title stringlengths 0 901 | abstract stringlengths 3 9.89k | PMID int64 22 25.3M | embedding listlengths 768 768 |
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Posttransplant encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, long-term success with everolimus and low-dose CNI: a case report. | Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis is a serious complication of peritoneal dialysis and can occur even after transplant. The gut is partially or totally enveloped by a thick fibrous membrane that leads to the formation of multiple sections containing intestinal loops contracted and reduced in volume. Exacerbation after renal transplantation is a very rare but sometimes dramatic condition. We report a patient who developed intestinal obstruction due to encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis 1 year after a deceased-donor kidney transplant. Treatment included laparotomy, small-bowel lengthening by release of adhesions, and high doses of corticosteroids. The patient received immunosuppressive therapy with a combination of low-dose cyclosporine, everolimus, and prednisone, unchanged except for a temporary steroid increase in the postoperative period. We report success with this combined surgical plus medical therapy, with no recurrence after 81 months of follow-up. | 25,242,790 | [
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Late-onset BK viral nephropathy in a kidney transplant recipient. | BK polyoma viral infection occurs as an asymptomatic infection in a high proportion of normal hosts without obvious sequelae. In the kidney transplant population, the virus is reactivated because of reduced immunity and, if not appropriately managed, can lead to BK viral nephropathy, which has emerged as a common cause of acute kidney injury and progressive chronic kidney disease in renal transplant recipients. BK viremia almost always occurs during the first 2 years after transplantation, when immunosuppressive therapy is high, or at other periods when immunosuppression is intensified. BK viremia is now detected by routine screening of transplant patients for the first few years, and BK viral nephropathy is considered to be high in the differential diagnosis of acute kidney injury in recently transplanted patients. We report a case of BK viral nephropathy developing 10 years after transplantation and present the challenges of managing advanced disease. | 25,242,792 | [
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The Appearance and Spread of Ant Fishing among the Kasekela Chimpanzees of Gombe: A Possible Case of Intercommunity Cultural Transmission. | Chimpanzees exhibit cultural variation, yet examples of successful cultural transmission between wild communities are lacking. Here we provide the first account of tool-assisted predation ("ant fishing") on <iCamponotus</i ants by the Kasekela and Mitumba communities of Gombe National Park. We then consider three hypotheses for the appearance and spread of this behavior in Kasekela: (1) changes in prey availability or other environmental factors, (2) innovation, and (3) introduction. Ant fishing was recognized as habitual in the Mitumba community by 1992, soon after their habituation began. Apart from one session in 1978, <iCamponotus</i predation (typically with tools) was documented in the Kasekela community beginning only in 1994, despite decades of prior observation. By February 2010, ant fishing was customary in Kasekela and with one exception was practiced <iexclusively</i by chimpanzees born after 1981 and immigrant females. We hypothesize that changes in insect prey availability over time and/or the characteristics of one popular ant-fishing site may have influenced the establishment of ant fishing. Though innovation cannot be completely ruled out, the circumstantial evidence suggests that a Mitumba immigrant introduced ant fishing to Kasekela. We submit that this report represents the first documented case of successful transmission of a novel cultural behavior between wild chimpanzee communities. | 25,242,820 | [
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THE IMPACT OF HISPANIC POPULATION GROWTH ON THE OUTLOOK OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. | We know too little about the effects of immigration on black Americans. If prior research yields mixed evidence about immigration's consequences for the objective well-being of African Americans, it is silent about effects of immigration on blacks' <isubjective</i well-being. To fill that void, this paper assesses the impact of the expanding Hispanic population on black Americans from a social psychological perspective. We ask whether blacks' self-reported distress, social distrust, or attitudes toward Hispanics and immigrants are affected by the size of the local Hispanic population or by the percentage growth in local Hispanic residents. Answers come from responses of non-Hispanic black participants in the 1998-2002 General Social Surveys, linked to 1990 and 2000 census data. Contrary to pessimistic claims, most social psychological outcomes, including measures of economic distress, manifest no impact of local Hispanic numbers. The four exceptions, significant effects of local Hispanic population share or percentage growth evenly split in valence, underscore the complexity of recent immigration's effects on African Americans. | 25,242,830 | [
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Synergistic Cytotoxic Effect of Gold Nanoparticles and 5-Aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy against Skin Cancer Cells. | Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. In this study, the epidermoid carcinoma cell line A431 and the normal fibroblasts were used to investigate whether gold nanoparticles (GNPs) can induce an increase in cell death during PDT using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) as a photosensitizer. Human fibroblast and A431 cells were grown in 96-well plates. The effect of GNPs on the efficacy of 5-ALA-mediated PDT (5-ALA-PDT) was evaluated by comparing the effect of 5-ALA with GNPs to the effect of 5-ALA alone. Cell viability was determined by the methyl- tetrazolium assay. Dark toxicity experiments showed that 5-ALA at concentrations 0.5, 1 and 2 mM had no significant effect on cell viability of both cell lines. However, treatment of cells with 5-ALA (0.5 to 2 mM) and light dose of 25 Jcm(-2) led to 5-10% and 31-42% decrease in cell viability of fibroblast and A431 cells respectively. The data also shows that GNPs in both the absence and the presence of light, results in a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability of both cell lines. However, the sensitivity of cancer cells to GNPs at concentrations more than 24 μg/ml was approximately 2.5- to 4-fold greater than healthy cells. Furthermore, data indicates that 5-ALA in combination with GNPs results in a synergistic reduction in viability of A431 cells. In summary, the findings of this study suggest that concomitant treatment with 5-ALA and GNPs may be useful in enhancing the effect of 5-ALA-PDT. | 25,242,844 | [
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Investigating the levels of serum vitamin d in patients with rheumatoid arthritis referred to rasoul-akram hospital during 2011-2012. | Vitamin D3 has a role in many autoimmune diseases and appears to play a function in controlling Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between serum level of vitamin D and RA disease activity score. The serum level of vitamin D in 75 RA patients referred to the rheumatology clinic of Rasoul-Akram hospital was measured. Patients were classified into low, moderate and high RA activity groups based on the DAS-28 criteria (Disease Activity Score in 28 joints) and the mean values of serum vitamin D were compared between the three groups. The mean serum levels of vitamin D in high activity group (17.057±7.7 mg/ml) was significantly less than moderate (30.5±11.3 mg/ml) and low (36.7±19.5 mg/ml) activity groups (P<0.001). The outcome of this study shows that serum level of vitamin D is inversely correlated with the activity of RA. | 25,242,848 | [
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Cervical Pott's disease presenting as a Retropharyngeal Abscess: Controlled by Aspiration and Anti-tuberculous chemotherapy. | Tuberculosis of the cervical spine is very rare. An unusual case of a 6 year old child presenting with spinal tuberculosis involving cervical and thoracic vertebrae, along with retropharyngeal abscess is reported. The patient presented with progressive neck swelling, neck pain, fever with night sweats and difficulty of swallowing. The lab studies confirmed tuberculosis. The patient was successfully treated with fine-needle aspiration and antituberculous drugs. The patient improved rapidly. His neck stiffness decreased, and he was able to eat comfortably. | 25,242,860 | [
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[HIV PREVENTION FOR HISPANIC WOMEN FIFTY YEARS AND OLDER.] | Hispanic women aged 50 and over (OHW) are a minority in the U.S. at high risk of acquiring HIV and the least studied group of population in relation to health, social characteristics and sexual behavior. To investigate the factors that increase HIV risk among OHW with the purpose of developing or adapting an intervention appropriate for their "age and culture". A cross-sectional descriptive study with a sample of 50 OHW, sexually active and who residing in Miami, Florida, U.S. A structured questionnaire was administered by trained bilingual interviewers (English/Spanish). Participants were recruited from different locations in South Florida. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including central tendency and dispersion measures. OHW's mean age was 55.7 ± 6 years old (range 50-76 years old). All the OHW were in the menopause. OHW reported average levels of HIV knowledge and partner communication. In the sample OHW reported depression symptoms, intimate partner violence, negative attitudes towards people living with HIV and low perceived risk of acquiring HIV. OHW mentioned learning needs in topics related to HIV prevention and age changes. OHW are at risk of acquiring HIV and they have special needs in terms of HIV prevention. | 25,242,862 | [
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Dynamics of acute local inflammatory response after autologous transplantation of muscle-derived cells into the skeletal muscle. | The vast majority of myoblasts transplanted into the skeletal muscle die within the first week after injection. Inflammatory response to the intramuscular cell transfer was studied in allogeneic but not in autologous model. The aim of this study was to evaluate immune reaction to autotransplantation of myogenic cells and to assess its dynamics within the first week after injection. Muscle-derived cells or medium alone was injected into the intact skeletal muscles in autologous model. Tissue samples were collected 1, 3, and 7 days after the procedure. Our analysis revealed the peak increase of the gene expression of all evaluated cytokines (Il-1α, Il-1 β, Il-6, Tgf-β, and Tnf-α) at day 1. The mRNA level of analyzed cytokines normalized in subsequent time points. The increase of Il- β gene expression was further confirmed at the protein level. Analysis of the tissue sections revealed rapid infiltration of injected cell clusters with neutrophils and macrophages. The inflammatory infiltration was almost completely resolved at day 7. The survived cells were able to participate in the muscle regeneration process. Presented results demonstrate that autotransplanted muscle-derived cells induce classical early immune reaction in the site of injection which may contribute to cellular graft elimination. | 25,242,868 | [
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Brief Intervention for Truant Youth Sexual Risk Behavior and Alcohol Use: A Parallel Process Growth Model Analysis. | Truant youths represent a challenging, yet very promising group of at-risk youth to study. In addition to problems in school, they frequently experience troubled family situations, emotional/ psychological problems, involvement in substance use, and delinquency. Given the problems often experienced by truant youth, it is likely they are engaging in alcohol use and sexual risk behavior at a higher rate, than the general youth population. Identification of these youths' problems and early placement into effective intervention services would benefit them, their families, and society. The current study presents interim findings from an ongoing, NIDA-funded experimental, Brief Intervention (BI) study involving truant youths and their parent/guardians. Baseline, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow up data were analyzed to determine whether alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors were longitudinally related, examine the effects of the intervention on longitudinal alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors, identify latent subgroups of youths in the data for alcohol use and sexual risk behaviors, and determine whether the intervention influenced these subgroups. Results indicated alcohol use and sexual risk were longitudinally related. Subgroups of youth were also identified based on alcohol use and sexual risk behavior levels and trends. Further, limited treatment effects were observed for alcohol use. Implications of the results for future research and service delivery are considered. | 25,242,878 | [
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How Attorneys Question Children About the Dynamics of Sexual Abuse and Disclosure in Criminal Trials. | Little is known about how the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure are discussed in criminal court. We examined how attorneys ask child witnesses in sexual abuse cases (<iN</i = 72, 6 -16 years of age) about their prior conversations, both with suspects and with disclosure recipients. Prosecutors' questions were more open-ended than defense attorneys, but most questions asked by either attorney were yes/no questions, and children tended to provide unelaborated responses. Prosecutors were more inclined to ask about children's prior conversations with suspects than defense attorneys, but focused on the immediate abuse rather than on grooming behavior or attempts to silence the victim. Prosecutors were also more inclined to ask about children's motives for disclosing or for failing to disclose than defense attorneys, but in most cases, failed to ask. Both types of attorney asked children about prior disclosures, although defense attorneys were more inclined to ask children to recall specific content in particular disclosures. On average, children were asked about five disclosure recipients, and denied disclosing some information in 93% of cases. Attorneys exhibited little sensitivity to the age of the child in selecting their questions. The implications of the results for improving the process by which abuse cases are tried in court are discussed. | 25,242,881 | [
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Monitoring of degradation of porous silicon photonic crystals using digital photography. | We report the monitoring of porous silicon (pSi) degradation in aqueous solutions using a consumer-grade digital camera. To facilitate optical monitoring, the pSi samples were prepared as one-dimensional photonic crystals (rugate filters) by electrochemical etching of highly doped p-type Si wafers using a periodic etch waveform. Two pSi formulations, representing chemistries relevant for self-reporting drug delivery applications, were tested: freshly etched pSi (fpSi) and fpSi coated with the biodegradable polymer chitosan (pSi-ch). Accelerated degradation of the samples in an ethanol-containing pH 10 aqueous basic buffer was monitored in situ by digital imaging with a consumer-grade digital camera with simultaneous optical reflectance spectrophotometric point measurements. As the nanostructured porous silicon matrix dissolved, a hypsochromic shift in the wavelength of the rugate reflectance peak resulted in visible color changes from red to green. While the H coordinate in the hue, saturation, and value (HSV) color space calculated using the as-acquired photographs was a good monitor of degradation at short times (t < 100 min), it was not a useful monitor of sample degradation at longer times since it was influenced by reflections of the broad spectral output of the lamp as well as from the narrow rugate reflectance band. A monotonic relationship was observed between the wavelength of the rugate reflectance peak and an H parameter value calculated from the average red-green-blue (RGB) values of each image by first independently normalizing each channel (R, G, and B) using their maximum and minimum value over the time course of the degradation process. Spectrophotometric measurements and digital image analysis using this H parameter gave consistent relative stabilities of the samples as fpSi > pSi-ch. | 25,242,902 | [
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Depression and anxiety and their association with healthcare utilization in pediatric lupus and mixed connective tissue disease patients: a cross-sectional study. | Depression and anxiety adversely affects outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthcare utilization is high for pediatric SLE. We aimed to characterize the prevalence of depression and anxiety in pediatric SLE, and their association with healthcare utilization. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of pediatric SLE and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) subjects and healthy controls aged 8 years and above. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and the Screen for Childhood Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) to identify depression, suicidal ideation and anxiety symptoms, respectively. We compared symptom prevalence in SLE/MCTD and healthy subjects using logistic regression. For SLE/MCTD subjects, we calculated the rate of annual outpatient visits [rheumatology/nephrology, primary care provider (PCP) and emergency department], hospitalizations and rheumatology/nephrology telephone consultations in the preceding year. We compared these outcomes in those with and without depression and anxiety using negative binomial regression. We identified depression symptoms in 10 (20%) SLE/MCTD and 4 (8%) healthy subjects, representing a trend towards increased prevalence in unadjusted analysis (OR = 2.9, 95% CI 0.8-9.9, p = 0.09). Adjusted analysis did not show a significant difference; however, non-white race was a statistically significant independent risk factor for depression symptoms compared to white race (OR = 5.4, 95% CI 1.1-27.2, p = 0.04). We identified anxiety symptoms in 11 (22%) SLE/MCTD and 13 (26%) healthy subjects, which was not statistically different. Suicidal ideation was present in 7 (14%) SLE/MCTD and 2 (4%) healthy subjects, which was a statistically significant difference (OR = 5.4, 95% CI 1.02-28.3, p = 0.047). Of the 34% of SLE/MCTD subjects with any symptoms, only 24% had previous mental health care. Those with depression symptoms had a statistically significant lower rate of visits to the PCP (IRR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.19-0.76, p < 0.001). Anxiety symptoms were not associated with the healthcare utilization outcomes. Depression and anxiety symptoms were prevalent, and suicidal ideation significantly more common in SLE/MCTD than in healthy subjects. Non-white race was an independent risk factor for depression. Despite prevalent symptoms, there were poor rates of prior mental health treatment, and less frequent PCP visits among those with depression symptoms. Further investigation of barriers to mental health care and interventional strategies for symptomatic youth with SLE/MCTD is needed. | 25,242,900 | [
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An X-ray diffractometer using mirage diffraction. | Some characteristics are reported of a triple-crystal diffractometer with a (+, -, +) setting of Si(220) using mirage diffraction. The first crystal is flat, while the second and third crystals are bent. Basically, the first crystal is used as a collimator, the second as a monochromator and the third as the sample. The third crystal also works as an analyzer. The advantages of this diffractometer are that its setup is easy, its structure is simple, the divergence angle from the second crystal is small and the energy resolution of the third crystal is high, of the order of sub-meV. | 25,242,911 | [
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Optimization of lipids production by Cryptococcus laurentii 11 using cheese whey with molasses. | This study aimed the optimization of culture condition and composition for production of Cryptococcus laurentii 11 biomass and lipids in cheese whey medium supplemented with sugarcane molasses. The optimization of pH, fermentation time, and molasses concentration according to a full factorial statistical experimental design was followed by a Plackett-Burman experimental design, which was used to determine whether the supplementation of the culture medium by yeast extract and inorganic salts could provide a further enhancement of lipids production. The following conditions and composition of the culture medium were found to optimize biomass and lipids production: 360 h fermentation, 6.5 pH and supplementation of (g L(-1)): 50 molasses, 0.5 yeast extract, 4 KH2PO4, 1 Na2HPO4, 0.75 MgSO4 · 7H2O and 0.002 ZnSO4 · H2O. Additional supplementation with inorganic salts and yeast extract was essential to optimize the production, in terms of product concentration and productivity, of neutral lipids by C. laurentii 11. Under this optimized condition, the production of total lipids increased by 133% in relation to control experiment (from 1.27 to 2.96 g L(-1)). The total lipids indicated a predominant (86%) presence of neutral lipids with high content of 16- and 18-carbon-chain saturated and monosaturated fatty acids. This class of lipids is considered especially suitable for the production of biodiesel. | 25,242,919 | [
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Volatile fatty acids influence on the structure of microbial communities producing PHAs. | Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) can be produced by microorganisms and are a biodegradable alternative to fossil-fuel based plastics. Currently, the focus is on reducing production costs by exploring alternative substrates for PHAs production, and on producing copolymers which are less brittle than monomers. Accordingly, this study used a substrate consisting of wastewater from waste-glycerol fermentation, supplemented with different amounts of acetic and propionic acids. These substrates were used to feed mixed microbial communities enriched from activated sludge in a sequencing batch reactor. A reactor supplemented with 2 mL of acetic acid produced 227.8 mg/L of a homopolymer of hydroxybutyrate (3 HB); 4 mL of acetic acid produced 279.8 mg/L 3 HB; whereas 4 mL of propionic acid produced 673.0 mg/L of a copolymer of 3 HB and 3 HV (hydroxyvalerate). Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA) was used to show the differences between the communities created in the reactors. Thauera species predominated in biomass that produced 3 HB; Paracoccus denitrificans in the biomass that produced 3 HB-co-3 HV. Because P. denitrificans produced the more desirable copolymer, it may be advantageous to promote its growth in PHAs-producing reactors by adding propionate. | 25,242,921 | [
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Metabolite profiling of Schizochytrium sp. by GC-MS, an oleaginous microbial source of biodiesel. | The chemical screening carried out on Schizochytrium sp. biomass led the identification of 24 types of organic compounds belonging to n-alkanes, 1-alkenes, 1-alkanols, free fatty acids, methyl and ethyl esters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, saturated tri- and diglycerides, unsaturated monoglycerides, wax esters, sterols, triterpenes, and mono- and sesquiterpenes. Moreover, a sample containing fully saturated ethyl biodiesel was obtained experimentally with a yield of 28.72% w/w of the crude extract, and an average chain length of 15.52 carbons. This strain produced no toxins, but showed important nutrients, making it potentially applicable to the field of functional food, and biodiesel production. | 25,242,922 | [
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Optimization of biodegradable plastic production on sugar cane molasses in Enterobacter sp. SEL2. | Contaminated environments have a large number of bacteria which can accumulate PHA as their energy reserves. Out of 54 isolated bacterial strains from three groups of contaminated sites 48 were found PHA positive. The sites were grouped on the basis of the type of carbon sources i.e. sugars, fatty acids and much diverse type. Strains MFD5, MFD11, UML3, USL2, SEL2, SEL3, SEL10 and PFW1 produced 69.9 ± 0.29, 75.27 ± 0.45, 65.43 ± 0.1, 72.54 ± 0.27, 76.61 ± 0.28, 61.81 ± 0.05, 71.16 ± 0.09 and 74.92 ± 0.5 percent of PHA to their constant cell weight (CCW) respectively in PHA detection media supplemented with 2% glucose. Molasses, whey, crumbs hydrolysate and palm oil were checked as inexpensive carbon sources. Molasses alone could supply the required nutrients for growth and PHA production. Strain SEL2 produced 47.36 ± 0.45% PHA using 2% molasses at 37 °C and pH 7.0. Upon production optimization the best accumulation (80.95 ± 0.01%) was observed in PHA detection media with 0.2% nitrogen source, 3% molasses, pH 5.0 and 37 °C by the strain SEL2. The overall effect of the presence of increased molasses concentration in the media was positive it increased the accumulation period till 72 h. Enterobacter sp. SEL2 (JF901810) is first time being reported for PHA production. | 25,242,924 | [
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Biomarkers to evaluate the effects of temperature and methanol on recombinant Pichia pastoris. | Pichia pastoris is methylotrophic yeast used as an efficient expression system for heterologous protein production. In order to evaluate the effects of temperature (10 and 30 °C) and methanol (1 and 3% (v/v)) on genetically-modified Pichia pastoris, different biomarkers were evaluated: Heat stress (HSF-1 and Hsp70), oxidative stress (OGG1 and TBARS) and antioxidant (GLR). Three yeast cultures were performed: 3X = 3% methanol-10 °C, 4X = 3% methanol-30 °C, and 5X = 1% methanol-10°C. The expression level of HIF-1α, HSF-1, HSP-70 and HSP-90 biomarkers were measured by Western blot and in situ detection was performed by immunocytochemistry. Ours results show that at 3% methanol -30 °C there is an increase of mitochondrial OGG1 (mtOGG1), Glutathione Reductase (GLR) and TBARS. In addition, there was a cytosolic expression of HSF-1 and HSP-70, which indicates a deprotection against nucleolar fragmentation (apoptosis). On the other hand, at 3% methanol -10 °C and 1% and at methanol -10 °C conditions there was nuclear expression of OGG1, lower levels of TBARS and lower expression of GLR, cytosolic expression of HSF-1 and nuclear expression HSP-70. In conclusion, our results suggest that 3% methanol-30 °C is a condition that induces a strong oxidative stress and risk factors of apoptosis in modified-genetically P. pastoris. | 25,242,930 | [
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Phylogenetic grouping and pathotypic comparison of urine and fecal Escherichia coli isolates from children with urinary tract infection. | The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogenetic background and to assess hlyD (involved in the secretion of haemolysin A) and intI1 (encoding a class 1 integrase) in Escherichia coli isolates derived from urinary and fecal specimens. A total of 200 E. coli isolates was collected from patients presenting with urinary tract infection (UTI) during September 2009 to September 2010 and screened for hlyD and intI1 genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Phylogenetic analysis showed that E. coli is composed of four main phylogenetic groups (A, B1, B2 and D) and that uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates mainly belong to groups B2 (54%) and D (34%) whereas group A (44%) and D (26%) are predominant among commensal E. coli isolates. In this study, hlyD was present in 26% of UPEC and 2% of commensal E. coli isolates. However, hemolytic activity was detected for 42% of UPEC and 6% of commensal E. coli isolates (p < 0.05). intI1 gene was more frequently expressed in UPEC (24%) in comparison with commensal E. coli isolates (12%). Resistance to aztreonam, co-trimoxazole and cefpodoxime were frequently found among UPEC isolates whereas commensal E. coli isolates were commonly resistant to co-trimoxazole, nalidixic acid and cefotaxime. Concluding, a considerable difference between UPEC and commensal E. coli isolates was observed regarding their phylogenetic groups, presence of class 1 integron and hlyD gene, hemolysin activity and resistance pattern. The detection of class 1 integrons and hlyD gene was higher among UPEC compared with commensal E. coli isolates. These findings may contribute for a better understanding of the factors involved in the pathogenesis of UPEC. | 25,242,935 | [
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Effects of different osmolarities on bacterial biofilm formation. | Biofilm formation depends on several factors. The influence of different osmolarities on bacterial biofilm formation was studied. Two strains (Enterobacter sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp.) exhibited the most remarkable alterations. Biofilm formation is an important trait and its use has been associated to the protection of organisms against environmental stresses. | 25,242,950 | [
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Genetic analysis of mecA gene and detection of homologue pbpD in Stahylococcus sciuri group. | Oxacillin/methicillin-resistance is related to the mecA and its regulatory genes mecR1 and mecI. Its origin is still unknown, although evidences support that it is related to CNS, once mecA and a homologue gene, pbpD, were both detected in Staphylococcus sciuri species group. The present work evaluated 210 samples of skin and ear swabs from rodents and 60 nasal swabs from equines of Army Biologic Institute, Rio de Janeiro. Pheno- and genotypic characterization provided 59.52% (25/42) and 78.57% (11/14) S. lentus and S. sciuri, respectively. It was observed that although all S. sciuri isolates tested positive for pbpD, there was no correlation with oxacillin-resistance. On the other hand, isolates tested positive for mecA gene also presented phenotypic oxacillin-resistance in at least one assay. The alignment of the mecA gene showed that the nucleotide sequences were sorted into 2 different groups, one comprising the bovine strains and the other containing human and equine strains. | 25,242,954 | [
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High incidence of oncogenic HPV genotypes found in women from Southern Brazil. | Oncogenic HPV genotypes are strongly associated with premalignant and malignant cervical lesion. The purpose was to determine human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and genotypes, and to estimate cervical cancer risk factor associations. Cervical samples were obtained from 251 women seeking gynecological care at the Pelotas School of Medicine Clinic. This is a cross-sectional study. HPV-DNA was amplified by nested-PCR using MY09/11 and GP5/6 primers, and the sequencing was used for genotyping. Sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors were obtained by closed questionnaire, and its relationship to HPV infection prevalence were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0 software, and differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. As results, the prevalence of HPV infection was 29.9%. The most frequent genotype was HPV-16 (41.3%), followed by HPV-18 (17.3%), and HPV-33 (9.3%). Others nine HPV genotypes were also found. On this population, prevalence of oncogenic HPV genotypes was high, but does not seem to confer relationship with the risk factors investigated. Future investigations in larger populations are necessary, for the proposition of more appropriated monitoring strategies and treatment according to the Brazilian health service reality, as well as patients. | 25,242,959 | [
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Etiology of precocious puberty, 10 years study in Endocrine Reserch Centre (Firouzgar), Tehran. | Precocious puberty, as early physical development and low final height might lead to psychosocial problems. To evaluate etiology and clinical feature of precocious puberty in a cohort of Iranian children. In this case-series study, 44 girls and 8 boys with precocious puberty referred to Endocrine Reserch Centre (Firouzgar), Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Hemmat Campus), were examined in a 10 years period of time. Mean age of girls and boys was 7.43±1.4 years and 5.8±2.1 years respectively. Most of the patients fell within the age category of 7-7.9 years old (40.9% for girls and 50% for boys). Patients, concerning etiology of precocious puberty were classified in three categories: 42.6% of patients had central precocious puberty (CPP), including idiopathic CPP (87.5%) and neurogenic CPP (12.5%). 23.3% of patients had peripheral precocious puberty (PPP), including congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) (42.8%), ovarian cysts (28.4%), McCune-Albright syndrome (14.2%) and adrenal carcinoma (14.2%). 34.1% of girls and 25% of boys had normal variant puberty including premature thelarche (57%), premature adrenarche (38%) as well as premature menarche (4.7%l). The most common etiology of precocious puberty in girls was idiopathic central precocious puberty and premature thelarche, while in boys they were neurogenic central precocious puberty and CAH. Therefore precocious puberty in girls is usually benign. In boys, CNS anomalies should first be considered in the differential diagnosis of CPP. Therefore brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is mandatory in all cases. | 25,242,967 | [
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No association of GSTM1 null polymorphism with endometriosis in women from central and southern Iran. | Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecologic disorders. It is a complex trait and both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in its pathogenesis. There is growing evidence indicating that exposure to environmental contaminants is a risk factor for endometriosis. Glutathione-S-Transferase M1 (GSTM1) is one of the genes involved in detoxification of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Several studies have indicated an association between GSTM1 null mutation and endometriosis. In this study, the possible association between the GSTM1 gene null genotype and susceptibility to endometriosis in woman from central and southern Iran was investigated. One hundred and one unrelated premenopausal women with endometriosis and 142 unrelated healthy premenopausal women without endometriosis were enrolled in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from Peripheral blood in all subjects. GSTM1 null genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). There was no significant difference between frequencies of GSTM1 null genotype in case and control groups (50.5% Vs. 52.1%, p=0.804). Furthermore, this genotype was not associated with severity of endometriosis in our sample (p=0.77). Conclusion : further studies involving gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, particularly combination of GSTM1 and other GST gene family polymorphisms are needed. | 25,242,970 | [
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Effect of lithium chloride on the luteal steroidogenesis in gonadotropin-stimulated rat. | Main function of corpus luteum is progesterone synthesis that is significantly accompanied with an increase in levels of mRNA encoding of steroidogenic enzymes known as luteal markers. This study was designed to evaluate effects of lithium chloride on the release of steroid hormones and steroidogenic enzymes in gonadotropin-stimulated rats. Immature 23 days old Wistar rats were divided into 10 groups; each group comprised of 8 rats, and induced with single injection of pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and followed by single injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Then, rats were given lithium chloride (LiCl) or saline at 12 hours post-hCG injection. Ovaries were collected in 4-hour interval from 8-24 hour post-hCG injection. Expression pattern of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (P450scc) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) genes were determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, serum levels of progesterone and 17β-estradiol were measured by ELISA. Our results showed that hCG stimulation of progesterone was markedly diminished and transcript levels of key steroidogenic enzymes were altered in the hormone-stimulated rats following LiCl treatment. These results suggest that critical steps in the function of corpus luteum are disrupted by lithium. It is concluded that LiCl is an effective factor for suppressing of steroid genes expression. | 25,242,997 | [
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Hydrostatic pressure improves in-vitro maturation of oocytes derived from vitrified-warmed mouse ovaries. | Cryopreservation has limited successes and in-vitro maturation is used to improve its results. Hydrostatic pressure (HP) plays an important role in follicular development. This study was designed to examine the effects of HP on in-vitro maturation of oocytes and cell death in cumulus cells derived from vitrified-warmed mouse ovaries. Preovulatory follicles were harvested from non-vitrified and vitrified-warmed 6-8 week-old female NMRI mouse ovaries and randomly assigned to following groups: non-vitrified (control), non-vitrified with HP exposure (treatment I), vitrified-warmed (treatment II) and vitrified-warmed with HP exposure (treatment III). The follicles of treatments I and III were subjected to HP (20 mmHg) for 30 min and after that all groups were cultured for 24h and assessed for in-vitro maturation of oocytes. The viability and apoptosis of cumulus cells and oocytes were assessed using supravital nuclear staining and TUNEL assay, respectively. Oocytes harvested follicles in both control and treatment II had a significantly lower percentage of metaphase II oocytes (MII) than the treatment I and III (23.5±3.1, 15.03±4.6 and 32.7±3.2, 25.5±4.6; respectively) (p<0.05). Viability of the cumulus cells reduced in treatment I, II and III (83.4, 83.3 and 77.7%) compared to control (86.9%), (p<0.05). The apoptotic index in cumulus and oocyte complexes in treatments I and III (10.7±0.8 and 15.3±0.8) was higher than in control and treatment II (6.7±0.5 and 9.7±0.5) (p<0.05). These results demonstrate that HP had a mild effect on cell death incidence in cumulus cells without any effect on oocyte. However, it can be used as a mechanical force to improve in-vitro maturation of oocytes derived from vitrified-warmed mouse ovaries. | 25,243,002 | [
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Pharmacologic prophylaxis of portal venous system thrombosis after splenectomy: a meta-analysis. | Portal venous system thrombosis (PVST) is a life-threatening complication of splenectomy. A meta-analysis was conducted to explore the role of pharmacologic prophylaxis of PVST after splenectomy. Overall, 359 papers were initially identified via the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. Eight of them were eligible. The incidence of PVST after splenectomy was significantly lower in patients who received the preventive measures than in those who did not (odds ratio [OR]: 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22-0.47, P < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the significant difference remained in studies including patients with portal hypertension (n = 6), but not in those including patients with hematological diseases (n = 2); the significant difference remained in studies using any type of prophylactic drugs (anticoagulants [n = 6], thrombolytics [n = 1], and prostaglandin E1 [n = 1]); the significant difference remained in nonrandomized studies (n = 5), but not in randomized studies (n = 3). The risk of bleeding was similar between the two groups (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.10-4.04, P = 0.64). In conclusion, pharmacologic prophylaxis might decrease the incidence of PVST after splenectomy in patients with portal hypertension and did not increase the risk of bleeding. However, the effect of pharmacologic prophylaxis of PVST in patients with hematological diseases remained questioned. | 25,243,008 | [
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Successful use of long acting octreotide in two cases with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and severe hypoglycemia. | Hyperinsulinism associated with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) can occur in about 50% of cases, causing hypoglycemia of variable severity. Parenteral use of octreotide may be indicated if unresponsive to diazoxide. There is limited data on use of octreotide in BWS. Chart review describing 2 cases with BWS and hypoglycemia treated with long acting Octreotide as a monthly injection. We describe two unrelated females born large for gestational age found to have clinical features consistent with BWS, who developed severe hypoglycemia. Genetic diagnosis of BWS was confirmed. The first patient was born at 37 weeks and developed hypoglycemia shortly after birth. She was initially started on diazoxide but developed pulmonary congestion and was therefore switched to depot octreotide (LAR). She maintained euglycemia with LAR. In the second patient (born at 26-4/7 weeks), onset of hypoglycemia was delayed till 11 weeks of age due to hydrocortisone (indicated hemodynamically) and continuous feeding, and was partially responsive to diazoxide. She was switched to octreotide 4 times daily, treated till at age 18 months. Despite frequent feeds, she required treatment again between ages 4-6.5 years, initially with diazoxide but due to severe hypertrichosis she was switched to LAR with an excellent response. Both patients treated with LAR for over two years achieved euglycemia above 70 mg/dl and had normal height gain, without side effects. Successful treatment of hypoglycemia can be achieved and maintained with LAR in infants and children with BWS who are either resistant or cannot tolerate diazoxide. | 25,243,012 | [
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Vagus nerve stimulation improves coagulopathy in hemorrhagic shock: a thromboelastometric animal model study. | Inflammation plays a major role in the multifactorial process of trauma associated coagulopathy. The vagus nerve regulates the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. We hypothesized that efferent vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can improve coagulopathy by modulating the inflammatory response to hemorrhage. Wistar rats (n = 24) were divided in 3 groups: Group (G1) Sham hemorrhagic shock (HS); (G2) HS w/o VNS; (G3) HS followed by division of the vagus nerves and VNS of the distal stumps. Hemorrhage (45% of baseline MAPx15 minutes) was followed by normotensive resuscitation with LR. Vagus nerves were stimulated (3.5 mA, 5 Hz) for 30 sec 7 times. Samples were obtained at baseline and at 60 minutes for thromboelastometry (Rotem®) and cytokine assays (IL-1 and IL-10). ANOVA was used for statistical analysis; significance was set at p < 0.05. Maximum clot firmness (MCF) significantly decreased in G2 after HS (71.5 ± 1.5 vs. 64 ± 1.6) (p < 0.05). MCF significantly increased in G3 compared to baseline (67.3 ± 2.7 vs. 71.5 ± 1.2) (p < 0.05). G3 also showed significant improvement in Alfa angle, and Clot Formation Time (CFT) compared to baseline. IL-1 increased significantly in group 2 and decrease in group 3, while IL-10 increased in group 3 (p < 0.05). Electrical stimulation of efferent vagus nerves, during resuscitation (G3), decreases inflammatory response to hemorrhage and improves coagulation. | 25,243,020 | [
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Knowledge of self-care among type 2 diabetes patients in two states of Nigeria. | To assess the knowledge of self-care practices, as well as factors responsible for such knowledge among type 2 diabetes patients in two states of Nigeria. Descriptive, cross sectional survey research design was employed. The study was conducted on type 2 diabetes out-patients attending Endocrinology Clinic at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) and University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) between June 2012 and February 2013. The Diabetes Self-care Knowledge (DSCK-30) was used in evaluating knowledge of self-care practices. Socio-demographic information and respondents' opinion on the possible barrier(s) to knowledge of self-care were also obtained. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 14.0. Statistical significance for all analyses was defined as a p value less than 0.05. A total of 303 out of 380 questionnaires distributed were completed and returned (response rate =79.7%). The majority of the study sample (79.5%) had 70% or more overall knowledge level about self-care. Self-care knowledge was associated with level of education (p<0.001), monthly income (p<0.001) and duration of diabetes (p=0.008). Negative attitude to disease condition was the only factor associated with knowledge (chi-square value at one degree of freedom =6.215; p=0.013). Diabetes self-care knowledge was generally high among the population studied. Educational status, monthly income, duration of diabetes and negative attitude to disease condition predicted knowledge level. | 25,243,026 | [
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Description of a practice model for pharmacist medication review in a general practice setting. | Practical descriptions of procedures used for pharmacists' medication reviews are sparse. To describe a model for medication review by pharmacists tailored to a general practice setting. A stepwise model is described. The model is based on data from the medical chart and clinical or laboratory data. The medication review focuses on the diagnoses of the patient instead of the individual drugs. Patient interviews are not part of the model. The model was tested in a pilot study by conducting medical reviews on 50 polypharmacy patients (i.e. receiving 7 or more drugs for regular use). The model contained seven main steps. Information about the patient and current treatment was collected in the first three steps, followed by identification of possible interventions related to either diagnoses or drugs in the fourth and fifth step. The sixth and seventh step concerned the reporting of interventions and the considerations of the GPs. 208 interventions were proposed among the 50 patients. The acceptance rate among the GPs was 82%. The most common interventions were lack of clinical or laboratory data (n=57, 27%) and drugs that should be discontinued as they had no indication (n=47, 23%). Most interventions were aimed at cardiovascular drugs. We have provided a detailed description of a practical approach to pharmacists' medication review in a GP setting. The model was tested and found to be usable, and to deliver a medication review with high acceptance rates. | 25,243,030 | [
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Density Functional Investigation of the Adsorption of Isooctane, Ethanol, and Acetic Acid on a Water-Covered Fe(100) Surface. | The presence of water in biofuels poses the question of how it affects the frictional performance of additives in fuels containing organic substances. To investigate the effect of water on the adsorption of molecules present in fuel and its additives we simulated within the framework of density functional theory the adsorption of ethanol, isooctane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane), and acetic acid on a bare and a water-covered Fe(100) surface. Van der Waals interactions are taken into account in our computations. In those molecules, where dispersion forces contribute significantly to the binding mechanism, the water layer has a stronger screening effect. Additionally, this effect can be enhanced by the presence of polar functional groups in the molecule. Thus, with the introduction of a water layer, the adsorption energy of isooctane and ethanol is reduced but it is increased in the case of the acetic acid. The adsorption configuration of ethanol is changed, while the one of acetic acid is moderately, and for isooctane only very slightly altered. Therefore, the effect of a water layer in the adsorption of organic molecules on an Fe(100) surface strongly depends on the type of bond and consequently, so do the tribological properties. | 25,243,045 | [
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Sleep Quality, Sleep Patterns and Consumption of Energy Drinks and Other Caffeinated Beverages among Peruvian College Students. | To evaluate sleep quality in relation to lifestyle characteristics including consumption of energy drinks and other caffeinated beverages among Peruvian college students. A total of 2,458 college students were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire that collected information about a variety of behaviors including consumption of energy drinks, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for poor sleep quality in relation to lifestyle characteristics. A total of 965 males and 1,493 female students were enrolled in the study. 52.0% of males and 58.4% of females experienced poor sleep quality (p=0.002). Females (OR=1.28; 95% CI 1.08-1.51) and those who reported consuming ≥ 3 stimulant beverages per week (OR=1.88; 95% CI 1.42-2.50) had higher odds of poor sleep quality. Students who consumed 1-19 alcoholic beverages monthly (OR=1.90; 95% CI 1.46-2.49) had a higher odds of long sleep latency. Consumption of ≥ 3 stimulant beverages per week was associated with daytime dysfunction due to sleep loss (OR=1.45; 95% CI 1.10-1.90), short sleep duration (OR= 1.49; 95% CI 1.14-1.94), and use of sleep medication (OR= 2.10; 95% CI 1.35-3.28). Consumption of energy drinks, other caffeinated beverages and alcoholic beverages are risk factors of poor sleep quality. Increased awareness of these associations should promote interventions to improve students' lifestyle habits, including consumption of alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, and overall health. | 25,243,056 | [
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The assessment of CD146-based cell sorting and telomere length analysis for establishing the identity of mesenchymal stem cells in human umbilical cord. | Adult stem cells are characterised by longer telomeres compared to mature cells from the same tissue. In this study, candidate CD146 (+) umbilical cord (UC) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were purified by cell sorting from UC tissue digests and their telomere lengths were measured in comparison to donor-matched CD146-negative fraction. UC tissue fragments were enzymatically treated with collagenase and the cells were used for cell sorting, colony-forming fibroblast (CFU-F) assay or for long-term MSC cultivation. Telomere lengths were measured by qPCR in both culture-expanded MSCs and candidate native UC MSCs. Immunohistochemistry was undertaken to study the topography of CD146 (+) cells. Culture-expanded UC MSCs had a stable expression of CD73, CD90 and CD105, whereas CD146 declined in later passages which correlated with the shortening of telomeres in the same cultures. In five out of seven donors, telomeres in candidate native UC MSCs (CD45 (-)CD235α (-)CD31 (-)CD146 (+)) were longer compared to donor-matched CD146 (-) population (CD45 (-)CD235α (-)CD31 (-)CD146 (-)). The frequency of CD45 (-)CD235α (-)CD31 (-)CD146 (+) cells measured by flow cytometry was ~1000-fold above that of CFU-Fs (means 10.4% and 0.01%, respectively). CD146 (+) cells were also abundant in situ having a broad topography including high levels of positivity in muscle areas in addition to vessels. Although qPCR-based telomere length analysis in sorted populations could be limited in its sensitivity, very high frequency of CD146 (+) cells in UC tissue suggests that CD146 expression alone is unlikely to be sufficient to identify and purify native MSCs from the UC tissue. | 25,232,467 | [
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The Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase 3 Gene and Essential Hypertension: The Joint Effect of Polymorphism E158K and Cigarette Smoking on Disease Susceptibility. | Gene encoding flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3), a microsomal antioxidant defense enzyme, has been suggested to contribute to essential hypertension (EH). The present study was designed to investigate whether common functional polymorphism E158K (rs2266782) of the FMO3 gene is associated with EH susceptibility in a Russian population. A total of 2 995 unrelated subjects from Kursk (1 362 EH patients and 843 healthy controls) and Belgorod (357 EH patients and 422 population controls) regions of Central Russia were recruited for this study. DNA samples from all study participants were genotyped for the FMO3 gene polymorphism through PCR followed by RFLP analysis. We found that the polymorphism E158K is associated with increased risk of essential hypertension in both discovery population from Kursk region (OR 1.36 95% CI 1.09-1.69, P = 0.01) and replication population from Belgorod region (OR 1.54 95% CI 1.07-1.89, P = 0.02) after adjustment for gender and age using logistic regression analysis. Further analysis showed that the increased hypertension risk in carriers of genotype 158KK gene occurred in cigarette smokers, whereas nonsmoker carriers of this genotype did not show the disease risk. This is the first study reporting the association of the FMO3 gene polymorphism and the risk of essential hypertension. | 25,243,081 | [
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Novel Nitrobenzazolo[3,2-<i>a</i>]quinolinium Salts Induce Cell Death through a Mechanism Involving DNA Damage, Cell Cycle Changes, and Mitochondrial Permeabilization. | This study reports the capacity of three nitro substituted benzazolo[3,2-<ia</i]quinolinium salts NBQs: NBQ 95 (NSC-763304), NBQ 38 (NSC 763305), and NBQ 97 (NSC-763306) as potential antitumor agents. NBQ's are unnatural alkaloids possessing a positive charge that could facilitate interaction with cell organelles. The anticancer activities of these compounds were evaluated through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) 60 cell line screening which represents diverse histologies. The screening was performed at 10 µM on all cell lines. Results from the NCI screening indicated cytotoxicity activity on six cell lines. In order to explore a possible mechanism of action, a detailed biological activity study of NBQ 95 and NBQ 38 was performed on A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells to determine an apoptotic pathway involving, cell cycle changes, DNA fragmentation, mutations, mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and caspases activation. DNA fragmentation, cell cycle effects, mutagenesis, mitochondrial permeabilization and activation of caspases were determined by fluorimetry and differential imaging. Our data showed that A431 growth was inhibited with an average IC<sub50</sub of 30 µM. In terms of the mechanism, these compounds interacted with DNA causing fragmentation and cell cycle arrest at sub G<sub0</sub/G<sub1</sub stage. Mutagenesis was higher for NBQ 38 and moderate for NBQ 95 Mitochon-drial permeabilization was observed with NBQ 38 and slightly for NBQ 95. Both compounds caused activation of Caspases 3 and 7 suggesting an apoptotic cell death pathway through an intrinsic mechanism. This study reports evidence of the toxicity of these novel compounds with overlapping structural and mechanistic similarities to ellipticine, a known anti-tumor compound. | 25,243,104 | [
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Descemetic and predescemetic DALK in keratoconus patients: a clinical and confocal perspective study. | To evaluate the clinical outcomes and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) features of keratoconus patients who underwent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). DALK was performed using the big bubble technique in all the patients. If the bubble was not successful to bare the descemet membrane, a manual dissection layer-by layer was performed to expose a deep stromal plane close to the DM. The patients were divided in two groups depending on the intraoperative baring of the descemet membrane: predescemetic DALK (PD-DALK) and descemetic DALK (D-DALK) group. One month after surgery the D-DALK patients show an increase of mean BCVA. In the PD-DALK group mean BCVA did not show significant improvement as compared to preoperative values. At 6 months after surgery mean BCVA was found to be similar in both groups. At 1 month IVCM the peak of reflectivity of the interface was lower in D-DALK group compared to PD-DALK. At 6 months the values of reflectivity were comparable. At 1 month D-DALK seems to lead to a minor interface reflectivity and to a better BCVA; these differences disappear after 6 months and the values of interface reflectivity and BCVA are comparable between D-DALK and PD-DALK. | 25,243,112 | [
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Peak vertical ground reaction force during two-leg landing: a systematic review and mathematical modeling. | (1) To systematically review peak vertical ground reaction force (PvGRF) during two-leg drop landing from specific drop height (DH), (2) to construct a mathematical model describing correlations between PvGRF and DH, and (3) to analyze the effects of some factors on the pooled PvGRF regardless of DH. A computerized bibliographical search was conducted to extract PvGRF data on a single foot when participants landed with both feet from various DHs. An innovative mathematical model was constructed to analyze effects of gender, landing type, shoes, ankle stabilizers, surface stiffness and sample frequency on PvGRF based on the pooled data. Pooled PvGRF and DH data of 26 articles showed that the square root function fits their relationship well. An experimental validation was also done on the regression equation for the medicum frequency. The PvGRF was not significantly affected by surface stiffness, but was significantly higher in men than women, the platform than suspended landing, the barefoot than shod condition, and ankle stabilizer than control condition, and higher than lower frequencies. The PvGRF and root DH showed a linear relationship. The mathematical modeling method with systematic review is helpful to analyze the influence factors during landing movement without considering DH. | 25,243,113 | [
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New imaging strategies using a motion-resistant liver sequence in uncooperative patients. | MR imaging has unique benefits for evaluating the liver because of its high-resolution capability and ability to permit detailed assessment of anatomic lesions. In uncooperative patients, motion artifacts can impair the image quality and lead to the loss of diagnostic information. In this setting, the recent advances in motion-resistant liver MR techniques, including faster imaging protocols (e.g., dual-echo magnetization-prepared rapid-acquisition gradient echo (MP-RAGE), view-sharing technique), the data under-sampling (e.g., gradient recalled echo (GRE) with controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA), single-shot echo-train spin-echo (SS-ETSE)), and motion-artifact minimization method (e.g., radial GRE with/without k-space-weighted image contrast (KWIC)), can provide consistent, artifact-free images with adequate image quality and can lead to promising diagnostic performance. Understanding of the different motion-resistant options allows radiologists to adopt the most appropriate technique for their clinical practice and thereby significantly improve patient care. | 25,243,115 | [
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CpG island methylator phenotype and prognosis of colorectal cancer in Northeast China. | To investigate the association between CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) and the overall survival of sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Northeast China. 282 sporadic CRC patients were recruited in this study. We selected MLH1, MGMT, p16, APC, MINT1, MINT31, and RUNX3 as the CIMP panel markers. The promoter methylation was assessed by methylation sensitive high resolution melting (MS-HRM). Proportional hazards-regression models were fitted with computing hazard ratios (HR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). 12.77% (36/282) of patients were CIMP-0, 74.1% (209/282) of patients were CIMP-L, and 13.12% (37/282) of patients were CIMP-H. The five-year survival of the 282 CRC patients was 58%. There was significant association between APC gene promoter methylation and CRC overall survival (HR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.05-2.46; P = 0.03). CIMP-H was significantly associated with worse prognosis compared to CIMP-0 (HR = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.19-7.89; P = 0.02) and CIMP-L (HR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.11-3.48; P = 0.02), respectively. While comparing with the combine of CIMP-L and CIMP-0 (CIMP-L/0), CIMP-H also presented a worse prognosis (HR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.02-5.24; P = 0.04). CIMP-H may be a predictor of a poor prognosis of CRC in Northeast China patients. | 25,243,122 | [
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Nonthermal pasteurization of fermented green table olives by means of high hydrostatic pressure processing. | Green fermented olives cv. Halkidiki were subjected to different treatments of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing (400, 450, and 500 MPa for 15 or 30 min). Total viable counts, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts/moulds, and the physicochemical characteristics of the product (pH, colour, and firmness) were monitored right after the treatment and after 7 days of storage at 20(°)C to allow for recovery of injured cells. The treatments at 400 MPa for 15 and 30 min, 450 MPa for 15 and 30 min, and 500 MPa for 15 min were found insufficient as a recovery of the microbiota was observed. The treatment at 500 MPa for 30 min was effective in reducing the olive microbiota below the detection limit of the enumeration method after the treatment and after 1 week of storage and was chosen as being more appropriate for storing olives for an extended time period (5 months). After 5 months of storage at 20(°)C, no microbiota was detected in treated samples, while significant changes for both HHP treated and untreated olives were observed for colour parameters only (minor degradation). In conclusion, HHP treatment may introduce a reliable nonthermal pasteurization method to extend the microbiological shelf-life of fermented table olives. | 25,243,146 | [
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Binding sites of miR-1273 family on the mRNA of target genes. | This study examined binding sites of 2,578 miRNAs in the mRNAs of 12,175 human genes using the MirTarget program. It found that the miRNAs of miR-1273 family have between 33 and 1,074 mRNA target genes, with a free hybridization energy of 90% or more of its maximum value. The miR-1273 family consists of miR-1273a, miR-1273c, miR-1273d, miR-1273e, miR-1273f, miR-1273g-3p, miR-1273g-5p, miR-1273h-3p, and miR-1273h-5p. Unique miRNAs (miR-1273e, miR-1273f, and miR-1273g-3p) have more than 400 target genes. We established 99 mRNA nucleotide sequences that contain arranged binding sites for the miR-1273 family. High conservation of each miRNA binding site in the mRNA of the target genes was found. The arranged binding sites of the miR-1273 family are located in the 5'UTR, CDS, or 3'UTR of many mRNAs. Five repeating sites containing some of the miR-1273 family's binding sites were found in the 3'UTR of several target genes. The oligonucleotide sequences of miR-1273 binding sites located in CDSs code for homologous amino acid sequences in the proteins of target genes. The biological role of unique miRNAs was also discussed. | 25,243,165 | [
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Anatomic imaging of the prostate. | The important role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the anatomic evaluation, detection, and staging of prostate cancer is well established. This paper focuses on the pertinent embryologic, anatomic, and imaging facts regarding both the normal prostate and the several examples of prostate cancers as well as staging implications. The discussion primarily includes findings related to T2-weighted imaging as opposed to the other functional sequences, including diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) or dynamic contrast enhanced MRI and MR spectroscopic imaging, respectively. | 25,243,174 | [
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Aluminium involvement in neurotoxicity. | The aetiology of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) seems to involve susceptibility genes and environmental factors. Toxic metals are considered major environmental pollutants. Following our study of a case of multiple sclerosis (MS) improvement due to removal of aluminium (Al) and other toxic metals, we have examined the possible relationship between Al intoxication and ND. We used the slow intravenous treatment with the chelating agent EDTA (calcium disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) (chelation test) to remove Al and detected it in the urine collected from the patients for 12 hours. Patients affected by MS represented 85.6% of total ND. Al was present in 44.8% of cases comprehensive of ND and healthy patients. Al levels were significantly higher in ND patients than in healthy subjects. We here show that treatment of patients affected by Al burden with ten EDTA chelation therapies (EDTA intravenous administration once a week) was able to significantly reduce Al intoxication. | 25,243,176 | [
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Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with lower physical function in patients with heart failure and diabetes. | Vitamin D deficiency is frequent among patients with heart failure (HF) and diabetes, disorders associated with exercise intolerance and muscle weakness. This study aims to search for associations between vitamin D sufficiency and physical function indexes in patients with HF and diabetes. A cross-sectional study of 146 HF patients, 39.7% with diabetes, at a Brazilian tertiary outpatient clinic was performed. Patients underwent clinical evaluation, 6-minute walk test (6 MWT), handgrip strength, physical activity level (IPAQ), and biochemical evaluations including serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Classification was done according to vitamin D status (≥ 30 ng/dL, sufficient) and presence/absence of diabetes in vitamin sufficient, no diabetes (DS-C, n = 25), vitamin sufficient, diabetes (DS-DM, n = 18), vitamin deficient, no diabetes (DD-C, n = 63), and vitamin deficient, diabetes (DD-DM, n = 40). Patients age was 55.4 ± 8 yrs; 70.5% had vitamin D deficiency. Clinical characteristics were similar among groups. Total time expended in physical activity was similar among groups (P = 0.26). DS-C covered higher distances in the 6 MWT (392 ± 60 m) versus DD-DM (309 ± 116 m); P = 0.024. Handgrip strength was similar among groups but tended to lower levels in DD-DM (P = 0.074) even after being adjusted to physical activity (P = 0.069). Vitamin D deficiency can influence physical function in HF diabetic patients. | 25,243,195 | [
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DS-ARP: a new detection scheme for ARP spoofing attacks based on routing trace for ubiquitous environments. | Despite the convenience, ubiquitous computing suffers from many threats and security risks. Security considerations in the ubiquitous network are required to create enriched and more secure ubiquitous environments. The address resolution protocol (ARP) is a protocol used to identify the IP address and the physical address of the associated network card. ARP is designed to work without problems in general environments. However, since it does not include security measures against malicious attacks, in its design, an attacker can impersonate another host using ARP spoofing or access important information. In this paper, we propose a new detection scheme for ARP spoofing attacks using a routing trace, which can be used to protect the internal network. Tracing routing can find the change of network movement path. The proposed scheme provides high constancy and compatibility because it does not alter the ARP protocol. In addition, it is simple and stable, as it does not use a complex algorithm or impose extra load on the computer system. | 25,243,205 | [
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Mechanical and physical properties of polyester polymer concrete using recycled aggregates from concrete sleepers. | Currently, reuse of solid waste from disused infrastructures is an important environmental issue to study. In this research, polymer concrete was developed by mixing orthophthalic unsaturated polyester resin, artificial microfillers (calcium carbonate), and waste aggregates (basalt and limestone) coming from the recycling process of concrete sleepers. The variation of the mechanical and physical properties of the polymer concrete (compressive strength, flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, density, and water absorption) was analyzed based on the modification of different variables: nature of the recycled aggregates, resin contents (11 wt%, 12 wt%, and 13 wt%), and particle-size distributions of microfillers used. The results show the influence of these variables on mechanical performance of polymer concrete. Compressive and flexural strength of recycled polymer concrete were improved by increasing amount of polyester resin and by optimizing the particle-size distribution of the microfillers. Besides, the results show the feasibility of developing a polymer concrete with excellent mechanical behavior. | 25,243,213 | [
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0.3545197,
0.1126992,
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Smart grid as a service: a discussion on design issues. | Smart grid allows the integration of distributed renewable energy resources into the conventional electricity distribution power grid such that the goals of reduction in power cost and in environment pollution can be met through an intelligent and efficient matching between power generators and power loads. Currently, this rapidly developing infrastructure is not as "smart" as it should be because of the lack of a flexible, scalable, and adaptive structure. As a solution, this work proposes smart grid as a service (SGaaS), which not only allows a smart grid to be composed out of basic services, but also allows power users to choose between different services based on their own requirements. The two important issues of service-level agreements and composition of services are also addressed in this work. Finally, we give the details of how SGaaS can be implemented using a FIPA-compliant JADE multiagent system. | 25,243,214 | [
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Improved power control using optimal adjustable coefficients for three-phase photovoltaic inverter under unbalanced grid voltage. | Unbalanced grid faults will lead to several drawbacks in the output power quality of photovoltaic generation (PV) converters, such as power fluctuation, current amplitude swell, and a large quantity of harmonics. The aim of this paper is to propose a flexible AC current generation method by selecting coefficients to overcome these problems in an optimal way. Three coefficients are brought in to tune the output current reference within the required limits of the power quality (the current harmonic distortion, the AC current peak, the power fluctuation, and the DC voltage fluctuation). Through the optimization algorithm, the coefficients can be determined aiming to generate the minimum integrated amplitudes of the active and reactive power references with the constraints of the inverter current and DC voltage fluctuation. Dead-beat controller is utilized to track the optimal current reference in a short period. The method has been verified in PSCAD/EMTDC software. | 25,243,215 | [
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A lattice-theoretic approach to multigranulation approximation space. | In this paper, we mainly investigate the equivalence between multigranulation approximation space and single-granulation approximation space from the lattice-theoretic viewpoint. It is proved that multigranulation approximation space is equivalent to single-granulation approximation space if and only if the pair of multigranulation rough approximation operators [Formula in text] forms an order-preserving Galois connection, if and only if the collection of lower (resp., upper) definable sets forms an (resp., union) intersection structure, if and only if the collection of multigranulation upper (lower) definable sets forms a distributive lattice when n = 2, and if and only if [Formula in text]. The obtained results help us gain more insights into the mathematical structure of multigranulation approximation spaces. | 25,243,226 | [
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Feature selection and classifier parameters estimation for EEG signals peak detection using particle swarm optimization. | Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal peak detection is widely used in clinical applications. The peak point can be detected using several approaches, including time, frequency, time-frequency, and nonlinear domains depending on various peak features from several models. However, there is no study that provides the importance of every peak feature in contributing to a good and generalized model. In this study, feature selection and classifier parameters estimation based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) are proposed as a framework for peak detection on EEG signals in time domain analysis. Two versions of PSO are used in the study: (1) standard PSO and (2) random asynchronous particle swarm optimization (RA-PSO). The proposed framework tries to find the best combination of all the available features that offers good peak detection and a high classification rate from the results in the conducted experiments. The evaluation results indicate that the accuracy of the peak detection can be improved up to 99.90% and 98.59% for training and testing, respectively, as compared to the framework without feature selection adaptation. Additionally, the proposed framework based on RA-PSO offers a better and reliable classification rate as compared to standard PSO as it produces low variance model. | 25,243,236 | [
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Intralesional bevacizumab as in-add adjuvant to immunocryosurgery for locally advanced basal cell carcinoma. | Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a tumour that relies mainly on aerobic energy assimilation for growth and depends on an extensive microvascular network to support adequate oxygen supply. In this tumour, higher expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been described to correlate with increased microvessel density and more aggressive biologic behaviour. To report feasibility and effectiveness of intralesional bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody, as an in-add adjuvant to immunocryosurgery (cryosurgery sessions during daily topical imiquimod application) for the treatment of locally advanced BCC. Seven patients (six uncontrollable or extensive local disease; one tumour unresponsive to repeated immunocryosurgery) were treated with 1–3 sessions of intralesional injections of bevacizumab (25 mg) at the day of cryosurgery during ongoing immunocryosurgery. Follow-up after treatment was 18–48 months. In 4/7 cases tumours cleared completely and 3/7 remained relapse free during follow-up. A relapsed tumour and a further case that did not clear after repeated immunocryosurgery cycles were excised with significantly reduced burden of surgery. Finally, two cases with previously locally uncontrollable BCC tumours regressed significantly and stabilized. In-add intralesional bevacizumab is a feasible and potentially effective addition to minimally invasive schemes for the treatment of locally advanced BCC. | 25,243,268 | [
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A new species of Dracoderes (Kinorhyncha: Dracoderidae) from Korea provides further support for a dracoderid-homalorhagid relationship. | A new kinorhynch species, Dracoderes nidhug nov. sp., is described from the East Sea, at 160 m depth, off Uljin, Korea. The new species is the fourth that can be assigned to the genus, and is recognized by the presence of dorsal spines on segments 3 to 9 (alternatingly displaced to more paradorsal positions on segments 3 to 8), subdorsal tubules on segment 2, lateroventral tubules on segments 2, 5 and 10, and lateral accessory tubules on segment 8. The new species shows two longitudinal, intracuticular markings on the ventral side of segment 1, which could be interpret as rudimentary plate joints, corresponding to the articulations found on the sternal plates of segment 1 in species of Pycnophyes and Kinorhynchus. The finding brings further support to a closer relationship between Dracoderes and homalorhagid kinorhynchs. | 25,243,279 | [
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Rediscovered at last: a new enigmatic genus of Axymyiidae (Diptera) from western North America. | An unusual and undescribed genus and species of Axymyiidae known from a single specimen collected more than 50 years ago in Alaska is rediscovered in Mt. Rainier National Park (USA: WA). Based on two female specimens, Plesioaxymyia vespertina gen. nov., sp. nov. is described. A preliminary phylogenetic tree of the Axymyiidae is presented, showing Plesioaxymyia as sister group to all remaining axymyiid genera. | 25,243,280 | [
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Two new species of Austrophthiracarus (Acari: Oribatida: phthiracaridae) from New Zealand. | The genus Austrophthiracarus (Acari: Oribatida: Phthiracaridae) was represented in New Zealand by four species prior to this work. In this paper, two new species of Austrophthiracarus are described from the South Island, New Zealand: Austrophthiracarus cronadun sp. nov. collected near Cronadun, Buller and Austrophthiracarus tawhai sp. nov. from (Catlins State Forest, Otago. A key to all known species of Austrophthiracarus in New Zealand is provided. | 25,243,293 | [
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Glyptothorax radiolus, a new species of sisorid catfish (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes) from northeastern India, with a redescription of G. striatus McClelland 1842. | Glyptothorax radiolus, new species, is described from the Brahmaputra River drainage in West Bengal, northeast India. It differs from most congeners in the Indian subcontinent in possessing plicae on the ventral surfaces of the pectoral spine and first pelvic-fin ray. The following combination of characters serve to distinguish it from congeners in the Indian subcontinent with plicate ventral surfaces of the pectoral spine and first pelvic-fin ray: eye diameter 6.6-7.4% HL interorbital distance 28.3-28.7% HL, head length 23.7-24.3% SL, wedge-shaped central depression in throracic adhesive apparatus devoid of skin ridges, unculiferous ridges of thoracic adhesive apparatus not extending anteriorly onto gular region, pectoral fin length 21.4-22.8% SL, dorsal-fin spine length 11.6-13.9% SL, dorsal-to-adipose distance 26.6-26.8% SL, body depth at anus 11.2-11.4% SL, pelvic fin length 16.5-18.3% SL, adipose-fin base length 13.1-14.3% SL, anal-fin base length 13.4-14.0% SL, caudal peduncle length 20.9% SL, caudal peduncle depth 7.7% SL (1.4-1.5 times in body depth at anus), absence of distinct pale midlateral stripe on body, and 36 total vertebrae. Glyptothorax striatus, the type species of the genus, is also rediagnosed and redescribed in this study. | 25,243,305 | [
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Discovery of a new genus and new species of Indo-West Pacific pilumnoidid crab from a semisubmersible oil platform (Crustacea: Brachyura: Pseudozioidea). | A new genus and new species of pseudozioid crab of the family Pilumnoididae is described from a fouling community on a semisubmersible oil platform in Singapore that had been operating in the Timor Sea and South China Sea. Setozius incertus gen. et sp. nov. superficially resembles species of Pilumnus (Pilumnidae, Pilumnoidea) but has male first and second gonopod structures characteristic of the Pseudozioidea. The form of the carapace, male anterior thoracic sternum and male abdomen indicates that it should be classified in the Pilumnoididae. Setozius is the first member of the family to be recorded from the Indo-West Pacific; all other known pilumnoidids occur in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. | 25,243,306 | [
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A new species of Martarega White, 1879, with new distributional records of Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Nepomorpha) from Brazil. | A new species of the genus Martarega White, 1879 is described based on brachypterous and macropterous specimens, collected in three regions of Brazil [North (State of Pará), Central-West (State of Goiás), and Southeast (State of Minas Gerais)]. The new species, Martarega nessimiani sp. nov., is very similar to M. brasiliensis Truxal, 1949. These species are differentiated by the rounded shape of the patch of thin setae on the male mesotrochanter, and the angular shape of the hemelytral process stripe of the female hemelytra in the new species, whereas M. brasiliensis has the patch of thin setae with an irregular shape and the hemelytral process stripe almost straight. Illustrations of both species are presented. In addition, we give new distributional records of another 11 species of Notonectidae in Brazil: Martarega membranacea White, M. chinai Hynes, M. bentoi Truxal, M. brasiliensis, M. gonostyla Truxal, M. nieseri Moreira Ribeiro & Nessimian, Buenoa amnigenus (White), B. konta Nieser & Pelli, B. salutis Kirkaldy, B. truxali Nieser, and Notonecta pulchra Hungerford. | 25,243,308 | [
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Ptychopteridae, a family of flies (Diptera) new to the Philippine Islands with the description of a new species. | Ptychoptera (Ptychoptera) noonadani sp. nov. is described and is the first record of family Ptychopteridae from the Philippine Islands. A key to males of all Ptychoptera species recorded from the Malay archipelago is presented. | 25,243,314 | [
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Characterization of key aroma compounds in distiller's grains from wheat as a basis for utilization in the food industry. | The limited use of distiller's grains (DG) in the food industry depends occasionally on the characteristic odor of DG. For a better understanding of this typical odor, a sensory evaluation was performed first. The impressions seasoninglike, roasty/breadlike, and malty/caramellike were revealed as the most intensive odors. Furthermore, analysis of volatile flavor compounds was applied on dried DG from wheat. Isolation was performed by means of headspace solid-phase microextraction, solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE), and simultaneous distillation/extraction and identification with gas chromatography-olfactometry/mass spectrometry. As a result, 42 odor-active compounds could be identified in total. Among 24 of the 42 odor-active compounds obtained by SAFE, 3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone (seasoninglike) showed the highest flavor dilution (FD) factor, and 7 compounds (3-methylbutanioc acid, dimethyl trisulfide, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-phenylethanol, 2,6-nonadienal, and 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone) with a FD factor ≥ 32 were identified as key aroma compounds in DG from wheat. | 25,243,324 | [
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A novel HLA-B allele, HLA-B*15:325, is identified by sequence-based typing in a HIV infected individual. | The novel allele B*15:325 shows difference from B*15:02:01 at codon 127 resulting in changes from Asn to Ser. | 25,243,341 | [
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The relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among Chinese pulmonary tuberculosis patients: the moderating role of self-esteem. | This study described the prevalence of psychological distress and examined the moderating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among Chinese pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients. Seven hundred and twenty patients with TB from three cities of Shandong Province in eastern China participated in a cross-sectional survey. Patients were measured with the Kessler 10 (K10), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and a self-developed perceived discrimination questionnaire. A total of 58.6% of patients with TB scored above 16 on the K10, indicating moderate and serious psychological distress. Chi-square test revealed that female patients reported higher psychological distress than male patients. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis among the whole sample indicated that perceived discrimination was significantly related with psychological distress (β = .28, p ≤ .01). The multiple group analysis of SEM showed that perceived discrimination had a significantly substantial (β = .50, p ≤ .001), significantly moderate (β = .15, p ≤ .01), and insignificant effect (β = .05, p ≥ .05) on psychological distress among low self-esteem, moderate self-esteem, and high self-esteem patients with TB, respectively, which verified the moderating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress. | 25,243,362 | [
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Chinese version of the Responses to Positive Affect Questionnaire: testing the factor structure, reliability, and validity in a college student sample. | This study tested the psychometrics of the Chinese version of the Responses to Positive Affect Questionnaire among 915 Chinese college students with an average age of 20.3 yr. (SD = 1.6). The original three-factor model with the factors dampening, emotion-focused positive rumination, and self-focused rumination was supported using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. All subscales showed good internal reliability, as well as evidence for convergent and incremental validity with measures of ego-resiliency, life satisfaction, and mental health symptoms. Finally, a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the three subscales, especially dampening, accounted for additional unique variance in psychological adjustment above and beyond resilience. These findings generally suggested that the Chinese Responses to Positive Affect Questionnaire possesses acceptable psychometric properties. Implications for counseling, limitations, and suggestions for future study were presented. | 25,243,367 | [
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Phi-class glutathione-S-transferase is involved in Dn1-mediated resistance. | Wheat Dn genes afford resistance to the economically important pest, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov, Russian wheat aphid, RWA) and have been the topic of transcriptomic and proteomic studies aimed at unraveling the pathways involved in resistance. The antibiotic resistance conveyed by Dn1 is characterized by a hypersensitive response (HR) followed by systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Although many candidate genes differentially expressed during the Dn1-mediated resistance response have been identified, few have been functionally verified. The aim of this study was to silence three HR-associated candidate genes in Dn1 containing wheat using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS): thylakoid-associated ascorbate peroxidase (tAPX), phi-class glutathione-S-transferase (TaGSTF6) and superoxide dismutase Cu/Zn (SOD). D. noxia fertility was used as a measure of antibiotic resistance. Silencing of SOD Cu/Zn had little effect on D. noxia fertility, while increased aphid reproduction was recorded on tAPX- and TaGSTF6-silenced plants. However, tAPX-silencing only affected early measurements and did not have a prolonged effect on resistance. TaGSTF6-silenced plants expressed lowered H2 O2 production in resistant wheat under infestation conditions, suggesting that TaGSTF6 and H2 O2 play an integral role in Dn1-mediated D. noxia resistance in wheat plants. | 25,243,379 | [
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A whole-cell bioreporter approach for the genotoxicity assessment of bioavailability of toxic compounds in contaminated soil in China. | A whole-cell bacterial bioreporter Acinetobacter baylyi strain ADP1_recA_lux that responds to genotoxins was employed to directly assess the adverse effects of the bioavailable fraction of mitomycin C (MMC), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), chromium (VI) and lead (II) in amended soils and soil samples from two fragile areas in China without soil pre-treatment. The amended soils containing pollutants with the concentrations as low as 0.4 mg/kg MMC, 0.5 mg/kg BaP, 520 mg/kg Cr (VI) and 2072 mg/kg Pb (II) were found to be toxic. Soil particle-associated pollutants accounted for 86%, 100%, 29%, and 92% of the genotoxicity in the MMC, BaP, Cr (VI), and Pb (II) amended soil, respectively. The soils from contaminated sites were also valid to be genotoxic. The results suggest both free and soil particle-associated pollutants are bioavailable to soil organisms and a solid-phase contact bioreporter assay to soil contamination could provide a rapid screening tool for environmental risk assessment. | 25,243,386 | [
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Role of cosolutes in the aggregation kinetics of monoclonal antibodies. | We propose a general strategy based on kinetic analysis to investigate how cosolutes affect the aggregation behavior of therapeutic proteins. We apply this approach to study the impact of NaCl and sorbitol on the aggregation kinetics of two monoclonal antibodies, an IgG1 and an IgG2. By using a combination of size exclusion chromatography and light scattering techniques, we study the impact of the cosolutes on the monomer depletion, as well as on the formation of dimers, trimers, and larger aggregates. We analyze these macroscopic effects in the frame of a kinetic model based on Smoluchowski's population balance equations modified to account for nucleation events. By comparing experimental data with model simulations, we discriminate the effect of cosolutes on the elementary steps which contribute to the global aggregation process. In the case of the IgG1, it is found that NaCl accelerates the kinetics of aggregation by promoting specifically aggregation events, while sorbitol delays the kinetics of aggregation by specifically inhibiting protein unfolding. In the case of the IgG2, whose monomer depletion kinetics is limited by dimer formation, NaCl and sorbitol are found respectively to accelerate and inhibit conformational changes and aggregation events to the same extent. | 25,243,487 | [
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Doppler ultrasonographic evaluation of the carotid and vertebral arteries in children with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. | In children with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), the aim of present study was to determine the cerebral hemodynamic changes assessed with Doppler ultrasonography with measurements of lumen diameter (LD), peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI), and total cerebral blood flow volume (tCBFV) of common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA, and vertebral artery (VA). This case-control study examined children with clinically defined CCHF as cases (N.=24) and healthy children as controls (N.=17). The CCHF and healthy children underwent ultrasonography of the CCA, ICA and VA for the measurements of flow velocity and cerebral blood flow volume. Doppler ultrasonography were performed in the CCHF children if vital signs were stable and fever lower than 37.5 °C. There was no significant difference between the CCHF and healthy children in the lumen diameter of study arteries (P>0.05). PSV and EDV values were significantly higher in the CCHF children compared to the controls (P<0.05). Overall, the CCHF did not cause considerable change in RI and PI values (P>0.05). tCBFV values of CCHF children was found higher compared to healthy controls (P<0.05). Overall, in children, CCHF causes an increase in the cerebral blood flow as determined by Doppler ultrasonography with flow velocity and cerebral blood flow volume measurements; however, this increase need to be accepted as mild to moderate degree. Several pathophysiological derangements may be contributory to the increased cerebral blood flow in children with CCHF. | 25,243,496 | [
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Results of life-supporting galactosyltransferase knockout kidneys in cynomolgus monkeys using two different sources of galactosyltransferase knockout Swine. | Various durations of survival have been observed in the xenotransplantation of life-supporting α-1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout (GalT-KO) porcine kidneys into nonhuman primates. Although others have demonstrated loss of GalT-KO-transplanted kidneys within 2 weeks, we have reported an average survival of 51 days with the cotransplantation of the kidney and vascularized thymus and an average of 29 days with the kidney alone. To determine the factors responsible for this difference in survival time, we performed xenogeneic kidney transplantations into cynomolgus monkeys with an anti-CD40L-based regimen using two different strains of GalT-KO swine, one derived from MGH miniature swine and the other obtained from Meji University. Eight cynomolgus moneys received GalT-KO kidneys. Three kidney grafts were from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-Nippon Institute for Biological Science (NIBS) GalT-KO pigs and five GalT-KO grafts were from MEIJI GalT-KO swine. All cynomolgus recipients were treated identically. Recipients of kidneys from the MGH GalT-KO kidneys swine, produced by nuclear transfer in Japan, survived an average of 28.7 days, whereas recipients of MEIJI GalT-KO kidneys swine survived an average of 9.2 days. Among the differences between these two groups, one potentially revealing disparity was that the MEIJI swine were positive for porcine cytomegalovirus, whereas the MGH-derived swine were negative. This is the first study comparing renal xenotransplantation from two different sources of GalT-KO swine into nonhuman primates at a single center. The results demonstrate that porcine cytomegalovirus may be responsible for early loss of GalT-KO swine kidney xenografts. | 25,243,512 | [
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Malignant pleural mesothelioma: visual assessment by using pleural pointillism at diffusion-weighted MR imaging. | To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the visual assessment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) on magnetic resonance (MR) images by using two known visual markers (mediastinal pleural thickness and shrinking of the lung) and a newly introduced one (pleural pointillism). With the approval of the local ethics committee, 100 consecutive patients (mean age, 61.4 years; age range, 18-87 years; 75 men, 25 women) suspected of having MPM pleural abnormalities underwent positron emission tomography/computed tomography and MR imaging, including diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging, followed by explorative thoracoscopy or guided biopsy with histopathologic confirmation. Because visual assessment is still the preferred method of image interpretation, the diagnostic accuracy of mediastinal pleural thickening, shrinking lung (hemithorax volume decrease due to fibrosis), and pleural pointillism were examined. Pleural pointillism was denoted by the presence of multiple, hyperintense pleural spots on high-b-value DW images. Histopathologic findings in the surgical specimen served as the reference standard. McNemar tests with Bonferroni correction were used to assess differences in accuracy among the three examined markers. Of 100 patients, 33 had benign pleural alterations, and 67 had malignant pleural diseases (MPDs); 57 of 67 had MPM. A total of 78 patients received a correct diagnosis (benign vs malignant) on the basis of mediastinal pleural thickening (sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 73%; accuracy, 78%); and 66 patients, on the basis of shrinking lung (sensitivity, 60%; specificity, 79%; accuracy, 66%). The correct diagnosis was indicated on the basis of pleural pointillism in 88 patients (sensitivity, 93%; specificity, 79%; accuracy, 88%). Visual assessment of pleural pointillism on high-b-value DW images is useful to differentiate MPD from benign alterations, performing substantially better than mediastinal pleural thickness and shrinking lung, and might obviate unnecessary invasive procedures for MPM. | 25,243,538 | [
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Perfusion CT for selecting patients with acute ischemic stroke for intravenous thrombolytic therapy. | To determine rates of death, disability, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage ( SICH symptomatic ICH ) among patients with acute ischemic stroke selected for thrombolytic therapy by using perfusion computed tomography (CT) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. A search of the literature up to July 2012 was performed by using MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Google Scholar on terms including "brain ischemia" and "perfusion imaging." The search was unrestricted by language of publication. Two reviewers extracted study data and independently assessed the risk of study bias. Outcomes of patients selected by using perfusion CT, including case-fatality rate, favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale [ mRS modified Rankin Scale ] score, ≤2), and rates of SICH symptomatic ICH , were estimated. Thirteen experimental or observational studies that included patients who received intravenous thrombolytic treatment after perfusion CT were identified. The methodologic quality of the small studies was generally good. Overall, 90-day mortality was 10.0% (95% confidence interval [ CI confidence interval ]: 5.4%, 15.9%). Among patients treated within 3 hours of symptom onset, mortality was 12.5% (95% CI confidence interval : 6.7%, 19.7%), a favorable outcome ( mRS modified Rankin Scale score, ≤2) was seen in 42.5% of patients (95% CI confidence interval : 16.6%, 70.9%), and the SICH symptomatic ICH rate was 3.3% (95% CI confidence interval : 0.7%, 7.7%). Among patients treated more than 3 hours after symptom onset, mortality was 2.9% (95% CI confidence interval : 0.0%, 12.7%), 69.9% of patients (95% CI confidence interval : 0%, 83.5%) had a favorable outcome, and the SICH symptomatic ICH rate was 3.9% (95% CI confidence interval : 0.8%, 9.2%). The outcomes (mortality, morbidity, and SICH symptomatic ICH rates) for patients selected with perfusion CT to receive intravenous thrombolytic treatment more than 3 hours after symptom onset appear favorable. | 25,243,539 | [
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The expression of the miR-25/93/106b family of micro-RNAs in the adipose tissue of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. | In adipose tissue (AT) micro-RNA-93 (miR-93) is significantly overexpressed in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women and non-PCOS women with insulin resistance (IR). Overexpressed miR-93 directly inhibits glucose transporter isoform 4, impairing both glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. The mechanisms behind increased miR-93 expression are unclear. Our objective was to determine whether miR-93 expression is concordant with its host gene, MCM7, which contains the miR-25/93/106b gene cluster. AT was excised from 16 women with PCOS (eight with and eight without IR) and 15 non-PCOS (nine with and six without IR). Expression of MCM7 and miR-25/93/106b was measured in AT and 3T3-L1 cells. MCM7 expression was lower in both non-PCOS/IR and PCOS women and tended to be lowest in women with PCOS and IR. Overall, the expression of MCM7 in human AT was negatively associated with miR-93 expression and with increased subject IR. Additionally, miR-25 and miR-106b expression is uncoupled from the MCM7 host gene and are positively correlated with IR, although no PCOS-specific difference was observed. MCM7 expression appears to be negatively correlated with increasing fasting glucose. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, increasing glucose had no effect on miR-93 or miR-25, although it reduced MCM7 and increased miR-106b expression in a dose-dependent fashion. In turn, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, increasing insulin had no effect on either MCM7 or miR-25/93/106b expression. Our data suggest that the expression of MCM7 and miR-93/25 is PCOS and IR related, whereas that of miR-106b is related to IR only. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, neither hyperglycemia nor hyperinsulinemia altered the expression of miR-93 or miR-25, although increasing glucose levels down-regulated MCM7 and paradoxically increased that of miR-106b expression. The expression of the miR-25/93/106b family may be regulated through mechanisms distinct from its host gene, MCM7. Finally, our studies suggest potential epigenetic mechanisms for both IR and PCOS. | 25,243,570 | [
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Body composition during childhood and adolescence: relations to bone strength and microstructure. | Numerous studies have examined the association of body composition with bone development in children and adolescents, but none have used micro-finite element (μFE) analysis of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography images to assess bone strength. This study sought to examine the relations of appendicular lean mass (ALM) and total body fat mass (TBFM) to bone strength (failure load) at the distal radius and tibia. This was a cross-sectional study of 198 healthy 8- to <15-year-old boys (n = 109) and girls (n = 89) performed in a Clinical Research Unit. After adjusting for bone age, height, fracture history, ALM, and TBFM, multiple linear regression analyses in boys and girls, separately, showed robust positive associations between ALM and failure loads at both the distal radius (boys: β = 0.92, P < .001; girls: β = 0.66, P = .001) and tibia (boys: β = 0.96, P < .001; girls: β = 0.66, P < .001). By contrast, in both boys and girls the relationship between TBFM and failure load at the distal radius was virtually nonexistent (boys: β = -0.07; P = .284; girls: β = -0.03; P = .729). At the distal tibia, positive, albeit weak, associations were observed between TBFM and failure load in both boys (β = 0.09, P = .075) and girls (β = 0.17, P = .033). Our data highlight the importance of lean mass for optimizing bone strength during growth, and suggest that fat mass may have differential relations to bone strength at weight-bearing vs non-weight-bearing sites in children and adolescents. These observations suggest that the strength of the distal radius does not commensurately increase with excess gains in adiposity during growth, which may result in a mismatch between bone strength and the load experienced by the distal forearm during a fall. These findings may explain, in part, why obese children are over-represented among distal forearm fracture cases. | 25,243,571 | [
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Self-assembly of diblock copolymer-maghemite nanoparticle hybrid thin films. | The arrangement of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) in poly(styrene-d8-block-n-butyl methacrylate) P(Sd-b-BMA) diblock copolymer (DBC) films via a self-assembly process was investigated toward the fabrication of highly ordered maghemite-polymer hybrid thin films. The resulting thin films exhibited a perforated lamella with an enrichment layer containing NPs as investigated with X-ray reflectometry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and time-of-flight grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering as a function of the NP concentrations. The NPs were selectively deposited in the PSd domains of the DBC during the microphase separation process. At low NP concentrations, the incorporation of the NPs within the DBC thin films resulted in an enhanced microphase separation process and formation of highly oriented and ordered nanostructured hybrid films. At higher NP concentrations, the aggregation of the NPs was dominating and large sized metal oxide clusters were observed. The superparamagnetic properties of the metal oxide-polymer hybrid films at various NP concentrations were probed by a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer, which shows that the hybrid films are highly attractive for optical devices, magnetic sensors, and magnetic recording devices. | 25,243,575 | [
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Variation in virus symptom development and root architecture attributes at the onset of storage root initiation in 'beauregard' sweetpotato plants grown with or without nitrogen. | It has been shown that virus infections, often symptomless, significantly limit sweetpotato productivity, especially in regions characterized by low input agricultural systems. In sweetpotatoes, the successful emergence and development of lateral roots (LRs), the main determinant of root architecture, determines the competency of adventitious roots to undergo storage root initiation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of some plant viruses on root architecture attributes during the onset of storage root initiation in 'Beauregard' sweetpotatoes that were grown with or without the presence of nitrogen. In two replicate experiments, virus-tested plants consistently failed to show visible symptoms at 20 days regardless of nitrogen treatment. In both experiments, the severity of symptom development among infected plants ranged from 25 to 118% when compared to the controls (virus tested plants grown in the presence of nitrogen). The presence of a complex of viruses (Sweet potato feathery mottle virus, Sweet potato virus G, Sweet potato virus C, and Sweet potato virus 2) was associated with 51% reduction in adventitious root number among plants grown without nitrogen. The effect of virus treatments on first order LR development depended on the presence or absence of nitrogen. In the presence of nitrogen, only plants infected with Sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus showed reductions in first order LR length, number, and density, which were decreased by 33%, 12%, and 11%, respectively, when compared to the controls. In the absence of nitrogen, virus tested and infected plants manifested significant reductions for all first order LR attributes. These results provide evidence that virus infection directly influences sweetpotato yield potential by reducing both the number of adventitious roots and LR development. These findings provide a framework for understanding how virus infection reduces sweetpotato yield and could lead to the development of novel strategies to mitigate virus effects on sweetpotato productivity. | 25,243,579 | [
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Comorbidities in elderly patients with asthma: Association with control of the disease and concomitant treatment. | The incidence of concomitant conditions increases with age. In elderly patients, the presence of comorbidities has been related to the course and severity of asthma. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of comorbidities and concomitant treatment on asthma control and severity in older adults. A total of 93 elderly (age >65 years) and 78 younger (age 30-50 years) asthmatic patients were randomly selected from a database including 1755 asthmatics. Evaluation consisted of a questionnaire, spirometry and skin prick testing. In elderly asthmatics, a higher incidence of chronic comorbidities (mean 8.4 vs 4.7; P < 0.001) and a higher number of prescribed medicines (7.4 vs 4.5, P < 0.001) were observed, but the severity of asthma and the intensity of anti-asthma treatment were similar to that seen in younger patients. Asthma control was not strikingly different between the groups. There was no correlation between the presence of comorbid conditions and asthma control, severity or frequency of exacerbations in older patients. Elderly patients treated with statins had a lower risk of asthma exacerbation (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.18-0.84, P = 0.017), whereas treatment with proton pump inhibitors was associated with a higher risk of exacerbations in older adults (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.07-3.18, P = 0.029) and higher disease severity in younger patients (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.1-5.67, P = 0.029). The higher prevalence of comorbidities observed in elderly asthmatics under specialist care do not seem to be associated with worsened asthma control or severity. However, concomitant medications can significantly affect asthma control in both elderly and younger asthmatics. | 25,243,580 | [
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Monitoring intervention coverage in the context of universal health coverage. | Monitoring universal health coverage (UHC) focuses on information on health intervention coverage and financial protection. This paper addresses monitoring intervention coverage, related to the full spectrum of UHC, including health promotion and disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliation. A comprehensive core set of indicators most relevant to the country situation should be monitored on a regular basis as part of health progress and systems performance assessment for all countries. UHC monitoring should be embedded in a broad results framework for the country health system, but focus on indicators related to the coverage of interventions that most directly reflect the results of UHC investments and strategies in each country. A set of tracer coverage indicators can be selected, divided into two groups-promotion/prevention, and treatment/care-as illustrated in this paper. Disaggregation of the indicators by the main equity stratifiers is critical to monitor progress in all population groups. Targets need to be set in accordance with baselines, historical rate of progress, and measurement considerations. Critical measurement gaps also exist, especially for treatment indicators, covering issues such as mental health, injuries, chronic conditions, surgical interventions, rehabilitation, and palliation. Consequently, further research and proxy indicators need to be used in the interim. Ideally, indicators should include a quality of intervention dimension. For some interventions, use of a single indicator is feasible, such as management of hypertension; but in many areas additional indicators are needed to capture quality of service provision. The monitoring of UHC has significant implications for health information systems. Major data gaps will need to be filled. At a minimum, countries will need to administer regular household health surveys with biological and clinical data collection. Countries will also need to improve the production of reliable, comprehensive, and timely health facility data. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary. | 25,243,586 | [
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Joint Estimation of Hydraulic and Poroelastic Parameters from a Pumping Test. | The coupling of hydraulic and poroelastic processes is critical in predicting processes involving the deformation of the geologic medium in response to fluid extraction or injection. Numerical models that consider the coupling of hydraulic and poroelastic processes require the knowledge of relevant parameters for both aquifer and aquitard units. In this study, we jointly estimated hydraulic and poroelastic parameters from pumping test data exhibiting "reverse water level fluctuations," known as the Noordbergum effect, in aquitards adjacent to a pumped aquifer. The joint estimation was performed by coupling BIOT2, a finite element, two-dimensional, axisymmetric, groundwater model that considers poroelastic effects with the parameter estimation code PEST. We first tested our approach using a synthetic data set with known parameters. Results of the synthetic case showed that for a simple layered system, it was possible to reproduce accurately both the hydraulic and poroelastic properties for each layer. We next applied the approach to pumping test data collected at the North Campus Research Site (NCRS) on the University of Waterloo (UW) campus. Based on the detailed knowledge of stratigraphy, a five-layer system was modeled. Parameter estimation was performed by: (1) matching drawdown data individually from each observation port and (2) matching drawdown data from all ports at a single well simultaneously. The estimated hydraulic parameters were compared to those obtained by other means at the site yielding good agreement. However, the estimated shear modulus was higher than the static shear modulus, but was within the range of dynamic shear modulus reported in the literature, potentially suggesting a loading rate effect. | 25,243,589 | [
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Female face preference in 4-month-olds: the importance of hairline. | At 3-4 months of age, infants respond to gender information in human faces. Specifically, young infants display a visual preference toward female over male faces. In three experiments, using a visual preference task, we investigated the role of hairline information in this bias. In Experiment 1, we presented male and female composite faces with similar hairstyles to 4-month-olds and observed a preference for female faces. In Experiment 2, the faces were presented, but in this instance, without hairline cues, and the preference was eliminated. In Experiment 3, using the same cropping to eliminate hairline cues, but with feminized female faces and masculinized male faces, infants' preference toward female faces was still not in evidence. The findings show that hairline information is important in young infants' preferential orientation toward female faces. | 25,243,612 | [
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SpatTrack: an imaging toolbox for analysis of vesicle motility and distribution in living cells. | The endocytic pathway is a complex network of highly dynamic organelles, which has been traditionally studied by quantitative fluorescence microscopy. The data generated by this method can be overwhelming and its analysis, even for the skilled microscopist, is tedious and error-prone. We developed SpatTrack, an open source, platform-independent program collecting a variety of methods for analysis of vesicle dynamics and distribution in living cells. SpatTrack performs 2D particle tracking, trajectory analysis and fitting of diffusion models to the calculated mean square displacement. It allows for spatial analysis of detected vesicle patterns including calculation of the radial distribution function and particle-based colocalization. Importantly, all analysis tools are supported by Monte Carlo simulations of synthetic images. This allows the user to assess the reliability of the analysis and to study alternative scenarios. We demonstrate the functionality of SpatTrack by performing a detailed imaging study of internalized fluorescence-tagged Niemann Pick C2 (NPC2) protein in human disease fibroblasts. Using SpatTrack, we show that NPC2 rescued the cholesterol-storage phenotype from a subpopulation of late endosomes/lysosomes (LE/LYSs). This was paralleled by repositioning and active transport of NPC2-containing vesicles to the cell surface. The potential of SpatTrack for other applications in intracellular transport studies will be discussed. | 25,243,614 | [
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The effect of equine antithymocyte globulin on the outcomes of reduced intensity conditioning for AML. | Whether or not the benefits of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) on engraftment and GVHD are offset by increased risk of relapse, delayed T-cell recovery and increased infections remains controversial. We retrospectively studied the effect of ATG in 144 AML patients, 34 of whom received ATG, undergoing reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCB) or HLA-matched sibling PBSC. ATG patients had not received intensive chemotherapy for 3 months before transplantation for UCB, 6 months for PBSC. There were no differences in engraftment between ATG and non-ATG patients. The cumulative incidences of TRM as well as acute and chronic GVHD in ATG-treated patients were not statistically different. ATG patients had significantly more infections between 46 and 180 days post transplantation. Unexpectedly, after adjusting for donor type, relapse was lower among ATG recipients (relative risk (RR) 0.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3-1.0, P=0.04). In summary, administration of ATG to AML patients undergoing RIC had no adverse impact on major clinical outcomes. ATG may be indicated for patients at higher risk of graft failure after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). | 25,243,623 | [
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Long-acting GLP-1 analogue in V-shaped conformation by terminal polylysine modifications. | Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) possesses multiple physiological functions, which make it a potential drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. However, its clinical application was limited severely by its short half-life in vivo. Therefore, stabilization of GLP-1 is critical for the use of this peptide in drug development. In this study, a novel GLP-1 derivative, VGLP1K6, processed a significantly prolonged half-life in vivo. Structural analysis using molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that VGLP1K6 has a rigid V-shaped conformation resulting from the intrapeptide disulfide bond. The C-terminal polylysine residues of VGLP1K6 caused the vulnerable N-terminus of GLP-1 (HA-fragment) to reside within the pocket-like cavity of the peptide due to the intrahydrogen bonds. The structural analysis suggested that this structural alteration contributed to the remarkable prolonged half-life of VGLP1K6, which was approximately 70 h. In addition, VGLP1K6 induced better long-acting glucose tolerance and greater HbA1c reductions than GLP-1 in rodents. Our findings suggest that the GLP-1 derivative VGLP1K6 might be a possible potent antidiabetic drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. | 25,243,635 | [
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Pharmacokinetics, Tissue Distribution and Plasma Protein Binding Studies of Rohitukine: A Potent Anti-hyperlipidemic Agent. | Rohitukine (RH) is a chromone alkaloid considered as one of the major active component of Dysoxylum binectariferum, exhibiting diverse pharmacological activities such as anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, anti-leishmanial, anti ulcer and anti-fertility. There's still a lack of information of RH, inclusive of pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion, in vivo studies in experimental animals, such as hamster and rats. In this study, a selective and sensitive bioanalytical method was developed and validated using HPLC-UV system. The assay was applied to estimate pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and excretion of RH in hamster at 50 mg/kg oral dose. It rapidly reached systemic circulation and distributed to various tissues, and highest concentration was observed in liver. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as clearance (CL/F) was 3.95±0.9 L/h/kg, volume of distribution (Vd/F) was 17.34±11.34 L/kg and elimination half-life was 2.62±1.34 h. RH shows moderate protein binding ~ 60% and found stable in gastro-intestinal fluid, a property that favors oral administration. | 25,243,649 | [
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Effects of false-positive cancer screenings and cancer worry on risk-reducing surgery among BRCA1/2 carriers. | Female BRCA1/2 mutation carriers are at increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Annual breast and semiannual ovarian cancer screening is recommended for early detection, which frequently leads to false-positive test results (FPTR). FPTR may influence cancer risk perceptions and worry, which in turn may affect an individual's decision to undergo risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) or risk-reducing bilateral mastectomy (RRBM). The purpose of this study was to examine: (a) the effect of false-positive breast and ovarian cancer screening test results on perceived cancer risk and cancer worry, and (b) the joint effects of FPTR, risk perceptions, and worry on the choice of risk-reducing surgery among BRCA1/2 mutation carriers undergoing an intensive cancer screening protocol. BRCA1/2 mutation carriers (N = 170) reported cancer risk perceptions and cancer worry during a prospective 4-year screening protocol (2001-2007) at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. FPTR and risk-reducing surgeries were objectively recorded. FPTR at baseline were associated with transient elevations in worry; cumulative FPTR across the entire study were not associated with opting for risk-reducing surgery. However, cancer-specific worry was a strong predictor of surgery (RRSO: OR = 6.15; RRBM: OR = 4.27). In women at inherited risk of breast and ovarian cancer, FPTR were not associated with large increases in cancer risk perception, cancer worry, or increased uptake of risk-reducing surgery. However, cancer-specific worry was an independent predictor of uptake of risk-reducing surgery and warrants consideration when counseling high-risk women regarding risk-reducing interventions. | 25,243,716 | [
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Semisynthesis of biologically active glycoforms of the human cytokine interleukin 6. | Human interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a potent cytokine with immunomodulatory properties. As the influence of N-glycosylation on the in vivo activities of IL-6 could not be elucidated so far, a semisynthesis of homogeneous glycoforms of IL-6 was established by sequential native chemical ligation. The four cysteines of IL-6 are convenient for ligations and require only the short synthetic glycopeptide 43-48. The Cys-peptide 49-183 could be obtained recombinantly by cleavage of a SUMO tag. The fragment 1-42 was accessible by the simultaneous cleavage of two inteins, leading to the 1-42 thioester with the native N-terminus. Ligation and refolding studies showed that the inherently labile Asp-Pro bond 139-140 was detrimental for the sequential C- to N-terminal ligation. A reversed ligation sequence using glycopeptide hydrazides gave full-length IL-6 glycoproteins, which showed full bioactivity after efficient refolding and purification. | 25,243,720 | [
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Phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activities in six species of ramie leaves. | Increased consumption of vegetables or plant food has been associated with decreased risk of developing major chronic diseases, such as cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and age-related functional decline. Ramie leaves are rich in phenolics and flavonoids, which have been suggested for human health benefits. Phenolic contents, flavonoid contents, phenolic compounds, and anti-cancer properties in six species of ramie leaves were analyzed by Folin-reagent method, sodium borohydride/chloranil-based assay (SBC), HPLC method and antiproliferation, cytoxicity, respectively. Antioxidant activities were measured through peroxyl radical scavenging capacity (PSC) method, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method, and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA). Research indicated that Boehmeria penduliflora contained the highest total phenolic content (2313.7±27.28 mg GAE/100 g FW), and flavonoid content (1682.4±27.70 mg CAE/100 g FW). Boehmeria tricuspis showed the highest PSC value (9574.8±117.63 µM vit. C equiv./100 g FW), while Boehmeria penduliflora indicated the highest ORAC value (330.44±16.88 µmol Trolox equiv./g FW). The antioxidant activities were correlated with phenolic contents and flavonoid contents. Boehmeria tricuspis had the highest antiproliferative capacity with the lowest EC₅₀ (4.11±0.19 mg/mL). The results for the analyzed ramie for CAA were significantly different from each other (p<0.05), Boehmeria tricuspis had the highest CAA value (133.63±7.10 µmol QE/100 g). Benzoic acid, 4-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and ferulic acid were the dominant phenolic ingredients in the ramie leaves according to HPLC analysis. Our research is the first report to study the phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activities in different species of ramie leaves for their health benefit. | 25,243,741 | [
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Electroconvulsive in a Schizophrenic Patient With Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and Rhabdomyolysis. | We present the case of a middle-aged man with a chronic history of schizoaffective disorder, depressed type, stable on a second-generation antipsychotic. Psychotic symptoms recurred contingent to medication noncompliance necessitating hospitalization. Treatment was complicated by the development of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). In addition, subsequent medication rechallenges failed because of recurrent rhabdomyolysis and atypical NMS. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment was initiated, affording remission of psychotic symptoms and nonrecurrence of NMS and rhabdomyolysis. Our experience confirmed the efficacy of ECT treatment in providing symptom relief of psychosis complicated by recurrent episodes of NMS and atypical NMS. Likewise, it illustrated the efficacy of ECT treatment for rhabdomyolysis. | 25,243,752 | [
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Exploring the decision-making process in the delivery of physiotherapy in a stroke unit. | The aim of this study was to explore the decision-making process in the delivery of physiotherapy in a stroke unit. A focused ethnographical approach involving semi-structured interviews and observations of clinical practice was used. A purposive sample of seven neurophysiotherapists and four patients participated in semi-structured interviews. From this group, three neurophysiotherapists and four patients were involved in observation of practice. Data from interviews and observations were analysed to generate themes. Three themes were identified: planning the ideal physiotherapy delivery, the reality of physiotherapy delivery and involvement in the decision-making process. Physiotherapists used a variety of clinical reasoning strategies and considered many factors to influence their decision-making in the planning and delivery of physiotherapy post-stroke. These factors included the therapist's clinical experience, patient's presentation and response to therapy, prioritisation, organisational constraints and compliance with organisational practice. All physiotherapists highlighted the importance to involve patients in planning and delivering their physiotherapy. However, there were varying levels of patient involvement observed in this process. The study has generated insight into the reality of decision-making in the planning and delivery of physiotherapy post-stroke. Further research involving other stroke units is required to gain a greater understanding of this aspect of physiotherapy. Implications for Rehabilitation Physiotherapists need to consider multiple patient, therapist and organisational factors when planning and delivering physiotherapy in a stroke unit. Physiotherapists should continually reflect upon how they provide physiotherapy, with respect to the duration, frequency and time of day sessions are delivered, in order to guide current and future physiotherapy delivery. As patients may demonstrate varying levels of participation in deciding and understanding how physiotherapy is delivered, physiotherapists need to adjust how they engage patients in the decision-making process and manage patient expectations accordingly. | 25,243,761 | [
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Clinical psychology and disability studies: bridging the disciplinary divide on mental health and disability. | Clinical psychology and disability studies have traditionally occupied very different academic, philosophical and political spaces. However, this paper aims to illustrate the positive consequences and implications of attempts to understand and bridge this disciplinary divide. A narrative review format was used with evidence selected pragmatically as opposed to systematically. The construction of the argument determined the evidence selected. The concept of psycho-emotional disablism, which originated within disability studies, is argued to be a useful concept to bridge the divide between understandings of distress from both disability studies and clinical psychology perspectives. However, this can be usefully augmented by psychological research on the mechanisms through which disablism can affect individuals. Perspectives from both disability studies and clinical psychology can be usefully combined to bring important new perspectives; combined, these perspectives should help - on theoretical, service and social levels - to improve the mental health of disabled people. Implications for Rehabilitation Mental health is an important determinant of overall health-related quality of life and psychological therapy should be available for those disabled people who would value it. Psychological therapists working with disabled people should be more aware of the challenging social context in which disabled people live. Understandings of distress should not just include individual factors but also incorporate the psychological impact of stresses caused by societal barriers preventing inclusion. Psychologists should be more willing to work and engage at a societal and political level to influence change. | 25,243,770 | [
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Case-controlled identification of colorectal cancer based on proteomic profiles and the potential for screening. | Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes detect early cancers but unfortunately have limited sensitivity and specificity. Mass spectrometry-based determination of serum peptide and protein profiles provides a new approach for improved screening. Serum samples were obtained from 126 CRC patients before treatment and 277 control individuals. An additional group of samples from 50 CRC patients and 82 controls was used for validation. Peptide and protein enrichments were carried out using reverse-phase C18 and weak-cation exchange magnetic beads in an automated solid-phase extraction and spotting procedure. Profiles were acquired on a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight system. Discriminant rules using logistic regression were calibrated for the peptide and protein signatures separately, followed by combining the classifications to obtain double cross-validated predicted class probabilities. Results were validated on an identical patient set. A discriminative power was found for patients with CRC representative for all histopathological stages compared with controls with an area under the curve of 0.95 in the test set (0.93 for the validation set) and with a high specificity (94-95%). The study has shown that a serum peptide and protein biomarker signature can be used to distinguish CRC patients from healthy controls with high discriminative power. This relatively simple and cheap test is promising for CRC screening. | 25,243,779 | [
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Screening for Chlamydia and gonorrhea: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. | Update of previous U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening for chlamydia (2007) and gonorrhea (2005). The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for chlamydial and gonococcal infections in asymptomatic patients from studies published since its last reviews. The USPSTF also considered evidence from its previous recommendations and reviews. This recommendation applies to all sexually active adolescents and adults, including pregnant women. The USPSTF recommends screening for chlamydia in sexually active females aged 24 years or younger and in older women who are at increased risk for infection. (B recommendation) The USPSTF recommends screening for gonorrhea in sexually active females aged 24 years or younger and in older women who are at increased risk for infection. (B recommendation) The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in men. (I statement). | 25,243,785 | [
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Regulation of rotavirus polymerase activity by inner capsid proteins. | Rotavirus, a cause of pediatric gastroenteritis, has a genome consisting of 11 segments of double-stranded (ds)RNA surrounded by a triple-layered protein capsid. The rotavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, VP1, synthesizes both dsRNA and plus-strand RNA (+RNA) within subviral particles. Structural analyses of the rotavirus capsid and polymerase, combined with functional studies of purified capsid proteins, indicate that the inner capsid protein controls the initiation of RNA synthesis by VP1. Whether VP1 directs dsRNA versus +RNA synthesis may be regulated by the impact of the viral RNA capping enzyme on the position of the polymerase plug, a flexible element that inserts into one of the polymerase's RNA exit tunnels. This review discusses recent findings and ideas into the mechanisms used by rotavirus capsid proteins to control the activities of its viral polymerase and to coordinate RNA synthesis with the assembly of virus particles. | 25,243,800 | [
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Attentional bias to alcohol-related stimuli as an indicator of changes in motivation to drink. | Heavy drinkers show an attentional bias toward alcohol-related visual cues. A recent study in our laboratory (Weafer & Fillmore, 2013) showed that alcohol decreases attentional bias among heavy drinkers, suggesting that alcohol satiates motivation to drink in heavy drinkers. Little is known, however, about how this satiety effect might change across the time course of the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) curve. It is possible that attentional bias may return later in the time course if the satiety effect begins to diminish. The current study tested this hypothesis in a group of high-risk binge drinkers (n = 20). Participants completed a visual-probe task to measure their attentional bias and a self-report measure of their desire for alcohol after receiving 0.64 g/kg and 0.0 g/kg alcohol (placebo) during separate dose challenge sessions. The measures were obtained during the ascending limb of the BAC curve under alcohol (Test 1) and again during the descending limb (Test 2) at a comparable BAC. The measures also were obtained at the same times following placebo. Under alcohol, no attentional bias was observed during Test 1, but drinkers reported increased desire to drink. During Test 2, attentional bias was evident, but participants reported less desire to drink. Attentional bias was not correlated with desire to drink at any time point. Following placebo, attentional bias was evident during both tests. These findings show that alcohol causes a temporary reduction of attentional bias among heavy drinkers. These changes do not correspond with their self-reported motivation to drink. | 25,243,833 | [
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Substrate induced denitrification over or under estimates shifts in soil N₂/N₂O ratios. | The increase in atmospheric nitrous oxide (N₂O), a potent greenhouse and ozone depleting gas, is of serious global concern. Soils are large contributors to this increase through microbial processes that are enhanced in agricultural land due to nitrogenous fertilizer applications. Denitrification, a respiratory process using nitrogen oxides as electron acceptors in the absence of oxygen, is the main source of N₂O. The end product of denitrification is benign dinitrogen (N₂) and understanding what regulates the shift in ratio of N₂O and N₂ emission is crucial for mitigation strategies. The role of organic carbon in controlling N₂O reduction is poorly understood, and mostly based on application of glucose. Here we investigated how a range of carbon compounds (succinate, butyrate, malic acid, acetate, glucose, sucrose and cysteine) affect denitrifier N₂/N₂O production stoichiometry under laboratory conditions. The results show that a soil's capability in efficiently reducing N₂O to N₂ is C substrate dependent and most compounds tested were different in regards to this efficiency compared to glucose. We challenge the concept of using glucose as a model soil C compound in furthering our understanding of denitrification and specifically the efficiency in the N₂O reductase enzyme. Organic acids, commonly exuded by roots, increased N₂/N₂O ratios compared to glucose, and therefore mitigated net N₂O release and we suggest provides better insights into soil regulatory aspects of N₂O reduction. The widespread use of glucose in soil laboratory studies could lead to misleading knowledge on the functioning of denitrification in soils with regards to N₂O reduction. | 25,243,844 | [
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Combined treatment with GH and IGF-I: additive effect on cortical bone mass but not on linear bone growth in female rats. | The growth-promoting effect of combined therapy with GH and IGF-I in normal rats is not known. We therefore investigated the efficacy of treatment with recombinant human (rh)GH and/or rhIGF-I on longitudinal bone growth and bone mass in intact, prepubertal, female Sprague-Dawley rats. rhGH was injected twice daily sc (5 mg/kg·d) and rhIGF-I continuously infused sc (2.2 or 4.4 mg/kg·d) for 28 days. Longitudinal bone growth was monitored by weekly x-rays of tibiae and nose-anus length measurements, and tibial growth plate histomorphology was analyzed. Bone mass was evaluated by peripheral quantitative computed tomography. In addition, serum levels of IGF-I, rat GH, acid labile subunit, IGF binding protein-3, 150-kDa ternary complex formation, and markers of bone formation and degradation were measured. Monotherapy with rhGH was more effective than rhIGF-I (4.4 mg/kg·d) to increase tibia and nose-anus length, whereas combined therapy did not further increase tibia, or nose-anus, lengths or growth plate height. In contrast, combined rhGH and rhIGF-I (4.4 mg/kg·d) therapy had an additive stimulatory effect on cortical bone mass vs rhGH alone. Combined treatment with rhGH and rhIGF-I resulted in markedly higher serum IGF-I concentrations vs rhGH alone but did not compromise the endogenous secretion of GH. We conclude that rhIGF-I treatment augments cortical bone mass but does not further improve bone growth in rhGH-treated young, intact, female rats. | 25,243,853 | [
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Aloin: a natural antitumor anthraquinone glycoside with iron chelating and non-atherogenic activities. | The antitumor activity of aloin, the active anthraquinone of Aloe juice, against different murine and human tumors has been reported. In the present study, the impact of repeated aloin treatment at its maximum tolerated dose on serum levels of lipid profile, some elements, iron status and kidney function, compared with doxorubicin (a cardiotoxic anthracycline and inhibitor of erythropoiesis), was assessed. Rats were treated with a single dose of doxorubicin (30 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneal) or aloin (50 mg/kg body weight, intramuscular) twice weekly over 2 weeks. Acute doxorubicin treatment elevated serum levels of triacylglycerols (59.90%), total cholesterol (42.29%), cholesteryl esters (54.75%), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (230.16%), very low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (56.42%), urea (287.53%), and creatinine (85.38%), whereas serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, sodium, and calcium levels were reduced (44.61, 9.61, and 9.76%, respectively), as compared with controls. In contrast, aloin treatment showed insignificant changes in all the aforementioned parameters. Both doxorubicin and aloin induced erythropoiesis impairment demonstrated by a reduction in blood hemoglobin concentration. While aloin treatment elevated serum iron level (30.28%), doxorubicin treatment reduced serum levels of iron (51.47%) and percent transferrin saturation (55.21%), and in contrast, increased serum total iron binding capacity (34.85%). The chelating affinities of iron-aloin and -doxorubicin complexes, which contain bidentate iron-binding moieties, have been shown in the infrared spectra. The non-cardiotoxic effect of aloin treatment was due to its non-atherogenic and iron-chelating activities, which might also contribute in part to its anti-proliferative activity. | 25,243,866 | [
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... |
The herbal composition GGEx18 from Laminaria japonica, Rheum palmatum, and Ephedra sinica inhibits visceral obesity and insulin resistance by upregulating visceral adipose genes involved in fatty acid oxidation. | The herbal composition Gyeongshingangjeehwan 18 (GGEx18) extracted from Rheum palmatum L. (Polygonaceae), Laminaria japonica Aresch (Laminariaceae), and Ephedra sinica Stapf (Ephedraceae) is traditionally used as an anti-obesity drug by local clinics in Korea. This study investigates the effects of GGEx18 on visceral obesity and insulin resistance and determines the molecular mechanisms involved in this process. After C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with GGEx18 (125, 250, and 500 mg/kg) for 8 weeks and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with GGEx18 (0.1, 1, and 10 μg/ml); variables and determinants of visceral obesity and insulin resistance were measured using in vivo and in vitro approaches. Administration of GGEx18 to obese mice decreased visceral adipose tissue weight with an ED50 value of 232 mg/kg. 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with GGEx18 showed a reduction in lipid accumulation with an ED50 value of 0.7 µg/ml. GGEx18 significantly increased the expression of fatty acid oxidation genes, including adiponectin, AMPKs, PPARα and its target enzymes, and CPT-1, in both mesenteric adipose tissues and 3T3-L1 cells. However, GGEx18 treatment decreased the mRNA levels of adipocyte marker genes such as PPARγ, aP2, TNFα, and leptin. GGEx18 normalized hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in obese mice. Blood glucose levels of GGEx18-treated mice were significantly reduced during oral glucose tolerance tests compared with obese controls. These results suggest that GGEx18 may treat visceral obesity and visceral obesity-related insulin resistance by upregulating the visceral adipose expression of fatty acid oxidative genes. | 25,243,869 | [
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A Mur regulator protein in the extremophilic bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. | Ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is a transcriptional regulator that controls the expression of genes involved in the uptake of iron and manganese, as well as vital nutrients, and is essential for intracellular redox cycling. We identified a unique Fur homolog (DR0865) from Deinococcus radiodurans, which is known for its extreme resistance to radiation and oxidants. A dr0865 mutant (Mt-0865) showed a higher sensitivity to manganese stress, hydrogen peroxide, gamma irradiation and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation than the wild-type R1 strain. Cellular manganese (Mn) ion (Mn2+) analysis showed that Mn2+, copper (Cu2+), and ferric (Fe3+) ions accumulated significantly in the mutant, which suggests that the dr0865 gene is not only involved in the regulation of Mn2+ homeostasis, but also affects the uptake of other ions. In addition, transcriptome profiles under MnCl2 stress showed that the expression of many genes involved in Mn metabolism was significantly different in the wild-type R1 and DR0865 mutant (Mt-0865). Furthermore, we found that the dr0865 gene serves as a positive regulator of the manganese efflux pump gene mntE (dr1236), and as a negative regulator of Mn ABC transporter genes, such as dr2283, dr2284 and dr2523. Therefore, it plays an important role in maintaining the homoeostasis of intracellular Mn (II), and also other Mn2+, zinc (Zn2+) and Cu2+ ions. Based on its role in manganese homeostasis, DR0865 likely belongs to the Mur sub-family of Fur homolog. | 25,243,898 | [
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... |
Antagonism of Ang-Tie2 and Dll4-Notch signaling has opposing effects on tumor endothelial cell proliferation, evidenced by a new flow cytometry method. | Sustained angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth as it provides the tumor with a network of blood vessels that supply both oxygen and essential nutrients. Limiting tumor-associated angiogenesis is a proven strategy for the treatment of human cancer. To date, the rapid detection and quantitation of tumor-associated endothelial cell (TAEC) proliferation has been challenging, largely due to the low frequency of endothelial cells (ECs) within the tumor microenvironment. In this report, we address this problem using a new multiparametric flow cytometry method capable of rapid and precise quantitation of proliferation by measuring bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) uptake in mouse TAECs from established human tumor xenografts. We determined the basal proliferation labeling index of TAECs in two human tumor xenografts representing two distinct histologies, COLO 205 (colorectal cancer) and U-87 (glioblastoma). We then investigated the effects of two large-molecule antiangiogenic agents targeting different biochemical pathways. Blocking angiopoietin-Tie2 signaling with the peptide-Fc fusion protein, trebananib (AMG 386), inhibited proliferation of TAECs, whereas blocking Dll4-Notch signaling with an anti-Dll4-specific antibody induced hyperproliferation of TAECs. These pharmacodynamic studies highlight the sensitivity and utility of this flow cytometry-based method and demonstrate the value of this assay to rapidly assess the in vivo proliferative effects of angiogenesis-targeted agents on both the tumor and the associated vasculature. | 25,243,900 | [
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Postcopulatory sexual selection results in spermatozoa with more uniform head and flagellum sizes in rodents. | Interspecific comparative studies have shown that, in most taxa, postcopulatory sexual selection (PCSS) in the form of sperm competition drives the evolution of longer and faster swimming sperm. Work on passserine birds has revealed that PCSS also reduces variation in sperm size between males at the intraspecific level. However, the influence of PCSS upon intra-male sperm size diversity is poorly understood, since the few studies carried out to date in birds have yielded contradictory results. In mammals, PCSS increases sperm size but there is little information on the effects of this selective force on variations in sperm size and shape. Here, we test whether sperm competition associates with a reduction in the degree of variation of sperm dimensions in rodents. We found that as sperm competition levels increase males produce sperm that are more similar in both the size of the head and the size of the flagellum. On the other hand, whereas with increasing levels of sperm competition there is less variation in head length in relation to head width (ratio CV head length/CV head width), there is no relation between variation in head and flagellum sizes (ratio CV head length/CV flagellum length). Thus, it appears that, in addition to a selection for longer sperm, sperm competition may select more uniform sperm heads and flagella, which together may enhance swimming velocity. Overall, sperm competition seems to drive sperm components towards an optimum design that may affect sperm performance which, in turn, will be crucial for successful fertilization. | 25,243,923 | [
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