title stringlengths 0 1.13k | abstract stringlengths 1 15.7k | PMID int64 22 36.5M |
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Ex vivo imaging of motor axon dynamics in murine triangularis sterni explants. | We provide a protocol that describes an explant system that allows the dynamics of motor axons to be imaged. This method is based on nerve-muscle explants prepared from the triangularis sterni muscle of mice, a thin muscle that covers the inside of the thorax. These explants, which can be maintained alive for several hours, contain long stretches of peripheral motor axons including their terminal arborizations and neuromuscular junctions. Explants can be prepared from transgenic mouse lines that express fluorescent proteins in neurons or glial cells, which enables direct visualization of their cellular and subcellular morphology by fluorescence microscopy. Time-lapse imaging then provides a convenient and reliable approach to follow the dynamic behavior of motor axons, their surrounding glial cells and their intracellular organelles with high temporal and spatial resolution. Triangularis sterni explants can be prepared in 15 min, imaged ex vivo for several hours and processed for immunohistochemistry in about 2 h. | 18,833,201 |
Nanoscale magnetic sensing with an individual electronic spin in diamond. | Detection of weak magnetic fields with nanoscale spatial resolution is an outstanding problem in the biological and physical sciences. For example, at a distance of 10 nm, the spin of a single electron produces a magnetic field of about 1 muT, and the corresponding field from a single proton is a few nanoteslas. A sensor able to detect such magnetic fields with nanometre spatial resolution would enable powerful applications, ranging from the detection of magnetic resonance signals from individual electron or nuclear spins in complex biological molecules to readout of classical or quantum bits of information encoded in an electron or nuclear spin memory. Here we experimentally demonstrate an approach to such nanoscale magnetic sensing, using coherent manipulation of an individual electronic spin qubit associated with a nitrogen-vacancy impurity in diamond at room temperature. Using an ultra-pure diamond sample, we achieve detection of 3 nT magnetic fields at kilohertz frequencies after 100 s of averaging. In addition, we demonstrate a sensitivity of 0.5 muT Hz(-1/2) for a diamond nanocrystal with a diameter of 30 nm. | 18,833,275 |
Structure of the intracellular domain of the amyloid precursor protein in complex with Fe65-PTB2. | Cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a crucial event in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis that creates the amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) and liberates the carboxy-terminal APP intracellular domain (AICD) into the cytosol. The interaction of the APP C terminus with the adaptor protein Fe65 mediates APP trafficking and signalling, and is thought to regulate APP processing and Abeta generation. We determined the crystal structure of the AICD in complex with the C-terminal phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain of Fe65. The unique interface involves the NPxY PTB-binding motif and two alpha helices. The amino-terminal helix of the AICD is capped by threonine T(668), an Alzheimer disease-relevant phosphorylation site involved in Fe65-binding regulation. The structure together with mutational studies, isothermal titration calorimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments sets the stage for understanding T(668) phosphorylation-dependent complex regulation at a molecular level. A molecular switch model is proposed. | 18,833,287 |
ATM and Chk2 kinase target the p53 cofactor Strap. | The p53 cofactor Strap (stress responsive activator of p300) is directly targeted by the DNA damage signalling pathway where phosphorylation by ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) kinase facilitates nuclear accumulation. Here, we show that Strap regulation reflects the coordinated interplay between different DNA damage-activated protein kinases, ATM and Chk2 (Checkpoint kinase 2), where phosphorylation by each kinase provides a distinct functional consequence on the activity of Strap. ATM phosphorylation prompts nuclear accumulation, which we show occurs by impeding nuclear export, whereas Chk2 phosphorylation augments protein stability once Strap has attained a nuclear location. These results highlight the various functional roles undertaken by the DNA damage signalling kinases in Strap control and, more generally, shed light on the pathways that contribute to the regulation of the p53 response. | 18,833,288 |
Quantitative analysis of snoRNA association with pre-ribosomes and release of snR30 by Rok1 helicase. | In yeast, three small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are essential for the processing of pre-ribosomal RNA--U3, U14 and snR30--whereas 72 non-essential snoRNAs direct site-specific modification of pre-rRNA. We applied a quantitative screen for alterations in the pre-ribosome association to all 75 yeast snoRNAs in strains depleted of eight putative helicases implicated in 40S subunit synthesis. For the modification-guide snoRNAs, we found no clear evidence for the involvement of these helicases in the association or dissociation of pre-ribosomes. However, the DEAD box helicase Rok1 was required specifically for the release of snR30. Point mutations in motif I, but not in motif III, of the helicase domain of Rok1 impaired the release of snR30, but this was less marked than in strains depleted of Rok1, and resulted in a dominant-negative growth phenotype. Dissociation of U3 and U14 from pre-ribosomes is also dependent on helicases, suggesting that release of the essential snoRNAs might differ mechanistically from release of the modification-guide snoRNAs. | 18,833,290 |
Zebrafish eda and edar mutants reveal conserved and ancestral roles of ectodysplasin signaling in vertebrates. | The genetic basis of the development and variation of adult form of vertebrates is not well understood. To address this problem, we performed a mutant screen to identify genes essential for the formation of adult skeletal structures of the zebrafish. Here, we describe the phenotypic and molecular characterization of a set of mutants showing loss of adult structures of the dermal skeleton, such as the rays of the fins and the scales, as well as the pharyngeal teeth. The mutations represent adult-viable, loss of function alleles in the ectodysplasin (eda) and ectodysplasin receptor (edar) genes. These genes are frequently mutated in the human hereditary disease hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED; OMIM 224900, 305100) that affects the development of integumentary appendages such as hair and teeth. We find mutations in zebrafish edar that affect similar residues as mutated in human cases of HED and show similar phenotypic consequences. eda and edar are not required for early zebrafish development, but are rather specific for the development of adult skeletal and dental structures. We find that the defects of the fins and scales are due to the role of Eda signaling in organizing epidermal cells into discrete signaling centers of the scale epidermal placode and fin fold. Our genetic analysis demonstrates dose-sensitive and organ-specific response to alteration in levels of Eda signaling. In addition, we show substantial buffering of the effect of loss of edar function in different genetic backgrounds, suggesting canalization of this developmental system. We uncover a previously unknown role of Eda signaling in teleosts and show conservation of the developmental mechanisms involved in the formation and variation of both integumentary appendages and limbs. Lastly, our findings point to the utility of adult genetic screens in the zebrafish in identifying essential developmental processes involved in human disease and in morphological evolution. | 18,833,299 |
Electromyography of 3 scapular muscles: a comparative analysis of the cuff link device and a standard push-up. | The Cuff Link is a closed kinetic chain rehabilitation apparatus for the upper extremity. Limited research has established its effectiveness to elicit muscle activation of the scapular muscles. To determine if scapular muscle activation differs in response to 2 upper extremity closed kinetic chain exercises: Cuff Link and standard push-up. A single-group, repeated-measures design. Controlled laboratory. Twenty-eight healthy individuals (13 women: age = 19.69 +/- 1.55 years, height = 167.44 +/- 9.52 cm, mass = 61.00 +/- 8.79 kg; 15 men: age = 22.00 +/- 3.91 years, height = 181.44 +/- 6.60 cm, mass = 82.36 +/- 13.23 kg) with no history of shoulder or low back injury volunteered to participate in this study. Participants performed 10 trials of complete revolutions on the Cuff Link and 10 full-weight-bearing push-ups. We controlled trial velocity and randomized order. Trunk and shoulder positions were normalized to the participant's height. Using surface electromyography, we recorded muscle activity of the serratus anterior, middle trapezius, and lower trapezius. Rectified and smoothed electromyography data for the serratus anterior, middle trapezius, and lower trapezius were normalized as a percentage of the maximal voluntary isometric contractions (%MVIC). Mean muscle activity of the serratus anterior, middle trapezius, and lower trapezius. We used paired-samples t tests to analyze the mean data for each condition. The alpha level was adjusted to .016 to avoid a type I error. Middle trapezius %MVIC was greater during push-ups (27.01 +/- 20.40%) than during use of the Cuff Link (11.49 +/- 9.46%) (P = .001). Lower trapezius %MVIC was greater during push-ups (36.07 +/- 18.99%) than during use of the Cuff Link (16.29 +/- 8.64%) (P = .001). There was no difference in %MVIC for the serratus anterior between conditions. The push-up demonstrated greater middle trapezius and lower trapezius activation levels compared with the Cuff Link. However, the push-up had a high participant failure rate. Because serratus anterior activation levels were similar, the Cuff Link may be an appropriate alternative for individuals lacking the upper body strength to perform a push-up. | 18,833,308 |
Reliability limits of the modified Thomas test for assessing rectus femoris muscle flexibility about the knee joint. | The modified Thomas test is commonly used in the clinical setting to assess flexibility about the thigh region. To evaluate the clinical reliability of the modified Thomas test for evaluating the flexibility of the rectus femoris muscle about the knee joint. Descriptive laboratory study using a test-retest design. Institution-based clinical orthopaedic setting. Fifty-seven individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 years with no history of trauma participated. Of those, 54 completed the study. Three Board-certified athletic therapists with an average of 12.67 years of sport medicine expertise assessed rectus femoris flexibility using pass/fail and goniometer scoring systems. A retest session was completed 7 to 10 days later. Parametric and nonparametric tests were used to compare participants' test-retest results. Chance-corrected kappa values (intrarater x = 0.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30, 0.54; interrater x = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.41) indicated generally poor levels of reliability for pass/fail scoring. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values (intrarater x = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.76; interrater x = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.40, 0.60) indicated fair to moderate levels of reliability for goniometer data. Measurement error values (standard error of measurement = 7 degrees , method error = 6 degrees , and coefficient of variation = 13%) and Bland-Altman plots (with 95% limits of agreement) further demonstrated the degree of intrarater variance for each examiner when conducting the test. These results call into question the statistical reliability of the modified Thomas test and provide clinicians with important information regarding its reliability limits when used to clinically assess flexibility of the rectus femoris muscle about the knee joint in a physically active population. More research is needed to ascertain the variables that may confound the statistical reliability of this orthopaedic technique. | 18,833,309 |
Distractor inhibition predicts individual differences in the attentional blink. | The attentional blink (AB) refers to humans' impaired ability to detect the second of two targets (T2) in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) stream of distractors if it appears within 200-600 ms of the first target (T1). Here we examined whether humans' ability to inhibit distractors in the RSVP stream is a key determinant of individual differences in T1 performance and AB magnitude. We presented subjects with RSVP streams (93.3 ms/item) of letters containing white distractors, a red T1 and a green T2. Subjects' ability to suppress distractors was assessed by determining the extent to which their second target performance was primed by a preceding distractor that shared the same identity as T2. Individual subjects' magnitude of T2 priming from this distractor was found to be negatively correlated with their T1 accuracy and positively related to their AB magnitude. In particular, subjects with attenuated ABs showed negative priming (i.e., worse T2 performance when the priming distractor appeared in the RSVP stream compared to when it was absent), whereas those with large ABs displayed positive priming (i.e., better T2 performance when the priming distractor appeared in the RSVP stream compared to when it was absent). Thus, a subject's ability to suppress distractors, as assessed by T2 priming magnitude, predicted both their T1 performance and AB magnitude. These results confirm that distractor suppression plays a key role in RSVP target selection and support the hypothesis that the AB results, at least in part, from a failure of distractor inhibition. | 18,833,325 |
[The impact of oral health on the quality of life of HIV infected children: a literature review]. | The search for improvement of the health of systemically compromised patients and for a better knowledge about the impact of diseases on their lives has brought great interest for health-related quality of life, mainly in children with chronic diseases. The quality of life related to oral health is thus relevant, not only for being an inseparable component of the general health but also due to the importance of oral problems in the lives of these patients. The evaluation of oral health-related quality of life in HIV infected children can be of great importance seen that these patients show high prevalence of caries and periodontal diseases besides the oral manifestations of the virus infection itself. The aim of this article is to present some concepts about quality of life and the use of instruments for its evaluation on the basis of a literature review as well as to analyze the impact of oral health on the quality of life of HIV infected children. | 18,833,356 |
A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions used to reduce exposure to house dust and their effect on the development and severity of asthma. | We assessed whether any household dust reduction intervention has the effect of increasing or decreasing the development or severity of atopic disease. Electronic searches on household intervention and atopic disease were conducted in 2007 in EMBASE, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included randomized controlled trials comparing asthma outcomes in a household intervention group with either placebo intervention or no intervention. Meta-analyses on the prevention studies found that the interventions made no difference to the onset of wheeze but made a significant reduction in physician-diagnosed asthma. Meta-analysis of lung function outcomes indicated no improvement due to the interventions but found a reduction in symptom days. Qualitatively, health care was used less in those receiving interventions. However, in one study that compared intervention, placebo, and control arms, the reduction in heath care use was similar in the placebo and intervention arms. This review suggests that there is not sufficient evidence to suggest implementing hygiene measures in an attempt to improve outcomes in existing atopic disease, but interventions from birth in those at high risk of atopy are useful in preventing diagnosed asthma but not parental-reported wheeze. | 18,833,368 |
Alcohol consumption among victims of external causes in a university general hospital. | To estimate frequency of alcohol consumption among victims of external causes cared for in a hospital. Study performed with victims cared for in a university general hospital in the city of Uberlândia (Southeastern Brazil), between February and August 2004. Blood alcohol content was determined from 85 patients in the emergency room. Other 301 patients, hospitalized in the outpatient clinics, were interviewed about possible alcohol consumption prior to trauma. The Cut-down, Annoyed by criticism, Guilty and Eye-opener (CAGE) questionnaire was applied in both groups. Fisher's exact test was employed to compare frequencies. Blood alcohol content was positive among 31.8% of patients tested, who most frequently required hospitalization (70.4% versus 37.9%; p<0.05). Proportionately, positive blood alcohol content was more frequent (p<0.05) among victims of physical aggression (57.1%) than fall victims (18.2%) or those of traffic accidents (29.3%). In outpatient clinics, 29.9% of patients mentioned alcohol consumption, proportionately more frequent (p<0.01) among victims of physical aggression (67.4%) than traffic accident victims (27.8%) or fall victims (19.3%). Among those who had drunk alcohol and were approached in the emergency room or in the outpatient clinics, the following was observed: the majority was male (85.2% and 80.4%), the occurrence of trauma was higher (p<0.05) on weekends (63% and 57.8%) and at night (59.3% and 57.8%), and the CAGE questionnaire was positive among 81.5% and 82.2% of them. About a third of patients had drunk alcoholic beverages prior to trauma and the majority of them were male. Proportionately, previous alcohol consumption was more frequent among patients who were victims of violence. CAGE results show that most patients, victims of external causes after alcohol consumption, were not occasional drinkers, but probably chronic users or alcoholics. | 18,833,382 |
[Risk factors for falls in the elderly: systematic review]. | To systematize results of prospective cohort studies on multiple risk factors for falls in the elderly and to assess their methodological quality. Systematic review of epidemiological studies from Medline, SciELO and Lilacs database. We included prospective cohort studies with samples of more than 100 subjects of both sexes, older than 64 years, and living either in the community or a nursing home. Of 726 studied identified, 15 met the inclusion criteria of being published between 1988 and 2005. The methodology of the studies varied. The main factors associated with increased risk of falls include: previous falls, altered gait, functional impairment, cognitive impairment, psychotropic medication use and excessive physical activity. Despite contradictory findings, being a woman at an advanced age may also be a predictor of falls. Methodological limitations were identified in prospective cohort studies on falls. There is a need for further studies on extrinsic determinants, including evaluator blinding and closer monitoring during follow-up with reduced time of recall. | 18,833,393 |
HCV virological response during treatment of chronic hepatitis C is associated with liver histological improvement in patients with HCV/HIV co-infection. | Liver histological improvement after treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) has been described. Paired liver biopsies in twenty six HCV/HIV co-infected patients were compared to determine factors possibly associated with histological improvement. The patients were submitted to a liver biopsy before treatment for hepatitis C and 25 months after the end of treatment. Fragments of the liver biopsy obtained before and after treatment were compared regarding the following parameters: histological activity index (HAI) and degree of fibrosis (Knodell); intensity of collagen deposits (Sirius Red staining) and degree of stellate cell activation (alpha-smooth muscle actin labeling). The ratios of the post and pre-treatment variables were related through logistic regression to body mass index (BMI), alcohol ingestion, HCV genotype, HCV viremia, presence of hepatic iron and pre-treatment hepatic steatosis. A negative RNA test in the 24th week of treatment was associated with improvement in fibrosis, collagen deposits and stellate cell numbers. The other variables analyzed did not correlate to an improvement in hepatic histology after hepatitis C treatment. Reduction in HCV viremia during treatment may result in reduced hepatic fibrosis even in patients without a sustained virological response. | 18,833,400 |
Primary sternal osteomyelitis caused by Nocardia nova: case report and literature review. | A 51 year old woman without significant past medical history or risk factors for Nocardia infection developed primary Nocardia nova sternal osteomyelitis with mediastinal abscess, diagnosed with open biopsy. She required prolonged antibiotic therapy and had a favorable outcome. Primary sternal osteomyelitis develops in the absence of a contiguous focus of infection, as opposed to secondary sternal osteomyelitis, which is usually a complication of sternotomy. Staphylococcus aureus probably still is the most common cause of both forms of sternal osteomyelitis. Nocardia species invade humans usually through the respiratory tract and can cause a variety of localized infections through the hematogenous route. Pulmonary involvement may or may not coexist. Immunosuppressed patients are more prone to infection by Nocardia species, although cases involving seemingly immunocompetent patients are not rare. This is the first reported case in the English literature of primary sternal osteomyelitis due to Nocardia nova or any other Nocardia species. | 18,833,413 |
Cerebellum and psychiatric disorders. | The objective of this update article is to report structural and functional neuroimaging studies exploring the potential role of cerebellum in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. A non-systematic literature review was conducted by means of Medline using the following terms as a parameter: "cerebellum", "cerebellar vermis", "schizophrenia", "bipolar disorder", "depression", "anxiety disorders", "dementia" and "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder". The electronic search was done up to April 2008. Structural and functional cerebellar abnormalities have been reported in many psychiatric disorders, namely schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, dementia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported smaller total cerebellar and vermal volumes in schizophrenia, mood disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies using cognitive paradigms have shown alterations in cerebellar activity in schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In dementia, the cerebellum is affected in later stages of the disease. Contrasting with early theories, cerebellum appears to play a major role in different brain functions other than balance and motor control, including emotional regulation and cognition. Future studies are clearly needed to further elucidate the role of cerebellum in both normal and pathological behavior, mood regulation, and cognitive functioning. | 18,833,430 |
Does directly observed treatment ("DOTS") contribute to tuberculosis treatment compliance? | This is a qualitative study performed in the theoretical framework of the Theory of Social Determination of the Health-Disease process and the concept of Compliance. The goal was to analyze meanings of DOTS in compliance with tuberculosis treatment, according to healthcare professionals of the Technical Healthcare Supervision of Butantã (SUVIS), a region of the São Paulo City Healthcare Secretariat, Brazil. The project was submitted to the Ethics Committee of the São Paulo Municipal Health Secretariat. All professionals (22 people) developing DOTS were interviewed, including service coordinators, healthcare professionals and the DOTS coordinator for the region. The statements were analyzed with an appropriate technique for discourse analysis. The results appoint that the strategy presents more potentialities than limits and is effective regarding compliance, since it allows the professionals to welcome and monitor the patients, considering their needs. The importance of increasing the understanding of compliance is also noted, so that it can go beyond the simple intake of medication, integrating the care for the sick person and his or her necessities by transcending those restricted to the biological dimension. | 18,833,445 |
Validation of the ratio scale of the differents types of pain. | The main aim was to validate the ratio scale derived from the non-metric continuum of the intensity of the different types of pain using cross-modality matching. Magnitude estimation method and cross-modality matching were used with perceived line lengths. The study was formed by 30 outpatients from various specialty clinics, 30 physicians and 90 nurses. The results were: Cancer Pain, Myocardium Infarct Pain, Renal Colic, Burn Injury Pain, and Childbirth Labor Pain were regarded as the pains of greater intensity; the rank order of pain intensity for the different types of pain, comparing the different psychophysical methods used resulted in levels of significant agreement. The conclusion was that the relation between the magnitude estimates and cross modality matching estimates of the line-lengths is a power function, and the scale for the different types of pain is valid, stable and consistent. | 18,833,454 |
Relations between nursing data collection, diagnoses and prescriptions for adult patients at an intensive care unit. | This descriptive, retrospective study aimed to analyze the relation between nursing data collection, diagnoses and prescriptions for 26 adult patients who were hospitalized at the intense care unit of a large teaching hospital for at least 24 hours. Through the analysis of medical records, 135 diagnoses and 421 nursing prescriptions were established, and 24 different diagnosis categories and 20 different items for prescriptions were identified. The most frequent diagnosis risk was that for infection, present in the medical records of 22 (84.60%) patients, with 175 prescriptions (42%) related to this diagnosis. The data the nurses collected were sufficient to establish the nursing diagnoses, and the majority of prescriptions (87.9%) were related to the diagnoses. | 18,833,451 |
Otolaryngologists and orbital pseudotumor: a case report. | Orbital pseudotumor (idiopathic orbital inflammation) is the third most common orbital disease, accounting for 5 to 6% of orbital disorders. It often presents in a manner very similar to inflammatory or neoplastic sinus disease. In addition, sinus disease is often a cause of orbital pseudotumor, although the etiology of this entity has yet to be defined. Treatment with steroids is usually successful early on, but long-term treatment-failure and recurrence rates are high. Despite otolaryngologists' intimate knowledge of sinus pathology, we have generally not been heavily involved in researching the causes and treatment of orbital pseudotumors. In this article, we report the case of an affected patient who presented with an orbital mass on radiography. The mass was likely the result of sinus disease in the setting of an untreated orbital floor fracture. We describe the clinical, radiographic, and operative features of this case, and we discuss the otolaryngologist's role in the management of orbital pseudotumors. | 18,833,526 |
Squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa: a retrospective analysis of 22 cases. | We examined our institution's experience with 22 cases of previously untreated buccal squamous cell carcinoma via a retrospective chart review. Eleven of these patients had been treated with a combination of surgical excision and postoperative radiation therapy, 8 patients with surgical excision alone, and 3 patients with radiation therapy alone. The overall 3-year locoregional recurrence rate was 32% (n = 7). The 3-year survival rates were 82% after surgery plus radiation (9 of 11 patients), 63% after surgery alone (5 of 8), and 33% after radiation alone (1 of 3). Three-year T-category-specific survival rates were 100% for category T1 tumors (3 of 3 patients), 73% for T2 (8 of 11), 50% for T3 (3 of 6), and 50% for T4 (1 of 2). Although the small size of our study precluded any statistically significant conclusions, we believe that locoregional control and survival rates may be greater with surgical excision plus postoperative radiation than with treatment with either modality alone. | 18,833,538 |
Nanostructure formation enhances the activity of LPS-neutralizing peptides. | Peptides that interact with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can provide the basis for the development of new antisepsis agents. In this work, several LPS-neutralizing acyl peptides derived from LALF, BPI, and SAP were prepared, structurally characterized, and biologically evaluated. In all cases, peptides with long acyl chains showed greater LPS-neutralizing activities than the original acetylated peptides. Structural analysis of these peptides revealed that N-acylation with long acyl chains promotes the formation of micellar or fibril-like nanostructures, thus proving a correlation between anti-LPS activity and nanostructure formation. The results of this study provide useful structural insight for the future design of new acyl peptides that strongly bind LPS and therefore act as antisepsis drugs. Furthermore, this nanostructure-biological activity correlation can be translated into other therapeutic areas. | 18,833,552 |
Free flap failure secondary to dual thrombophilia. | Much has been learned over the past several decades regarding thrombophilic conditions. Thrombotic complications, such as deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, myocardial infarction, and stroke, are sometimes attributed to a diagnosable thrombophilia. Less has been written with regard to their effect on reconstructive outcomes. Fortunately, it is rare to encounter a notable intraoperative thrombophilia while performing reconstructive microsurgery. When this does occur, salvage can be difficult and outcome can be compromised. It is imperative that microsurgeons be knowledgeable of both major and minor thrombogenic conditions to optimize intraoperative outcome and postoperative care. We present a case of a failed free flap for lower extremity reconstruction associated with hyperhomocysteinemia in conjunction with markedly elevated Factor VIII levels. | 18,833,574 |
Emotional burden in caregivers of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. | The objective of this study was to evaluate the emotional burden, psychological morbidity, and level of family accommodation in caregivers of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, according to sociodemographic and clinical factors. Fifty Brazilian DSM-IV OCD patients and their caregivers were evaluated using the Family Accommodation Scale, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the Self-Report Questionnaire (caregivers), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (patients). Most caregivers (80%) were aged between 30 and 59 years and lived with the patient (88%). Forty-two percent presented a common mental disorder and their mean ZBI score was 28.9. Family accommodation was moderate in 26% and severe or very severe in 24%. Caregivers' levels of psychological morbidity, accommodation, and emotional burden were associated with each other and with the severity of patient obsessive-compulsive and depressive symptoms. The results suggest that caregivers of OCD patients have important levels of burden and psychological morbidity and should receive orientation and support to minimize this emotional impact. | 18,833,578 |
The DRD2 gene 957C>T polymorphism is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in war veterans. | Variations in genes related to the dopaminergic pathway have been implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, substance misuse, Alzheimer's disease and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (957C>T) and a deletion polymorphism (-141delC) in the DRD2 gene and a SNP (Taq1A) in a gene directly downstream of DRD2 have all been implicated in dopamine functioning in the brain. To test the importance of these three polymorphisms in PTSD susceptibility, a genetic screen was performed in 127 war veterans diagnosed with PTSD and 228 control individuals without a history of PTSD. No significant association was found between PTSD and the Taq1A or -141delC polymorphisms. However, a significant association was observed with PTSD and the 957C>T polymorphism. PTSD individuals were more likely to carry the C allele compared to the controls (P=0.021). Our findings suggest that the 957C>T polymorphism in the DRD2 gene is one of the genetic factors for susceptibility to PTSD. | 18,833,581 |
Decline in sex ratio at birth after Bam (Kerman Province, Southern Iran) earthquake. | On 26th December 2003, a severe earthquake hit the city of Bam in Kerman province, southern Iran. It destroyed around 90% of houses and at least 60% of the public buildings, and claimed the lives of more than 20,000 persons. To investigate whether acute stress caused by the Bam earthquake could alter the sex ratio at birth (SRB) 6-12 months later, the present study was done. The number of live births by sex was obtained from the National Organization for Civil Registration (Kerman province). The SRB was expressed as the male proportion. A prominent decline in the SRB (approximately 0.467) 11 months after the earthquake was observed (chi(2)=6.68, df=1, p=0.009). There was no significant difference between Bam and Kerman province (excluding Bam) for SRB (chi(2)=0.44, df=1, p=0.51) for a period of 33 month before the earthquake (from April 2001 to December 2003). It might be concluded that psychological tensions and stress are associated with a decrease in SRB. | 18,833,587 |
Medical therapies to extend survival in hepatocellular carcinoma. | Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious malignancy with 21,000 new cases estimated for 2008. Several common diseases are associated with an increased risk of the development of HCC, including viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other chronic liver diseases. Most patients present with advanced disease, and therefore have only limited therapeutic options. However, advancements in screening and surveillance have allowed more patients to be identified and diagnosed with earlier-stage disease, increasing their therapeutic options. Several treatment modalities exist for early- and intermediate-stage disease, including ablative techniques and embolization methods. Additionally, advances in targeted therapy have resulted in the approval of the oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib, resulting in improved length of survival. In this roundtable discussion, the current epidemic of HCC is addressed, including factors contributing to an increased rate of occurrence. Additionally, the optimal screening and diagnosis of HCC patients is discussed, and the appropriate treatment modalities for each stage of HCC are presented. | 18,833,600 |
Estimating HIV incidence in the United States from HIV/AIDS surveillance data and biomarker HIV test results. | The development of an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test that detects recent infection has enabled the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to estimate annual HIV incidence (number of new infections per year, not per person at risk) in the United States from data on new HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnoses reported to HIV/AIDS surveillance. We developed statistical procedures to estimate the probability that an infected person will be detected as recently infected, accounting for individuals choosing whether and how frequently to seek HIV testing, variation of testing frequency, the reporting of test results only for infected persons, and infected persons who never had an HIV-negative test. The incidence estimate is the number of persons detected as recently infected divided by the estimated probability of detection. We used simulation to show that, under the assumptions we make, our procedures have acceptable bias and correct confidence interval coverage. Because data on the biomarker for recent infection or on testing history were missing for many persons, we used multiple imputation to apply our models to surveillance data. CDC has used these procedures to estimate HIV incidence in the United States. | 18,833,636 |
The influences of ambient and body calcium on cadmium and zinc accumulation in Daphnia magna. | The dissolved uptake rate constant (k(u)), dietary assimilation efficiency (AE), and efflux rate constant (k(e)) of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were quantified in a freshwater zooplankton Daphnia magna cultured at different ambient calcium (Ca) concentrations. The animals were first acclimated to different ambient Ca levels for 7 d from birth before the biokinetic measurements at corresponding Ca levels. With increasing ambient Ca level from 0.5 to 200 mg/L, the body Ca content increased from 0.91% (as tissue dry wt) to 3.75%. The k(u) for Cd decreased by nine times; for Zn it decreased by 2.6 times; and the AE decreased from 62 to 19% and from 46 to 24% for Cd and Zn, respectively. In contrast, Ca levels did not affect significantly the efflux rates of Cd and Zn. The effects of ambient and body Ca levels were separated by measuring the biokinetic parameters in both low--(0.5 mg/L) and high--(50 mg/L) Ca environments using the daphnids containing different body Ca levels. Ambient and body Ca levels had synergistic inhibitory effects on the AEs of Cd and Zn; however, the protective effects against dissolved uptake of Cd and Zn were explained fully by the effects of ambient Ca. The body Ca either had no significant effect (for Cd) or stimulative effects (for Zn). Multiphase biokinetic modeling using the measured parameters gave reasonable predictions of the body burdens of Cd and Zn in different Ca environments. Our results better explain the role of ambient and body Ca in the accumulation of Cd and Zn in D. magna. | 18,833,650 |
Using nitrous oxide and oxygen to control pain in primary care. | Improving pain control is an area where nurses have the clinical expertise to make a significant difference to the quality of patient care. The inhaled analgesic 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen is ideal for use when undertaking short, potentially painful procedures as it is a safe and effective method of pain relief. Many patients in the community require procedures that can be extremely painful. This article describes how this analgesic has been successfully introduced throughout a PCT, through collaborative working between acute pain nurses based in the hospital setting and community nurses. | 18,833,717 |
Conservation of cytoplasmic organization in the cystidia of Suillus species. | Cystidia of Suillus americanus and S. granulatus (Boletales) were examined cytochemically and ultrastructurally with cells prepared by freeze substitution. We present the first study showing ultrastructural details and cytological functions of the cystidium to be conserved in two closely related species. The results are presented for inclusion in the AFTOL Structural and Biochemical Database <http://aftol.umn.edu> to aid in the application of morphological characters to phylogenetic studies. The cystidia of these Suillus species appear to be united by a series of conserved characters, including specialized secretion mechanisms, smooth tubular endoplasmic reticulum and abundant free ribosomes. The conservation of these subcellular traits among members of this genus suggests that ultrastructural details of cystidia may provide a suite of phylogenetically informative characters. Inclusion of such characters in phylogenetic analyses might resolve or provide support for monophyletic groups at the level of family or genus. | 18,833,747 |
Light might regulate divergently depside and depsidone accumulation in the lichen Parmotrema hypotropum by affecting thallus temperature and water potential. | Depsides and depsidones are the most common secondary products uniquely produced in lichens by the fungal symbiont, and they accumulate on the outer surface of its hyphae. Their biological roles are subject to debate. Quantitatively the compounds typical of a given lichen can vary dramatically from thallus to thallus. Several studies have addressed whether this variability is correlated with the light reaching different thalli, but the conclusions are contradictory. We addressed the question with the lichen Parmotrema hypotropum growing on unshaded, vertical tree trunks, a controlled natural environment where the light absorbed by each thallus over its lifetime is the only major position-dependent variable. The exact north-east-south-west orientation of each thallus was used to calculate its yearly light exposure based on astronomical and meteorological considerations. The calculated irradiation around the trunk, distributed over a continuous 40-fold intensity range, then was compared with the amount of compound per unit thallus weight, determined by quantitative thin layer chromatography. P. hypotropum accumulates the depside atranorin in the cortex and the depsidone norstictic acid in the medulla and around the algae. A direct correlation was observed between the yearly amount of light reaching the lichen and the amount of atranorin. In contrast, the amount of norstictic acid decreased with increasing light. Although we did not measure thallus temperature and water potential, a unifying interpretation of these and other published data is that depside/depsidone accumulation in lichens is mediated by localized changes in temperature and water potential produced by light absorption within each thallus. This suggests water relations-based functions for depsides and depsidones. | 18,833,750 |
The structure and histochemistry of sclerotia of Ophiocordyceps sinensis. | The structure and histochemistry of sclerotia of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (synonym: Cordyceps sinensis) are described. The remains of the caterpillar epidermis and sometimes setae of the caterpillar were attached to the pigmented layer that is external to the rind of the sclerotium. The outer aerial hyphae and hyphae of the inner medulla were densely interwoven around the epidermis of the caterpillar; these eventually differentiated into the rind of the sclerotium. The medulla of the sclerotium consisted of three intergrading regions of hyphal density: high, low and a region of intermediate hyphal density. All hyphae of the medulla contained large quantities of protein, polysaccharide and polyphosphate; only the region of high hyphal density was rich in beta-1,3 glucans; the center of the sclerotium was almost devoid of hyphae and contained what are most likely the remains of caterpillar tissue. These features are compared with those of sclerotia of other fungi, and their possible significance is discussed. | 18,833,754 |
Nonlinear stress analysis of titanium implants by finite element method. | With use of dental implants on the rise, there is also a tandem increase in the number of implant fracture reports. To the end of investigating the stress occurring in implants, elasticity and plasticity analyses were performed using the finite element method. The following results were obtained: (1) With one-piece type of implants of 3.3 mm diameter, elasticity analysis showed that after applying 500 N in a 45-degree direction, stress exceeding 500 MPa which is the proof stress of grade 4 pure titanium - occurred. This suggested the possibility of fatigue destruction due to abnormal occlusal force, such as during bruxism. (2) With two-piece type of implants that can tolerate vertical loading of 5,000 N, plasticity analysis suggested the possibility of screw area fracture after applying 500 N in a 45-degree direction. (3) On the combined use of an abutment and a fixture from different manufacturers, fracture destruction of even Ti-6Al-4V, which has a high degree of strength, was predicted. | 18,833,779 |
The conservation status and trends of raptors and owls in Europe. | To conserve biodiversity efficiently, an international framework is needed to ensure that national priorities take into account regional and global priorities. BirdLife International has published five comprehensive assessments of the global status of the world's birds and two evaluations of the status of Europe's birds at a continental level. This paper analyzes the results of these assessments in relation to Europe's 56 species of raptors and owls, 18% of which are of global conservation concern, and 64% of which have an unfavorable conservation status in Europe. The European Union (EU) holds half of the total estimated European breeding population of raptors and owls, and European Russia supports another third, but every European country has a responsibility for at least two species of European conservation concern. During the 1990s, more raptors increased than decreased in most EU member states, but the opposite was true in eastern Europe, where many of the most threatened species are concentrated. Given the popularity of these species with the public, and the political commitment to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010, much more action is needed to monitor and conserve birds of prey. | 18,833,791 |
Application of the probabilistic approach to reporting breast fine needle aspiration in males. | To apply the probabilistic approach to a series offine needle aspiration (FNA) samples of male breast lesions and determine the accuracy and reproducibility of this method of reporting in men. All male breast surgical specimens with a preoperative breast FNA at our institution from 1994 to 2005 were identified. The FNAs were blindly reviewed by 2 groups of observers and classified in 1 of 5 categories using published reporting guidelines: positive, suspicious, atypical, proliferative without atypia and unremarkable. The histologic and cytologic diagnoses were correlated. The interobserver variation was determined. A total of 138 FNAs were performed for 123 male patients. Histologic correlation was available for 23 satisfactory FNAs. A total of 11 of 11 carcinomas (100%) were classified as positive, suspicious or atypical. Of 12 benign masses, 11 (91.6%) were classified as proliferative without atypia or unremarkable. One case of gynecomastia was classified as atypical by 1 observer but deemed not atypical with consensus review. The kappa statistic for benign and atypical/suspicious/malignant categories was 0.90. Based on this series, the probabilistic approach can be applied to the reporting of FNAs of male breast lesions. Gynecomastia may result in an atypical cytologic diagnosis. | 18,833,813 |
Evaluation of brushing cytology in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori gastritis. | To evaluate clinical utility of rapid urease test (RUT), brash cytology and histology for detecting Helicobacter pylori. Brush cytology materials were obtained from the antrum of the stomach in 109 patients who suffered from dyspepsia and were candidates for endoscopy. RUT and histology with hematoxylin-eosin staining were performed. Infection status was established by observation of typical HP in cytology or biopsy. A total of 78% ofpatients were diagnosed as positivefor HP organisms using brush cytology; 66% had histologic results positive for HP and 59% for RUT. Observation of typical organism by cytology or histology was the gold standard; 3 tests results were compared. Sensitivity of brush cytology (95%) was higher than that of histology (80.5%) and RUT (72%). Gastric brushing cytology provides a sensitive, inexpensive, accurate and easy technique for rapid detection of HP infection. When additional information on severity of mucosal damage or presence of cell atypias is not necessary, histologic examination can be omitted; a cost-effective strategy for assessing HP status might consist of taking antral biopsies, the former for RUT, and performing brush cytology slides, which should be stained and examined only when the RUT result is negative. | 18,833,824 |
Shear bond strength of provisional restoration materials repaired with light-cured resins. | This study evaluated the repair bond strengths of light-cured resins to provisional restoration materials with different chemical compositions and polymerization techniques. Fifty discs (10 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm thick) were fabricated for each provisional resin base material, including a self-cured methacrylate (Alike), self-cured bis-acrylate (Protemp 3 Garant), light-cured bis-acrylate (Revotek LC) and a heat-cured methacrylate (Namilon). All specimens were stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for seven days before undergoing repair with one of four light-cured resins, including AddOn, Revotek LC, Dyractflow and Unifast LC and a self-cured resin (Alike), according to the manufacturers' instructions, for a total of 200 specimens. After 24 hours of storage in 37 degrees C water, the shear bond strengths were measured with a universal testing machine and fracture surfaces were examined under a stereomicroscope. Two-way ANOVA revealed that provisional resin-base material (p < 0.001), repair material (p < 0.001) and their interactions (p < 0.001) significantly affected the repair strength. Tukey's multiple comparisons showed that the lowest bonding strengths were found in specimens of heat-cured methacrylate resin materials repaired with bis-acryl resins, with their failure modes primarily being of the adhesive type. The highest bond strengths were recorded when the provisional resin-base materials and repairing resins had similar chemical components and the failure modes tended to be of the cohesive type. | 18,833,857 |
The effects of tooth preparation cleansing protocols on the bond strength of self-adhesive resin luting cement to contaminated dentin. | This in vitro study evaluated the bond strength of a self-adhesive luting cement after using four different techniques to remove surface contamination on dentin. Extracted human molars were flattened to expose the dentin surface and prepared for full crown preparation. Acrylic temporary crowns were fabricated and placed using temporary cement. The specimens were stored at room temperature with 100% relative humidity for seven days. Following removal of the temporary crowns, the specimens were randomly divided into four groups, and excess provisional cement was removed with (1) a hand instrument (excavator), (2) prophy with a mixture of flour pumice and water (3) aluminous oxide abrasion with a particle size of 27 microm at 40 psi and (4) aluminous oxide abrasion with a particle size of 50 microm at 40 psi. The microstructure morphology of the tooth surface was evaluated and residual materials were detected using SEM and EDS analysis of randomly selected specimens. The ceramics were treated with 9.5% hydrofluoric acid-etch and silanized to the prepared dentin prior to cementing with self-adhesive resin cement (RelyX Unicem, 3M ESPE). The shear bond strength was determined at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute. The results were analyzed with one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test. Particle abrasion treatment of dentin with an aluminous oxide particle provided the highest values of bond strength, while hand instrument excavation was the lowest (p < 0.05). Aluminous oxide particle size did not significantly influence the bond strength at 40 psi. The use of low pressure and small particle abrasion treated dentin as a mechanical cleansing protocol prior to definitive cementation increased the bond strength of self-adhesive resin-luting cement to dentin following eugenol-containing temporary cement. | 18,833,862 |
In vitro bonding performance of self-etch adhesives: II--ultramorphological evaluation. | To study the interfacial ultra-morphology formed by "all-in-one" self-etch adhesives. Forty-nine extracted molars were assigned to one of five all-in-one adhesives: Adper Prompt L-Pop (AP, 3M ESPE); Clearfil S3 Bond (S3, Kuraray); G-Bond (GB, GC America); iBond (iB, Heraeus Kulzer) and Xeno IV (XE, Dentsply Caulk). Adper Single Bond Plus (SB, 3M ESPE), a two-step etch&rinse adhesive, and Clearfil SE Bond (SE, Kuraray), a two-step self-etch adhesive, were used as controls. Dentin, unground enamel and ground enamel were used as bonding substrates. Dentin specimens were processed for FESEM and TEM analyses. Enamel specimens were processed for FESEM. Dentin: GB, iB, S3, SE and XE resulted in a submicron-thick hybrid layer (0.2-0.7 microm), but only S3 and SE did not result in interfacial gaps. AP resulted in the thickest hybrid layer (1.7-2.9 microm) among the self-etch adhesives. SB resulted in a 3.4-5.2 pm thick hybrid layer. Unground enamel-GB, iB and SE resulted in a mostly featureless morphology resembling that of untreated enamel with areas in which the superficial enamel layer was removed without dissolving the subsurface enamel. XE resulted in areas of intra-prismatic etching and areas without any etching pattern. S3 resulted in frequent shallow intra-prismatic etching, while AP was able to unveil the enamel crystallites across the entire enamel surface. Phosphoric acid in SB resulted in the deepest intra- and inter-prismatic demineralization. Ground enamel--AP resulted in a well-defined inter-prismatic etching pattern. iB, GB, SE and S3 resulted in islands of superficially dissolved enamel within areas without evidence of enamel dissolution. XE resulted in etched enamel areas with mild intraprismatic exposure of crystallites. Phosphoric acid in SB resulted in deep enamel etching. Only AP, an aggressive self-etch adhesive, showed enamel morphological features that resemble those created by etch & rinse adhesives. S3 and SE were the only self-etch adhesives that did not result in dentin interfacial debonding. | 18,833,860 |
Radiographic and ultrasonographic features of canine paraprostatic cysts. | Mineralization of paraprostatic cysts is reported to be uncommon. This retrospective study was performed to review the imaging findings of eight histologically confirmed canine paraprostatic cysts. Radiographic patterns of mineralization seen are described. Four of the eight dogs had mineralized cysts. Mineralization seen on radiography was not consistently seen on ultrasonography, probably due to the lack of acoustic shadowing artefact from the small depth of mineralized tissue. It is thus concluded that mineralization of paraprostatic cysts is more common than implied in the literature, and that radiography is superior to ultrasonography in identifying its presence. | 18,833,951 |
Effect of left vs. right recumbency on the vertebral heart score in normal dogs. | The effect of right vs. left recumbency on computation of the vertebral heart score (VHS) was assessed in 63 healthy dogs. The VHS was significantly higher in right lateral recumbency (9.8 +/- 0.6 vs. 9.5 +/- 0.8; P < 0.0004). Gender and dog size did not significantly influence VHS values while there was m oredifference between left and right side measurements when considering the type of thorax (P = 0.055). | 18,833,953 |
Imaging diagnosis--cervical spine chondroma in a dog. | An extradural chondroma originating in the cervical spine was diagnosed in an 8-year-old, intact male Chow-Chow that presented acute cervical pain and chronic right thoracic limb lameness. Myelographic images were within normal limits. With magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, an extradural mass was identified at the level of the C4-C5 vertebrae. This mass was excised, and the histologic diagnosis was chondroma. Fifteen months after surgery, the dog was clinically normal, and no regrowth of the mass was identified on follow-up MR images. Spinal chondromas are rare tumors in the dog, but should be considered as a rule out for contrast-enhancing extradural vertebral masses. | 18,833,956 |
[Ketogenic diets and weight loss: basis and effectiveness]. | The international consensus is that carbohydrates are the basis of the food pyramid of a healthy diet. Today's specialists believe that the best way to lose weight is by cutting down on calories, essentialy in the form of fat. However, this paper will clarify that ketogenic diets are, from a physiological, biochemicale and practical point of view, a much more effective way of losing weight, since such diets provide metabolic advantages such as the capacity to preserve muscle mass, reduce appetite, to have a lower metabolic efficiency, produce a metabolic activation of thermogenesis and favour a greater fat loss even with a greater number of calories. | 18,833,988 |
Chemical composition and fatty acid profile of rhea (Rhea americana) meat. | The purpose of this work was to determine the proximate composition and fatty acid profiles of the Gastrocnemius pars interna intramuscular fat (IMF) of rhea (Rhea americana) thighs. The birds were bred in captivity, fed with balanced feed (Nutriavestruz Crescimento - Purina) and kept in a pen with grass ad lib. The birds of both sexes used in the research weighed 23 kg on average and were aged about twelve (12) months old. They were subjected to hydric diet (12 h) before slaughtering by electric shock. The rhea meat showed an average moisture, protein, ash and total lipid contents of 74.1%, 22.8%, 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively. It was noticed the predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in intramuscular fat (IMF), 42.3% and a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), 29.7%. The fatty acids found in higher proportion in rhea IMF were: 18:2n-6 (24.33%), 18: ln-9 (19.25%), 16:0 (13.70%), 22: ln9 (11.40%), 18:0 (10.66%), 15: ln-10 (8.62%), 24: ln-9 (2.90%) and 20:4n-6 (1.72%). The PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios were 1.06 and 31.30, respectively. The consumption of rhea meat is a healthy alternative to red meat as it points to a lower susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases caused by the high consumption of fat comparatively to the consumption of meat from most domesticated animals. | 18,833,999 |
Treatment of skeletal class II malocclusion in adults: stepwise vs single-step advancement with the Herbst appliance. | To compare 2 groups of mature patients treated with the Herbst appliance and present a new protocol based on tissue responses to enhance skeletal response. Lateral cephalograms taken before and after treatment for 2 groups of patients--the first treated with the Herbst appliance with maximum jumping and the second with the Herbst appliance with stepwise advancement--were examined with conventional cephalometric analysis and the sagittal-occlusal analysis of Pancherz to assess the dental, skeletal, and soft tissue changes. The mode of correction of the Class II malocclusion was through skeletal and dental changes. However, in the stepwise sample, the amount of correction due to skeletal changes was higher. In both groups, the soft tissue profile convexity was reduced significantly. Herbst appliance therapy can be considered a modality for the correction of skeletal Class II malocclusions in mature patients and should be added to orthodontia's armamentarium. | 18,834,006 |
The use of cone-beam computed tomography in an orthodontic department in between research and daily clinic. | A correct orthodontic diagnosis needs to be based on accurate images of the craniofacial region and is crucial for the development of a valid treatment plan. A cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanner allows 3D imaging of the craniofacial complex. CBCT scanners represent a significant advantage in imaging capabilities for dentistry and orthodontics, replacing conventional 2D radiographic images with 3D data sets and only a small increase in radiation. The present study surveys the rationale, advantages, and disadvantages of the available CBCT appliances and presents answers to questions often asked in relation to this technology. | 18,834,009 |
A comparative study of self-perceived public health competencies: practice teachers and qualifying SCPHNs. | There is evidence to suggest that population-focused public health nursing is more rhetoric than reality. This quantitative study compares the self-perceived public health competence of qualifying student specialist community public health nurses (SCPHNs) (n = 35) with those of the practice teachers (PTs) facilitating their practice learning (n = 31). Findings suggest that PTs felt more competent than qualifying students on leadership and management for public health, working with communities, and communication skills. However, the qualifying students self-rated higher than the PTs on principles and practice of public health, suggesting that the PTs in this study felt less competent than their qualifying students in key public health skills, such as epidemiology, population health needs assessment, research and evidence-based decision-making. It is recommended that the triennial review of PTs should address not only educational skills but knowledge and skills in contemporary public health practice, a continuing professional development framework for SCPHNs should be developed and funded, providers should assist PTs in keeping up with contemporary public health, and the role of the PT should be recognised and given appropriate support and remuneration. | 18,834,026 |
Developing clinically savvy nursing students: an evaluation of problem-based learning in an associate degree program. | Faculty in an associate degree nursing program at a community college in NewYork City noted that nursing students lacked critical analysis, problem-solving, and decision-making skills and the reflective ability essential to applying nursing knowledge in clinical situations. This study reports on the use of problem-based learning as a teaching strategy and its impact on the development of critical thinking and communication skills in nursing students. | 18,834,057 |
FTIR identification of the nu4(sigmau) and nu6(piu) modes of linear GeC3Ge trapped in solid Ar. | GeC 3Ge was previously (1) produced by the dual laser ablation of germanium and carbon rods, and the nu 3(sigma u) carbon-carbon stretching fundamental was assigned at 1920.7 cm (-1). This paper presents results from new experiments that have enhanced the production of the molecule via laser ablation of a single sintered germanium-carbon rod, thus enabling the identification of two additional infrared active vibrational fundamentals. Ge participates strongly in one of these, the nu 4(sigma u) mode, and the corresponding Ge isotopic shifts reported here are the first for a germanium-carbon species. GeC 3Ge was produced by trapping the products from the laser evaporation of the Ge-C rod, in solid Ar at approximately 10 K, and recording the FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectra. Comparison of (70,72,73,74,76)Ge and (13)C isotopic shift measurements with the predictions of density functional theory calculations (DFT) at the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ level confirms the identification of the nu 4(sigma u) stretching fundamental at 735.3 cm (-1) and the nu 6(pi u) bending fundamental at 580.1 cm (-1) for linear GeC 3Ge. | 18,834,086 |
Molecular structure and benzene ring deformation of three cyanobenzenes from gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations. | The molecular structures of cyanobenzene, p-dicyanobenzene, and 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene have been accurately determined by gas-phase electron diffraction and ab initio/DFT MO calculations. The equilibrium structures of these molecules are planar, but their average geometries in the gaseous phase are nonplanar because of large-amplitude vibrational motions of the substituents out of the plane of the benzene ring. The use of nonplanar models in electron diffraction analysis is necessary to yield ring angles consistent with the results of MO calculations. The angular deformation of the benzene ring in the three molecules is found to be much smaller than obtained from previous electron diffraction studies, as well as from microwave spectroscopy studies of cyanobenzene. While the deformation of the ring CC bonds and CCC angles in p-dicyanobenzene is well interpreted as arising from the superposition of independent effects from each substituent, considerable deviation from additivity occurs in 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene. The changes in the ring geometry and C ipso-C cyano bond lengths in this molecule indicate an enhanced ability of the cyano group to withdraw pi-electrons from the benzene ring, compared with cyanobenzene and p-dicyanobenzene. In particular, gas-phase electron diffraction and MP2 or B3LYP calculations show a small but consistent increase in the mean length of the ring CC bonds for each cyano group and a further increase in 1,2,4,5-tetracyanobenzene. Comparison with accurate results from X-ray and neutron crystallography indicates that in p-dicyanobenzene the internal ring angle at the place of substitution opens slightly as the molecule is frozen in the crystal. The small geometrical change, about 0.6 degrees , is shown to be real and to originate from intermolecular C identical withN...HC interactions in the solid state. | 18,834,088 |
The simplest linear-carbon-chain growth by atomic-carbon addition and ring opening reactions. | The formation mechanism of linear-carbon-chain molecules, C n O ( n = 2 - 9), synthesized in the discharge of C 3O 2 has been investigated on the basis of detailed analyses of previously obtained FTMW spectroscopic data. The relative abundances of the C n O products determined from their rotational spectrum intensities agree with those for the C n O (+) ions. The active chemicals in the reaction system include :C and :CCO only, and the observed products exclusively consist of C n O, leading to a likely formation mechanism of the atomic-carbon addition and ring opening reaction. This formation mechanism is simple and efficient, and it is applicable not only to linear-carbon-chains but also to a wide range of carbon processes, in particular, to ultra low temperature or incomplete combustion conditions. | 18,834,097 |
Quantitative structure-activity relationship and complex network approach to monoamine oxidase A and B inhibitors. | The work provides a new model for the prediction of the MAO-A and -B inhibitor activity by the use of combined complex networks and QSAR methodologies. On the basis of the obtained model, we prepared and assayed 33 coumarin derivatives, and the theoretical prediction was compared with the experimental activity data. The model correctly predicted 27 compounds, and most of the active derivatives showed IC 50 values in the muM-nM range against both the MAO-A and MAO-B isoforms. Compound 14 shows the same MAO-A inhibitory activity (IC 50 = 7.2 nM), as clorgyline used as a reference inhibitor and has the highest MAO-A specificity (1000-fold higher compared to MAO-B). On the other hand, compounds 24 (IC 50 = 1.2 nM) and 28 (IC 50 = 1.5 nM) show higher activity than selegiline (IC 50 = 19.6 nM) and high MAO-B selectivity with 100-fold and 1600-fold inhibition levels, with respect to the MAO-A isoform. | 18,834,112 |
Synthesis of beta-, gamma-, and delta-lactams via Pd(II)-catalyzed C-H activation reactions. | Pd(II)-catalyzed intramolecular amination of sp2 and sp3 C-H bonds are developed using a combination of CuCl2 and AgOAc as the oxidant. The reaction protocol tolerates the presence of a double bond in the substrates. This catalytic reaction provides practical access to a wide range of beta-, gamma-, and delta-lactams. | 18,834,119 |
Synthesis of 1,2- and 1,3-dicarboxylic acids via Pd(II)-catalyzed carboxylation of aryl and vinyl C-H bonds. | A Pd(II)-catalyzed reaction protocol for the direct carboxylation of benzoic and phenylacetic acid derivatives to form dicarboxylic acids has been developed. The reaction conditions are also applicable for the carboxylation of vinyl C-H bonds. The first C-H insertion Pd-aryl complex from carboxylic acids has been characterized by X-ray crystallography. | 18,834,125 |
Synthesis of substituted naphthalenes via a catalytic ring-expansion rearrangement. | A new methodology for the preparation of substituted naphthalenes starting from readily available indenones, organometal reagents, and trimethylsilyldiazomethane via a catalytic rearrangement process is described. Hindered biaryl naphthalenes, including triortho-substituted biaryls, can be accessed through our method. Our results are consistent with a mechanism involving a benzobenzvalene intermediate. | 18,834,135 |
Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water samples by solid-phase nanoextraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. | A novel alternative is presented for the extraction and preconcentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from water samples. The new approachwhich we have named solid-phase nanoextraction (SPNE)takes advantage of the strong affinity that exists between PAH and gold nanoparticles. Carefully optimization of experimental parameters has led to a high-performance liquid chromatography method with excellent analytical figures of merit. Its most striking feature correlates to the small volume of water sample (500 microL) for complete PAH analyses. The limits of detection ranged from 0.9 (anthracene) to 58 ng.L (-1) (fluorene). The relative standard deviations at medium calibration concentrations vary from 3.2 (acenaphthene) to 9.1% (naphthalene). The analytical recoveries from tap water samples of the six regulated PAH varied from 83.3 +/- 2.4 (benzo[ k]fluoranthene) to 95.7 +/- 4.1% (benzo[ g,h,i]perylene). The entire extraction procedure consumes less than 100 microL of organic solvents per sample, which makes it environmentally friendly. The small volume of extracting solution makes SPNE a relatively inexpensive extraction approach. | 18,834,147 |
Microscale LC-MS-NMR platform applied to the identification of active cyanobacterial metabolites. | An LC-MS-NMR platform is demonstrated, which combines two innovations in microscale analysis, nanoSplitter LC-MS and microdroplet NMR, for the identification of unknown compounds found at low concentrations in complex sample matrixes as frequently encountered in metabolomics or natural products discovery. The nanoSplitter provides the high sensitivity of nanoelectrospray MS while allowing 98% of the HPLC effluent from a large-bore LC column to be collected and concentrated for NMR. Microdroplet NMR is a droplet microfluidic NMR loading method providing severalfold higher sample efficiency than conventional flow injection methods. Performing NMR offline from LC-UV-MS accommodates the disparity between MS and NMR in their sample mass and time requirements, as well as allowing NMR spectra to be requested retrospectively, after review of the LC-MS data. Interpretable 1D NMR spectra were obtained from analytes at the 200-ng level, in 1 h/well automated NMR data acquisitions. The system also showed excellent intra- and interdetector reproducibility with retention time RSD values less than 2% and sample recovery on the order of 93%. When applied to a cyanobacterial extract showing antibacterial activity, the platform recognized several previously known metabolites, down to the 1% level, in a single 30-mug injection, and prioritized one unknown for further study. | 18,834,150 |
Tailoring of chitosans for gene delivery: novel self-branched glycosylated chitosan oligomers with improved functional properties. | Chitosan is a promising biomaterial with an attractive safety profile; however, its application potential for gene delivery is hampered by poor compatibility at physiological pH values. Here we have tailored the molecular architecture of chitosan to improve the functional properties and gene transfer efficacy of chitosan oligomers and have developed self-branched glycosylated chitosan oligomer (SB-TCO) substituted with a trisaccharide containing N-acetylglucosamine, AAM. SB-TCO was prepared by controlled depolymerization of chitosan, followed by simultaneous branching and AAM substitution. The product was fully soluble at physiological pH and complexed plasmid DNA into polyplexes of high colloidal and physical stability. SB-TCO displayed high transfection efficacy in HEK293 cells, reaching transfection efficiencies of up to 70%, and large amounts of transgene were produced. Gene transfer efficacy was confirmed in HepG2 cells, where gene expression levels mediated by SB-TCO were up to 10 and 4 times higher than those obtained with unsubstituted and substituted linear oligomers, respectively. The rapid onset of transgene expression in both cell lines indicates efficient DNA release and transcription from SB-TCO polyplexes. In comparison with 22 kDa linear PEI-based transfection reagent used as the control, SB-TCO possessed higher gene transfer efficacy, significantly lower cytotoxicity, and improved serum compatibility. | 18,834,173 |
Structure of an accurate ab initio model of the aqueous Na+ ion at high temperatures. | The structure of an accurate ab initio model of aqueous sodium ion was calculated at two high temperature state points (573 K, 0.72 g/cm(3) and 723 K, 0.0098 g/cm(3)) by a two-step procedure. First, the structure of an approximate model (the TIP4-FQ model for water and Na-H2O interactions from Liu et al.) was calculated from a molecular dynamics simulation of the model. Then the difference between the structure of the ab initio model and the approximate model was calculated by non-Boltzmann weighting of a sample of 500 configurations taken from the approximate model simulation. Radial distribution functions, average coordination numbers, the distribution of coordination numbers, and an analysis of orientations of water in the first coordination shell are reported for both state points. The average oxygen coordination number (calculated up to the inflection point in the running coordination number) was 4.71 at 573 K and 3.48 at 723 K. Most configurations have four or five coordinated waters at 573 K and three or four at 723 K. At 723 K, waters with their dipole moments pointed at the sodium ion were most common. A wider variety of orientations was found at 573 K and higher density. The difference in structure between the approximate and quantum models was small but significant. | 18,834,190 |
Synthesis of hexagonal nickel hydroxide nanosheets by exfoliation of layered nickel hydroxide intercalated with dodecyl sulfate ions. | One-nanometer-thick nickel hydroxide nanosheets were prepared by exfoliation of layered nickel hydroxides intercalated with dodecyl sulfate (DS) ions. The shape of the nanosheets was hexagonal, as was that of the layered nickel hydroxides intercalated with DS ions. The nickel hydroxide nanosheets exhibited charge-discharge properties in strong alkaline electrolyte. The morphology of the nanosheet changed during the electrochemical reaction. | 18,834,194 |
Hierarchical assembly of viral nanotemplates with encoded microparticles via nucleic acid hybridization. | We demonstrate hierarchical assembly of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-based nanotemplates with hydrogel-based encoded microparticles via nucleic acid hybridization. TMV nanotemplates possess a highly defined structure and a genetically engineered high density thiol functionality. The encoded microparticles are produced in a high throughput microfluidic device via stop-flow lithography (SFL) and consist of spatially discrete regions containing encoded identity information, an internal control, and capture DNAs. For the hybridization-based assembly, partially disassembled TMVs were programmed with linker DNAs that contain sequences complementary to both the virus 5' end and a selected capture DNA. Fluorescence microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and confocal microscopy results clearly indicate facile assembly of TMV nanotemplates onto microparticles with high spatial and sequence selectivity. We anticipate that our hybridization-based assembly strategy could be employed to create multifunctional viral-synthetic hybrid materials in a rapid and high-throughput manner. Additionally, we believe that these viral-synthetic hybrid microparticles may find broad applications in high capacity, multiplexed target sensing. | 18,834,199 |
Comparison of quantitative immunofluorescence with conventional methods for HER2/neu testing with respect to response to trastuzumab therapy in metastatic breast cancer. | Selection for trastuzumab therapy depends on a companion diagnostic assessment of HER2 by either immunohistochemistry (IHC) for protein overexpression or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to detect gene amplification. Although many studies have compared IHC to FISH, few have compared the tests to the true gold standard, tumor response. To compare HER2 testing by FISH and IHC along with a third immunofluorescence-based assay (automated quantitative analysis-tissue microarray [AQUA-TMA]) and to assess the value of each test for prediction of response to trastuzumab. Immunohistochemistry and FISH assays were done on both whole slides (IHC-WS and FISH-WS) and on TMAs (IHC-TMA and FISH-TMA). AQUA was only done on TMAs (AQUA-TMA). Response was assessed according to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. AQUA-TMA scores showed a significant linear relationship to both the FISH signal ratio and IHC scores on whole sections and TMAs. Assay assessment by outcome showed no association between response and FISH-WS ratio (P = .96), FISH-TMA (P = .55), IHC-WS (P = .75), or IHC-TMA (P = .06), but a significant relationship between AQUA score and categoric response was observed (P = .01). Assessed as a function of outcome using models of logistic regression, both AQUA-TMA and IHC-TMA were equally significant (P = .01). FISH-WS was the most sensitive assay, with a significantly higher true-positive fraction than all other tests except AQUA-TMA, although it was the least specific. IHC-TMA was the most specific assay. The lowest misclassification rate was achieved using AQUA-TMA (0.30). Both AQUA-TMA and IHC-TMA were substantially more predictive than the FISH or IHC-WS tests. Although these results are derived from a small retrospective series, they suggest that accurate measurement of protein expression and unbiased selection of tissue for measurement may be key factors in prediction of response. | 18,834,223 |
Early wound healing following one-stage dental implant placement with and without antibiotic prophylaxis: a pilot study. | One-stage implant placement has clinically acceptable treatment outcomes. Among other advantages, it may allow investigation of early wound healing. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) can be used to detect early changes around implants placed with one-stage surgical protocol following 1 week of healing. Twenty subjects (11 males and nine females; aged 22 to 72 years; two smokers) were included. Exclusion criteria were allergies to amoxicillin and systemic conditions that may affect healing. Subjects had a healthy periodontium and needed a single implant; eight received antibiotic prophylaxis, and 12 served as controls. Clinical healing was evaluated with plaque and gingival indices (PI and GI, respectively). Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from the surgical site was obtained prior to the surgery, whereas PICF was collected at the 1-week visit. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine GCF/PICF interleukin (IL)-1beta and -8 concentrations. Peripheral blood and GCF antibiotic levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Postoperative PI and GI were slightly increased. Total GCF and PICF volumes did not show a significant difference between appointments. There was an increase in PICF IL-1beta and -8 levels at 1 week postoperatively. Mean amoxicillin serum concentration was 5.1 +/- 2 microg/ml at 1 to 4 hours following the initial dose, whereas GCF amoxicillin levels were below the limit of detection. Antibiotic prophylaxis had a modest effect on clinical indices (PI and GI) and no appreciable effect on biomarkers. PICF content can be studied as early as 1 week following one-stage implant placement. The results raise doubts regarding the clinical usefulness of amoxicillin prophylaxis. | 18,834,245 |
Effects of ultrasound on the proliferation and differentiation of cementoblast lineage cells. | The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) stimulation on the proliferation and differentiation of cementoblast lineage cells. An immortalized human periodontal ligament cell line (HPL) showing immature cementoblastic differentiation was used. Cultured HPL cells were subjected to LIPUS exposure (frequency = 1 MHz; pulsed 1:4; intensity = 30 mW/cm(2)) or sham exposure for 15 minutes per day. Expression levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen (Col-I), runt-related gene 2 (Runx2), bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteocalcin (OCN), and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA were analyzed with real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Furthermore, ALP activity, collagen synthesis, and protein level of Runx2 were examined after 6 days of LIPUS exposure. mRNA and protein levels of ALP, Col-I, and Runx2 were significantly increased by LIPUS exposure compared to controls, whereas BSP, OCN, and OPN mRNA expression could not be detected in HPL cells, irrespective of LIPUS exposure. LIPUS enhanced ALP activity, collagen synthesis, and Runx2 expression of HPL cells, which provides important insight into the promotion of early cementoblastic differentiation of immature cementoblasts. | 18,834,255 |
Clinical and histologic evaluation of an enamel matrix derivative combined with a biphasic calcium phosphate for the treatment of human intrabony periodontal defects. | The goal of this study was to evaluate clinically and histologically the healing of advanced intrabony defects following regenerative periodontal surgery with an enamel matrix derivative (EMD) combined with a new biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP). Ten subjects, each of them displaying advanced combined 1- and 2-wall intrabony defects around teeth scheduled for extraction because of advanced chronic periodontitis and further prosthodontic considerations, were included in the study. The defects were consecutively treated with a combination of EMD + BCP. A notch was placed at the most apical extent of the calculus present on the root surface or at the most apical part of the defect (if no calculus was present) to serve as a reference for the histologic evaluation. At 9 months after regenerative surgery, nine of 10 teeth were extracted with some of their surrounding soft and hard tissues and processed for histologic evaluation. There were no adverse effects related to EMD or the graft material used in any of the treated subjects. One tooth was not extracted because of the excellent clinical outcome. The clinical measurements at the nine biopsied teeth demonstrated a mean probing depth reduction of 3.3 +/- 1.4 mm and a mean clinical attachment level gain of 3.0 +/- 1.6 mm. The histologic findings indicated formation of cementum with inserting collagen fibers to a varying extent. A long junctional epithelium was observed in three of the nine biopsies. Mean new connective tissue attachment (i.e., new cementum with inserting collagen fibers) varied from 0.0 to 2.1 mm. The amount of newly formed bone was limited and varied from 0.0 to 0.7 mm. At 9 months, graft particles were still present and were mostly encapsulated in connective tissue, whereas formation of bone around the graft particles was observed only occasionally. Direct contact between the graft particles and the root surface (cementum or dentin) was not observed in any of the analyzed specimens. The combination of EMD with a BCP bone substitute did not interfere with the regenerative potential reported for EMD and may result in formation of new cementum with an associated periodontal ligament. However, the combination of EMD + BCP resulted in no to minimal new bone formation. | 18,834,256 |
Antiangiogenic therapy using bevacizumab in recurrent high-grade glioma: impact on local control and patient survival. | Antiangiogenic agents have recently shown impressive radiological responses in high-grade glioma. However, it is not clear if the responses are related to vascular changes or due to antitumoral effects. The authors report the mature results of a clinical study of bevacizumab-based treatment of recurrent high-grade gliomas. Sixty-one patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas received treatment with bevacizumab at 10 mg/ kg every 2 weeks for 4 doses in an 8-week cycle along with either irinotecan or carboplatin. The choice of concomitant chemotherapeutic agent was based on the number of recurrences and prior chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 7.5 months (range 1-19 months), 50 (82%) of 61 patients relapsed and 42 patients (70%) died of the disease. The median number of administered bevacizumab cycles was 2 (range 1-7 cycles). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-7.7) and 9 (95% CI 7.6-10.4) months, respectively, as calculated from the initiation of the bevacizumab-based therapy. Radiologically demonstrated responses following therapy were noted in 73.6% of cases. Neither the choice of chemotherapeutic agent nor the performance of a resection prior to therapy had an impact on patient survival. Although the predominant pattern of relapse was local, 15 patients (30%) had diffuse disease. Antiangiogenic therapy using bevacizumab appears to improve survival in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma. A possible change in the invasiveness of the tumor following therapy is worrisome and must be closely monitored. | 18,834,263 |
Interhemispheric transcallosal subchoroidal fornix-sparing craniotomy for total resection of colloid cysts of the third ventricle. | Endoscopic surgery has been reported to be more cost-effective and safer than open craniotomy for resection of colloid cysts, despite a 5-10% conversion rate to craniotomy, a 5% recurrence rate, a 5-10% ventricular shunting rate, a 5-10% epilepsy rate, and a 3-4 day hospital stay. In 1985, the authors developed a interhemispheric, transcallosal, subchoroidal, fornix-sparing approach that allowed safe total resection of the colloid cyst and that appeared to be superior to the endoscopic approach. The long-term results are analyzed and compared with findings in the literature. Fifty-seven consecutive colloid cysts were totally removed via a 3 x3-in paramedian craniotomy flap and a microscopic interhemispheric, transcallosal, subchoroidal approach sparing the ipsilateral fornix. The length of the callosotomy was 1.5-2 cm in all patients. The mean follow-up duration was 12 years (range 2-22 years). A retrospective analysis comparing the authors' results with those reported in the endoscopic literature was performed. All patients had 1-year postoperative imaging studies (CT or MR imaging) documenting gross-total resection with no deaths, infection, hemiparesis, seizures, or disconnection syndrome. One surgery was complicated by bilateral subdural hematomas, which were successfully treated. There has been a zero recurrence rate. Three patients required a permanent ventriculoperitoneal shunt (including 2 who required emergency ventriculostomy before surgery). The mean hospital stay was 4.8 days (range 2-24 days). There was 1 patient with permanent short-term memory loss who presented with a herniation syndrome requiring emergency ventriculostomy. The interhemispheric, transcallosal, subchoroidal, fornix-sparing approach to gross-total resection of colloid cysts is safe and led to a zero recurrence rate with no permanent neurological sequelae including epilepsy, and these results are superior to any reported results with endoscopy. | 18,834,265 |
Scoring the DSM-IV personality disorders using the Five-Factor Model: development and validation of normative scores for North American, French, and Dutch-Flemish samples. | Five-Factor Model (FFM) personality disorder (PD) counts have demonstrated significant convergent and discriminant validity with DSM-IV PD symptoms. However, these FFM PD counts are of limited clinical use without normative data because it is difficult to determine what a specific score means with regard to the relative level of elevation. The current study presents data from three large normative samples that can be used as norms for the FFM PD counts in the respective countries: United States (N = 1,000), France (N = 801), and Belgium-Netherlands (N = 549). The present study also examines the performance, with regard to diagnostic efficiency, of statistically-defined cut-offs at 1.5 standard deviations above the mean (T > or = 65) versus previously identified cut-offs using receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) analyses. These cut-offs are tested in three clinical samples-one from each of the aforementioned countries. In general, the T > or = 65 cut-offs performed similarly to those identified using ROC analyses and manifested properties relevant to a screening instrument. These normative data allow FFM data to be used in a flexible and comprehensive manner, which may include scoring this type of personality data in order to screen for DSM-IV PD constructs. | 18,834,293 |
Pegylated interferon-alpha-2a plus ribavirin for treatment-naive Asian patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection: a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. | Comparable sustained virologic response (SVR) rates have been documented between Asian patients who received 24 weeks of pegylated interferon (IFN) plus ribavirin and white patients who received 48 weeks of combination therapy for hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (HCV-1) infection. Whether a 48-week course of combination therapy shows a better SVR rate than a 24-week course of such therapy among Asian patients with HCV-1 infection has not been confirmed in multicenter, randomized studies. In this multicenter, randomized trial, 308 treatment-naive HCV-1-infected Asian patients were randomly assigned to receive either 24 or 48 weeks of pegylated IFN-alpha-2a (180 microg per week) plus ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day) therapy. The primary end point was SVR, defined as an undetectable serum HCV RNA level 24 weeks after discontinuation of therapy. In addition, rapid virologic response (RVR) was defined as an undetectable serum HCV RNA level at week 4 of therapy, and complete early virologic response was defined as an undetectable serum HCV RNA level at 12 weeks of therapy in the absence of RVR. By intention-to-treat analysis, patients who received 48 weeks of therapy had a significantly higher SVR rate than did those who received 24 weeks of therapy (76% vs. 56%; P < .001). Among patients with a baseline serum HCV RNA level <800,000 IU/mL and RVR, SVR rates were comparable between 24- and 48-week courses of therapy (94% vs. 100%; P = .13). In contrast, 48 weeks of therapy was associated with a significantly higher SVR rate than was 24 weeks of therapy among patients without RVR (39% vs.16%; P = .01) and among those who achieved a complete early virologic response (44% vs. 20%; P = .02). In treatment-naive Asian patients with HCV-1 infection, 48 weeks of pegylated IFN-alpha-2a plus ribavirin therapy is associated with a higher SVR rate, compared with 24 weeks of such therapy. Patients with a baseline serum HCV RNA level <800,000 IU/mL and who have achieved an RVR can receive a 24-week course of therapy without compromising the SVR rates; however, those who have not achieved an RVR but who have achieved a complete early virologic response should receive a 48-week course of therapy. | 18,834,319 |
Effect of Bupleuri Radix extracts on the toxicity of 5-fluorouracil in HepG2 hepatoma cells and normal human lymphocytes. | Despite the excellent chemotherapeutic effect of 5-fluorouracil, its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in normal cells remain a major problem. We sought to assess whether Bupleuri Radix extract enhances 5-fluorouracil-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 hepatoma cells, while protecting normal blood lymphocytes. Bupleuri Radix, used for treatment of liver disease in oriental medicine, possesses antitumour properties; it induces apoptosis through cell arrest in tumour cells, but does not affect normal lymphocytes. In this study, we evaluated the protective and enhancing effects of Bupleuri Radix on 5-fluorouracil-induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells and normal lymphocytes. Treatment with Bupleuri Radix increased the micronuclei frequency and DNA damage, resulting from 5-fluorouracil treatment. However, when human lymphocytes were cotreated with Bupleuri Radix and 5-fluorouracil, the frequency of 5-fluorouracil-induced micronuclei decreased. Although the extent of 5-fluorouracil-induced DNA damage, determined by single-cell gel electrophoresis, increased after treating HepG2 cells with Bupleuri Radix, it decreased in normal lymphocytes. When cells were treated with 20 microM 5-fluorouracil and 200 microg/ml Bupleuri Radix simultaneously, Bax protein increased in HepG2 cells at 24 hr; however, p21 and p53 proteins were up-regulated in normal human lymphocytes. Cotreatment with 200 microg/ml Bupleuri Radix and 20 microM 5-fluorouracil resulted in cell arrest at the late G(1)/early S phase in HepG2 cells (55.80 +/- 0.19%) and normal lymphocytes (97.19 +/- 0.27%). In addition, Bupleuri Radix and 5-fluorouracil treatment increased mitochondria membrane potential collapse only in HepG2 cells (19.02%), while it was not changed in lymphocytes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that Bupleuri Radix may be effective as a therapeutic agent to treat hepatomas. | 18,834,353 |
Characterization of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-lowering efficacy for atorvastatin in a population-based DNA biorepository. | The Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP) represents a large population-based biobank located in central Wisconsin. To position the PMRP database for large-scale pharmacogenetic association studies in the context of lipid-lowering therapy, we constructed an electronic phenotyping algorithm to quantify exposure and dose-response for atorvastatin, the most commonly prescribed lipid-lowering agent within this population. The resulting datasets were used to generate five distinct parameters for atorvastatin-induced changes in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level: (i) pretreatment, baseline LDL level [E(0)]; (ii) absolute reduction in LDL; (iii) relative reduction in LDL; (iv) potency [ED(50)]; and (v) maximal efficacy [E(max)]. These parameters will facilitate the efficient application of electronic phenotyping for drug outcomes in the context of large pharmacogenetic association studies. | 18,834,356 |
An examination of beta-cell function measures and their potential use for estimating beta-cell mass. | A characteristic and dominant feature of type 2 diabetes is a reduction in beta-cell function that is associated with a decrease in beta-cell volume. A decline in the first-phase insulin response following intravenous glucose administration can be demonstrated as the fasting glucose concentration increases. This response is completely absent before the glucose threshold that defines diabetes has been reached and at a time when beta-cells are clearly still present, implying that a functional beta-cell lesion has to exist independent of beta-cell loss. Surgical or chemical reductions of up to 65% of beta-cell volume demonstrate that functional adaptation of the normal beta-cell prevents a rise in fasting glucose or reduction in first-phase insulin response. However, the ability of glucose to potentiate the beta-cell's response to non-glucose secretagogues is reduced and is more closely associated with the reduction in beta-cell volume. The future, in terms of prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes, lies in the ability to prevent and revert both beta-cell loss and dysfunction. However, until beta-cell volume can be quantified reliably and non-invasively, we will need to rely on the ability of glucose to potentiate insulin release as the best surrogate estimate of the number of beta-cells. | 18,834,434 |
Pacemaker therapy for early and late sinus node dysfunction in orthotopic heart transplant recipients: a single-center experience. | Sinus node dysfunction (SND) is a well-known early complication of orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Its incidence over the lifetime of transplant recipients is less well characterized. The goal of this study was to determine the incidence and timing of SND treated with a permanent pacemaker in a large cohort of OHT recipients. The databases of the Yale University Heart Transplant and Electrophysiology Services were reviewed and cross referenced. Patients who received pacemakers for SND were identified for analysis. A total of 241 patients underwent OHT using biatrial anastamoses from 1984 to 2006. Two hundred sixteen patients, 149 men and 55 women, mean age 50.2 +/- 11.6 years, survived > 5 days post-OHT. These, minus 12 lost to follow-up, were included in the analysis. These 204 patients were followed in the Yale Heart Transplant Clinic and had yearly electrocardiograms and 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. Of these patients, 24 (four female, 20 male, mean age at transplant 49 +/- 12 years) were felt to have clinically significant SND and received a pacemaker. Fourteen patients received pacemakers within 30 days of OHT; 10 patients received pacemakers 45 to 4,329 days after OHT. Although frequently seen as an early complication of OHT, SND remains a risk throughout the lifetime of OHT recipients. Its mechanism is likely multifactorial, and whether this risk can be mitigated over the long term by newer techniques such as bicaval anastamoses remains to be established. | 18,834,460 |
Effect of atrial lead position on atrial automatic capture verification. | Optimizing atrial automatic capture verification based on atrial-evoked response (AER) detection requires maximizing the signal artifact ratio (SAR), that is, AER to stimulation artifact (ART). This study evaluated the effect of bipolar atrial lead position on sensed AER, ART, and SAR. A custom-made external research system (INSIGNIA(AC), Boston Scientific Corp. St Paul, MN, USA) was used to perform an automatic voltage step-down atrial pacing protocol at three different right atrial lead positions (A-appendage, L-lateral wall, and S-septal wall) in each studied patient. The atrial pacing and the AER sensing configurations were independent. The pacing was unipolar in an A(tip)-Can configuration while sensing was in A(ring)-I(ndiff). Data from 16 patients (mean age 71.1 +/- 9.6 years) and six-lead models from five different manufacturers were analyzed. Study results show that with all lead types, the atrial lead placement had no significant effect on AER(min), ART(max), and SAR(min) and only one patient had an SAR that was not sufficient to support successful automatic capture verification at all tested atrial pacing sites. The atrial pacing site has minimal effect on AER sensing when using an independent pace/sense configuration. The leads placed at all tested sites were found to have the parameters sufficient to support the atrial automatic capture verification in all but one patient. | 18,834,462 |
Atrial and ventricular arryhthmogenic potential in Turner Syndrome. | P-wave dispersion (Pd), corrected P-wave dispersion (Pdc), QT-wave dispersion (QTd), and corrected QT-wave dispersion (QTdc) parameters were not assessed in Turner Syndrome (TS) before. The aim of this study is to investigate the cardiac arrhythmogenic potential in patients with TS. Thirty-one patients with TS and 30 healthy women were enrolled in the study. For this purpose 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) and 24-hour ambulatory ECG recordings were performed. Pd, Pdc, QTd, and QTdc were significantly higher in patients with TS. On 24-hour ambulatory ECG recording, the mean heart rate (HR) was higher, while the mean of all RR intervals between normal beats (MeanNN), the standard deviation of all the RR intervals (SDNN), the square root of the mean of the squared differences of two consecutive RR intervals (rMSSD), and the percentage of the beats with consecutive RR interval difference more than 50 milliseconds (pNN50) were lower in TS. There were significant increases in Pd, Pdc, QTd, and QTdc in patients with TS and they may be features of the disease. The frequency of supraventricular arrhythmias was increased. There also was a significant deterioration of sympathetic and parasympathetic components of autonomic function as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) in Turner patients. | 18,834,465 |
The world survey of cardiac pacing and cardioverter-defibrillators: calendar year 2005 an International Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology Society (ICPES) project. | A worldwide cardiac pacing and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) survey was undertaken for calendar year 2005 and compared to a similar survey conducted in 2001. There were contributions from 43 countries: 16 from Europe, 13 from the Asia Pacific region, four from the Middle East and Africa, and 10 from the Americas. The United States had the largest number of cardiac pacemaker implants (223,425). Virtually all countries showed increases in implant numbers over the 4 years. High-degree atrioventricular block and sick sinus syndrome remain the major indications for implantation of a cardiac pacemaker, although indications data were not available for large implanting regions such as Europe, Australia, and the United States. There remains a high percentage of VVI(R) pacing in the developing countries, although compared to the 2001 survey, virtually all countries had increased the percentage of DDDR implants, together with a fall in single-lead VDD implants. Pacing leads were predominantly transvenous, bipolar, and passive fixation. There was, however, an increased use of active fixation leads in both the atrium and ventricle. All countries surveyed showed a significant rise in the use of ICDs with the largest implanter being the United States (119,121) with 401 new implants per million population. Although the numbers of participating countries have fallen, there still remains a group of loyal enthusiastic survey coordinators. Recruitment of new coordinators will hopefully continue in order to obtain a fully global experience of cardiac pacing and ICD usage. | 18,834,475 |
Concept recognition for extracting protein interaction relations from biomedical text. | Reliable information extraction applications have been a long sought goal of the biomedical text mining community, a goal that if reached would provide valuable tools to benchside biologists in their increasingly difficult task of assimilating the knowledge contained in the biomedical literature. We present an integrated approach to concept recognition in biomedical text. Concept recognition provides key information that has been largely missing from previous biomedical information extraction efforts, namely direct links to well defined knowledge resources that explicitly cement the concept's semantics. The BioCreative II tasks discussed in this special issue have provided a unique opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of concept recognition in the field of biomedical language processing. Through the modular construction of a protein interaction relation extraction system, we present several use cases of concept recognition in biomedical text, and relate these use cases to potential uses by the benchside biologist. Current information extraction technologies are approaching performance standards at which concept recognition can begin to deliver high quality data to the benchside biologist. Our system is available as part of the BioCreative Meta-Server project and on the internet http://bionlp.sourceforge.net. | 18,834,500 |
Simultaneous ipsilateral proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal dislocation of the fifth phalanx: A case report. | There is no case of simultaneous ipsilateral proximal interphalangeal and metacarpophalangeal dislocation of a finger in the literature. A 61 years old male patient sustained an ipsilateral dorsal dislocation of the PIP joint of his fifth finger and dorsal dislocation of the metacarpophalangeal joint. Closed reduction of proximal interphalangeal joint was achieved while open reduction of the metacarpophalangeal joint was carried out. The single most important element preventing reduction of the metacarpophalangeal joint was an interposition of the volar plate between proximal end of the phalanx and the head of the metacarpal. | 18,834,501 |
The Adhesion GPCR GPR125 is specifically expressed in the choroid plexus and is upregulated following brain injury. | GPR125 belongs to the family of Adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). A single copy of GPR125 was found in many vertebrate genomes. We also identified a Drosophila sequence, DmCG15744, which shares a common ancestor with the entire Group III of Adhesion GPCRs, and also contains Ig, LRR and HBD domains which were observed in mammalian GPR125. We found specific expression of GPR125 in cells of the choroid plexus using in situ hybridization and protein-specific antibodies and combined in situ/immunohistochemistry co-localization using cytokeratin, a marker specific for epithelial cells. Induction of inflammation by LPS did not change GPR125 expression. However, GPR125 expression was transiently increased (almost 2-fold) at 4 h after traumatic brain injury (TBI) followed by a decrease (approximately 4-fold) from 2 days onwards in the choroid plexus as well as increased expression (2-fold) in the hippocampus that was delayed until 1 day after injury. These findings suggest that GPR125 plays a functional role in choroidal and hippocampal response to injury. | 18,834,514 |
Upregulated HSP27 in human breast cancer cells reduces Herceptin susceptibility by increasing Her2 protein stability. | Elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which tumors become resistant to Herceptin is critical for the treatment of Her2-overexpressed metastatic breast cancer. To further understand Herceptin resistance mechanisms at the molecular level, we used comparative proteome approaches to analyze two human breast cancer cell lines; Her2-positive SK-BR-3 cells and its Herceptin-resistant SK-BR-3 (SK-BR-3 HR) cells. Heat-shock protein 27 (HSP27) expression was shown to be upregulated in SK-BR-3 HR cells. Suppression of HSP27 by specific siRNA transfection increased the susceptibility of SK-BR-3 HR cells to Herceptin. In the presence of Herceptin, Her2 was downregulated in both cell lines. However, Her2 expression was reduced by a greater amount in SK-BR-3 parent cells than in SK-BR-3 HR cells. Interestingly, co-immunoprecipitation analysis showed that HSP27 can bind to Her2. In the absence of Herceptin, HSP27 expression is suppressed and Her2 expression is reduced, indicating that downregulation of Her2 by Herceptin can be obstructed by the formation of a Her2-HSP27 complex. Our present study demonstrates that upregulated HSP27 in human breast cancer cells can reduce Herceptin susceptibility by increasing Her2 protein stability. | 18,834,540 |
PhySIC_IST: cleaning source trees to infer more informative supertrees. | Supertree methods combine phylogenies with overlapping sets of taxa into a larger one. Topological conflicts frequently arise among source trees for methodological or biological reasons, such as long branch attraction, lateral gene transfers, gene duplication/loss or deep gene coalescence. When topological conflicts occur among source trees, liberal methods infer supertrees containing the most frequent alternative, while veto methods infer supertrees not contradicting any source tree, i.e. discard all conflicting resolutions. When the source trees host a significant number of topological conflicts or have a small taxon overlap, supertree methods of both kinds can propose poorly resolved, hence uninformative, supertrees. To overcome this problem, we propose to infer non-plenary supertrees, i.e. supertrees that do not necessarily contain all the taxa present in the source trees, discarding those whose position greatly differs among source trees or for which insufficient information is provided. We detail a variant of the PhySIC veto method called PhySIC_IST that can infer non-plenary supertrees. PhySIC_IST aims at inferring supertrees that satisfy the same appealing theoretical properties as with PhySIC, while being as informative as possible under this constraint. The informativeness of a supertree is estimated using a variation of the CIC (Cladistic Information Content) criterion, that takes into account both the presence of multifurcations and the absence of some taxa. Additionally, we propose a statistical preprocessing step called STC (Source Trees Correction) to correct the source trees prior to the supertree inference. STC is a liberal step that removes the parts of each source tree that significantly conflict with other source trees. Combining STC with a veto method allows an explicit trade-off between veto and liberal approaches, tuned by a single parameter.Performing large-scale simulations, we observe that STC+PhySIC_IST infers much more informative supertrees than PhySIC, while preserving low type I error compared to the well-known MRP method. Two biological case studies on animals confirm that the STC preprocess successfully detects anomalies in the source trees while STC+PhySIC_IST provides well-resolved supertrees agreeing with current knowledge in systematics. The paper introduces and tests two new methodologies, PhySIC_IST and STC, that demonstrate the interest in inferring non-plenary supertrees as well as preprocessing the source trees. An implementation of the methods is available at: http://www.atgc-montpellier.fr/physic_ist/. | 18,834,542 |
Pol II promoter prediction using characteristic 4-mer motifs: a machine learning approach. | Eukaryotic promoter prediction using computational analysis techniques is one of the most difficult jobs in computational genomics that is essential for constructing and understanding genetic regulatory networks. The increased availability of sequence data for various eukaryotic organisms in recent years has necessitated for better tools and techniques for the prediction and analysis of promoters in eukaryotic sequences. Many promoter prediction methods and tools have been developed to date but they have yet to provide acceptable predictive performance. One obvious criteria to improve on current methods is to devise a better system for selecting appropriate features of promoters that distinguish them from non-promoters. Secondly improved performance can be achieved by enhancing the predictive ability of the machine learning algorithms used. In this paper, a novel approach is presented in which 128 4-mer motifs in conjunction with a non-linear machine-learning algorithm utilising a Support Vector Machine (SVM) are used to distinguish between promoter and non-promoter DNA sequences. By applying this approach to plant, Drosophila, human, mouse and rat sequences, the classification model has showed 7-fold cross-validation percentage accuracies of 83.81%, 94.82%, 91.25%, 90.77% and 82.35% respectively. The high sensitivity and specificity value of 0.86 and 0.90 for plant; 0.96 and 0.92 for Drosophila; 0.88 and 0.92 for human; 0.78 and 0.84 for mouse and 0.82 and 0.80 for rat demonstrate that this technique is less prone to false positive results and exhibits better performance than many other tools. Moreover, this model successfully identifies location of promoter using TATA weight matrix. The high sensitivity and specificity indicate that 4-mer frequencies in conjunction with supervised machine-learning methods can be beneficial in the identification of RNA pol II promoters comparative to other methods. This approach can be extended to identify promoters in sequences for other eukaryotic genomes. | 18,834,544 |
Amphetamine and pseudoephedrine cross-tolerance measured by c-Fos protein expression in brains of chronically treated rats. | Pseudoephedrine is a drug commonly prescribed as a nasal decongestant and bronchodilator and is also freely available in cold remedies and medications. The structural and pharmacological similarity of pseudoephedrine to amphetamine has led to evaluation of its psychomotor stimulant properties within the central nervous system. Previous investigations have shown that the acute responses to pseudoephedrine were similar to those of amphetamine and other psychostimulants. This study examined the effect of chronic administration of pseudoephedrine in rat nucleus accumbens and striatum and identified three further similarities to amphetamine. (i) Chronic exposure to pseudoephedrine reduced the c-Fos response to acute pseudoephedrine treatment suggesting that pseudoephedrine induced tolerance in the animals. (ii) In animals chronically treated with amphetamine or pseudoephedrine the acute c-Fos response to pseudoephedrine and amphetamine was reduced respectively as compared to naïve animals indicating cross-tolerance for the two drugs. (iii)The known involvement of the dopamine system in the response to amphetamine and pseudoephedrine was further confirmed in this study by demonstrating that pseudoephedrine similarly to amphetamine, but with lower potency, inhibited [3H]dopamine uptake in synaptosomal preparations. This work has demonstrated further similarities of the effect of pseudoephedrine to those of amphetamine in brain areas known to be associated with drug addiction. The most significant result presented here is the cross tolerance effect of amphetamine and pseudoephedrine. This suggests that both drugs induce similar mechanisms of action in the brain. Further studies are required to establish whether despite its considerable lower potency, pseudoephedrine could pose health and addiction risks in humans similar to that of known psychostimulants. | 18,834,549 |
Mechanisms of gene-environment interactions in depression: evidence that genes potentiate multiple sources of adversity. | Previous work suggests that daily life stress-sensitivity may be an intermediary phenotype associated with both genetic risk for depression and developmental stress exposures. In the current analysis we hypothesized that genetic risk for depression and three environmental exposures over the course of development [prenatal stress, childhood adversity and adult negative life events (NLEs)] combine synergistically to produce the phenotype of stress-sensitivity. Twin pairs (n=279) participated in a momentary assessment study using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), collecting appraisals of stress and negative affect (NA) in the flow of daily life. Prospective data on birthweight and gestational age, questionnaire data on childhood adversity and recent NLEs, and interview data on depression were used in the analyses. Daily life stress-sensitivity was modelled as the effect of ESM daily life stress appraisals on ESM NA. All three developmental stress exposures were moderated by genetic vulnerability, modelled as dizygotic (DZ) or monozygotic (MZ) co-twin depression status, in their effect on daily life stress-sensitivity. Effects were much stronger in participants with MZ co-twin depression and a little stronger in participants with DZ co-twin depression status, compared to those without co-twin depression. NLE main effects and NLE genetic moderation were reducible to birthweight and childhood adversity. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adult daily life stress-sensitivity is the result of sensitization processes initiated by developmental stress exposures. Genes associated with depression may act by accelerating the process of stress-induced sensitization. | 18,834,553 |
Religious service attendance and spiritual well-being are differentially associated with risk of major depression. | The complex relationships between religiosity, spirituality and the risk of DSM-IV depression are not well understood. We investigated the independent influence of religious service attendance and two dimensions of spiritual well-being (religious and existential) on the lifetime risk of major depression. Data came from the New England Family Study (NEFS) cohort (n=918, mean age=39 years). Depression according to DSM-IV criteria was ascertained using structured diagnostic interviews. Odds ratios (ORs) for the associations between high, medium and low tertiles of spiritual well-being and for religious service attendance and the lifetime risk of depression were estimated using multiple logistic regression. Religious service attendance was associated with 30% lower odds of depression. In addition, individuals in the top tertile of existential well-being had a 70% lower odds of depression compared to individuals in the bottom tertile. Contrary to our original hypotheses, however, higher levels of religious well-being were associated with 1.5 times higher odds of depression. Religious and existential well-being may be differentially associated with likelihood of depression. Given the complex interactions between religiosity and spirituality dimensions in relation to risk of major depression, the reliance on a single domain measure of religiosity or spirituality (e.g. religious service attendance) in research or clinical settings is discouraged. | 18,834,554 |
[A case of uterine carcinosarcoma]. | Uterine carcinosarcoma is a highly aggressive neoplasm with tendency to early recurrence and/or metastasis. The neoplasia has both epithelial and stromal malignant components. Clinically, it is characterized by a postmenopausal metrorrhagia, associated sometimes with abdominal pain. The Authors describe a case of carcinosarcoma in a 82-year old woman with a vaginal bleeding since 10 months and an ingravescent hypochromic anemia. The RMN of the abdomen and pelvis showed a mass occupying the whole uterine lumen, without signs of pelvic diffusion. A bilateral hystero-oophorectomy was performed; the patient's critical conditions and a high anaesthesiological risk advised us not to perform a bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy with aortic sampling. Six months after operation, a clinical follow-up with a total-body CT didn't show any sign of local recurrence and/or distant metastasis. From the analysis of this case report and from the data of the literature some important considerations can be done: a) gynecologic check up in post-menopausal women with associated risk factors (obesity and hypertension) can allow an early diagnosis also in asymptomatic patients; b) sovrapubic and transvaginal US, abdomino-pelvic CT and MRI are essential for a correct clinical staging; c) surgical excision followed by the histological examination of the specimen is mandatory to establish a correct diagnosis. | 18,834,571 |
Nanowear studies in reversibly switchable polystyrene-poly(acrylic acid) mixed brushes. | Wear studies were performed on polystyrene (PS)-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) mixed polymer brushes and corresponding monobrushes in a dried state. The aim was to study the wear mechanism in polymer brush surfaces as well as to investigate the effect of switching of PS + PAA binary brush surfaces (on treatment with the selective solvents for the PS and PAA) on the wear process. Wear experiments were carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) under a controlled environment. The wear experiments were performed as a function of scan number using a sharp silicon nitride tip to induce the wear on the sample surfaces. The wear mechanism on different brush surfaces was influenced by molecular entanglement as well as adhesion and friction on the sample surface. The wear process on the PS monobrush surface treated with toluene took place via formation of the ripples. On the other hand, a typical wear mode observed on the PAA monobrushes was removal of the polymeric material from the surface. For the mixed brush surface treated with toluene (selective solvent for PS) where PS chains dominated the top of the sample surface, the typical wear mode observed was ripple formation similar to that observed for the PS monobrushes. However, when a mixed brush was treated with ethanol and pH 10 water so that PAA chains dominated the top layer, wear occurred via removal of material. The amount of wear on the surfaces increased with the number of scans. Furthermore, the load and scan velocity dependence of the wear process was also investigated. Wear on polymer brush surfaces increased on increasing the load and/or decreasing the scan speed. The present study shows that wear can be controlled/tuned using mixed responsive brushes. | 18,834,596 |
Early diagenetic processes aspects controlling the mobility of dissolved trace metals in three riverine sediment columns. | The behaviour of Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, Cd, Pb and Ni has been studied during early diagenesis in three different riverine sediments (Spierre, Lys and Sheldt). For that purpose (1) pore waters were extracted from sediment cores by centrifugation under nitrogen and further analyzed for the determination of total dissolved metal concentrations and (2) DET and DGT probes have been deployed in situ for the determination of high resolution profiles of labile and total dissolved metal concentrations. Furthermore, sulfidization processes have been examined; they revealed a production of pyrite near the water-sediment interface at Helkijn and Wervik sampling sites, probably due to a partial re-oxidation of reduced sulphur species. In Spierre sediments, where Eh values are the most negative, pyrite production should be mainly due to strict anaerobic processes. Concentrations of AVS in Spierre sediments are also very high and result in low TI values and low trace metal concentrations in the pore waters. Otherwise, in Wervik sediments, the low pH values combined to a TI value close to 0 results in the highest observed dissolved trace metal levels. DOS remains low at the three sites, since it does not exceed 0.4. In Wervik and Helkijn, the limitation is probably due to low sedimentary inputs of sulphate. In Spierre, sulphate is never exhausted in the pore water, suggesting a limitation of the DOS by a lack of bio-degradable organic matter. Values of Cd, Cu and Pb DGT concentrations remain low in pore waters whatever the site, due to their strong affinity with the reduced sulphur pool. It has also been demonstrated that the labile fractions of Pb and Cd are the lowest and do not exceed 0.5, while Co and Ni are the most available metals. | 18,834,616 |
PCL microspheres based functional scaffolds by bottom-up approach with predefined microstructural properties and release profiles. | Advanced tissue engineering approaches rely upon the employment of biomaterials that integrate biodegradable scaffolds with growth factor delivery devices to better guide cellular activities and enhance tissue neogenesis. Along these lines, here we proposed a bottom-up approach for the realization of bioactive scaffolds with controllable pore size and interconnection, combined with protein-loaded polymeric microcarriers acting as local chrono-programmed point source generation of bioactive signals. Bioactive scaffolds are obtained through the thermal assembly of protein activated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) microspheres prepared by double emulsion and larger protein free PCL microspheres obtained by single emulsion. It is shown that the pore dimension, interconnectivity and mechanical properties in compression of the scaffold could be predefined by an appropriate choice of the size of the protein-free microparticles and process conditions. Protein-loaded microparticles were successfully included within the scaffold and provided a sustained delivery of a model protein (BSA). These matrices offer the possibility to concurrently modulate and control the size and extension of the porosity, mechanical properties and the spatial-temporal distribution of multiple bioactive signals. | 18,834,628 |
Immobilization of bacteriophage Qbeta on metal-derivatized surfaces via polyvalent display of hexahistidine tags. | Metal-binding peptide motifs are widely used for protein purification, catalysis, and metal-mediated self assembly in the construction of novel materials and multivalent light harvesting complexes. Herein we describe hexahistidine sequences incorporated into the virus-like particle derived from bacteriophage Qbeta via co-expression of the wild-type (WT) and hexahistidine-modified coat proteins in Escherichia coli. The resulting polyvalent display of approximately 37 hexahistidine moieties per virion gave rise to altered properties of Zeta potential and hydrodynamic radius, but no observed change in stability compared to WT. While the resulting display density did not permit hexahistidine chains to cooperate in the coordination of heme, the multiple tags did impart a strong affinity for immobilized metal ions. A dissociation constant for binding to Ni-NTA of approximately 10nM was measured by SPR under non-competitive, physiological conditions. Affinity chromatography over immobilized metal columns was used to purify the particles from both crude cell lysates and after chemical derivatization. These results illustrate the potential of metal-NTA surfaces for the self-assembled presentation of multi-functionalized particles to interrogate systems ranging from small molecule binding to whole cell interactions. | 18,834,633 |
The role of Malassezia in atopic dermatitis affecting the head and neck of adults. | Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic skin condition. A subset of patients with head and neck dermatitis may have a reaction to Malassezia flora fueling their disease. Although there are no documented differences in Malassezia species colonization, patients with head and neck atopic dermatitis are more likely to have positive skin prick test results and Malassezia-specific IgE compared with healthy control subjects and patients with atopy without head and neck dermatitis. There is no clear relationship with atopy patch testing. The reaction to Malassezia is likely related to both humoral- and cell-mediated immunity. Clinically, Malassezia allergy may be suspected in patients with atopic dermatitis and: (1) head and neck lesions; (2) exacerbations during adolescence or young adulthood; (3) severe lesions recalcitrant to conventional therapy; and (4) other atopic diseases. There is literature to suggest that these patients will benefit from a 1- to 2-month course of daily itraconazole or ketoconazole followed by long-term weekly treatment. | 18,834,647 |
Preparation and photocatalytic activity of nanoglued Sn-doped TiO2. | In this paper, Sn-doped TiO(2) photocatalyst was prepared and immobilized on a glass substrate using an about-to-gel SiO(2) sol as a nanoglue. The characterization of the Sn-doped TiO(2) by XRD showed that 5% Sn content is formed by anatase and rutile crystallites. Characterization of the nanoglued photocatalyst by the BET measurement, TEM, and SEM showed that the photocatalyst was a nanoporous material with a high-surface area. The Sn-doped TiO(2) was uniformly dispersed within the three-dimensional network of the silica in the form of nanoparticles. The nanoglued photocatalyst showed high photocatalytic activity during the degradation of penicillin under UV light. The effect of different Sn content on the amount of hydroxyl radical was discussed by using salicylic acid as probe molecules. The results show that an appropriate amount of Sn dopant can greatly increase the amount of hydroxyl radicals generated by TiO(2) nanoparticles, which are responsible for the obvious increase of photocatalytic activity. | 18,834,665 |
Low-dose palliative radiotherapy for cutaneous B- and T-cell lymphomas. | To determine the efficacy of low-dose palliative radiotherapy for both low-grade malignant cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCLs) and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (mycosis fungoides). A total of 18 patients with low-grade CBCL (10 primary cutaneous marginal zone B-cell and 8 primary cutaneous follicle center lymphomas) with 44 symptomatic plaques and tumors underwent low-dose (4 Gy in two fractions) local radiotherapy. A total of 31 patients with mycosis fungoides were treated at 82 symptomatic sites, initially with 4 Gy and later with 8 Gy in two fractions. The complete response rate for CBCL lesions was 72%. Of the 44 B-cell lymphoma lesions, 13 were re-treated to the same site after a median of 6.3 months because of persistent (n = 8) or recurrent (n = 5) symptomatic disease. Of the mycosis fungoides patients treated with 4 Gy in two fractions (17 lesions), 70% failed to respond. Increasing the dose to 8 Gy in two fractions yielded a complete response rate of 92% (60 of 65 lesions). The patients in whom low-dose radiotherapy failed were retreated with 20 Gy in eight fractions. Our results have demonstrated that low-dose involved-field radiotherapy induces a high response rate in both CBCL and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma lesions without any toxicity. Therefore, this treatment is now our standard palliative treatment. At progression, it is safe and feasible to apply greater radiation doses. | 18,834,672 |
Cemented hip revision surgery in severe acetabular defects using a semirigid acetabular reinforcement ring--a 5- to 25-year follow-up study. | Between 1978 and 1998, a total of 38 consecutive acetabular component revisions were performed in 38 patients. Average age was 67 years, and 87% of patients had severe uncontained segmental acetabular defects of more than 50%. We describe the operative technique of acetabular component revisions performed with bone grafting and a steel, semirigid acetabular reinforcement ring (Eichler), and long-term results are presented. After an average of 11.2 years follow-up, 1 cup was revised after 0.8 years for mechanical loosening, but the ring remained stably fixed. Remodeling (partial) of autografts occurred in all cases. The average HHS was 72.5. The Eichler reinforcement ring is a viable option for segmental acetabular defects in revision hip surgery, allows for restoration of pelvic bone, and makes future revisions feasible. | 18,834,699 |
The Internet is valid and reliable for child-report: an example using the Activities Scale for Kids (ASK) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). | This study tested the impact of web administration on well-established measures of children's physical function and quality of life. Participants were recruited from clinics at six hospitals. They completed the Activities Scale for Kids (ASK) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) questionnaires twice, in a crossover design that used paper and web-based modes of administration. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess the validity of the new web formats relative to the original paper formats and their test-retest reliability. Sixty-nine children ranging in age from 8.0 to 13.4 years (mean=11.0 years) completed the study. The sample included children with cerebral palsy (19), spina bifida (23), and cystic fibrosis (27). The mean ASK score was 77.5 and the mean PedsQL score was 69.1. The intermethod intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.98 (lower limit 0.94) for the ASK and 0.64 (lower limit 0.35) for the PedsQL. These compare to intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.94, respectively, for traditional paper formats. The web ASK was valid in comparison to the original paper format. Consistency in mode of administration may be more important when using the PedsQL. Both measures were highly reliable on paper and on the web. | 18,834,710 |
AHRQ series paper 1: comparing medical interventions: AHRQ and the effective health-care program. | In 2005, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality established the Effective Health Care (EHC) Program. The EHC Program aims to provide understandable and actionable information for patients, clinicians, and policy makers. The Evidence-based Practice Centers are one of the cornerstones of the EHC Program. Three key elements guide the EHC Program and thus, the conduct of Comparative Effectiveness Reviews by the EPC Program. Comparative Effectiveness Reviews introduce several specific challenges in addition to the familiar issues raised in a systematic review or meta-analysis of a single intervention. The articles in this series together form the current Methods Guide for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews of the EHC Program. | 18,834,715 |
D2 dopamine receptor Taq1A polymorphism, body weight, and dietary intake in type 2 diabetes. | Certain D2 dopamine receptor Taq 1A genotypes (A1A1, A1A2) have been associated with obesity and substance abuse. We hypothesized that their presence would be associated with reduced efficacy of dietary interventions in individuals with type 2 diabetes. In the course of a randomized clinical trial in an outpatient research center in which 93 adults with type 2 diabetes were assigned to a low-fat vegan diet or a diet following 2003 American Diabetes Association guidelines for 74 wk, Taq 1A genotype was determined. Nutrient intake, body weight, and hemoglobin A1c (A1c) were measured over 74 wk. The A1 allele was highly prevalent, occurring in 47% of white participants (n = 49), which was significantly higher than the 29% prevalence previously reported in non-diabetic whites (P = 0.01). The A1 allele was found in 55% of black participants (n = 44). Black participants with A1(+) genotypes had significantly greater mean body weight (11.2 kg heavier, P = 0.05) and greater intake of fat (P = 0.002), saturated fat (P = 0.01), and cholesterol (P = 0.02) compared with A2A2 (A1(-)) individuals; dietary changes during the study did not favor one genotype group. Among whites, baseline anthropometric and nutrient differences between gene groups were small. However, among whites in the vegan group, A1(+) individuals reduced fat intake (P = 0.04) and A1c (P = 0.01) significantly less than did A1(-) individuals. The A1 allele appears to be highly prevalent among individuals with type 2 diabetes. Potential influences on diet, weight, and glycemic control merit further exploration. | 18,834,717 |
Oral supplementation with NaFeEDTA reduces blood lead in postmenopausal but not premenopausal Korean women with anemia. | The objective was to evaluate the effect of iron supplementation for 6 mo on blood lead (PbB) concentration in populations of premenopausal (PRE-M) and postmenopausal (POST-M) Korean women. We conducted a community intervention trial in Asan, Republic of Korea. Of the 137 enrolled women with hemoglobin (Hb) levels lower than 12 g/dL, 37 were PRE-M and 100 were POST-M. Each woman received the equivalent of 9 mg of supplemental iron per day in the form of sodium-iron ethylene-diaminetetra-acetic acid (NaFeEDTA) syrup for a period of 6 mo. The initial PbB concentrations were 2.56 +/- 0.99 microg/dL (mean +/- SD) for the PRE-M women and 3.27 +/- 1.24 microg/dL for the POST-M women. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). After 6 mo of NaFeEDTA supplementation, the PbB concentration decreased in the POST-M group but no change was observed in the PRE-M group. When age and baseline Hb levels were adjusted for, PbB concentrations decreased by 0.10 and 0.31 microg/dL in the PRE-M and POST-M groups, respectively, and the results were significant using a multivariate model (P = 0.016). Iron status determined by zinc protoporphyrin, transferrin saturation, and Hb improved significantly in both groups, but serum ferritin decreased significantly in the POST-M women (P < 0.001), with no change in the PRE-M group. After 6 mo of supplementation with the equivalent of 9 mg of iron/d in the form of NaFeEDTA, the PbB concentrations in Korean women with anemia appeared to depend on their menopausal status. | 18,834,721 |
A large outbreak of Trichophyton tonsurans among health care workers in a pediatric hospital. | Although Trichophyton tonsurans remains a major cause of dermataophytoses in US children, nosocomial spread may go unrecognized in health care settings. We describe a staff outbreak of T tonsurans infection among health care workers in a freestanding pediatric hospital. Epidemiologic evaluation (retrospective and prospective) was performed in the health care providers and ancillary staff assigned to a 27-bed inpatient medical unit in which the suspected outbreak occurred. Twenty-one individuals, including staff, a hospital volunteer, and a patient, developed tinea corporis during a 5-month period. All infections coincided with multiple admissions of a 2-year-old suspected index patient who demonstrated persistent infections of the scalp and arm. Fungal isolates obtained from the index patient and affected staff (when available) were subjected to multilocus strain typing, which revealed an identical genetic match between the index case and infected hospital personnel. T tonsurans can spread widely among staff members caring for children with recalcitrant dermatophyte infections. Recognition that workplace transmission may be the etiology of a succession of infections occurring in a single inpatient unit is necessary to limit the number of infected individuals. | 18,834,726 |
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