and MoFe protein from Azotobacter vinelandii.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Experimental infection of an adult domestic cat with third stage larvae of Gnathostoma spinigerum isolated from a fresh water fish].
In order to confirm that the third larvae stage found in fresh water fish and that the adult parasite found in definitive hosts, corresponded to different stages of the same parasite life cycle (G. spinigerum), we proceeded to the experimental infestation with the following finding of the adult parasite. We were able to confirm in a definitive way the identify of the larva found in fresh water fish.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Elevated pain thresholds correlate with dissociation and aversive arousal in patients with borderline personality disorder.
In addition to reduced pain perception, patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show higher pain thresholds under subjective stress conditions as compared with non-stress conditions. However, the correlation between symptoms of stress and pain thresholds has not been investigated so far. Using a new and convenient methodology, electric stimulation, we expected higher pain and detection thresholds in patients with BPD than in to healthy controls as well as a positive correlation between pain thresholds and symptoms of stress (aversive arousal and dissociation) in BPD patients. Twelve female patients with BPD and twelve healthy controls were included in the study. Electric stimulation was applied on the right index finger, and detection and pain thresholds were assessed by gradually intensifying the stimuli. We found significantly elevated pain thresholds in patients with BPD as compared with healthy controls, but no difference between patients and controls in detection thresholds. In patients, a significant positive correlation was revealed between pain thresholds and dissociation as well as between pain thresholds and aversive arousal. Besides demonstrating a close correlation between pain thresholds and symptoms of stress in patients with BPD, this study replicated earlier findings of reduced pain perception in patients with BPD. Measuring electric pain thresholds is a valid and reasonable method for larger studies.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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A study of body image in long-term breast cancer survivors.
In this controlled postdiagnosis study, the authors examined various aspects of body image of breast cancer survivors in cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. In 2004 and 2007 the Body Image Scale (BIS) was completed by the same 248 disease-free women who had been treated for stage II and III breast cancer between 1998 and 2002. "Poorer" body image was defined as greater than the 70th percentile (N=76 women) of the BIS scores in contrast to "better" body image (N=172 women). Breast cancer survivors were examined clinically in 2004, and their BIS scores were compared with the scores from an age-matched group of women from the general population. In this cross-sectional study, poorer body image in 2004 was associated significantly with modified radical mastectomy, undergoing or planning to undergo breast-reconstructive surgery, a change in clothing, poor physical and mental health, chronic fatigue, and reduced quality of life (QoL). In univariate analyses, most of these factors and manually planned radiotherapy were significant predictors of poorer body image in 2007. In multivariate analyses, manually planned radiotherapy, poor physical QoL and high BIS score in 2004 remained independent predictors of a poorer body image in 2007. Body image ratings were relatively stable from 2004 to 2007. Twenty-one percent of breast cancer survivors reported body image dissatisfaction, similar to the proportion of dissatisfaction in controls. In this cross-sectional analysis, body image in breast cancer survivors was associated with the types of surgery and radiotherapy and with mental distress, reduced health, and impaired QoL. Body image ratings were relatively stable over time, and the antecedent body image score was a strong predictor of body image at follow-up. Body image in breast cancer survivors differed very little from that in controls.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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The safety and efficacy of poly-L-lactic acid on sunken cheeks in Asians.
Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer device used for correction of facial contour deficiencies, with a gradual onset of effect that is maintained for up to 25 months. PLLA is currently widely used to correct age-related facial volume deficits in Asians. We sought to evaluate the safety and long-term efficacy of PLLA on treating age-related sunken cheeks in Asians. This was a retrospective, single-center study of 11 subjects with age-related sunken cheeks who were treated with three sessions of PLLA, and then followed-up for 24 months. A questionnaire was used to evaluate patient satisfaction and the incidence of adverse reactions. Seven female and four male subjects with mild-to-moderate age-related sunken cheeks were included in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 41.5 (range: 25-50). Overall, 90.9% of patients replied that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the results at 24 months follow-up; 91% of patients rated the volume correction to be good or excellent. Despite the high incidence of bruising (63.7%) and post-treatment nodules (27.3%), all subjects (100%) were willing to undergo the procedure again. PLLA has shown long-lasting effects in reversing age-related sunken cheeks in Asians, with high patient satisfaction. Special consideration should be made to minimize the side effects.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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PATTERN OF ANORECTAL MALFORMATIONS AND EARLY OUTCOMES OF MANAGEMENT AT MOI TEACHING AND REFERRAL HOSPITAL ELDORET-KENYA.
Objectives: To describe the anatomical sub-types of Anorectal malformations, their management and the early outcome at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) over a 16 month period. Design: A prospective study. MTRH, in the neonatal Unit and paediatric surgical wards for theinitial capture of patients and initial follow up. The Paediatric Surgical out-patient clinic was used for the subsequent follow ups. All infants diagnosed with ARM (Anorectal malformations) at MTRH from November 2011 to April 2013. Sub-types of the Anorectal malformations, coexisting abnormalities morbidity and mortality rates. There were 42 participants including 24 (57%) males and 18 (43%) females. Neonates presented at an average age of 4 ± 3, three days and older children presented on average age of 152 ± 118, three days. There were 30 (71%) neonates and 12 (29%) older infants. In males, the predominant sub-type was imperforate anus without a fistula found in ten participants (42% of males). In females, the predominant sub-type was recto-vestibular fistula found in 14 participants (78% of females). Mortality occurred in 13 (31%) participants among them ten (24%) had coexisting abnormalities. The main causes of morbidity were: colostomy complications in four (9.5%); wound,infections in one (5%); and wound dehiscence in one (5%). Patients with Anorectal malformations presented late at MTRH. The diagnosis at birth was missed in babies born at home as well as those delivered in health institutions.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Migration of Tinuvin P and Irganox 3114 into milk and the corresponding authorised food simulant.
Migration of Tinuvin P (UV stabiliser) and Irganox 3114 (antioxidant) from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was studied. HDPE pieces were soaked in either milk (1.5% or 3.5% fat content) or 50% (v/v) ethanol-water mixture - the food simulant for milk as specified in Regulation No. 10/2011/EC. The obtained extracts were analysed by LC-MS/MS. For statistical assessment variography was used. It proved to be a useful tool for making a distinction between the early migration range and the equilibrium, despite the variance of the data. Regulation No. 10/2011/EC specifies 10 days of contact time for milk at 5°C. Our experiments with the food simulant with 24 dm(2) kg(-1) surface/mass ratio showed that both Tinuvin P and Irganox 3114 need less than 1 h to reach equilibrium. Furthermore, 10-day experiments with daily sampling showed that these additives are stable in milk, as well as in the food simulant. The effect of the concentration of the additives in HDPE was studied in the 0.01-5% (m/m) range. For both Tinuvin P and Irganox 3114 and all three extractants the migrated amount became independent of the concentration of the additive in the HDPE approximately at 1% (m/m). For Tinuvin P the food simulant gave a close estimate for the milk samples. However, using the food simulant for modelling the migration of Irganox 3114 into milk gave an overestimation with a factor of minimum 3.5. In the case of Tinuvin P special care must be taken, since the recommended amount in the HDPE can result in additive concentrations near or even over the specific migration limit (SML). However, Irganox 3114 cannot reach the SML either in milk or in the food simulant.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Transfected rat cMOAT is functionally expressed on the apical membrane in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells.
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the expression of canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter (cMOAT) by its cDNA transfection in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells (MDCK). MDCK cells were transfected with an expression vector (pCXN2) containing the rat cMOAT cDNA with lipofectamine to obtain the stable transfectant under G418. Cells from a single colony whose cMOAT expression was the highest were seeded to form a tight epithelial monolayer on microporous membrane filters. Export of glutathione S-bimane (GS-B) from monolayers was determined after preloading its precursor, monochloro bimane (MCB). A comparable amount of GS-B was excreted to the apical and basal compartments in the vector-transfected cells. In contrast, in cMOAT-transfected cells, the amount apically excreted was approximately twice that excreted into the basal compartment. Cyclosporin A (CsA) (30 microM), an inhibitor of cMOAT at higher concentrations, inhibited the preferential apical export of GS-B from cMOAT-transfected cells. Rat cMOAT is functionally expressed on the apical membrane of MDCK cells after transfection.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Justifications for formula supplementation in low-risk newborns at a Baby-Friendly Hospital].
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative recommends not giving newborn infants any food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated. This study investigated the prevalence and alleged reasons for giving formula supplementation to rooming-in newborns at a Baby-Friendly Hospital. Participants were 300 formula-supplemented, exclusively rooming-in newborns at a Baby-Friendly Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Reasons for formula supplementation were classified as acceptable or unacceptable in accordance with the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative guidelines. A supplementation prevalence of 33.3% was found. The main allegations were: hypogalactia/ agalactia (36.8%), conditions involving risk of hypoglicemia (21.1%), cesarean section (7.9%), stomatognathic system-related conditions (7.4%), maternal conditions (6.3%), and absence of maternal HIV serology (4.5%). Cesarean section was associated with a higher risk of supplementation (RP = 2.1; 95%CI: 1.77-2.55) as compared to vaginal delivery. Supplementation prevalence was high, and only 9% of the allegations were justified.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Detection of Helicobacter pylori in oral cavity of patients with recurrent aphthous ulcer].
To investigate the association of recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) with Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and digestive diseases. Saliva samples were collected from 82 patients with RAU and 74 healthy volunteers for Hp detection with PCR. The positivity rates of HP differed significantly between RAU patients and healthy volunteers (43.9% vs 16.2%, P<0.001). In the 82 RAU patients, 22 (26.82%) were identified to have gastritis and peptic ulcer, whereas only 7 out of the 74 healthy volunteers (10.45%) had such digestive diseases, showing significant difference between them (P<0.01). Hp might in some way associate with RAU, which in turn is associated with an increased incidence of digestive diseases.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Determination of hemoglobin A2 (HbA2) by ion exchange resins freely suspended in test tubes].
Two methods to measure HbA2 are compared in order to discriminate the beta-thalassemia minor. Both the methods are based on the property of DEAE microgranular cellulose to bind every physiological haemoglobins but not the HbA2. However one method is based on conventional microchromatographic use of the resin while the second one the resin is in a test tube. The last application is very easily applied in the routine analysis for its rapidity without decreasing precision and accuracy.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Mitotic activity in the growing red deer antler.
Antlers grow rapidly through the coordinated development of both osseocartilage and skin (velvet). The regional patterns of cell division in these two compartments were assessed by immunochemical detection of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in antlers from one-year-old red deer. The whole antler integument was in a state of growth and/or renewal, particularly the keratinocytes of the basal cell layer of the epidermis near the tip, and hair bulbs and sebaceous glands. More proximally, a zone of weaker mitotic activity was detected. Within the osseocartilagenous compartment, rapid mitosis was particularly apparent within the distal mesenchyme, visible as a dome-shaped band of staining. Mitotic activity of chondrocytes and osteoblasts was more extensive in peripheral areas of developing bone than in the centre. We conclude that the antler tip is the site of most active epidermal growth, and hypothesise that other mechanisms in addition to mechanical stretching play a role in growth of the integument.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Intensified-dose (4 gm/m2) cyclophosphamide and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor administration for hematopoietic stem cell mobilization in refractory rheumatoid arthritis.
To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of intensified-dose cyclophosphamide (ID-CYC), followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration for collection of peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), for patients with severe, refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Four patients with severe refractory RA were enrolled in this open study. They received a single infusion of CYC (4 gm/m2) at day 0 followed by G-CSF (5 microg/kg/day) from day 6 until the last day of leukapheresis (performed at the time of hematopoietic recovery) to harvest peripheral blood HSC. Patients were monitored for disease activity, adverse effects, and hematopoietic reconstitution following this procedure. For all patients, administration of ID-CYC induced an early, dramatic improvement of disease activity. Long-term followup indicates that partial disease relapse was observed for all patients. No adverse effect was directly attributable to the treatment procedure. For most patients, HSC collection was sufficient to provide a graft enriched in CD34+ cells by positive selection as well as an unselected rescue graft. Patients with severe, refractory RA can benefit from ID-CYC. This procedure, followed by G-CSF administration, appears safe and technically suitable. In addition, it allows immediate improvement of RA activity that can occasionally persist beyond 6 months.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in patients with stress (tako-tsubo) cardiomyopathy.
Stress (tako-tsubo) cardiomyopathy (SC) is a newly reported condition afflicting older women, characterized by acute left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, triggered by emotionally and physically stressful events, and occurring without significant coronary obstruction. Sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity has been implicated in the pathophysiology of SC. Single nucleotide polymorphisms involving the adrenergic receptors (AR) might result in susceptibility to SC. Forty-one female SC patients were identified aged 34-89 years (mean 65) and were compared with 43 control females of similar age with respect to AR genotype frequencies for B1 receptor (amino acid positions 389 and 49) and alpha 2c receptor (deletion 322-325). For SC patients, initial LV ejection fraction was 32 ± 10% vs. 62 ± 11% in control patients, p < 0.05. Genotype frequencies for SC patients vs. controls were B1 389 Arg/Arg (0.49 vs. 0.51), B1 389 Arg/Gly (0.49 vs. 0.49), B1 389 Gly/Gly (0.02 vs. 0), B1 49 Ser/Ser (0.88 vs. 0.81), B1 49 Ser/Gly (0.12 vs. 0.16), B1 49 Gly/Gly (0 vs. 0.02), alpha 2c Wt/Wt (0.93 vs. 0.86), and alpha 2c Wt/Del 322-325 (0.07 vs. 0.14); p = ns for all comparisons. Genotype polymorphism frequencies for B1 receptor (amino acid positions 389 and 49) and alpha 2c receptor (deletion 322-325) are not significantly different in SC patients compared to female controls. These data suggest that these AR polymorphisms do not mediate the sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity in SC patients.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Situations regarding the labour market for people suffering from chronic diseases].
This paper is aimed at investigating the extents to which illness modifies labour supply and employment conditions of people with chronic diseases (defined as severe diseases giving rise to 100% coverage of health expenditures by the Sickness Fund). It is based on the data of 35073 individuals interviewed in the 2002-2003 French Decennial Health Survey, reporting their health, health care consumption and socioeconomic characteristics, and collected by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. Models have been estimated with logistic strategies. Participation in labour market appears, all other things being equal, to be less important for people with chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are more deleterious for blue collar than for white collars workers. The probability to have a part-time job is raised by 60% for people with chronic diseases (100% for men, 50% for women). Suffering from chronic diseases raises the probability to have a desired part-time job rather than a full-time job by 80% (170% for men, 60% for women) and the probability to have an undesired part-time job rather than a full-time job by 50% (30% for men, 50% for women). For the elderly (50-65 years), chronic diseases multiply by three the probability to be out-of-work (and not retired), by two the probability to be retired and by 1.5 the probability to be unemployed compared to being employed. The consequences of chronic diseases on the workplace are not negligible, creating new social inequalities that the French social protection system does not seem to be able to completely cover.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Management of vasospastic disorders of the hand.
Vasospastic disorders of the upper extremity are common and often difficult to treat. Using the proposed classification system (Table 2) allows management based upon pathologic condition, physiologic staging, and response to treatment. Identifying patients in this way also helps in determining which treatments are most appropriate. The basic approach to management includes environmental and behavioral modifications including cessation of tobacco use, protection of hands, and avoidance of situations that trigger the vasospastic response. Pharmacologic therapy may provide good results in a majority of patients. Surgical intervention is reserved for patients with vaso-occlusion, ischemia, and refractory symptoms in spite of attempts at medical management. Surgical options include vascular reconstruction, peripheral sympathectomy, or a combination of techniques. The goal of medical and surgical management is to increase total or nutritional blood flow in the digits.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Hepcidin and disorders of iron metabolism.
The hepatic peptide hormone hepcidin is the principal regulator of iron absorption and its tissue distribution. Pathologically increased hepcidin concentrations cause or contribute to iron-restrictive anemias including anemias associated with inflammation, chronic kidney disease and some cancers. Hepcidin deficiency results in iron overload in hereditary hemochromatosis and ineffective erythropoiesis. The hepcidin-ferroportin axis is the principal regulator of extracellular iron homeostasis in health and disease, and is a promising target for the diagnosis and treatment of iron disorders and anemias.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Remodeling of myocyte dimensions in hypertrophic and atrophic rat hearts.
Changes in hemodynamic load cause alterations in cardiac myocyte size, with regional variations in myocyte size distribution possible within the ventricular wall. We studied regional changes in cellular dimensions and their distribution in two models of cardiac hypertrophy and in cardiac atrophy in the rat. Combined volume-pressure overload was produced by 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) treatment; atrophy was produced by heterotopic isotransplantation. Our previous data from long-term pressure overload after aortic constriction were used for comparison. Isolated ventricular myocytes were obtained after in vitro coronary perfusion with collagenase. Cell volume and its distribution were determined; cell length was directly measured by image analysis, and cross-sectional area was estimated from the cell volume/cell length ratio, assuming a cylindrical model. Myocyte hypertrophy resulting from hyperthyroidism and aortic constriction was primarily due to increased cross-sectional area. In both cases, the relative response was greater in the right ventricle than in the left ventricle. Within the left ventricle, epimyocardial myocytes enlarged the most. Aortic constriction and T3 treatment predominantly increased the size of smaller myocytes. Heterogeneity in myocyte size increased after constriction but remained relatively unaffected after T3 treatment. Atrophy of left ventricular myocytes was due to a proportional decrease in cell length and cross-sectional area, with the greatest decrease in the left ventricular endomyocardium. Atrophy predominantly affected larger myocytes, resulting in a more homogeneous overall population of smaller myocytes. We conclude that various alterations in load lead to diverse remodeling in the myocyte population throughout the ventricular wall. In general, smaller myocytes show the highest growth potential, whereas larger myocytes exhibit the highest potential to atrophy.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Double-Aging Method for Preparation of Stabilized Na-Buserite and Transformations to Todorokites Incorporated with Various Metals.
A double-aging method has been developed to prepare and stabilize Na-buserite. In the first step, Na-buserite is synthesized by aging a MnO(x)() gel, which is produced from the oxidation of Mn(OH)(2) in NaOH solutions by KMnO(4) in the presence of Mg(2+). Stabilization of Na-buserite is done by further aging the as-synthesized buserite in distilled deionized water. Physical and chemical changes during the second aging (stabilization) have been investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR), scanning electronic microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray studies (SEM/EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and temperature-programmed desorption combined with mass spectrometer (TPD-MS). The amount and type of metals incorporated into buserite and todorokite are greatly increased by the second aging treatment (including many lanthanides, whose incorporation has not been reported before). The metal species introduced in the layers considerably change the interlayer distances and, accordingly, the cell parameters. A criterion is obtained for the transformation of todorokite-type tunnel MnO(x)() materials from buserite-type layered MnO(x)() by hydrothermal treatment: only buserites which are stable at elevated temperatures in aqueous systems can convert to a todorokite structure; unstable buserites form a structure whose main d spacings are at 3.56 and 7.1 Å. Interconversions among several layered MnO(x)() are also discussed.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Early involvement of small inhibitory cortical interneurons in Alzheimer's disease.
Work on acute models of cortical injury has revealed a population of small GABAergic interneurons that are induced to increase their low constitutive expression of neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase (nNOS). In some cases, this activation may play a role in NO-mediated degeneration of pyramidal neurons. In this report, we explore the anatomy of various classes of cortical nNOS (+) (nitrergic) neurons, with emphasis on small interneurons, in the medial temporal lobe of subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) from two well-characterized cohorts, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging (BLSA) and the Religious Order Study (ROS). We find that small calbindin (+) cortical interneurons are induced to high levels of NADPHd/nNOS reactivity early in AD and abound in areas with emerging neurofibrillary pathology, that is, in entorhinal cortex in the beginning of the limbic stage of Braak, in hippocampal CA1 in the mature limbic stage and in temporal neocortex in the late limbic stage. This pattern was robust and significant in the younger of the two AD cohorts studied (BLSA), but persisted as a trend in the older cohort (ROS). In optimally prepared material, we find a significant correlation between numbers of these interneurons and markers of neuronal cell death, for example, caspase-3 activation. Our results show that small cortical inhibitory interneurons represent an extensive signaling system that is induced to higher levels of NADPHd/nNOS expression early in the paralimbic-limbic-neocortical sequence of AD progression. We propose that nNOS/NO signaling initiated in these interneurons can serve as a marker of early cortical injury in AD. The specific role played by inhibitory interneurons and NO in the elaboration of specific neuropathologies associated with AD, that is, Abeta and neurofibrillary deposits and cell death deserves further exploration in experimental animal models.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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The crystal and solution structures of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase reveal different quaternary structures.
The presence of an isoform of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (kmGAPDH1p) associated with the cell wall of a flocculent strain of Kluyveromyces marxianus was the first report of a non-cytosolic localization of a glycolytic enzyme, but the mechanism by which the protein is transported to the cell surface is not known. To identify structural features that could account for the multiple localizations of the protein, the three-dimensional structure of kmGAPDH1p was determined by x-ray crystallography and small angle x-ray scattering. The x-ray crystallographic structure of kmGAPDH1p revealed a dimer, although all GAPDH homologs studied thus far have a tetrameric structure with 222 symmetry. Interestingly, the structure of kmGAPDH1p in solution revealed a tetramer with a 70 degrees tilt angle between the dimers. Moreover, the separation between the centers of the dimers composing the kmGAPDH1p tetramer diminished from 34 to 30 A upon NAD(+) binding, this latter value being similar to the observed in the crystallographic models of GAPDH homologs. The less compact structure of apo-kmGAPDH1p could already be the first image of the transition intermediate between the tetramer observed in solution and the dimeric form found in the crystal structure, which we postulate to exist in vivo because of the protein's multiple subcellular localizations in this yeast species.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Nanog retrotransposed genes with functionally conserved open reading frames.
The Nanog gene plays a key role in the pluripotency of early embryonic cells in vitro and in vivo. In this article retrotransposed copies of Nanog, termed NanogPc and NanogPd, are identified on mouse Chromosomes 4 and 7, respectively. In contrast to the two previously characterized mouse Nanog retrogenes that contain multiple frameshifts and point mutations, NanogPc and NanogPd are 98% identical to NANOG within the open reading frame and encode proteins with activity in an embryonic stem cell self-renewal assay. Mutations common to all four retrotransposed genes but distinct from Nanog suggest divergence from a common progenitor that appears likely to be Nanog because transcripts derived from Nanog but not from the retrogenes are detected in germ-line cells. The possibility that expression of Nanog could be erroneously attributed to novel cellular sources is suggested by the high homology among Nanog, NanogPc, and NanogPd. Analysis of distinct Mus species suggests that NanogPc and NanogPd arose between divergence of M. caroli and M. spretus and indicates that Nanog retrotransposition events continue to occur at a high frequency, a property likely to extend to other germ-line transcripts.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Compass of 47,787 cattle ESTs.
Comparative Mapping by Annotation and Sequence Similarity (COMPASS) has been demonstrated to be an effective approach for predicting the chromosome location of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and other sequence-based markers on the basis of comparative mapping information. Herein, we describe the development and use of a computer program to execute the COMPASS strategy en masse. The program was used to identify orthologs and predict map locations of 47,787 cattle ESTs. Among these 47,787 ESTs, 30,097 had significant matches with sequences in the human UniGene database and 21,311 were annotated with human GB4 radiation hybrid mapping data. These sequences are contained within 9,956 and 6,295 individual human UniGene clusters, respectively. The putative human orthologs and predicted cattle chromosome locations of the 21,311 cattle ESTs with GB4 mapping data are provided in this report as a resource for the research community.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Effectiveness and efficiency of platelet rich plasma in the treatment of diabetic ulcers.
"There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that wound healing in chronic diabetic foot ulcers is growth factor dependent, and that the therapeutic delivery of these growth factors to wounds topically, has the potential ability to accelerate wound healing in conjunction with conventional wound care". There is, however, confusion about the utility of platelet rich plasma because the studies that have evaluated them use a wide range of products (different platelet and leukocyte concentrations, different techniques and frequencies of application, very heterogeneous simple, and different endpoints) making almost impossible to compare data and draw conclusions. In this study, we have analyzed the different platelet rich plasma products from a new perspective: cost-efficiency. According to our data, we observe that platelet rich plasma is a cost-effective option that allows faster healing of ulcers, and that should be taken into account in patients with long evolution ulcers.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Dual phases of functional change in norepinephrine transporter in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells by long-term treatment with clozapine.
The effects of long-term treatment with clozapine, a prototype of atypical antipsychotic drugs, on the functional activity, synthesis and mRNA of norepinephrine (NE) transporter were examined in bovine adrenal medullary cells in culture. Treatment of cells with clozapine at 0.1-3.0 microM concentrations produced dual phases of changes in [(3)H]NE uptake, i.e. the first phase showed a decrease in [(3)H]NE uptake at 2-48 h, and the following phase showed an increase in uptake at 72-168 h. Treatment with clozapine for 6 h decreased V(max) to 40% of the control without changing the K(m) value for [(3)H]NE uptake. However, treatment with clozapine for 96 h increased V(max) by 56% over the control without a change in K(m). Scatchard plot analysis of [(3)H]desipramine (DMI) binding to membranes isolated from cells treated with clozapine for 6 h revealed a decrease in B(max) without any change in K(d); in contrast, treatment with clozapine for 96 h caused an increase in B(max) without any change in K(d). Both actinomycin D and cycloheximide, which are inhibitors of protein synthesis, suppressed the clozapine (96 h)-induced increase in [(3)H]NE uptake. Treatment of cells with clozapine for 12-96 h increased the level of NE transporter mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner (0.3-3.0 microM). These findings suggest that treatment of cells with clozapine results in the down-regulation and subsequent up-regulation of NE transporter. The latter change may be caused by the synthesis of new proteins of NE transporter via an increase in its mRNA.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Psychophysiological analysis of the reading and text understanding].
Presented cognitive studies aimed to identifying the individual properties of macro saccades, one of the most important oculomotor functions during text, the fairy tales reading. We measure, in the form of abstracts, the reduced analogue of the "school essays", the capabilities of our subjects, the students of liberal arts colleges, to understand the presented text (morality of tales). Evaluation of this abstracts was conducted by independent experts using school 6 point scales. The preparing of the abstract wasn't limited in time. We found that there is not any relationship between reading speed and the quality of the interpretation of the text. No relationship of understanding the hidden morality with the number of characters being picked for the fixation and the mean duration of the macro saccades. Correlation analysis showed an inverse relationship between the number of returns and the understanding of the text, more macro saccades returns--the worse was the understanding of the text. There is an inverse relationship between the number of exciting characters and a number of macro saccades. Number of fixations (capture) increases the reading of the text. This means that the bandwidth of visual channel per time unit is determined by the number of captured characters. Less number of captured during fixation of signs--more time reading and less bandwidth of the eyes per time unit.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Unusual presentation of active implant periapical lesions: a report of two cases.
Active implant periapical lesion (IPL) is a rare lesion which has been reported as one of the causes of dental implant failures. Usually, an affected implant shows radiolucency in the apical area, while remaining clinically stable. IPL is often accompanied by symptoms of pain, swelling, tenderness, and fistulation. In this paper, we describe two cases of IPL with very unusual findings which led to implant failure. A large IPL associated with an inflammatory cyst in the anterior maxilla, and a mandibular IPL resulting in an extra-oral fistula are presented. The etiology and treatment approaches for IPL are discussed.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Feasibility of three-dimensional magnetic resonance angiography-fluoroscopy image fusion technique in guiding complex endovascular aortic procedures in patients with renal insufficiency.
Three-dimensional image fusion of preoperative computed tomography (CT) angiography with fluoroscopy using intraoperative noncontrast cone-beam CT (CBCT) has been shown to improve endovascular procedures by reducing procedure length, radiation dose, and contrast media volume. However, patients with a contraindication to CT angiography (renal insufficiency, iodinated contrast allergy) may not benefit from this image fusion technique. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and fluoroscopy image fusion using noncontrast CBCT as a guidance tool during complex endovascular aortic procedures, especially in patients with renal insufficiency. All endovascular aortic procedures done under MRA image fusion guidance at a single-center were retrospectively reviewed. The patients had moderate to severe renal insufficiency and underwent diagnostic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging after gadolinium or ferumoxytol injection. Relevant vascular landmarks electronically marked in MRA images were overlaid on real-time two-dimensional fluoroscopy for image guidance, after image fusion with noncontrast intraoperative CBCT. Technical success, time for image registration, procedure time, fluoroscopy time, number of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) acquisitions before stent deployment or vessel catheterization, and renal function before and after the procedure were recorded. The image fusion accuracy was qualitatively evaluated on a binary scale by three physicians after review of image data showing virtual landmarks from MRA on fluoroscopy. Between November 2012 and March 2016, 10 patients underwent endovascular procedures for aortoiliac aneurysmal disease or aortic dissection using MRA image fusion guidance. All procedures were technically successful. A paired t-test analysis showed no difference between preimaging and postoperative renal function (P = .6). The mean time required for MRA-CBCT image fusion was 4:09 ± 01:31 min:sec. Total fluoroscopy time was 20.1 ± 6.9 minutes. Five of 10 patients (50%) underwent stent graft deployment without any predeployment DSA acquisition. Three of six vessels (50%) were cannulated under image fusion guidance without any precannulation DSA runs, and the remaining vessels were cannulated after one planning DSA acquisition. Qualitative evaluation showed 14 of 22 virtual landmarks (63.6%) from MRA overlaid on fluoroscopy were completely accurate, without the need for adjustment. Five of eight incorrect virtual landmarks (iliac and visceral arteries) resulted from vessel deformation caused by endovascular devices. Ferumoxytol or gadolinium-enhanced MRA imaging and image fusion with fluoroscopy using noncontrast CBCT is feasible and allows patients with renal insufficiency to benefit from optimal guidance during complex endovascular aortic procedures, while preserving their residual renal function.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Altered aminergic neurotransmission in the brain of organic cation transporter 3-deficient mice.
Organic cation transporters (OCTs) are carrier-type polyspecific permeases known to participate in low-affinity extraneuronal catecholamine uptake in peripheral tissues. OCT3 is the OCT subtype most represented in the brain, yet its implication in central aminergic neurotransmission in vivo had not been directly demonstrated. In a detailed immunohistochemistry study, we show that OCT3 is expressed in aminergic pathways in the mouse brain, particularly in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra compacta, non-aminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra reticulata (SNr), locus coeruleus, hippocampus and cortex. Although OCT3 was found mainly in neurons, it was also occasionally detected in astrocytes in the SNr, hippocampus and several hypothalamic nuclei. In agreement with this distribution, OCT3/Slc22a3-deficient mice show evidence of altered monoamine neurotransmission in the brain, with decreased intracellular content and increased turnover of aminergic transmitters. The behavioral characterization of these mutants reveal subtle behavioral alterations such as increased sensitivity to psychostimulants and increased levels of anxiety and stress. Altogether our data support a role of OCT3 in the homeostatic regulation of aminergic neurotransmission in the brain.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Modified niche optima and breadths explain the historical contingency of bacterial community responses to eutrophication in coastal sediments.
Previous studies have shown that the response of bacterial communities to disturbances depends on their environmental history. Historically fluctuating habitats host communities that respond better to disturbance than communities of historically stable habitats. However, the exact ecological mechanism that drives this dependency remains unknown. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that modifications of niche optima and niche breadths of the community members are driving this dependency of bacterial responses to past environmental conditions. First, we develop a novel, simple method to calculate the niche optima and breadths of bacterial taxa regarding single environmental gradients. Then, we test this method on sediment bacterial communities of three habitats, one historically stable and less loaded and two historically more variable and more loaded habitats in terms of historical chlorophyll-α water concentration, that we subject to hypoxia via organic matter addition ex situ. We find that communities containing bacterial taxa differently adapted to hypoxia show different structural and functional responses, depending on the sediment's environmental history. Specifically, in the historically less fluctuating and loaded sediments where we find more taxa poorly adapted to hypoxic conditions, communities change a lot over time and organic matter is not degraded efficiently. The opposite is true for the historically more fluctuating and loaded sediments where we find more taxa well adapted to hypoxia. Based on the community responses observed here, we also propose an alternative calculation of community resistance that takes into account how rapidly the communities respond to disturbances and not just the initial and final states of the community.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Oxidative damage to proteins and DNA in rats exposed to cadmium and/or ethanol.
The study was aimed to estimate whether rat's exposure to cadmium (Cd; 50mg/l in drinking water for 12 weeks) and/or ethanol (EtOH; 5g/kg b.wt./24h p.o. for 12 weeks), noted by us to induce oxidative stress and stimulate lipid peroxidation, can cause oxidative damage to proteins and DNA, and whether and to what extent the effects of co-exposure differ from those observed under the treatment with each substance alone. Protein carbonyl groups (PC) and protein thiol groups (PSH) in the serum, liver and kidney, as markers of oxidative protein damage, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the serum, as a marker of DNA oxidation, were determined. The exposure to Cd or/and EtOH led to oxidative protein damage (increased PC and decreased PSH concentrations in the serum and/or liver), and to DNA oxidation (increased 8-OHdG concentration in the serum). The effects were more advanced at the co-exposure than at the treatment with each substance alone. The more serious damage to proteins and DNA at the co-exposure to Cd and EtOH seems to be the effect of independent action of both xenobiotics. The results of the present paper together with our recent findings in the same rats seem to indicate that at co-exposure to Cd and EtOH proteins and DNA may be more vulnerable to oxidation than lipids. The paper is the first report suggesting that excessive EtOH consumption during exposure to Cd may increase the risk of health damage via enhancing protein and DNA oxidation.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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A simple and inexpensive clinical whole body counter.
The conventional radioisotope scanner has been used as a whole body counter. The background index of the system is 10.9 counts per minute per ml of sodium iodide crystal. The sensitivity and derived sensitivity parameters have been evaluated and found to be suitable for clinical studies. The optimum parameters for a single detector at two positions above the lying subject have been obtained. It has been found that for the case of 131I measurement it is possible to assay a source located at any point in the body with coefficient of variation less than 5%. To add to the versatility, a fixed geometry for in-vitro counting of large samples has been obtained. The retention values obtained by the whole body counter have been found to correlate with those obtained by in-vitro assay of urine and stool after intravenous administration of 51Cr-albumin.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Coordinative task difficulty and behavioural errors are associated with increased long-range beta band synchronization.
The neural network and the task-dependence of (local) activity changes involved in bimanual coordination are well documented. However, much less is known about the functional connectivity within this neural network and its modulation according to manipulations of task complexity. Here, we assessed neural activity via high-density electroencephalography, focussing on changes of activity in the beta frequency band (~15-30Hz) across the motor network in 26 young adult participants (19-29 years old). We investigated how network connectivity was modulated with task difficulty and errors of performance during a bimanual visuomotor movement consisting of dial rotation according to three different ratios of speed: an isofrequency movement (1:1), a non-isofrequency movement with the right hand keeping the fast pace (1:3), and the converse ratio with the left hand keeping the fast pace (3:1). To quantify functional coupling, we determined neural synchronization which might be key for the timing of the activity within brain regions during task execution. Individual source activity with realistic head models was reconstructed at seven regions of interest including frontal and parietal areas, among which we estimated phase-based connectivity. Partial least squares analysis revealed a significant modulation of connectivity with task difficulty, and significant correlations between connectivity and errors in performance, in particular between sensorimotor cortices. Our findings suggest that modulation of long-range synchronization is instrumental for coping with increasing task demands in bimanual coordination.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Nitrogen mustard as adjunctive chemotherapy for breast carcinoma.
A retrospective study is reported of 38 patients with breast carcinoma treated by radical mastectomy and a short course of nitrogen mustard. They were followed up for an average of 10 years. There were no serious untoward reactions to the drug. The 5- and 10-year correct survival rates were 71 and 71 per cent respectively. There would appear to be a renewal of interest in adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast carcinoma.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Superantigens of microbial origin.
Food poisoning associated staphylococcal enterotoxins and other bacterial products of diverse origin are now the focus of immunological research. These substances have special properties which determine their designation as superantigens. They influence T cell functions by controlling their repertoire, their cytokines production and their modulation of the immune response. As a consequence, superantigens might be at the origin of bacterial and autoimmune diseases. In this review we describe mainly the staphylococcal enterotoxins as representative members of the superantigen family.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Effect of assumed stiffness and mass density on the impact response of the human chest using a three-dimensional FE model of the human body.
The mass density, Young's modulus (E), tangent modulus (Et), and yield stress (sigma y) of the human ribs, sternum, internal organs, and muscles play important roles when determining impact responses of the chest associated with pendulum impact. A series of parametric studies was conducted using a commercially available three-dimensional finite element (FE) model, Total HUman Model for Safety (THUMS) of the whole human body, to determine the effect of changing these material properties on the predicted impact force, chest deflection, and the number of rib fractures and fractured ribs. Results from this parametric study indicate that the initial chest apparent stiffness was mainly influenced by the stiffness and mass density of the superficial muscles covering the torso. The number of rib fractures and fractured ribs was primarily determined by the stiffness of the ribcage. Similarly, the stiffness of the ribcage and internal organs contributed to the maximum chest deflection in frontal impact, while the maximum chest deflection for lateral impact was mainly affected by the stiffness of the ribcage. Additionally, the total mass of the whole chest had a moderately effect on the number of rib fractures.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Social participation and employment status after kidney transplantation: a systematic review.
To summarize and assess literature regarding social participation of recipients after successful kidney transplantation. A systematic review including a literature search in Medline (1980-2003) and five other databases, and assessment of methodological quality of selected studies by two reviewers applying a checklist of twelve criteria. Seventeen studies out of 1443 identified references were selected. Quality scores for internal validity ranged from 0% to 50% (median 20%). Employment was the most used indicator of social participation and two studies briefly reported on vacation and recreation. Employment rate ranged from 18% to 82%, however differences in defining categories of employment or lack of description were present. Study populations were heterogeneous with regard to demographic and clinical characteristics. Three studies identified pre-transplant employment status as predictor of post-transplant employment. Other potential risk factors were not consistent across studies. Measurement of social participation focuses mainly on employment status. Quality assessment revealed shortcomings in reporting and validity of studies, whereby valid conclusions regarding the degree of social participation after kidney transplantation cannot be drawn. Future research should supplement the focus on employment status by examining other aspects of social participation as well as potential risk factors.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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iDynoMiCS: next-generation individual-based modelling of biofilms.
Individual-based modelling of biofilms accounts for the fact that individual organisms of the same species may well be in a different physiological state as a result of environmental gradients, lag times in responding to change, or noise in gene expression, which we have become increasingly aware of with the advent of single-cell microbiology. But progress in developing and using individual-based modelling has been hampered by different groups writing their own code and the lack of an available standard model. We therefore set out to merge most features of previous models and incorporate various improvements in order to provide a common basis for further developments. Four improvements stand out: the biofilm pressure field allows for shrinking or consolidating biofilms; the continuous-in-time extracellular polymeric substances excretion leads to more realistic fluid behaviour of the extracellular matrix, avoiding artefacts; the stochastic chemostat mode allows comparison of spatially uniform and heterogeneous systems; and the separation of growth kinetics from the individual cell allows condition-dependent switching of metabolism. As an illustration of the model's use, we used the latter feature to study how environmentally fluctuating oxygen availability affects the diversity and composition of a community of denitrifying bacteria that induce the denitrification pathway under anoxic or low oxygen conditions. We tested the hypothesis that the existence of these diverse strategies of denitrification can be explained solely by assuming that faster response incurs higher costs. We found that if the ability to switch metabolic pathways quickly incurs no costs the fastest responder is always the best. However, if there is a trade-off where faster switching incurs higher costs, then there is a strategy with optimal response time for any frequency of environmental fluctuations, suggesting that different types of denitrifying strategies win in different environments. In a single environment, biodiversity of denitrifiers is higher in biofilms than chemostats, higher with than without costs and higher at intermediate frequency of change. The highly modular nature of the new computational model made this case study straightforward to implement, and reflects the sort of novel studies that can easily be executed with the new model.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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MEMBER ONLY COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS: WHY NOT?
For those active in industrial relations there is quite a well-known book titled From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend: A Short, Illustrated History of Labor in the United States. The books' thesis or focus was firstly to remind readers of the many struggles in the USA by trade unions to obtain and protect basic working conditions American workers, now take for granted, and secondly to reinforce the important and enduring relationship between unions and their members.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Remediation of textile azo dye acid red 114 by hairy roots of Ipomoea carnea Jacq. and assessment of degraded dye toxicity with human keratinocyte cell line.
Bioremediation has proven to be the most desirable and cost effective method to counter textile dye pollution. Hairy roots (HRs) of Ipomoea carnea J. were tested for decolourization of 25 textile azo dyes, out of which >90% decolourization was observed in 15 dyes. A diazo dye, Acid Red 114 was decolourized to >98% and hence, was chosen as the model dye. A significant increase in the activities of oxidoreductive enzymes was observed during decolourization of AR114. The phytodegradation of AR114 was confirmed by HPLC, UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The possible metabolites were identified by GCMS as 4- aminobenzene sulfonic acid 2-methylaniline and 4- aminophenyl 4-ethyl benzene sulfonate and a probable pathway for the biodegradation of AR114 has been proposed. The nontoxic nature of the metabolites and toxicity of AR114 was confirmed by cytotoxicity tests on human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT). When HaCaT cells were treated separately with 150 μg mL(-1) of AR114 and metabolites, MTT assay showed 50% and ≈100% viability respectively. Furthermore, flow cytometry data showed that, as compared to control, the cells in G2-M and death phase increased by 2.4 and 3.6 folds respectively on treatment with AR114 but remained unaltered in cells treated with metabolites.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Comparison of therapeutic results from radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic body radiotherapy in solitary lung tumors measuring 5 cm or smaller.
This retrospective study was conducted to compare the clinical outcomes of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with those of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with lung tumors. Local tumor progression, adverse events, and overall survival were compared in patients who underwent either RFA or SBRT for a single lung tumor measuring 5 cm or smaller. This study was approved by the institutional review boards of two institutions. Informed consent was waived. During September 2009 to June 2012, 48 patients [30 males and 18 females, with a mean age ± standard deviation (SD) of 75.0 ± 7.5 years] underwent RFA at one institution and 47 patients (21 males and 26 females, with a mean age ± SD of 77.0 ± 7.5 years) underwent SBRT in another. The mean maximum tumor diameter ± SD was 2.0 ± 0.8 cm (range 0.6-3.9 cm) in the RFA group, and 2.1 ± 0.9 cm (range 0.8-4.7 cm, p = 0.539) in the SBRT group. The RFA and SBRT groups showed similar 3-year local tumor progression [9.6%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6-23.9% vs. 7.0%, 95% CI 0.2-20.2%, p = 0.746] and overall survival rates (86.4%, 95% CI 69.2-94.3% vs. 79.6%, 95% CI 60.6-90.1%, p = 0.738). No factor significantly affected local tumor progression. A maximum tumor size of 2 cm was identified as a prognostic factor in both univariate and multivariate analyses. No death was related to treatment procedures. Major complication rates (Grade 3 adverse events) of the RFA (10.4%, 5/48) and SBRT (8.5%, 4/47, p > 0.999) groups were similar. For lung tumor patients, lung RFA provided local tumor control and survival that were similar to those achieved using SBRT, with equal safety.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Combined vascular reconstruction and adjunctive tissue transfer in the treatment of infected arterial prostheses and tissue defects.
One of the most serious complications in vascular surgery is infection of the vascular arterial prosthesis (VAP) which might lead to loss of limb or even death. Very often infected prostheses are combined with infectious infiltration of the adjacent tissues or even necrosis and their loss. This paper deals with the experience in the management of 5 patients suffering from infection of vascular arterial prostheses in various locations, for by-passing abdominal aorta and distal arteries with loss or necrosis of the skin and tissues adjacent to the graft. Removal of the infected graft was performed in all of the cases, together with wide debridement of the infested area and placement of a new graft, coursing far from the infected area for revascularization of the affected limb. The cleaned infected area was covered at a first or second stage by applying plastic procedures utilizing musculocutaneous tissue transfer. The results were quite satisfactory. We conclude that the management of infected vascular arterial prostheses, when these are combined with loss of adjacent tissues, is a challenge for the Vascular Surgeon. Their removal, extended cleaning and covering of the area by means of plastic procedures with tissue transfer, proved to be effective in the management of this problem.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Neurofibromatosis 1 phenotype associated to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours: a case-control study.
Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs) are the main cause of death in neurofibromatosis 1 adult patients. To determine the clinical type of neurofibromas associated to MPNSTs. Case-control study. Cases were neurofibromatosis 1 adults with MPNSTs and controls were patients without MPNSTs individually matched by age and sex (1 : 3). Both were recruited from our database. The following variables were studied: clinical presence of cutaneous, subcutaneous or plexiform neurofibromas and of internal neurofibromas. Internal neurofibromas were confirmed by clinical imaging. Multivariate odds ratios (aORs) were estimated with their 95% confidence interval (CI). From January 1995 to December 2007, 52 patients (cases) were identified with a MPNSTs, 155 controls could be recruited. In the multivariate analysis, MPNSTs were significantly associated with the presence of internal NFs (aOR: 7.5; 95% CI: 3.2-17.4), a trend for an association was observed for the presence of subcutaneous neurofibromas (aOR: 2.11; 95% CI: 0.89-5). This study confirms the association between the MPNSTs and the internal neurofibromas. The later are indeed associated with a high risk of malignant transformation.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Importance of investment decisions and rehabilitation approaches in an ageing wastewater pipeline network. A case study of Oslo (Norway).
As Oslo Vann og Avløpsetaten (VAV, meaning Water and Sewage Department) looks into the future, it is faced with a quandary-to replace old pipelines or to continue maintaining them. The primary goal is to improve the level of service. The secondary goals are to rejuvenate the system and stem the decline in capital value. In 1991-2006, the Operation and Maintenance expenses (O&M) were far higher than the investments, and the network aged as its capital value plummeted. However, if the funds are insufficient, the self-financing Oslo VAV would have to turn to the consumers for help. Will the consumers pay more to have a 'younger' system? What if they are happy with the 'status quo' and are unconcerned about the falling capital value? Should the pipelines be depreciated over a longer period than the 40 years which is adopted now? Should the economic method be replaced by a more engineering-based method, whereby the pipes are assessed 'on merit'-on the basis of their service lives? There are numerous issues and a good decision will ease the road ahead. This paper, using Life Cycle Costing Analysis (LCCA) and scenarios therein, looks at how Oslo VAV could strike a balance between expending on O&M, investing in upgrading the network, and decelerating the ageing of the network while augmenting the capital value, and what is the best attainable set of targets they could aim for, at the end of the next 20 years. The two approaches mentioned above are compared with each other. It is seen that a rehabilitation programme based on the pipes performance approach is preferable to one guided by an economic lifetime approach, when the motive is to optimise expenditure and also improve the level of service.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[New perspectives in the treatment of diabetes by interfering with glucagon signaling pathway].
Glucagon, a hormone secreted from the alpha cell of the endocrine pancreas, is a major counterpart to insulin. After released into blood, glucagon will combine with its receptor in targeting tissues and form a compound, which then activates its signaling pathway, produces cAMP, promotes gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis and inventually increases blood glucose. Researches recently display that it will be an important addition to treatment method by inhibiting synthesis and secretion of glucagon, neutralizing circulating glucagon, using glucagon receptor antagonists and prohibiting gene expression of glucagon receptor.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Prognostic Impact of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) is a multifunctional natural matrixin inhibitor that is generally considered a negative regulator of cancer metastasis. Clinical studies reporting the prognostic value of TIMP-1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are inconsistent. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the prognostic impact of TIMP-1 expression in NSCLC. Appropriate studies with full-text articles were identified in searches of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science databases up to March 7, 2018. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) of overall survival with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was employed to assess the relationship between expression of TIMP-1 and NSCLC patient survival. The meta-analysis comprised 40 studies including 3,194 patients. Study outcomes indicated that high TIMP-1 expression is independently associated with poor overall survival (HR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.50, 1.69; P < 0.00001) with 61% of heterogeneity. In addition, we analyzed subgroups, including ethnicities, histological types, percentage of TIMP-1 expression levels, specimens, and tumor stage. All results were statistically significant. The outcome of our meta-analysis indicates that high expression levels of TIMP-1 are correlated with poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Expression levels of TIMP-1 represent a potential prognostic biomarker in NSCLC patients in addition to being a possible therapeutic target.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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[Prevalence of workplace bullying in a population of nurses at three Italian hospitals].
Negative behaviors could be considered as a risk index of workplace bullying; researching on these events is useful for the planning of preventive interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of negative actions in a population of nurses and their possible association with issues related to mental health. We administered a proper questionnaire, based both on the NAQ-R and on the GHQ12, to 206 subjects, who worked in three hospitals, located in the center and south of Italy. Our results confirmed that the nursing profession presents a clear bullying risk in the workplace, without any notable differences regarding gender or demographics. The prevalence of negative actions was noteworthy, mainly with regard to the job position and the task. Our study also showed that workplace bullying may interfere with the overall health of nurses, particularly connected to psycho-emotional issues.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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High-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of tiflamizole in plasma.
A sensitive, specific, high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure was developed for the measurement of plasma tiflamizole levels. Acidic plasma samples were extracted with three volumes of ether. The ether extracts were combined and evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in acetonitrile, washed with hexane, and the acetonitrile was evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in 0.5 mL of mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.007 M pH 3 sodium phosphate buffer (70:30, v/v) and then chromatographed on a octadecylsilane bonded microparticulate silica column. The assay is specific, precise, accurate, and can measure 10 ng of tiflamizole in 5 mL of plasma. The method was applied to human pharmacokinetic studies.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Field dependence and body balance.
This study reports four points about the portable Rod and Frame Test performance of 30 Japanese women in terms of body balance. The primary findings using a stabilometer are: (a) field dependence correlated negatively with increased sway path within 1 min. both while a dot pattern as a visual stimulus was stationary and while it was moving. (b) Field dependence correlated positively with the difference in sway path between the two following phases, in one of which the subjects watched the horizontal visual movement to the right and in the other movement to the left. (c) Motion aftereffect had no direct and immediate influence on sway path, but rather a latent and long-term effect. And on a pedograph which measures the distribution of foot pressure and the shape of the sole, (d) field dependence correlated negatively with anterior positions of the center of foot pressure and with the proportion of the front part to the rear of the sole. Over-all, field dependence measured by the Rod and Frame Test seems to be associated with body posture when dot patterns are viewed.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Cholesterol and bile acid synthesis during total parenteral nutrition with and without lipid emulsion in the rat.
The origin of excess plasma free cholesterol known to accumulate in plasma of patients or animals given total parenteral nutrition (TPN) with lipid emulsion was investigated. Rats were infused for 8 days with a specially formulated TPN solution plus either lipid emulsion (lipid-TPN) or an equicaloric volume of 25% dextrose (dextrose-TPN). Laboratory diet-fed controls were sham operated. Lipid-TPN suppressed hepatic HMG CoA reductase (HMG CoAR) activity but elevated cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (7 alpha-OH) activity. HMG CoAR activity, however, was increased in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle by lipid-TPN when compared to dextrose-TPN. Plasma lecithin/cholesterol acyl transfer activity was similar among all groups. It is suggested that in lipid-TPN excess plasma free cholesterol does not arise from decreased hepatic clearance or plasma esterification but may originate from extrahepatic tissue, possibly through leaching of membrane cholesterol by mesophase phospholipid present in the lipid emulsion. The changes in hepatic HMG CoAR and 7 alpha-OH activity imply that during lipid-TPN plasma free cholesterol is cleared by the liver and catabolized to bile acid.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Multiple deprivations and maternal care in India.
Research on inequalities in the utilization of maternal health care services is often confined to only the economic domain. Individuals and families living in acute poverty may simultaneously experience multiple dimensions of deprivation, which together may obstruct their access to basic health services. It is important to examine the linkages between multiple deprivations and maternal health care. Data from the 2005-2006 Indian National Family Health Survey were used to examine ever-married women's receipt of antenatal care, medical assistance during delivery and postnatal care services across three dimensions of deprivation: education, wealth and health. Bivariate analyses, principal component analyses and binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted. Thirty-two percent of ever-married Indian women reported being deprived in one of the three dimensions, 18% in two and 7% in all three; 43% were deprived in none. Women deprived in all three dimensions were less likely than those not deprived in any to have received antenatal care (predicted probabilities, 0.3 vs. 0.8) or postnatal care (0.2 vs. 0.7); the likelihood that a birth occurred with medical assistance was smaller for women deprived in three dimensions than for those deprived in none (0.2 vs. 0.8). These patterns held true for all of the larger Indian states. Differentials in utilization of maternal care services across deprivation levels were higher in states where service coverage was low and lower in states where service coverage was high. More research is needed to understand how multiple deprivations are associated with health inequality across cultures and how to use this knowledge to improve delivery of basic health services.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Lupus patients with peripheral vascular thrombosis: the significance of measuring anticardiolipin antibody.
The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of measuring anticardiolipin (ACL) antibodies in Chinese lupus patients with peripheral vascular thrombosis. A total of 252 lupus patients were evaluated prospectively for the presence of peripheral vascular thrombosis in a 3-year period. Tests of ACL antibodies with three isotypes were done serially during follow-up. There were 10 lupus patients with five episodes of arterial thrombosis and seven episodes of venous thrombosis by the evidence of angiographical and/or pathological findings. The ACL antibody status was negative (< 2 standard deviation [SD]), low (2 to 5 SD) and high (> 5 SD) for 43.3%, 22.6%, and 34.1% patients, respectively. Patients with high levels (> 5 SD) of ACL antibodies had a high frequency of peripheral vascular thrombosis than patients with negative levels (> 2 SD) of ACL antibodies (P < .05). It is concluded that serial measurement of ACL antibodies in lupus patients is useful in predicting the occurrence of peripheral vascular thrombosis. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of such complication in lupus patients with high ACL antibodies levels when visiting the emergency service.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Electron microscope study of merogony preceding cyst formation of Sarcocystis sp. in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).
Precystic merogony of Sarcocystis sp. was studied in roe deer fawns 33, 45, and 49 days postinoculation (pi) with 2 X 10(4)-10(5) sporocysts recovered from dogs. Single merozoites, but no meronts, were found 33 days pi in liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Transforming merozoites and meronts were found in myofibroblasts, satellite cells, and endothelial cells of muscle tissue on 45 and 49 days pi; they were surrounded by two membranes. Typical coccidian merozoites differentiated simultaneously around an enlarged, lobed nucleus.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Selective preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in laparoscopic biliary surgery.
The management of common bile duct (CBD) stones in patients subjected to laparoscopic cholecystectomy is still a subject of debate. A prospective study was performed of all 699 patients with symptomatic gallstones at risk of CBD stones between mid-1987 and 1994. Based on clinical, biochemical and ultrasonographic criteria, 119 patients underwent preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with or without endoscopic sphincterotomy. Results showed a high positive predictive value (over 85 per cent) for the presence of CBD stones in patients with acute cholangitis, persistent obstructive jaundice or in the acute phase of gallstone pancreatitis. In the other groups (increased liver enzyme levels, a wide CBD and after resolution of jaundice or pancreatitis) the positive predictive value was less than 25 per cent. The complication rate of ERCP with sphincterotomy was 14 per cent with a mortality rate of 2 per cent. These results argue for more selective use of preoperative ERCP only for patients with acute cholangitis, persistent jaundice or acute gallstone pancreatitis. Other patients at risk of harbouring CBD stones should undergo intraoperative laparoscopic cholangiography and, if stones are found, laparoscopic exploration of the bile duct or postoperative ERCP.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Improving the disease awareness: how a communication campaign brings hidradenitis suppurativa to the light.
Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory skin disease that presents a recurrence of painful and suppurating lesions in the apocrine gland-bearing regions, with a strong impact on the patients' life quality. Despite its peculiar presentation, early forms are often underestimated by patients and this would inevitably result in late diagnosis and delayed therapy. Improved communication around the disease could facilitate self-diagnosis and a quicker response from healthcare practitioners, especially in this moment when we dispose of effective treatment against this disease. A HS awareness campaign was conducted for 2 years with the help of a media agency and a patients' association. Results confirm that a better communication has a strong impact on the disease awareness. This paper demonstrates that the more this disease awareness is carried on, the more quick, effective and efficient the patient's management could be.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Predicting response to regulatory change in the small group health insurance market: the case of association health plans and HealthMarts.
Lack of health insurance continues to be a concern for many people, even among those who are employed, and employees of small firms are much less likely to be insured than employees of larger firms. For several years, the U.S. Congress has considered legislation that would establish two new vehicles for offering health insurance coverage to small employers: association health plans (AHPs) and HealthMarts. In this paper, we present a model for estimating the impact the new entities would have on coverage and premiums in the small group health insurance market. The model produces a range of estimates based on assumptions, among others, about demand for insurance among small firms and their willingness to switch to less expensive, less generous benefit plans. We estimate that approximately 4.6 million people would obtain coverage through AHPs and HealthMarts, but fewer than half a million of them would be newly insured (based on 1999 population figures). Premiums would increase slightly for firms that continued to purchase coverage in the traditional market.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Animal model of depression.
A behavioural procedure is described which may provide an animal model for some aspects of human depression. Rats or mice when forced to swim in a restricted space will rapidly cease attempts to escape and become immobile. Immobility is reduced by many clinically effective antidepressant treatments suggesting that the immobile behaviour may reflect a state of lowered mood in the animal. If so the method could be useful as a simple experimental tool for research into the biology and therapeutics of depression.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Stomach cancer-related mortality.
In Japan stomach cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. We analysed the annual mortality rate of stomach cancer in relation to age, gender and life expectancy in Japan between 1970 and 1995. The adjusted stomach cancer-related mortality rates decreased from 88.9 in 1970 to 45.4 per 100,000 in 1995 in males and from 46.5 to 18.5 per 100,000 in females. The male-female ratio for stomach cancer-related mortality in all ages was 1.9-2.5 during this 25-year period, and the mortality rate was higher in females than in males at young age. The negative contribution to life expectancy for stomach cancer in males was 0.65 years and 0.42 years in females, which is consistent with a higher mortality rate in males. This negative contribution was 41.8% of total cancer in 1970 and 39.4% in 1995 in males and 34.4% and 16.0%, respectively, in females. Our results demonstrated the need to take into consideration the characteristics of stomach cancer in young women and the effects of ageing when designing programmes aimed at prevention and control of this malignancy.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Satellite peaks in the scattering of light from the two-dimensional randomly rough surface of a dielectric film on a planar metal surface.
A nonperturbative, purely numerical, solution of the reduced Rayleigh equation for the scattering of p- and s-polarized light from a dielectric film with a two-dimensional randomly rough surface deposited on a planar metallic substrate, has been carried out. It is found that satellite peaks are present in the angular dependence of the elements of the mean differential reflection coefficient in addition to an enhanced backscattering peak. This result resolves a conflict between the results of earlier approximate theoretical studies of scattering from this system.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Tolman lengths and rigidity constants of multicomponent fluids: Fundamental theory and numerical examples.
The curvature dependence of the surface tension can be described by the Tolman length (first-order correction) and the rigidity constants (second-order corrections) through the Helfrich expansion. We present and explain the general theory for this dependence for multicomponent fluids and calculate the Tolman length and rigidity constants for a hexane-heptane mixture by use of square gradient theory. We show that the Tolman length of multicomponent fluids is independent of the choice of dividing surface and present simple formulae that capture the change in the rigidity constants for different choices of dividing surface. For multicomponent fluids, the Tolman length, the rigidity constants, and the accuracy of the Helfrich expansion depend on the choice of path in composition and pressure space along which droplets and bubbles are considered. For the hexane-heptane mixture, we find that the most accurate choice of path is the direction of constant liquid-phase composition. For this path, the Tolman length and rigidity constants are nearly linear in the mole fraction of the liquid phase, and the Helfrich expansion represents the surface tension of hexane-heptane droplets and bubbles within 0.1% down to radii of 3 nm. The presented framework is applicable to a wide range of fluid mixtures and can be used to accurately represent the surface tension of nanoscopic bubbles and droplets.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Rehabilitation medicine.
This article presents a limited overview of the assistance rehabilitation medicine can offer the elderly surgical patient. Appropriately timed rehabilitation can positively affect surgical outcome of elderly patients by restoring physical abilities and promoting independent function. Specific techniques and programs that follow rehabilitation principles can help offset organ system impairment associated with the aging process itself. Moreover, predictable complications of postoperative bed rest and deconditioning that negatively impact functional mobility and self-care can be prevented or rapidly reversed by adhering to sound rehabilitation precepts. The surgeon should be familiar with the concepts of preserving and restoring function, the members of the rehabilitation team, and the array of programs and settings available for the physically impaired and disabled elderly patient.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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A novel anti-rat CD18 monoclonal antibody triggers lymphocyte homotypic aggregation and granulocyte adhesion to plastic: different intracellular signaling pathways in resting versus activated thymocytes.
We have raised a monoclonal antibody (mAb), NG2B12, directed against rat CD18, capable of inducing lymphocyte homotypic adhesion and granulocyte adherence to plastic. NG2B12-induced aggregation is temperature sensitive and requires metabolic energy, an intact cytoskeleton and the presence of Mg2+, but is independent of protein synthesis. Ca2+ is not only dispensable but exerts a suppressive effect on the NG2B12-induced adhesion. The adhesion is readily observed in thymocytes and concanavalin A blasts of thymocytes and splenocytes but is very weak in resting spleen and lymph node cells. NG2B12 also enhances phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced aggregation in an additive fashion. The NG2B12-induced homotypic adhesion is mediated by LFA-1. mAb against ICAM-1 completely inhibited the induced adhesion of activated cells but inhibited only partially and in a time-dependent manner the adhesion of resting thymocytes. The activation of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (as assessed by the use of okadaic acid) is necessary for the NG2B12-induced adhesion of both resting and activated thymocytes. In contrast, H-7 (an inhibitor of protein kinase C and A), substantially suppressed the adhesion of resting thymocytes, whereas W-7 (an inhibitor of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase) inhibited the adhesion of activated thymocytes. NG2B12 induces both adherence to plastic and homotypic aggregation of granulocytes; the events being blocked by anti-CD18 (WT.3) and anti-CD11b/CD11c (OX-42) mAb, augmented by okadaic acid and not modified by H-7 and W-7. Additionally, we have demonstrated that NG2B12 and PMA employ distinct intracellular signaling pathways in inducing adhesion of both thymocytes and granulocytes.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Central control of sexual behavior.
Neuronal activity changes in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the male monkey were related to the commencement of sexual behavior, penile erection and the refractory period following ejaculation. Similarly, changes in the female MPOA were related to the commencement of sexual behavior and presentation. Increased neuronal activity in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH) in the male monkey and in the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) in the female monkey was synchronized to each mating act. Stimulation study and neuronal activity recordings in the MPOA, DMH and VMH suggest involvement of MPOA neurons in sexual arousal, and of male DMH and female VMH neurons in the copulatory act. Stimulation experiment on the various parts in the hypothalamus of the female monkey also supports the conclusion.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Long-term changes in leptin, chemerin and ghrelin levels following different bariatric surgery procedures: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.
Different studies have evaluated changes in adipo/cytokine levels after bariatric surgery and have given conflicting results. The adipo/cytokines, leptin and chemerin, and the orexigenic hormone, ghrelin, have been shown to play a role in the regulation of metabolism and appetite. The aims of our study were to test the levels of these molecules after bariatric surgery and to compare the results between Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. We analysed circulating levels of chemerin, ghrelin and leptin in 30 morbidly obese women (body mass index of >40 kg/m2). Subjects were studied at three time points: baseline (before the surgery started), and after 6 and 12 months. After surgery, chemerin (baseline, 95.03 ± 23.79; after 12 months, 76.80 ± 21.51; p = 0.034) and leptin levels (baseline, 248.17 ± 89.16; after 12 months, 63.85 ± 33.48; p < 0.001) were significantly lower than their baseline levels, whereas ghrelin was higher (baseline, 0.87 ± 0.38; after 12 months, 1.08 ± 0.31; p = 0.010). Fasting glucose, insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance levels were markedly lower postoperatively. High-density lipoprotein levels moderately increased and triglyceride levels sharply decreased. There were no differences between the types of bariatric surgery in terms of weight reduction, general metabolic state or adipo/cytokine levels after surgery. Our study demonstrates a marked decrease in fasting leptin and chemerin levels, and an increase in ghrelin levels, after bariatric surgery-induced weight loss, independently of the type of surgery performed. Further studies are needed on the interrelation between the changes in the circulating levels of these molecules and the efficacy of the bariatric surgery procedures to induce the beneficial metabolic changes and to sustain body weight loss.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Multicentre osteoarthritis trial.
A multicentre comparative crossover study of benoxaprofen in the treatment of osteoarthritis was undertaken by general practitioners in the United Kingdom. Rheumatologists from 20 centres helped to coordinate the trial and provided x-ray confirmation of the diagnosis. In predetermined random order, patients were assigned to treatment groups and given either benoxaprofen or one of the comparator drugs (diclofenac, indomethacin, flurbiprofen, or piroxicam) for the first four weeks. Results from the first 1403 completed cases revealed that patients preferred benoxaprofen over all the comparator drugs.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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P-glycoprotein senses its substrates and the lateral membrane packing density: consequences for the catalytic cycle.
P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) prevents absorption (e.g., blood-brain barrier) or enhances excretion (e.g., kidney) by moving substrates from the cytosolic to the extracellular membrane leaflet at the expense of ATP hydrolysis. It translocates various drugs and functions in membranes exhibiting different lateral packing densities. To gain more functional insight, we measured the temperature dependence of the P-glycoprotein ATPase activity in NIH-MDR1-G185 cell membranes in the absence and presence of three drugs (promazine, verapamil, and PSC833), exhibiting significantly different transporter affinities. Activation enthalpies (Delta H(++)) and entropies ( TDelta S(++)) were derived from Eyring plots. In the absence of drugs, the activation enthalpy and the free energy of activation for P-glycoprotein ATPase activity was determined as Delta H(++) = 92.6 +/- 4.2 kJ/mol and Delta G(++) = 73.1 +/- 7.2 kJ/mol, respectively. Increasing the drug concentration reduced the activation enthalpy, whereby the drug with the highest transporter affinity had the strongest effect (DeltaDelta H(++) = -21%). The free energy of activation decreased for activating (DeltaDelta G(++) = approximately -3.8%) and increased for inhibitory compounds (DeltaDelta G(++) = approximately +0.7%). The drug-specific changes of the free energy of activation are thus barely above thermal energy. A comparison with literature data revealed that a decrease of the lateral membrane packing density reduces the enthalpic and the entropic contribution to the free energy of activation. Although the P-glycoprotein ATPase activity increases only slightly with decreasing lateral membrane packing density, the mode of action changes from strongly entropy-driven at high, to essentially enthalpy-driven at low packing densities. This suggests that the transporter and the membrane form a functional entity.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Image-enhanced, chromo, and cap-assisted colonoscopy for improving adenoma/neoplasia detection rate: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The effectiveness of narrow band imaging (NBI), chromoendoscopy (CE), and cap-assisted colonoscopy (CAC) on adenoma detection rate (ADR) has been investigated in previous meta-analyses; however, there have been no meta-analyses of autofluorescence imaging (AFI) or flexible spectral imaging color enhancement (FICE) or i-scan. The aim of this study was to determine whether AFI and FICE/i-scan was more effective than standard/high-definition white light endoscopy to improve ADR and to update previous meta-analyses of NBI, CE, and CAC. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Four investigators selected appropriate randomized controlled trials (RCT) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline. All RCTs in which colonoscopy were performed with AFI, FICE, i-scan, NBI, CE, and CAC were included. The risk ratios (RRs) calculated from adenoma/neoplasia detection rate were used as the main outcome measurement. A total of 42 studies were included in the analysis. Pooled estimates of RR (95%confidence interval [CI]) using AFI, FICE/i-scan, NBI, CE, and CAC were 1.04 (95% CI: 0.87-1.24) (I² = 0%) (fixed effects model [FEM]); 1.09 (95% CI: 0.97-1.23) (I² = 5%) (FEM); 1.03 (95% CI: 0.96-1.11) (I² = 0%) (FEM); 1.36 (95% CI: 1.23-1.51) (I² = 16%) (FEM); and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.93-1.14) (I² = 48%) (random effects model [REM]), respectively. The pooled estimate of RR (95%CI) using indigo carmine in non-ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and methylene blue in UC patients was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.20-1.48) (I² = 14%) (FEM) and 2.39 (95% CI: 1.18-4.84) (I² = 0%) (FEM), respectively. In contrast to AFI, FICE/i-scan, NBI, and CAC, only CE improves ADR. CE with methylene blue, though not NBI, is effective for surveillance of neoplasia in chronic UC patients.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
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